JOHOR BARU: Police will be working with Interpol after busting two major scam centres in Forest City that have raked in millions of ringgit from victims abroad.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the scam centres, which occupied 27 apartments and five bungalows, also had suspects who had previously worked in scam centres abroad.
He said police are in the process of tracking down the mastermind with the help of Interpol.
Of those arrested on July 15, 309 are Chinese nationals, 19 Indonesians, four Myanmar nationals and three Malaysians.
“The apartments were all booked under a company name while the bungalow lots were under individual names,” Comm Ab Rahaman said, adding that all the suspects arrested were aged between 20 and 58.
Asked about the role of the three Malaysians, he said they provided logistical support.
On whether the syndicates or scammers had any links to Network School, which was also based in Forest City, he said there were no links.
A total of 1,900 electronic gadgets were seized during the raids, including 313 computers, 1,557 mobile phones, 17 laptops, 10 modems and a car.
“The seized items are worth about RM1mil,” he said, adding that the suspects usually used social media platforms to hunt for victims.
Comm Ab Rahaman added that the suspects were promised salaries of between RM2,500 and RM4,000.
“All the foreigners were unable to produce a valid travel document,” he said.
“At least 194 of them are expected to be charged in court.”
The Star had earlier reported that massive police raids in and around Forest City in Iskandar Puteri have netted more than 330 people – mostly foreigners – for involvement in various kinds of scams such as love scams, currency scams, cryptocurrency scams and impersonating a law firm.
It is learnt that the two call centres had duped victims in China, Indonesia, Japan, the United States and Europe.
In the first case, police uncovered a syndicate that had taken over almost five floors of luxury apartments, spanning more than 20 units.
The men and women arrested were mainly from China, Indonesia and Myanmar.
In the second operation, raids on several bungalows led to the arrest of 53 Chinese nationals.
Initial investigations showed that each syndicate member entered Malaysia from Cambodia and had only been in the country for a few weeks.
