POLICE scored a breakthrough in battling scammers in Penang after they dismantled a call centre near Prai after weeks of surveillance.
Operating out of two low profile bungalows in the semi-urban town of Simpang Ampat near Juru, the centre's main market was Japanese.
The police commercial crime division raided the two premises recently and nabbed 18 suspects including the mastermind who is believed to be a Japanese woman.
Others arrested included four China nationals while the rest were Malaysians, all males except for the Japanese suspect.
The suspects confessed they were paid between RM5,000 and RM8,000 monthly for scams in Japan.
The syndicate posed as Japan police officers and had used the Telegram app, as well as the Go (Japan) app as the ruse for their scams.
State chief police officer Datuk Azizee Ismail in a statement said that police seized 24 branded cell phones, eight iPad, five numeric keypads, two walkie-talkie sets, 11 elaborate scripts in Japanese for scammers, and a white chalkboard from the first raid.
The second raid at a nearby bungalow netted three laptops, 25 cell phones of different brands, five iPads, two walkie- talkie sets, 14 elaborate scrips in Japanese for scammers, two pairs of house keys and a gate remote control.
"After initial interrogations, the suspects confessed to acting as scammers for the past three months."
He said that the police is trying to determine the level of the scam system and how much they had conned.
The case, a first of its kind in Penang, is been framed under Section 420 of the Penal Code, which deals with cheating.
Punishments include imprisonment for a term of no less than a year and up to 10 years, mandatory whipping, and a fine. - November 28, 2025.
