Cops nabs 97 scammers in raid at Pangkor vacation home

IPOH: The police have arrested 97 individuals, mainly foreigners, believed to be involved in a call centre scam, at a vacation home on Pangkor Island.

Perak police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said the arrests were made during a raid on Tuesday (Oct 31).

“Those arrested included 67 men and 30 women.

"One of them was a Malaysian man, two were Chinese nationals and the remaining 94 were Vietnamese, all aged between 20 and 47 years old," he said in a statement Thursday (Nov 2).

“We also seized three laptops, 120 mobile phones, two modems, two notebook computers, and RM51,244,” he said.

“The Malaysian is a 24-year-old, unemployed and has no prior record.

"They are believed to be involved in a non-existent investment scheme," he added.

Comm Mohd Yusri said the raid was conducted on the first day the home was used by the suspects.

“Some of the foreigners who were arrested have valid passports while others don’t,” he said, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code.

"The raid was a success with the help of the public, who shared information with us," he said.

"We welcome more information about suspicious activities from the people or building managements if they know of such activities happening at their premises.

“We also want to advise the public to get information about the modus operandi and tactics used by scammers from our social media platforms," he added.