Police arrest 18 foreigners in Penang after raiding two bungalows used as phone scam centres targeting Japanese victims.
GEORGE TOWN: Police have arrested 18 foreigners including a woman after raiding two bungalows in Simpang Ampat, Batu Kawan.
Penang police chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said the raid was conducted by the Commercial Crime Investigation Department on Nov 20 following intelligence information.
All those arrested consisted of 13 Japanese men, one Japanese woman and four Chinese men aged between 25 and 51.
In the first raid, police seized 24 mobile phones, eight iPads, five numeric keypads, two walkie-talkies, 11 sets of Japanese-language scam scripts and one Japanese-language task schedule whiteboard.
At the second location, authorities confiscated three laptops, 25 mobile phones, five iPads, two walkie-talkies, 14 sets of Japanese-language scam scripts, two house keys and three gate control devices.
Investigations revealed the suspects had worked as call centre operators for the past three months targeting victims in Japan.
They received salaries ranging from RM5,000 to RM8,000 per month for their fraudulent activities.
The syndicate operated using the Telegram application to obtain victim information before posing as Japanese police officers.
They used the Go (Japan) application online for financial transactions to deceive their victims.
All suspects are now remanded for further investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
Azizee advised the public not to be easily fooled by phone calls or text messages from unknown individuals.
He urged people to refer to the authorities to verify any suspicious information.
