Police have handed over 28 foreign nationals convicted in a “love scam” and online investment fraud syndicate to the Immigration Department for deportation to their home countries on Thursday.
The group comprised 27 Chinese nationals and one Vietnamese woman, aged between 21 and 59, who had pleaded guilty and were each fined RM5,000 by the Magistrates’ Court after being charged with criminal conspiracy involving online fraud.
Tawau District Police Chief, Assistant Commissioner Jasmin Hussin said all suspects were arrested during a special operation conducted at four luxury bungalows in Batu 10, Jalan Apas on May 6, before being charged in court on Thursday, May 14.
He said the syndicate was believed to be running online scam activities targeting victims in South Korea through digital communication platforms to deceive them into fraudulent investments.
“All suspects were brought to court and charged under Section 120B(2) of the Penal Code and pleaded guilty after the charges were read before Magistrate Dayang Aidaku Amira Aminuddin,” he said in a statement today.
The court imposed a RM5,000 fine on each accused, with a jail term of between two and four months if they failed to pay the fine.
Jasmin said all the suspects settled their fines before being handed over to the Immigration Department for further action, including deportation proceedings.
He added that police will continue to intensify operations against increasingly active online scam syndicates, which pose a growing threat to the public, including foreign-run groups operating in the district.
Earlier reports stated that the 28 individuals were detained in a joint raid involving the Commercial Crime Investigation Division, Strike Team, and the Internal Security and Public Order Division of the Tawau district police headquarters.
Authorities also seized 33 mobile phones, three laptops, and two WiFi modems believed to have been used in the scam operations involving fake stock investment schemes via WhatsApp and Kakao Talk, with South Korean victims as the main targets.
