Malaysian police bust scam call centres in Johor Bahru targeting Singaporeans and Malaysians

JOHOR BAHRU – These imposters would pretend to be in distress, calling people to send money to help them. They would impersonate people in need of assistance and contact all their friends in Singapore for financial help.

Seven men, who are in their 20s and 40s, were detained in the past week after they were found operating from two apartments in Iskandar Puteri. The arrests meant that police smashed another gang that ran “call centres” which targeted victims from Malaysia and Singapore.

This is the third major gang nabbed in recent weeks in which the culprits had rented apartments in affluent areas to be used as “call centres”. To date, the police have arrested more than 20 people in a series of raids around the city.

More than a dozen mobile phones and other items have been seized from the suspects.

When contacted, an official from the Malaysian police headquarters in Bukit Aman confirmed the arrests, adding that officers from the Commercial Crime Investigation Department were investigating the suspects for cheating.

The official advised the public, especially retirees and those who are older, to be wary about interacting with people whom they have not met.

In an unrelated case, a shop supervisor in Muar resorted to pawning her family’s gold items to raise funds for her “bail” after she was constantly harassed and intimidated by syndicate members.

The woman, who is in her 20s, had received a call from someone claiming to be a Shopee Malaysia agent. The caller told the woman that the beauty products she was selling online did not have approval from the Ministry of Health.

Sources said that the woman was initially unbothered by the call as she did not have an online business as claimed. “However, she was told to lodge a report online to clear her name. The caller then passed the call to a policeman from Penang who, after getting all her details, said that there was a red alert on her,” the source said.

The woman panicked when the police said an arrest warrant was issued against her over charges related to money laundering and drugs.

“She was then asked to keep in touch with the police every three hours via WhatsApp before another higher-ranking officer contacted her, asking her to get ready some bail money,” the source said.

It was learnt that the woman pawned several of her family’s gold pieces at three pawnshops, which got her about RM100,000 (S$30,000). She deposited the money into several accounts.

The woman only realised she was duped when the syndicate kept on harassing her for more money. She then lodged a police report.

Muar district police chief assistant commissioner Raiz Mukhliz Azman Aziz said the woman was targeted by five different individuals. The case is being investigated for cheating, he said.

“We urge the public to verify information they receive via the ‘SemakMule’ website before making any financial transfers, or to use the ‘Whoscall’ app to reduce the risk of being scammed,” he said in a statement. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK