KUALA LUMPUR: Police have busted two call centres suspected of supplying recording and accounting systems for online fraud, and offering nonexistent broadcasting services both targeting Chinese citizens.
Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said following intelligence, a raid was conducted on April 10 at a location in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, believed to be operating a fraudulent call centre activity.
He said upon examination and investigation of the case items, the syndicate had allegedly been operating since March, supplying a system for documenting and accounting online money fraud (specifically, job offer scams) that targets Chinese nationals.
"The syndicate was found to act as programmers in the financial management system for online fraud syndicates.
"The fraud syndicate had to pay RM1,000.00 per month to use the system. They were also responsible for resolving all issues related to the system."
Ramli said the syndicate had successfully sold the system to five customers in China.
"All payments are in USDT (cryptocurrency) and will be deposited into an eWallet account provided by their employer in China."
Following the raid, Ramli said, a total of eight individuals, consisting of five men and two women from China, and one woman from Vietnam, were arrested.
"Also seized were four laptops, two monitors, 10 mobile phones, a modem, a router, and cash amounting to RM3,122.
"Six out of the eight individuals involved were charged at the Jalan Duta magistrate's court on April 16 under Section 120(2) of the Penal Code while the remaining two individuals were unconditionally released," he said at a press conference.
Meanwhile, in a separate raid conducted on April 12 in Taman Maluri Cheras, Ramli said the police had crippled a call centre syndicate offering fraudulent broadcast services to Chinese nationals.
Upon examination and investigation, he said the syndicate acted as service agents managing and recording incoming/outgoing transactions of fraud money.
"All transaction payment information by victims will be provided through the Telegram messaging application by another syndicate acting as marketing agents.
"Further investigation found that this syndicate offers fake television, drama and movie broadcast packages targeting Chinese nationals."
Ramli said the process of acquiring victims was done by marketing agents by randomly sending short messages via the Telegram messaging application to Chinese citizens.
"A total of five individuals, comprising two local men and three Chinese men, aged between 28 and 33, were arrested.
"They played roles as supervisors and customer service officers at the call centre.
"Also seized were three laptops, three monitors, 12 mobile phones, a modem, a router, three SIM cards, 40 pieces of RM100 notes, and 37 pieces of RM50 notes."
He added that two out of the five individuals involved were charged in court on April 16, under Section 120B(2) of the Penal Code while the remaining three individuals were made prosecution witnesses.
