As China, Thailand, and Myanmar achieve significant results in their joint efforts to combat scam centers, Malaysian police express concerns about the potential relocation of scam syndicates to their country and have initiated cooperation with Chinese public security to prevent Malaysia from becoming a new hotbed for scams.
Ramli Yusuff, the Director of Commercial Crime Investigation at Bukit Aman Police Headquarters in Malaysia, stated during a press conference on March 5 that Malaysian police recently met with Chinese public security departments to discuss the progress of the joint anti-scam operations among China, Thailand, and Myanmar. Both parties agree that as the crackdown intensifies, criminals might seek new bases, with Malaysia potentially being a target.
Ramli revealed that Malaysian police conducted raids on three upscale apartments along Jalan Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur, dismantling three scam syndicate call centers and arresting 11 Chinese nationals. Investigations found that these scam centers, operated by different criminal organizations, primarily targeted Chinese citizens through lottery games, online gambling, and stock investments, and are suspected to have been operational for up to a year.
Police preliminarily believe that some victims might have entered the country as tourists before being distributed to various scam centers to engage in illegal activities. Moreover, Ramli emphasized, "We do not rule out the possibility that local residents might also be involved, acting as accomplices to the scam groups."
To effectively address the potential threat, Malaysian police plan to collaborate deeply with Chinese anti-scam experts and data analysts, utilizing advanced technology to analyze evidence and enhance the efficiency of combating scam syndicates. In the future, both sides will further strengthen cross-border intelligence sharing to prevent Malaysia from becoming a new base for telecommunications fraud.
