Malaysia detains 104 Chinese citizens in online scam syndicate raid
- The online scam, which was run out of Kota Kinabalu, targeted victims from China
- This comes as Chinese con artists move their operations to Southeast Asia as the mainland clamps down on scams
Sabah Immigration Department raided three separate locations around 1Borneo mall, with 916 mobile phones, 348 SIM cards, 64 laptops and 28 desktops being seized from the first location.
State immigration director Dr Muhamad Sade Mohamad Amin on Wednesday said the syndicate had recruited members from China before sending them to Sabah state in the northern part of the Malaysian island of Borneo.
“The suspects included 94 men and 10 women aged between 18 and 39,” he said. “The online scam activities, which targeted victims from China, are believed to have been operational for two months here.
“The premises raided in 1Borneo was believed to have functioned as a call centre equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) and keyless room access only.”
Muhamad Sade said 68 of the 104 Chinese nationals were without passports.
“The Chinese embassy in Malaysia will also be notified on this case.”
