19 Indonesian Citizens Detained In The Scam Case In Kuala Lumpur

A total of 46 foreigners, including 19 Indonesian citizens (WNI), were detained by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) for allegedly committing online fraud (scam) activities in Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia's Director General of Immigration Dato Zakaria Shaabah said JIM had stormed 17 premiums of luxury homes in the Kuchai Lama area in a special operation on Wednesday (19/2), at 11.30 local time (10.30 WIB), which was leased by an online fraud syndicate by foreigners from various countries.

In the special operation carried out by 120 JIM officers, officers have arrested and detained a total of 46 foreigners aged between 23 and 54 years, 14 of whom are male Chinese nationals, 15 male and four female Indonesian citizens, one male and two female citizens of Myanmar, two Bangladeshi nationals, two Lao women and six Thai women.

The syndicate's modus operandi, according to Zakaria, is to carry out activities that deceive victims with offers to sell fictitious shares, goods and property online.

The syndicate uses social media applications such as Facebook, TikTok, WeChat, WhatsApp, Telegram and various other platforms as media looking for customers or victims.

Based on preliminary investigations, the premises of the scene were used as a call-center to contact customers and offer purchases of gold, property, luxury ships, share investments and foreign currencies.

Their activities not only target Malaysians but also reach customers from abroad, especially from their own country.

The syndicate, according to Zakaria, also offered online gambling and love-scam. They advertised the offer through the customer's or victim's phone number which was obtained randomly.

If the victims begin to show interest in the offered offer, they will be asked to transfer some money into the account provided by the syndicate by providing a link that has been connected to the administrator.

The victim will only wake up and feel cheated for always failing to contact the syndicate, after they transferred some money through accounts belonging to local residents suspected of being 'intermediary accounts'.

The money from online fraud reached 100,000 Malaysian ringgit (RM) to RM 150,000 per day (equivalent to Rp366.4 million to Rp549.7 million). Members of foreign syndicates receive RM2,500 to Rp3,500 per month (equivalent to Rp9.2 million to Rp12.9 million).

JIM confiscated a number of equipment used by the syndicate consisting of two Lenovo server racks, four mobile computers, 88 mobile phones from various brands, three routers, four modems and 26 sim cards, and RM 100,000 in cash (equivalent to Rp366.4 million).

All foreigners were detained under Article 51(5) (b) of the Immigration Law (UU) 1959/63 for various errors under Article 6(3) of the Immigration Law 1959/63 (UU 155), for violating the provisions of Article 6(1)(c), namely entering Malaysia without a valid permit.

They are also subject to Article 15(4) of the Immigration Law 1959/63 (UU 155), for violating the provisions of Article 15(1)(c), namely living in Malaysia after the validity period of the permit ends. Then Regulation 39 (b) of the 1963 Immigration Regulations, namely violating the requirements for social visit permits.