KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Two online scam syndicates targeting victims in India and the United States (US) were crippled in separate raids at a luxury condominium in the capital last month.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said that in a raid on April 23, 22 individuals, including locals as well as Taiwanese, Pakistani, and Indian nationals, were arrested for suspected involvement in a “Macau Scam”.
The syndicate’s modus operandi involved impersonating Indian authorities and accusing victims of being involved in the dissemination of seditious content.
“Most shockingly, the syndicate also used ‘Delhi Police’ uniforms bearing the name tag ‘Inspector Sunil Kumar’. The attire was used by suspects during video calls to instil fear and panic among victims in that country.
“They were also provided with lists of victim phone numbers and used 12 customised scripts in various languages, including Tamil, before deceiving victims into making payments to resolve the purported investigations,” he said during a media conference today.
Meanwhile, in a second raid conducted the following day, the police arrested 13 individuals, including locals as well as nationals from China, Myanmar, and Vietnam, believed to be involved in “Love scam” activities targeting victims in the US.
Rusdi added that the syndicate used fake profile applications such as PIGSMS to build personal relationships with victims before switching to WhatsApp and Telegram to solicit money.
“Since the victims are from the US, we will also share information and cooperate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for further action and investigation,” he said.
Both syndicates used luxury condominium units with rental values of RM3,000 and above, equipped with tight security, as call centres to evade detection by authorities.
“They would stay inside the condominium, eating and sleeping there without going out to minimise movement. Sometimes even neighbours next door were unaware of their presence,” Rusdi said.
Both cases are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, with eight foreign suspects linked to the love scam case charged under Section 120B(2) of the Penal Code.
To curb cross-border crimes, he said the CCID continuously works closely with foreign police and embassies to share arrest data.
