The Malaysian Immigration Department successfully cracked down on a telephone scam syndicate controlled by foreigners, arresting 46 suspects and seizing a large amount of scamming tools and cash worth about 100,000 Malaysian Ringgit. Preliminary investigations suggest that the mastermind behind the group is of Chinese nationality, employing staff from multiple countries to operate.
Deputy Director of Operations for the Immigration Department, Jefri, stated at a press conference that after three weeks of preparation, the enforcement team from the headquarters launched a raid at 11:30 AM yesterday. They deployed 120 officers to search 17 mansions in an upscale area along Jalan Kuchai Lama in Kuala Lumpur, successfully arresting 46 suspects from eight different nationalities.
The ages of the suspects range from 23 to 54, including:
14 Chinese men
15 Indonesian men, 4 Indonesian women
1 Burmese man, 2 Burmese women
2 Bangladeshi men
2 Laotian women, 6 Thai women
The investigation revealed that these mansions had been converted into scam call centers. The suspects used social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, WeChat, Telegram, and WhatsApp to conduct scams involving fake investments, real estate, luxury boat transactions, etc., targeting not only locals but also overseas victims.
During the operation, the police seized:
2 Lenovo rack servers
4 HP brand computers
88 smartphones
3 routers, 4 modems
26 SIM cards
100,000 Malaysian Ringgit in cash
Jefri revealed that the scam syndicate's daily income ranged from 100,000 to 150,000 Malaysian Ringgit, with scammers earning a monthly salary of about 2,500 to 3,500 Malaysian Ringgit. The group is also suspected of operating online gambling and romance scams, bombarding victims with information to lure them into sending money, then quickly cutting off contact after receiving the funds.
All suspects were arrested for violating Section 51(5)(b) of the Immigration Act of 1959/63, with charges including illegal entry, overstaying, and misuse of tourist visas.
Jefri urged the public to remain vigilant to avoid falling into scam traps and called on landlords and property owners not to rent their properties to illegal immigrants, to prevent aiding criminal activities. The Immigration Department will continue to strengthen enforcement to combat domestic and international scam crimes.
