Romance scam syndicate busted, 10 cases solves

KUALA LUMPUR: A Nigerian "romance scam" syndicate that fleeced its victims of more than RM1.1 million was busted early on Saturday in a police raid at Bandar Sri Damansara.
A police party from the federal police commercial crimes investigations department (CCID) arrested six Nigerians including a woman aged between 24 and 35 during the raid at a double-storey link house at Taman Kenanga.
Federal CCID deputy director of intelligence and operations SAC Roslan Abd Wahid said at least 10 cases reported nationwide were solved with the arrest of the suspects.
He said each suspect had a role in the syndicate such as seeking victims in cyberspace and impersonating as courier agents.
He said police also seized a dozen cellphones, ATM cards, laptops, a Toyota Camry and a pendrive containing details of victims the syndicate had preyed on.
The Nigerian "romance scam" syndicate members prey on single and lonely individuals in the social media and matchmaking websites as wealthy Causcasians before mesmerising victims with months of sweet talk and promises of marriage.
Victims who fall for the scam and are duped into engaging in online romance before syndicate members begin asking for money from them in the form of loans and tax payments for costly gifts they supposedly delivered to their victims.
Gullible and ignorant Malaysians hoodwinked by such syndicates lose tens of million ringgit each year.
In a separate case, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the federal police Special Task Force for Anti-Vice, Gaming and Gangsterism (STAGG) arrested 19 women for prostitution and 13 of their clients at two nightspots in Cheras and Kuala Langat yesterday.