Scamming victims with sweet words, nine individuals arrested

KUALA LUMPUR - A total of nine individuals, including a foreign woman suspected of involvement in a 'love scam' syndicate, were arrested in a raid at three residential units on Jalan P Ramlee here on Tuesday.

The Kuala Lumpur Police chief Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid has revealed that the fraud syndicate used profile pictures of individuals from abroad on social media to deceive victims by using scripted romantic phrases.

"Initial investigations have revealed elements of 'love scam' fraud being used by this syndicate on Facebook, Tinder, Instagram, and WhatsApp," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Allaudeen further explained that the victims of the scam were asked to make financial transfers to both local and international bank accounts.

"The fraud syndicate targeted victims from Malaysia, Singapore, and China," he elaborated.

He said that the police had seized 24 mobile phones, seven laptops, a copy of the conversation script used to scam victims, 35 SIM cards, and several related documents during the raid.

"The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud," he added.

Allaudeen also advised the public to remain vigilant when using social media platforms.

"The public is also advised to check at http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/ before making payments to unfamiliar accounts.

"For any suspicious activities, the public can report information by contacting the Kuala Lumpur Police Operations Room at 03-2146 0584 or 0585 or any nearby police station," he concluded.