Authorities uncovered that a syndicate operating a scam call centre in Temerloh had also created a mobile application to help fraudsters target unsuspecting victims.
During a raid at a rented premises in Puncak Lestari, Mentakab, on Dec 2 at 6.50pm, five individuals were detained, including two Malaysians aged between 29 and 39. Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the operation was carried out by the state Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s intelligence and operations unit in collaboration with Temerloh police.
“The five arrested comprise two Chinese nationals, an Indonesian woman, and a local man and woman. Police seized 11 mobile phones, seven laptops, monitors, and modems, valued at approximately RM30,000,” he said.
The syndicate reportedly targeted Chinese nationals by offering non-existent foreign currency exchange services through Telegram. The suspects had been recruited via Facebook and instructed through WhatsApp to report for duty in Mentakab in July, where they worked as customer service officers earning between RM2,500 and RM4,000 per month.
Investigations revealed that the two Chinese nationals, both IT specialists, had developed a fraudulent application used by the syndicate to deceive victims in China. They chose Malaysia as their base to avoid detection by Chinese authorities. Victims are reported to have lost thousands of ringgit, with mule account holders located in China.
The two local suspects were involved in compiling data on potential victims, while the Indonesian woman worked as a cook.
Yahaya noted that this case is the third scam call centre raid in Pahang this year, following operations in Bentong in February, which led to the arrest of 12 foreigners, and in Bera in November, where eight Chinese nationals were detained.
