KUALA LUMPUR: Thousands of ATM cards believed to have been held by loan sharks for payment purposes have been recovered after an operation that saw the arrest of five people.
The Aug 8 operation was conducted by the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) around the Subang Jaya area.
Department director Comm Datuk Rusdi Md Isa, at a press conference on the matter, said that surveillance in the area led to the initial arrest of three suspects.
“Checks showed that they were working as runners for the loan sharks and were tasked with being ATM card collectors for the syndicate. They were instructed to use the cards to collect ‘payments’ for the syndicate,” he said.
Follow-up investigations led to a raid at their workplace in Subang Jaya where two other suspects were arrested.
“All are aged between 23 and 36 years old,” he said.
Among the items seized included 2,924 ATM cards, RM119,977 in cash, 14 handphones and a router.
Investigations showed that the suspects were given orders by their “supervisor” via Telegram. They would take money out of the accounts using the ATM cards as often as twice a day with around RM5,000 to RM8,000 removed on average.
“The money will then be packed and sent to a set location via courier or face to face.
“The suspects have been working for the syndicate between six months and two years with fees of between RM2,500 and RM3,500 a month.
“All have been released on police bail after their remand period ended on Aug 12. Investigations are still ongoing,” he said.
Comm Rusdi also emphasised that legal money lenders are not allowed to hold on to a customer’s ATM cards or any other private documents.
“The public must know that any money lenders are prohibited from keeping a person’s IC, passport, ATM cards or any personal documents,” he said.
He also added that of all the cards saized, around 18 were believed to have been linked to investment scams.
