Police have busted an online fraud syndicate using Melaka as a call centre to offer foreigners non-existent sex services, and seized assets worth RM550,000.
Melaka police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said police arrested 12 men – one Malaysian, nine Chinese nationals and two Filipinos – in raids at two separate premises in Ayer Keroh and Banda Hilir on Sept 2-3.
“The first arrests involved eight people at a luxury housing estate in Ayer Keroh. Four other members of the same syndicate were arrested later at a house in Banda Hilir.
“An initial investigation found that the syndicate had been operating for three months by advertising non-existent sex services to Chinese nationals via Telegram.
“The victims had to make payments to a bank account in Cambodia online,” Bernama reported him as saying at the Melaka police headquarters today, adding that their phone numbers would then be blocked.
Dzulkhairi said the foreigners involved were found to have entered the country as tourists with valid travel documents, and were paid between US$1,500 (about RM6,300) and US$2,300 (RM9,700) a month each to operate the call centre.
The assets seized comprised eight laptops, cash in various currencies, mobile phones and three luxury cars, including a Porsche.
He said police also smashed another online syndicate offering the fraudulent sale of mobile phones, motorcycles and cars with the arrests of seven Indonesian men at an apartment on Jalan Tun Perak in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 2.
The suspects had been operating from the apartment for the past three months, targeting Indonesians through Facebook and Telegram.
“The syndicate offered mobile phones, motorcycles and cars at cheap prices on Facebook. The victims were contacted by the suspects, who posed as customer service officers.
“They would then be instructed to make advance payments to Bank Central Asia in Indonesia, and ShopeePay accounts believed to belong to the syndicate leader.
“The victims did not receive their goods after they made payment, and would also have communications blocked,” he said.
Dzulkhairi said the syndicate members entered the country legally as tourists and received a monthly salary of between RM1,000 and RM2,000.
