18yo Tries to Open 1st Bank Account, Finds Out He’s Been Blacklisted From All Banks in M’sia Since 9yo

An 18-year-old claimed that two different banks rejected his application to open a personal account for PTPTN after they found out he was blacklisted.

According to Kwong Wah, investigations revealed that Zhou Deli (literal translation) had been placed on the banking system’s “tipping offensive” blacklist as early as 2016, when he was just 9 years old.

“I never had a bank account before”

Zhou Deli later went to the Penang branch of the National Bank on March 11 to make inquiries, and checks through the Central Credit Information System (CCRIS) showed that his record was clean.

Following this, Zhou Deli visited Maybank at Queensbay Mall to attempt to create a bank account once again. While the process started out smooth, he was ultimately rejected again due to being blacklisted.

The bank manager also explained that Zhou Deli would not be able to open an account anywhere in Malaysia.

“I was shocked because I was only 9 years old at the time and had never had a bank account or any dealings with financial institutions,” he said at a press conference.

He then lodged a police report on March 13 and returned to Bank Negara on March 17, where security guards advised him to check the details through a Credit Information Service (CTOS) report.

“I also went to the Penang High Court to confirm and checked the CTOS report through the Touch ‘n Go eWallet, but no abnormal records were found. Still, the issue hasn’t been resolved,” he added.

“Tipping offensive” involves serious financial crimes

Penang Public Complaints Bureau Chief from the Malaysian Chinese Association pointed out that the “tipping offensive” list usually involves serious financial crimes like money laundering, terrorism financing, or suspicious transaction reports.

He also questioned how a 9-year-old could possibly be involved in something like that.

During the press conference, Zhou Deli’s father also explained that he works as a renovation contractor while his wife is a housewife.

They both have their own bank accounts and have never been involved in any criminal activities.

“If we really did something wrong, would we come out and ask for help? That would be like slapping ourselves in the face,” the father said.

Zhou Deli has since been successfully accepted into a college, and his PTPTN loan is expected to be disbursed in August. However, he still can’t open a bank account, which has put the entire loan process on hold.

Also read: Unpaid Parking Fines to Affect M’sian Vehicle Owners’ Credit Scores as They’re Now Added to CTOS System