The passports of some of the 104 Chinese citizens who were arrested for their alleged involvement in an online scam syndicate. Photo: Daily Express TV
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https://scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3039615/malaysia-detains-104-chinese-citizens-online-scam Southeast Asia
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
Malaysian officials are seen after 104 Chinese nationals were detained in the city of Kota Kinabalu over their alleged involvement in an online scam syndicate. Photo: Daily Express TV
A total of 104 Chinese nationals were on Tuesday detained in the Malaysian city of Kota Kinabalu for their alleged involvement in an online scam syndicate.
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.”
The syndicate’s modus operandi was similar to the one that was operating from a six-storey building in Cyberjaya, where 680 Chinese nationals were detained for running an internet investment scam on November 20.
Muhamad Sade said 68 of the 104 Chinese nationals were without passports.
“The Chinese embassy in Malaysia will also be notified on this case.”
He said Sabah Immigration had conducted an intelligence operation for a week based on a public tip-off before the raid.
Muhamad Sade called on members of the public to report information of any suspicious activities.
Chinese con artists are moving their operations to Southeast Asia to avoid a clampdown on such scams in China, Indonesian police said this week.
In the latest Chinese-operated scam in the country, Indonesian police arrested 85 Chinese nationals for running a “fake cop” operation, in which they posed as police officers, prosecutors and bankers to cheat victims in mainland China out of their savings. Last year, a similar operation in Bali led to the arrest of 103 Chinese nationals.
In September, officials in the Philippines arrested 601 Chinese citizens in one week, accused of involvement in illegal online gambling and online investment scam syndicates.
With the backing of China, the Philippines had launched a crackdown on large numbers of Chinese who mostly entered the country as tourists and then worked for online gambling operations, which are illegal in China.
Read the original article at The Star Online.