Latest news with #CommRusdi
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Act fast to recover losses, police urge scam victims
KUALA LUMPUR: While the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) has received scam reports involving losses amounting to RM193mil between January and July, only a fraction of the funds were successfully frozen. This, according to Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa ( pic ), was due to the calls to NSRC being made much later after the scam occurred. 'Between January and July, the NSRC received calls on scams involving RM193mil in funds. 'However, only RM12mil was successfully frozen as some of the calls were made a month, a week, even a year after the scam occurred,' he said when contacted. The funds that were successfully frozen will eventually be returned to the victims under Section 116D of the Criminal Procedure code, once the legal process is completed, Comm Rusdi said. 'Money stolen from scams can disappear within minutes as the scammers act fast. 'I urge the public to report the matter as soon as possible,' he said. With the centre operating round the clock, Comm Rusdi said it has received 10,038 calls between Aug 3 and Aug 7. 'The majority of the calls were recorded before 8pm amounting to 7,254 with the remaining 2,514 after 8pm. 'Some 51% of the calls were genuine scams while others were inquiries,' he said. Comm Rusdi urged the public to fully utilise the SemakMule portal as it was set up to enable the public to conveniently check bank account numbers, phone numbers and companies used by scammers. 'Since Jan 1, 2015, the portal has listed 272,250 bank accounts, 216,242 phone numbers and 14,160 companies. 'Between Jan 1, 2015, and Aug 7, the portal has received 35.8 million visitors,' Comm Rusdi said.
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Call us immediately if you get scammed, say cops
KUALA LUMPUR: While the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) has received scam reports involving losses amounting to RM193mil from January to July this year, only a portion of the funds were successfully frozen. This, according to Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa, was due to the calls to NSRC being made much later after the scam occurred. "From January and July, the NSRC received calls on scams involving RM193mil in funds. "However, only RM12mil in funds were successfully frozen as some of the calls were made a month, a week, even a year after the scam occurred," he said when contacted on Saturday (Aug 9). The funds that were successfully frozen will eventually be returned to the victims under Section 116D of the Criminal Procedure Code, once the legal process is completed, he said. "Money stolen from scams can disappear within minutes as the scammers act fast. "I urge the public to report the matter as soon as possible," he said. Comm Rusdi said that since operating for 24 hours, the centre has received 10,038 calls between Aug 3 and Aug 7. "Majority of the calls were recorded before 8pm amounting to 7,254 while the remaining ones 2,514 after 8pm. "Some 51% of the calls were genuine scams while others were inquiries," he said. Comm Rusdi urged the public to fully utilise the SemakMule portal as it was set up to enable the public to check bank account numbers, phone numbers and companies used by scammers. "Since Jan 1, 2025, the portal has listed 272,250 bank accounts, 216,242 phone numbers and 14,160 companies. "From Jan 1, 2015, and Aug 7, the portal has received 35.8 million visitors," he said.
