Nearly 1,000 Chinese suspects in online scam syndicate arrested in Malaysia raid; some filmed jumping out windows
PUBLISHED ONNovember 21, 2019 7:00 AMByIlyas Sholihyn
[UPDATE, Nov 22]
Article updated to furnish further details by the Immigration Department of Malaysia.
Malaysian authorities managed to nab nearly 1,000 (not a typo) suspects believed to be involved in an online scam syndicate which was operating in the tech hub of Cyberjaya yesterday (Nov 20) afternoon.
In a Facebook post, the Immigration Department of Malaysia announced that the syndicate is believed to be the biggest online scam syndicate run by Chinese nationals in the country, headquartered in Cyberjaya’s Wisma Mustapha Kamal building.
Pictures depicted the busted suspects with their hands above their heads in an office filled with computers and dozens of smartphones — all probably used to run multiple online accounts to carry out the scams.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/immigrationmalaysia/posts/1390305457810968[/embed]
To give you an idea of how monumental the raid was, there are video clips capturing a horde of suspects fleeing from the authorities.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/cyberjaya.info/videos/782940925479728/?v=782940925479728[/embed]
A couple of them were desperate enough to escape the building by actually jumping out from windows.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/cyberjaya.info/videos/pcb.141215187287211/906640013070548/[/embed]
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/cyberjaya.info/videos/pcb.141215187287211/874294432967216[/embed]
Others were captured in the midst of their getaway.
[embed]https://www.facebook.com/cyberjaya.info/videos/pcb.141215187287211/2165279533774281[/embed]
In a press conference held today, Immigration Department director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said that the raid was the result of a month’s worth of surveillance, conducted after complaints were lodged by members of the public.
He confirmed that 680 suspects were arrested, while 8,230 handphones, 174 laptops and 787 computers were seized. The group had been operating for around six months and used the building as a call centre — a well-secured one too, with guards stationed on each floor.
Vowing to capture the others who managed to flee after breaking through barricades, Datuk Khairul assured that his department will work together with the police to track them down.
The scams they carried out involved fraudulent investment schemes that targeted victims in China by offering fast and profitable returns. All the transactions were carried out via WeChat Pay or banks in China, Reuters quoted the director-general.
“All were found to have entered the country via social visit passes,” he mentioned. “Nearly all could not produce their passports after being arrested.”
ilyas@asiaone.com