BALIK PULAU: Police have arrested three men and one woman suspected of acting as mule account holders for several online fraud syndicates, resulting in losses totalling RM168,605 in the Barat Daya district.
Barat Daya district police chief Superintendent Kamarul Rizal Jenal said the arrests were made separately in Bayan Lepas, Balik Pulau and Ipoh, Perak by the Commercial Crime Investigation Division yesterday.
He said, in the first case, a 31-year-old man was apprehended for allegedly acting as a mule account holder in a scam involving a 60-year-old female retiree who fell victim to a non-existent online loan scheme, robbing her of RM73,972.
Meanwhile, he added, a 40-year-old woman was detained in connection with a similar scam involving fictitious online part-time job offers, causing losses totalling RM65,779.
Kamarul Rizal said a third arrest involved another 31-year-old man accused of participating in another syndicate's online part-time job scam, resulting in a loss of RM23,274 to a victim who transferred money to the suspect's account for promised returns and commissions.
He said the fourth case involved a 31-year-old man in Ipoh who was arrested for allegedly posing as a bank officer to trick a 38-year-old man into sharing his personal identification number (PIN), leading to unauthorised credit card transactions totalling RM5,580.
All four individuals were currently remanded to assist in investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code pertaining to fraud offences, he said.
Kamarul Rizal said authorities were continuing their efforts to combat online scams, urging the public to remain vigilant against such fraudulent activities and report incidents promptly to bring perpetrators to justice.
