Scam syndicate lands 10 in jail
KLUANG: They scroll through people's social media accounts and then impersonate friends who are in urgent need of financial assistance.
All their victims are Singaporeans and the group has duped their victims of tens of thousands of ringgit.
The scam came to an end when police raided three apartments in Iskandar Puteri and nabbed 10 suspects several days ago.
An official said at least six of the suspects, in their 20s and 40s, had past criminal records.
'They usually go through people's social media accounts and try to contact the victim's friends online.
'They then impersonate the person and ask for help, cooking up a sad story about urgently needing cash for the family or to treat an illness,' the official said.
He said the amounts transferred was less than RM1,000 each time, but many could have fallen prey to the syndicate.
He said investigations showed that the syndicate had been operating the call centres for several months before officers from the Commercial Crimes Investigations Department raided the premises.
'Each of the suspects was paid a basic salary of more than RM2,000 with commission whenever they successfully dupe a victim,' the official said.
He added that investigations were being carried out under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Police also seized some documents and mobile phones from the suspects.
In an unrelated case, police arrested three people, including the mastermind of a gang, over a fake lottery scam.
The suspects, including two women, were nabbed in Kluang several days ago.
The mastermind has been involved in at least 10 similar cases since 2015 and has been arrested and convicted several times.
'They usually approach a victim, saying that they have a winning lottery ticket and offer to sell it at a fraction of the winning amount.
'They claim that they are foreigners and cannot cash out the ticket.
'The victim only found out that they had been duped when they went to the lottery outlet to claim the money,' the official said.
Meanwhile, a 33-year-old teacher from a local school has been detained to assist in a sexual assault case.
Johor Baru South Deputy OCPD Supt Azrul Hisham Mohd Shaffei said police received three reports from three victims on April 16.
'The suspect has been remanded for six days until April 27,' he said, adding that the case would be investigated under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Contractor fined RM50,000 for falsifying documents on MMEA vessel repairs
SHAH ALAM: A contractor was fined RM50,000 by the Sessions Court here after he pleaded guilty to forging documents related to repair works on a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) patrol vessel five years ago. Judge Datuk Mohd Nasir Nordin handed down the sentence on Zulham Shah Mohammad, 44, on Thursday (June 12) and ordered him to serve six months in jail if he failed to pay the fine. The accused was charged with submitting false documents certifying that Subturbo Sdn Bhd had completed the repairs and tested the Remote Control System and Monitoring Control System on KM Sugut when, in fact, the work had not been carried out. He was accused of committing the offence at the MMEA Engineering Division, Home Ministry, Levels 4 to 11, One IOI Square, IOI Resort, Putrajaya, on Nov 6, 2020. The charge was framed under Section 471 of the Penal Code for fraudulently using as genuine a forged document, punishable under Section 465 of the same Code, which provides for a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, upon conviction. Earlier, during mitigation, the accused's counsel, Aiman Abdul Rahman, requested that the court impose the agreed fine of RM50,000. "I believe the early guilty plea has saved the time of many parties, was made with a sense of remorse, and the accused will not repeat the offence,' he said. However, Deputy Public Prosecutor from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Ahmad Fariz Abdul Hamid, requested that the court impose an appropriate sentence as a deterrent to the accused and the public. In the same court, senior MMEA officer Muhamad Izuar Zainudin, aged 42, claimed trial to a charge of abetting Zulham Shah in forging the documents at the same location and date. He was charged under Section 471 of the Penal Code, punishable under Section 465 of the same Code, which provides for a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment, a fine, or both, if convicted. Ahmad Fariz requested the court to set bail at RM30,000. However, counsel Shahidah Muslimah Roslan, representing Muhamad Izuar, appealed for a lower amount, citing her client's cooperation throughout the investigation. The court then allowed the accused bail of RM10,000 with one surety and fixed July 16 for mention. – Bernama
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
17-year-old arrested after mother, brother found murdered in Melaka
MELAKA: A 51-year-old teacher and her eldest son were found dead, believed to have been murdered, while her youngest child was seriously injured in an incident in Bukit Rambai, early this morning. It is understood that the bodies of the woman and her 21-year-old son were found lying in a pool of blood in the living room, while the surviving victim, her 13-year-old son, was found in the porch area of the house. State police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said a team was deployed to the scene after the police received information on the murder at 6.15am. "Investigations at the scene found the bodies of the woman and her son, both with multiple stab wounds. "In addition, another male victim, the woman's third child, sustained injuries and was taken to Melaka Hospital by ambulance at around 7am," he said in a statement. Dzulkhairi said investigations at the scene led the police to the arrest of a 17-year-old suspect, who is also the second child of the family. Later during a press conference at the Melaka police headquarters, Dzulkhairi said the police also seized a folding