SEREMBAN: Police arrested 40 people suspected of involvement in an online phone scam syndicate during raids on a bungalow and an abandoned resort in Broga, Mantin, near here, on Monday (Oct 12).
Negri Sembilan police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Alzafny Ahmad said the suspects, aged between 19 and 63 years old, comprised a local married couple, 34 Chinese nationals, three Myanmar nationals and a Taiwanese national.
He said the syndicate allegedly impersonated Chinese prosecutors and police officers to deceive victims, particularly Chinese nationals, including those residing in the United States.
"Preliminary investigations found that the syndicate had been operating for a month from a resort on private land that had been abandoned and unoccupied for nearly four years.
"Its remote location in a rural area was believed to have been chosen to avoid detection by the authorities. However, about a week of police intelligence work led to the syndicate's activities being uncovered," he told a press conference here Wednesday (Oct 14).
He said inspections of the resort's four blocks revealed that the syndicate had rented one block for RM20,000 to operate a call centre using Microsoft Teams.
Alzafny said the syndicate allegedly deceived victims by claiming they were involved in criminal cases before offering to help them avoid arrest.
He said the Chinese nationals among those arrested were believed to have served as administrators and customer service officers for the syndicate.
"Initial checks on the seized laptops and mobile phones also uncovered video recordings of syndicate members impersonating Chinese authorities, as well as several Mandarin-language scripts believed to have been used in the scams," he said.
Police seized 82 mobile phones, three laptops, a TP-Link router, 16 Chinese passports, four tripods, RM5,000 in cash and a set of tenancy agreement documents bearing the name of a local Chinese man.
The case is being investigated under Sections 420 and 120B of the Penal Code. All 40 suspects were remanded for four days, from Oct 13 to 16, to assist in investigations.
Alzafny said police would take firm action against scam syndicates using premises in Negri Sembilan as operational bases.
Members of the public with information on such activities are urged to contact the police. - Bernama
