KUALA LUMPUR: Four teenagers were among nine individuals detained following a raid on a job scam syndicate posing as an e-commerce platform.
The four—two aged 14 and the others aged 16—were detained along with five others at a call centre used by the syndicate on Monday (July 22).
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said four locals and five Chinese nationals aged between 14 and 40 years old were detained in the raid.
"They were working as call operators and data managers at the call centre.
"We also seized various items including 18 mobile phones, four laptops, five computers, a script (to scam people), a router, and a bag," he told a press conference at CCID headquarters on Thursday (July 25).
Investigations showed that the suspects had been operating since January, he said.
"They used a website that mimicked an e-commerce platform, selling so-called legit items and services, but it was just a mask to hide their scam activities.
"They targeted victims from China and claimed to have collaborated with reputable e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and JD.com," he said.
Using a script, the syndicate members would contact victims and entice them by claiming they had a chance to earn high commissions by selling items, Comm Ramli said.
"Those interested would then be added into a Telegram group where every communication and instruction would be relayed.
"The commissions promised ranged between 0.3% and 0.6%," he said.
Comm Ramli stated that the syndicate also had access to the victims' user accounts on the platform, enabling them to change credit and profit data.
"They could also create fake transactions to further entice the victims," he said.
Five of the nine individuals have been remanded until July 26, while the other four have been released on police bail.
