Penang police are searching for a local man known as William to assist investigations into an international phone scam syndicate dismantled in Bukit Mertajam earlier this month.
Penang police chief Comm Datuk Dennis Lim Kwang Keng said William, 49, whose last known address was in Kluang, Johor, was being sought purely as a witness after his name surfaced during the probe.
“We are looking for him to assist in our investigations. His name surfaced during the probe, so we are inviting him to come forward,” he told a press conference at the North-East District police headquarters on 22 July, as reported by NST Online.
The investigation stems from a 16 July raid on a four-storey bungalow in Bukit Mertajam, where police rescued a 26-year-old Cameroonian woman who was allegedly being held against her will by the syndicate.
Officers carried out the operation under Ops Pintas after receiving a report from a man in Selangor claiming the woman was confined in Penang, according to The Star.
During the raid, police seized folders bearing the logos of the US Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, fake Canadian police uniforms, and handwritten scripts that coached callers on impersonating fraud investigators.
The scripts guided scammers to question victims about supposed unauthorised transactions, address their suspicions, and transfer calls to another person posing as an investigating officer.
Twenty-nine people were arrested at the bungalow. They comprised nationals from Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Cambodia, Nigeria and South Africa.
Lim said the syndicate, allegedly led by a Taiwanese national, recruited foreigners to impersonate FBI personnel and Canadian police officers to target victims in Canada and the United States.
The Bukit Mertajam operation was one of five scam syndicates police crippled across Penang in the past week. In total, 108 people were arrested in five call centres operating from bungalows in Batu Ferringhi, Tanjung Bungah, Pulau Tikus, Jelutong and Bukit Mertajam, The Star reported.
The five syndicates targeted victims in China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Canada and the United States. Lim said no Malaysian victims or reports had been identified, making it impossible to determine total losses.
“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,” Lim said when asked why the syndicates favoured Penang.
He said investigations indicated the five call centres were not linked to one another and had only been operating in Penang for one or two months. Police believe the syndicates may have relocated from the Klang Valley following a major crackdown by Bukit Aman.
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 urged property owners to conduct proper background checks on prospective tenants.
“Do not simply accept anyone who wants to rent your property. If you engage agents, make sure they also conduct proper checks,” he said.
Police are working with overseas authorities to determine whether any of the suspects were wanted in their respective countries.
Anyone with information on William’s whereabouts can contact the nearest police station.
