LUMUT – Two Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) candidates were among 20 people arrested for suspicion of involvement in a "Like and Share" scam that targets victims in India.
Manjung district police chief Nor Omar Sappi said the two female students were nabbed along with nine locals and nine Chinese nationals during the 9pm raid at a house in Ayer Tawar, near here last Friday.
He said the foreigners, comprising six men and three women, acted as supervisors, while the Malaysians were recruited to lure victims on Facebook.
Investigations also found that the locals were made to work every day on a 12-hour shift from 11.30am to earn salaries ranging from RM2,000 to RM7,000.
“The modus operandi is to offer potential victims with 22 rupees (RM1.22) for every ‘Like and Share' before they are asked to pay a certain amount to earn further profit but, in reality, these victims end up losing more than what they invest,” he told a press conference at the district police headquarters here.
Omar said the syndicate has been active in the last two months, adding that police also seized eight computers and 57 mobile phones, believed to have been used to conduct their fraudulent activities.
The suspects, aged between 18 and 45, have been remanded six days to facilitate investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
All have no criminal records, adding that police are also investigating the foreigners’ travel documents. – Bernama, January 18, 2021
