Penang police dismantled five scam call centres in raids across the state last week, arresting 108 suspects from eight countries. One syndicate had folders bearing the logos of the US Department of Justice and the FBI, along with fake Canadian police uniforms.
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Dennis Lim Kwang Keng said the raids on 16 and 17 July targeted call centres operating from rented bungalows in Batu Ferringhi, Tanjung Bungah, Pulau Tikus, Gelugor and Bukit Mertajam. According to Free Malaysia Today, the syndicates primarily targeted victims in China through investment scams, while one group targeted people in the US and Canada by impersonating law enforcement officers.
“They operated here, but their victims are overseas,” Lim told a press conference at the North-East District police headquarters on Wednesday (22 JUL).
Handwritten scripts seized during the raids coached callers to pose as fraud investigators, question victims about purported unauthorised transactions, and transfer them to another person posing as an investigating officer. The Star reported that folders bearing the logos of the US Department of Justice and the FBI were displayed at the press conference, along with what appeared to be uniforms of the Ottawa Police Service.
The Bukit Mertajam raid, conducted under Ops Pintas, followed a report from a man in Selangor who said a 26-year-old Cameroonian woman was being held against her will in Penang. Police found the woman at the premises and arrested 29 people comprising nationals from Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Cambodia, Nigeria and South Africa.
Police said the syndicate targeted victims in Canada and the United States by posing as FBI personnel and Canadian police officers. The callers used handwritten scripts to question victims about supposed unauthorised transactions, address their suspicions, and then transfer the call to another person acting as an investigating officer.
Lim said police were seeking a local man known as William, 49, whose last known address was in Kluang, Johor, to assist investigations. He said the raid was against one of five scam syndicates targeting victims overseas which police crippled in the past week. In total, 108 people were arrested across all five call centres. The syndicates targeted victims in China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Canada and the United States.
“As there are no Malaysian victims or reports, we cannot determine the total losses,” Lim said.
Lim said the five call centres were not linked to one another but had only been operating in Penang for one or two months. He said the syndicates could have relocated to Penang following a major crackdown by Bukit Aman in the Klang Valley.
“If we look at it from a criminal’s perspective, they may choose places that are more upscale as these locations have security features that provide some protection,” he said.
The suspects are being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating read together with Section 120B for criminal conspiracy, as well as immigration-related offences. Lim said police were working with foreign authorities to determine whether any of the suspects were wanted in their respective countries.
He urged property owners to conduct proper background checks on prospective tenants before renting to them. “Do not simply accept anyone who wants to rent your property. If you engage agents, make sure they also conduct proper checks,” he said.
