Student loses RM29,000 after scammers pose as cops, threaten arrest over money laundering

IPOH, Aug 16 — Police arrested three local men in five raids across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor for their alleged involvement in an online scam syndicate. The suspects, aged 32 to 45, were apprehended during raids in Petaling Jaya, Kelana Jaya, Ulu Kelang, Damansara, and Kuala Lumpur. This came after a 22-year-old student reported losing RM28,999 to scammers who posed as law enforcement officers.

The scam began when the victim received a call on July 31 from individuals posing as representatives of a delivery company. They claimed a parcel containing illicit items was addressed to him. The call was then transferred to a person posing as a law enforcement officer who threatened the victim with arrest and prosecution for money laundering.

Terrified, the victim transferred RM8,999 to various bank accounts and left gold jewelry worth about RM20,000 outside his house, believing it would be returned after the investigation. However, he realized he had been scammed when the items were not returned and reported the scam to the police on Aug 1. The Commercial Crime Investigation Division of the Kampar District Police Headquarters conducted intelligence gathering and tracked down the syndicate members.

Police seized SIM Box units, Starlink units, SIM cards, a laptop, routers, and mobile phones during the raids, believing them to be used as call gateways for managing communication traffic for the online scam syndicates, which may have operated abroad. The arrested individuals were remanded for four days to assist in the investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code.