M'sia teen, 18, finds out he's been blacklisted from all banks for 'serious financial crimes' since 9

An 18-year-old in Malaysia was shocked to discover he had been blacklisted since the age of nine while attempting to open a bank account.

According to local media outlet Kwong Wah, Zhou Deli was turned away by multiple banks, all citing the same issue.

He was reportedly placed under the "Tipping Offensive" blacklist — typically reserved for serious financial crimes such as money laundering, terrorist financing, or suspicious transaction reporting.

However, checks with the Central Credit Information System (CCRIS) showed that Zhou had no negative financial records.

On Apr. 22, Zhou and his father, Zhou Shulin, held a press conference with Huang Yien, director of the Penang Public Complaints Bureau under the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA).

No evidence of poor financial conduct

After repeated failed attempts to open a bank account, Zhou filed a police report at the Bayan Baru police station on Mar. 13.

He then visited Bank Negara Malaysia (the country’s central bank) on Mar. 17 for clarification.

He was advised to either pursue the matter through the courts or review his 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 e-wallet, but no abnormal records were found," he said, adding that the problem has not been resolved.

At the press conference, Huang presented Zhou’s CCRIS record, which apparently showed no evidence of poor financial conduct.

Searching for answers

Huang questioned how someone as young as nine could end up blacklisted for crimes typically linked to serious financial misconduct.

“It is necessary to obtain an official explanation from Bank Negara Malaysia on this matter,” he said, adding that if Zhou is rejected again by a third bank, he will personally accompany him to the central bank to escalate the matter.

Zhou’s father, a decoration contractor, stressed that neither he nor his wife had any criminal history and both maintained active bank accounts.

"If we really did something wrong, why would we come out and ask for help ourselves? Wouldn't that be like slapping ourselves in the face?" he said.

He added that he was already busy with work and now had to spend time trying to resolve this issue for his son.

Zhou, who has been accepted into ATC College, said the delay in opening a bank account is now holding up the disbursement of his National Higher Education Fund student loan, which was expected to be disbursed in August.

Top photos from Kwong Wah