97 Scams Crushed: KL Police Seize Over RM5 Million

Police in Kuala Lumpur cracked down on online scam syndicates last year, busting 97 cases and seizing more than RM5 million in cash through a series of integrated operations carried out across the capital.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus said the operations led to the arrest of 1,070 individuals, including 600 Malaysians and 470 foreign nationals. Police also confiscated 2,845 units of telecommunications equipment believed to have been used to contact and deceive victims.

According to Datuk Fadil, the operations were conducted by the Kuala Lumpur Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) in collaboration with Bukit Amans CCID. The main focus was to dismantle online call centre scam syndicates that targeted victims both within Malaysia and overseas.

He said arrests were made at various locations around Kuala Lumpur, including residential properties that had been illegally converted into scam operation centres. During the raids, police also seized cash amounting to RM5,067,818.

Initial investigations revealed that those arrested were workers for the syndicates and were involved in a range of scam activities. These included fake job offers, fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes and other types of online fraud commonly reported by the public.

Datuk Fadil added that all suspects have since been charged in court. They face charges under Section 120B (2) of the Penal Code for criminal conspiracy to commit online fraud, as well as offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 related to the misuse of travel documents involving foreign nationals.