Love scam busted in Bukit Aman's joint op with Hong Kong cops

PETALING JAYA: Things went sour for a love scam as seven foreigners operating for the syndicate were nabbed in a special operation by the Malaysian and Hong Kong police.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said the operation, dubbed Ops Tiong, was conducted to push back against the syndicate detected in Selangor and targeting both Malaysians and Hong Kong citizens.

Investigation showed that the syndicate members had entered the country three years ago using student passes, he added.

"They operated by using fake profiles on Facebook and Instagram to entice victims with sweet words and false promises before asking them to transfer money into their prepared bank accounts," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 6).

Comm Mohd Kamarudin said that raids were carried out at three premises around Puchong on Tuesday (Oct 5), leading to the arrest of seven foreigners, two of whom were women.

All the suspects, aged between 25 and 40, have been remanded until Oct 9 to help in the investigation.

Comm Mohd Kamarudin urged all not to fall for the scammers' ploy and to be careful while adding friends on social media.

"Never share banking or personal details of yourself or your family to strangers or to people you have just met," he said.