SMS scam syndicate: Two from telco firm remanded for five days

PUTRAJAYA: Two individuals have been remanded in connection with bribes worth millions of ringgit as part of an SMS scam syndicate.

The two – a company chief technology officer and an employee of a telecommunications firm – will be remanded for five days after Magistrate Siti Roslizawati Mohd Zanin allowed an application submitted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on Thursday (Nov 12).

The suspects aged 39 and 47 were arrested around 2.30pm and 5.14pm at the MACC headquarters on Wednesday (Nov 11) when they were called in to have their statement recorded.

The latest arrest brings the number of individuals being investigated over the scam to six.

According to sources, the two were believed to have given and accepted bribes to secure information and personal data belonging to the telecommunication company’s prepaid customers.

It is learnt that the phone numbers were used by the "content provider" company to charge customers via SMS without their knowledge or permission.

Earlier this week, four individuals were arrested as the MACC proceeded with its investigation into the syndicate’s activities.

On Wednesday, a telco employee was remanded for five days over suspicion of accepting bribes to release customers’ numbers to the syndicate.

On Tuesday, three individuals, including two Datuks, were held.

The three were said to be directors of different companies and had apparently been giving bribes to telecommunication companies to gain access to customers’ phone numbers.

They are believed to have bribed officers at telecommunication companies to obtain phone numbers of their customers, which is used for a “content provider” SMS scam syndicate.