GEORGE TOWN: Six individuals, including two foreign nationals, have been detained in a raid at a scam call centre selling counterfeit gift cards at Bukit Mertajam on Tuesday (May 13).
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Hamzah Ahmad said the raid was conducted by Central Seberang Perai Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and state police headquarters Commercial Crime Investigation Department at a condominium in Alma.
"Initial investigations revealed that the syndicate operated using the Telegram application to obtain victims’ information and deceive them with fake prize offers," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Comm Hamzah said the syndicate used a chat group known as "Malay Telegroup 875" to obtain victims' information.
He said the operators would contact victims to offer prizes and then request them to verify personal details.
He said this information would then be sent to a third party, believed to be managed by a Telegram administrator operating in Kuala Lumpur.
Comm Hamzah said police also seized four monitors, eight mobile phones of various brands, three WiFi modems, four Popo-branded keyboards and mice, an access card, internet cable rolls, three folding tables, four assorted chairs, and four headphones in the raid.
He said further investigation found that four local suspects aged between 18 and 28 admitted to working as operators for the call centre for RM2,600 per month.
He said two other suspects, a foreign man and woman, aged 23 and 38 years old, were believed to be the masterminds of the syndicate.
"A check on the foreign suspects’ passports found that they had entered the country on May 1 using social visit passes," he said.
Comm Hamzah said police also confiscated RM5000 cash, a house key and four receipts during the operation.
He said all suspects were remanded for three days from May 14 to May 16.
The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
If found guilty, they could face a prison sentence of between one year and 10 years, as well as possible whipping and fines, he said.
Meanwhile, Hamzah also reminded the public not to be easily deceived by calls or messages from unknown individuals.
"Do not respond to such calls and immediately end the call. Refer to the nearest authorities for information verification.
"The public is also advised to avoid interacting with any suspicious links or calls to prevent financial loss and damage to property," he added.
