JOHOR BARU: If you receive a call offering to buy your golf club membership at double or even triple its value for a 'small' processing fee, be wary. It could be a con job.

Police have uncovered the syndicate after a 46-year-old contractor from Senai become suspicious of such an offer.

The contractor received a call on April 18 informing him that his golf membership had been sold for RM120,000.

A meeting was then arranged at a hotel in the city and a syndicate member demanded RM5,000 as processing fee.

However the contractor, who had been cheated before by a similar syndicate, alerted the police who nabbed the 25-year-old man who identified himself as a golf membership consultant.

It is learnt that the syndicate has been calling people throughout the country, saying their memberships at exclusive golf and country clubs could be sold at a huge profit.

It is learnt that numerous police reports had been lodged by people who claimed to have paid between RM4,500 and RM5,500 each as processing fee.

In Johor alone, several cases have been detected since last month, involving businessmen, housewives and contractors.

Police investigations showed that the syndicate members, who operated via a RM2 company registered in Ampang, have checked into rooms and even booked conference halls at five-star hotels here to convince their victims that they were legitimate.

The syndicate hired two people to open current accounts with several banks.

However, all 'payment' cheques issued by the syndicate were not honoured by the banks as they were signed by the syndicate members and not by the two who had opened the accounts.

'Investigations showed that the two of them were paid several hundred ringgit monthly as a retainer fee.

'We are still trying to ascertain how the syndicate got detailed information on the victims, including their club memberships and their contact numbers,' sources said.

When contacted, Johor Baru South Acting OCPD Supt Mohd Zainal Baharom confirmed the arrest of a man.

'He will be charged with cheating,' he added.

He said police also raided two offices belonging to two companies in Ampang.

Supt Mohd Zainal urged anyone with information on such activities to contact the police hotline at 07-2212999.