Sarawak police have crippled seven online scam syndicates and arrested 42 people in raids on homes in Bintulu, Kuching, Padawan, Miri and Sibu that were allegedly used as call centres, Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Saifullizan Ishak said on Thursday (Nov 12).
He said the raids were carried out last month under Op Magpie on two bungalows, three terrace houses and two apartments. Those arrested were 36 men and six women aged between 19 and 61, comprising 14 locals and 28 foreign nationals.
The syndicates were allegedly involved in investment and cryptocurrency scams, online gambling and the handling of illegal funds, and targeted victims in Japan, China, Indonesia and Austria, he told a press conference in Kuching. Their other methods included fake job offers, phone scams, love scams, fake online purchases and non-existent loans.
Saifullizan said the syndicates had operated from the premises for between 10 days and 11 months, and most of the foreign suspects are believed to have entered the country on social visit passes.
Police seized equipment worth about RM230,000, including 33 laptops, four desktop computer sets, seven mobile phones, five sets of internet equipment, a satellite internet unit and a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
The cases are being investigated under Sections 420 and 120B of the Penal Code, which cover cheating and criminal conspiracy.
He urged the public to report suspicious activities to the police, particularly unusually large numbers of foreigners at places such as abandoned factories, new housing estates, sparsely occupied apartment blocks and resorts.
Online fraud has hit the state hard, with the home minister saying earlier this month that Sarawak had lost RM385 million to online scams since 2022.