The Star
6 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Nationwide raids catch 71 scammers
Seeking information: Comm Rusdi holding up the photo of a man sought by police while standing in front of items seized in the raids. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Seventy-one people, believed to be members of scam syndicates, were arrested following 59 raids in several states. The locations of the three-day raids were identified based on cash withdrawals by the syndicates using ATM cards belonging to mule account holders. Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said the ATM withdrawals were connected to scam cases reported to the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC). 'The most number of raids were conducted in Kuala Lumpur (24), followed by Penang (11), Sabah (8), Perak (5), Pahang (4), Selangor (3) and two raids each in Negri Sembilan and Sarawak. 'We detained 55 local men, eight local women, and eight foreign men, aged between 19 and 50,' he told reporters yesterday. Various items were seized, including 925 ATM cards, almost RM400,000 in cash, 100 mobile phones, 32 SIM cards, 16 bags and 55 documents, he said. 'The suspects detained were from various syndicates involved in scams and ah long activities. 'They have been operating for quite a while. 'We opened 42 investigation papers for various offences, including cheating, using other people's ATM cards and operating a loan business without a valid licence,' he added. The operation was a success due to collaboration with Bank Negara, he added. Separately, Comm Rusdi said police are looking for a 38-year-old man in connection with an investment scam syndicate. He said the investment scheme called 'Preferences Shares' was handled by a company from 2023. 'A total of 279 reports have been lodged involving losses amounting to RM2.3mil. 'Investigations showed that the victims joined the scheme after taking part in a webinar, which promised them returns of up to 18% a year,' he said. Comm Rusdi said police are looking for Mohd Ezman Zamani, 38, to assist with the investigation. 'We urge those with information to contact investigating officer Asst Supt Mohd Fikri Najib Ismail at 013-983 9854 or Insp Noor Azamin Noor Azahari at 011-655 80848,' he said. In another case, Comm Rusdi said a company allegedly claiming to have access to billions of ringgit in overseas gold and cash reserves is not registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia. 'We have received 43 reports since 2023 and opened 15 investigation papers under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. 'So far, we have recorded 40 statements from 37 victims and three witnesses to assist in the probe,' he said. Comm Rusdi said investors were promised high returns once the alleged funds could be liquidated, provided enough capital was raised to cover 'management and activation costs'. 'They were persuaded by the mastermind – an individual posing as a 'Datuk Seri' – who spun a story about inheriting assets belonging to an Indonesian national overseas. 'Further checks showed that the 'Datuk Seri' title used by the individual was fake,' Comm Rusdi said. He said the victims were also deceived through forged documents purportedly issued by Bank Negara, complete with fake logos, stamps and signatures. 'We continue to verify the documents with Bank Negara.' It was reported that 57 individuals suffered losses amounting to nearly RM8.4mil after falling victim to what has been described as a 'superstitious' investment scam involving alleged overseas gold and cash reserves worth tens of billions of US dollars.
The Star
21-04-2025
- The Star
Narcotics raids lead to arrest of 12 suspects, including suspected online drug pushers, say KL cops
KUALA LUMPUR: Two separate narcotics raid here led to the arrest of a dozen suspects including suspected drug pushers that operated online. The operations, which were done by City police, were carried out from April 16 to 18. City police chief Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa said the first operation saw the arrest of five men and two women, between the ages of 20 to 28 years old, after two residences in the Mont Kiara area were raided in the early hours of April 16. 'A check on one of the bedrooms found three bags filled with 32kg of compressed cannabis and 2kg of cannabis biscuits,' he said in a press conference at the KL police contingent headquarters on Monday (April 21). Follow-up investigations led to another raid on a residence along Jalan Duta on April 17, which led to the detention of a 31-year old local man with a later inspection of the man's vehicle uncovering 7kg of cannabis biscuits in a box. 'It is believed that the suspects were part of an online cannabis distribution syndicate whose modus operandi was to acquire the drugs from neighbouring countries through online sources. 'They then sold the drugs here online and are also believed to have begun operating since sometime last year,' he said, adding that early urine tests found that five of the suspects were positive for cannabis consumption while another two tested negative. He revealed that the biscuits, which were separated into small plastic sachets displaying cartoon characters, were believed to have been sold for RM90 per sachet, with the total value of drugs seized believed to be worth around RM105,000. He also noted that RM120 in cash, a motorcycle and three cars had been seized from the suspects. The second separate operation on April 18 saw a raid on an entertainment outlet in Kepong Baru at 1.10am. The raid led to the discovery of a variety of drugs hidden in a locked wooden cabinet, with the police also arresting a 49-year old local believed to be the main drug distributor. The drugs found included 3.5kg of methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), 112 sticks of cannabis cigarettes, 20g of erimin 5 pills, 12g of ketamine and 11g of ecstacy. Checks on a separate room in the same premises also led to the discovery of 350g of MDMA. Two local men, three Thai women and a Vietnamese woman, aged between 26 to 44 years old, were detained during the operation. 'This operation successfully managed to detain the 'doctor' of the entertainment outlet who is believed to have been actively hiding and distributing drugs at the premises since last month,' he said. In total, Comm Rusdi said the amount of drugs seized from both operations was valued at RM458,420 and was enough for up to 100,000 addicts to consume. He added that all suspects detained from both operations had been remanded for seven days until April 23 to assist in investigations.