knife, about 20cm long, in the suspect's school bag. When asked on the motive behind the murder, Dzulkhairi did not rule out the possibility that it stemmed from resentment, as the woman and her eldest son had allegedly frequently scolded the suspect and pressured him to revise his studies. "Neighbours claimed there were frequent arguments in the house, and the suspect was under pressure as he was forced to study, possibly because he was preparing for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination," he said. Dzulkhairi also said the police believed the murder was premeditated, as it was found that the weapon used in the murder had been purchased in advance. "The teenager also attempted to destroy evidence, including discarding blood-stained clothing in nearby bushes, but we managed to recover them," he added. He said the suspect confessed to initially trying to kill the teacher while she was in the bedroom but was discovered by his older brother, who was then also stabbed while attempting to protect their mother. The suspect then allegedly tried to kill his 13-year-old younger brother after the latter refused to leave the house when ordered to do so. "However, when the boy refused, he was also stabbed. "The victim managed to escape and was found covered in blood in the porch area of the house before being rescued by neighbours after they heard him shouting for help," he said. Dzulkhairi said the bodies have been sent to the Melaka Hospital's Forensics Department for post-mortem. The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. Earlier today, it was reported a teacher and her eldest son were found dead, while another son was rushed to hospital in what is believed to be a case of double murder early this morning. It is learnt that members of the public made the gruesome discovery when they saw the body of one of the victims in front of a house in Bukit Rambai and alerted the police at about 6am.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Report: Online shoppers hit by increasing number of parcel scams, more than 3,500 cases in Q1 2025
For COD scams, Faris explained that perpetrators often pose as delivery personnel and persuade victims to pay for a parcel by claiming it was ordered by their pouse or another family member. — Freepik PETALING JAYA: Online shoppers are urged to stay vigilant as Ninja Van Malaysia said it has received over 3,500 parcel scam reports in the first quarter of 2025 – the highest number recorded by the company compared to any previous quarter. In 2024, the company recorded more than 17,000 parcel scam cases with 40% of incidents concentrated in the Klang Valley. The majority of such cases involve cash-on-delivery (COD) schemes, where consumers end up paying for items they never ordered. Other common tactics include "ghost scams", in which victims are tricked into purchasing non-existent products or services advertised online, and phishing attempts via text messages or SMS where the sender impersonated the company. "At Ninja Van Malaysia, our responsibilities go beyond logistics. As a key player in the industry, we have a duty to educate the public against the rising scam threats," said chief executive officer Lin Zheng in a ScamMinar panel discussion held today (June 12). Chief sales officer Faris Maswan said victims were mostly from the older generation, who got duped into purchasing items like herbal products and amulets that were promoted on social media. They either end up not receiving the item at all or received products that were different from what was advertised. It's always a case of items being offered at a price that is just too good to be true, he said, adding that victims could end up losing up to RM1,000 in some cases. "Most of the time, it hovers around RM200," he added. For COD scams, Faris explained that perpetrators often pose as delivery personnel and persuade victims to pay for a parcel by claiming it was ordered by the victim's spouse or another family member. "Scammers would exploit the sense of familiarity that victims have for the person they think the parcel is for," said Raymon Ram, a fraud risk management specialist and president of NGO Transparency International-Malaysia. Faris explained that in phishing cases, victims would receive an SMS claiming they had an undelivered Ninja Van parcel: "Victims are then directed to a fraudulent website designed to steal money from their bank accounts." When these incidents were reported, Faris said an internal investigation was launched to determine whether there had been a data breach involving its customers. "Our infosec team found out that scammers were obtaining personal data from a website hosting leaked information from various sources. We also found that customers of other courier services were targeted by similar scams," he said. Raymon added that scammers can obtain users' personal data from forums on the dark web and use the information to carry out various schemes. "The newly enforced Cyber Security Act 2024 requires organisations in critical sectors to report any breaches to the National Cyber Security Agency. We'll have to see what kind of impact this will have. I hope companies will start taking cybersecurity more seriously," he said. Faris said cases would also be investigated based on customer service complaint rate. "If it's a critical case with directive from the authorities, we would block accounts (on their platform related to fraudulent complaints). In the last quarter, we have blocked more accounts than before," Faris said, adding that he also urged victims to come forward and make reports to the right channels as part of a measure to protect other users. The Selangor deputy head of Commercial Crime Investigation Department (Intelligence/Operation) Yap Huat Tian said it's also crucial for more people to be vigilant about their online safety and privacy. Don't assume that it's only older generation that can get scammed. As long as you have a smartphone, you can be a victim, he said.
