MELAKA: A police crackdown has exposed two international online fraud syndicates that lured victims with fake advertisements and non-existent services, including sex.
The raids resulted in the arrests of 19 suspects, including foreigners from Indonesia, the Philippines and China.
State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said the syndicates, which had been active for close to three months, were crippled under an operation called Op Merpati on Sept 2 and 3.
“The suspects, aged between 21 and 60, were detained in several locations, believed to be used as scam operation centres,” he said yesterday.
In the first operation, DCP Dzulkhairi said police raided an apartment in Jalan Tun Perak and arrested seven Indonesians, all of whom had entered the country legally on tourist passes.
He said the group was found to have duped fellow Indonesians by offering mobile phones, motorcycles and cars at low prices on Facebook.
“Victims were later contacted through Telegram and instructed to make advance payments to bank accounts in Indonesia before all communication was cut off.
DCP Dzulkhairi said in another operation, police stormed a residence in Ayer Keroh and detained a local man, two Filipino women and five Chinese nationals.
He said another raid was carried out in Bandar Hilir which saw the arrest of four more Chinese nationals.
