KUALA LUMPUR: The authorities have frozen 165 bank accounts holding RM296mil that have links to money games companies, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
In a written parliamentary reply, the Prime Minister said that three operations to curb get-rich-quick schemes were conducted in May by the police and the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry.
He added that the operations were coordinated by the Attorney-General's Chambers.
Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said that nine investigation papers were opened by authorities under various laws.
He was answering a question by Sim Tze Tzin (PKR-Bayan Baru) who had asked how many money games or get-rich-quick companies had been investigated by Bank Negara this year.
Sim had also asked how much money had been frozen and when it would be returned to investors.
In another parliamentary reply to Sim, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that 90 foreign nationals had been victims of money games companies according to police investigations.
The Home Minister said the victims were from China, Taiwan and Yemen.
The companies implicated are JJ Poor to Rich (JJPTR), Monspace, MBI and Morgage Capital Sdn Bhd.
The issue of money games has cropped up recently following the collapse of several unauthorised investment schemes.
JJ Commerce Trading and JJ Online Enterprise are believed to be linked to the JJPTR investment scheme that collapsed in April, with the company claiming it lost US$400mil (RM1.7bil) to a purported hacking job.
JJPTR founder Johnson Lee and two of his aides were arrested by police on May 16 and released on police bail on May 23.
The company has shut down its official website, www.jjptr.com, and closed its offices in Penang.
