GEORGE TOWN: Folders with the logos of the US Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), fake Canadian police uniforms and handwritten scripts coaching scammers on how to pose as investigators were among the items seized after police crippled a fraud syndicate operating from Bukit Mertajam.
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Dennis Lim Kwang Keng said a phone scam syndicate operating out of a four-storey bungalow in Bukit Mertajam was raided on July 16.
Police arrested 29 people comprising nationals from Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Cambodia, Nigeria and South Africa, he added.
"The syndicate targeted victims in Canada and the United States by posing as FBI personnel and Canadian police officers," he told a press conference at North-East District police headquarters in Jalan Patani on Wednesday (July 22).
Handwritten scripts seized in the raid coached callers to pose as fraud investigators, question victims about supposed unauthorised transactions, address their suspicions, and then transfer the call to another person acting as an investigating officer.
He said police acted after receiving a report from a man in Selangor, who claimed a 26-year-old Cameroonian woman was being held against her will in Penang.
After gathering intelligence, police raided the bungalow under Ops Pintas and found the woman on the premises.
Comm Lim said police were seeking a local man known as William, 49, whose last known address was in Kluang, Johor, to assist investigations.
He said the raid was against one of five scam syndicates targeting victims overseas which police crippled in the past week.
In total, 108 people were arrested in five call centres operating from bungalows in areas such as Batu Ferringhi, Tanjung Bungah, Pulau Tikus, Jelutong and Bukit Mertajam.
Comm Lim said the syndicates targeted victims in China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Canada and the United States.
"As there are no Malaysian victims or reports, we cannot determine the total losses," he said.
The suspects are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating read together with Section 120B for criminal conspiracy, as well as immigration-related offences.
Comm Lim said police were also working with the authorities overseas to determine whether any of the suspects were wanted in their respective countries.
"We will use international legal channels where necessary and continue investigations," he said.
Asked why the syndicates appeared to favour Penang, Comm Lim said they could have been attracted by the availability of luxury properties.
"If we look at it from a criminal's perspective, they may choose places that are more upscale as these locations have security features that provide some protection," he said.
He said investigations so far indicated the five call centres were not linked to one another amd had only been operating in Penang for one or two months.
Comm Lim said police believed the syndicates could have relocated to Penang following a major crackdown by Bukit Aman in the Klang Valley, although investigations were ongoing.
He urged property owners to conduct proper background checks on prospective tenants before renting to them.
"Do not simply accept anyone who wants to rent your property. If you engage agents, make sure they also conduct proper checks," he said.
Separately, police conducted Ops Soga XI between June 11 and July 19 to curb illegal betting activities during the FIFA World Cup.
A total of 31 raids were carried out, resulting in the arrest of 33 men and three women.
Of the 31 investigation papers opened, 24 cases have been charged in court, with 23 accused pleading guilty while one case is still being tried.
Four cases remain under investigation while three were classified as requiring no further action due to insufficient evidence.
In an unrelated case, police arrested a 37-year-old local man during a raid at a house in Teluk Air Tawar, Butterworth, on Monday (July 20) and seized 3.1kg of ecstasy worth about RM470,000.
The suspect is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.
Comm Lim urged the public to continue providing information to police to help combat organised crime and drug-related activities.
