POLICE in Pahang crippled a syndicate involved in creating fake foreign exchange applications for scam operations following the arrest of five suspects in a raid on a house in Puncah Lestari, Mentakab, Temerloh, earlier this month.
Pahang Police Chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the suspects, including two women aged between 29 and 39, comprised two Malaysians, two Chinese nationals and one Indonesian.
“The suspects are believed to have been involved in developing applications for use by scammers, with victims targeted in China,” he said.
Police also believe the group was actively involved in non-existent foreign exchange conversion scams aimed at victims in the same country, Yahaya told a press conference at the Pahang Police Contingent Headquarters on Tuesday.
Following the arrests, police seized 11 mobile phones, seven laptops, two monitors, a CPU, keyboards and a modem, with the total value of the confiscated items estimated at RM30,000.
“This syndicate is believed to have carried out fraudulent activities through the Telegram application by offering non-existent foreign exchange conversion services, targeting Chinese nationals as victims,” he said.
“Investigations found that all the suspects had been living at the premises since July this year.”
Yahaya said the suspects claimed they had obtained the jobs through Facebook and job search websites before being instructed via WhatsApp to report to the location.
“They acted as customer service officers and were paid salaries ranging from RM2,500 to RM4,000 per month,” he said.
In a separate case, Yahaya said police had also successfully dismantled an online scam syndicate operating as a ‘calling centre’ in Bera on 27 November.
He said a raid on a hotel in Triang led to the arrest of eight Chinese nationals, comprising six men and two women aged between 21 and 39, along with the seizure of 19 mobile phones and two laptops valued at approximately RM31,500.
“Investigations revealed that this syndicate operated using fake Facebook accounts to trap victims before shifting communication to the Telegram application to deceive them into joining non-existent investment schemes,” he said.
Yahaya noted that recent developments indicate scam syndicates have begun moving their operations to rural areas in an effort to evade detection by authorities.
“Property owners who rent out their premises need to be more cautious and conduct further checks on tenants, especially when they involve groups of foreign nationals,” he said.
“Typically, they do not interact with the local community and do not leave the premises, as their daily needs are managed by the syndicate.”
According to Yahaya, police recorded 2,999 online scam cases in Pahang between January and November this year, with total losses amounting to RM90.3 million.
“Out of that number, 1,068 cases have been opened for investigation and brought to court,” he said. – December 16, 2025
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