Crackdown intensifies as police vow to crush online scam call centres after major bust

POLICE in Sabah have issued a stern warning that they will continue to track down and take firm action against any parties involved in online scam call centre operations, following a significant crackdown earlier this month.

Sabah Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Abdul Rani Alias said the warning comes after authorities successfully dismantled a syndicate operating out of a resort in the state.

“Members of the public who have information related to scam call centre activities are urged to come forward and channel information to assist investigations and efforts to combat this crime,” he said in a media statement today.

In a related development, he confirmed that 80 foreign nationals arrested during the raid were brought before the Tawau Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

All defendants, comprising 78 Chinese nationals, one Myanmar national and one Lao national, were charged under Section 120B(2) of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same Code.

“Additionally, 22 of them were also charged under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act for not possessing valid documents, while another individual was charged under Section 5(1)(c) of the same Act,” he said.

The court has fixed May 25 for the next mention of the case.

The raid, carried out at approximately 9.25am on April 7, involved a team from the Sabah Commercial Crime Investigation Department headquarters along with district units from Tawau, Sandakan and Keningau. The premises had been repurposed as a scam call centre.

The operation led to the arrest of 80 individuals aged between 17 and 45, believed to have been conducting fraudulent activities by impersonating foreign enforcement officers to deceive victims, particularly foreigners outside Malaysia.

Police also seized various items suspected to have been used in the operation, including three computer sets, 36 mobile phones, 15 scam scripts in Mandarin, eight documents containing telephone numbers, and three sets of uniforms resembling those of foreign enforcement personnel.

Further investigations revealed that the syndicate had been misusing social visit passes as a means of entry into Sabah before carrying out organised scam activities over several months. - April 16, 2026