GEORGE TOWN: Fourteen Japanese nationals and four Chinese nationals have been detained in two raids at a scam call centre targeting victims in Japan at Simpang Ampat here on Nov 20.
State police chief Comm Datuk Azizee Ismail said the suspects, aged between 25 and 51, were arrested when police raided two bungalows in the Simpang Ampat area.
"Initial investigation found that the syndicate operated using the Telegram application to obtain victims’ information and deceive them by impersonating Japanese police officers, while using the Go online application for financial transactions," he said in a statement on Friday (Nov 28).
Comm Azizee said the suspects admitted to working as call centre operators for the past three months, earning a salary ranging from RM5,000 to RM8,000 per month.
During the raids, police confiscated 49 mobile phones of various brands, 13 tablets, three laptops, four walkie-talkies, five numeric keypads, two house keys, and three autogate remote controls. Police also seized 25 fraud scripts written in Japanese and a whiteboard with a task schedule in Japanese.
All 18 suspects have been remanded for further investigation. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
