Open up: MACC officers during the raid in Kuala Lumpur. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: An investment and cryptocurrency scam ring with global reach has been busted following a raid by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at the syndicate’s new hub of operations at an office building along Jalan Raja Chulan.
The MACC’s Anti Money Laundering (AML) task force conducted the raid, which was led by MACC deputy commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin, at about 12.15pm yesterday following the success of Op Tropicana last week.
Sources said investigators discovered the office building after interviewing the 81 suspects detained last week, of whom 10 have been remanded.
“Investigations showed the syndicate was in the middle of recruiting staff before it could operate (the new hub). The premises, which has been 90% renovated, would have been operational within two to three months,” one source said.
Various items were seized, including cash of various denominations, computers and office supplies believed to have been used to scout for victims.
The raiding team also discovered various scripts in a foreign language, believed to have been used to dupe victims.
Based on the mobile phones and cash that were left behind, it is believed that syndicate members had abandoned the office once they knew their accomplices had been detained during Op Tropicana last week.
“The syndicate used money changers to transfer money overseas.
“We are not ruling out the possibility that the syndicate used money changers to bring in money as well,” the source said.
Sources also said the syndicate targeted victims overseas through investment advertisements on social media, including Instagram and Facebook.
“There is a possibility that the syndicate would have targeted local victims,” the source said.
A check by The Star found that the office was equipped with a CCTV system while all of its windows were covered.
There were multiple rooms at the office, including a meeting room, training room, a pantry and even a reception area.
It is believed that the office would have been operational in two to three months and expected to be a hub for all other scam call centres in the country.
The AML task force also raided two money changers in Kuala Lumpur.
Last Tuesday, the MACC with the cooperation of other agencies busted an investment syndicate masterminded by British citizens, following 24 raids which saw 81 suspects rounded up.
The raids were conducted simultaneously at call centres, company addresses and houses in the Klang Valley and Penang.
Investigations showed the syndicate had operated since 2019 and amassed almost RM200mil after duping victims in Australia and the United Kingdom.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said graft busters cooperated with the Immigration Department, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, Companies Commission of Malaysia, Tenaga Nasional Bhd and the Inland Revenue Board.
The scammers’ modus operandi is believed to have been offering fake investment portfolios through advertisements on social media.
The nabbed syndicate members hailed from Australia, Britain, South Africa and the Philippines.
