‘Macau scam’ syndicate crippled

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have crippled a “Macau scam” syndicate following the arrest of 50 people in Johor Baru.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department deputy director (cyber crime and multimedia investigations) SAC Datuk Mohd Kamaruddin Md Din said police conducted six raids in the Iskandar Puteri district in Johor on Wednesday.

“50 of them were detained, 27 men and 16 women, all are believed to be Chinese nationals,” he said in a statement yesterday.

The remaining suspects arrested were five Taiwanese men and a local man and woman.

Kamaruddin added the two locals are believed to be the main culprits behind the syndicate’s operations, including renting houses and hiring drivers for the members.

“Police seized a luxury car, 46 mobile phones, 10 tablets, 21 laptops, five modems, six routers as well as travel documents and scripts,” he said, adding that those arrested have been remanded for four days to assist investigations.

Kamaruddin said the syndicate used Voice Over Internet Protocol to pose as employees of telecommunications companies to lure unsuspecting victims to transfer money to the syndicate’s account.

The case has been classified as fraud under Section 420 of the Penal Code.