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PUTRAJAYA - An abandoned resort in Sungai Lembing, Pahang, had allegedly been turned into a 24-hour scam call centre, with foreign syndicate members living and working there in shifts while targeting victims in China.
The operation was uncovered after the Malaysian Immigration Department arrested 95 foreigners during a special operation on Monday.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation began at about 12.50pm following a month-long intelligence-gathering effort by the Intelligence and Special Operations Division at the Putrajaya Immigration Headquarters.
"A total of 95 foreigners believed to be members of a scam syndicate were arrested, comprising 84 Chinese men and four Chinese women, one Myanmar man and one Myanmar woman, as well as one woman each from Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia and Russia.
"A Malaysian man believed to be the owner of the resort, as well as one local man and one local woman believed to be working at the premises, were also arrested," he said at a press conference here on Tuesday.
The operation was conducted with assistance from the department's officers in Pahang, Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan.
Zakaria said those arrested were aged between 20 and 75, adding that several foreigners and locals attempted to hide or escape when enforcement officers arrived.
"The operation team seized 49 Chinese passports, one passport each from Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Russia, as well as one Indonesian Travel Document in Lieu of a Passport,," he said.
Among the items seized were 100 mobile phones, 120 desktop computer sets, a closed-circuit television camera set, nine packets of unused SIM cards and RM5,000 in cash.
"A total of 11 sets of Starlink equipment believed to have been used as an Internet connection for the activity were also seized. The syndicate relied on a generator for electricity to keep their operations running.
"Syndicate members were paid a salary of RM3,000 a month, but if they failed to achieve the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) set, their income would be deducted. The targets were victims in China.
"The syndicate is suspected to have been operating for the past three months, renting the premises for RM30,000 a month and is believed to move from one country to another while operating 24 hours a day, with syndicate members believed to work in shifts," he said.
A total of 48 individuals were arrested for allegedly committing various offences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Immigration Regulations 1963.
Under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, those arrested comprised 42 Chinese men, two Chinese women, one Myanmar man, one Myanmar woman, one Hong Kong woman and one Indonesian woman.
Another 45 individuals, comprising 41 Chinese men, three Chinese women and one Russian woman, were arrested for allegedly committing offences under Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
Meanwhile, one Chinese man and one Cambodian woman were arrested under Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963.
In addition, two local men and one local woman were arrested for allegedly committing offences under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
All those arrested were subsequently taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further action.
"The department is committed to carrying out continuous and firm enforcement to curb any activity that violates the laws of the country so that national security and sovereignty are always safeguarded," Zakaria said.
