POLICE, on December 12, arrested 146 individuals over their alleged involvement in the Macau Scam syndicate and online gambling, which had led to RM13 million in losses.

Of the total number of suspects, 71 were picked up in raids on nine locations in the Klang Valley, while the rest were nabbed in Guangdong and Yunnan in China.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Amar Singh Ishar Singh said the arrests of the suspects, aged between 30 and 45, were made possible with the cooperation between CCID and Chinese police.

He said the syndicate was believed to have been active over the past six months, operating from Malaysia and China.

“Their modus operandi is to call the victim using the voice over internet protocol platform while posing as an officer from a financial institution to dupe the victim into depositing money into their (syndicate’s) account,” he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

In the raids, police seized 188 fixed-line phones, 60 mobile phones, 36 passports, six routers and five tablets.

All the suspects have been remanded for 14 days, and the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code and the Immigration Act.

Amar Singh added that CCID arrested six locals for allegedly being involved in online gambling at the Kuchai Entrepreneur Park.

“They are believed to have been active over the past two years, luring gamblers through social media platforms, such as Facebook and WeChat.

“They could easily earn RM300,000 a month.” – Bernama, December 19, 2017.