A MALAYSIAN court has imposed fines on six foreign nationals after they pleaded guilty to participating in an international online love scam syndicate that operated from Penang and preyed on victims across Malaysia, China and Taiwan.
The six accused, comprising Chinese nationals Wu Chunsheng, 24, Wang Junye, 35, Kuai Ming, 28, Gao Yang, 35, Shu Wentao, 40, and Taiwanese national Chen Nan, 28, entered their guilty pleas immediately after the charges were read to them in Mandarin before Magistrate Roshayati Radellah at the Bukit Mertajam Magistrate's Court today.
They were charged with conspiring to commit online fraud from a premises in Taman Pinggiran, Bukit Minyak, within the Central Seberang Perai district, at approximately 10.30pm on June 1.
The prosecution proceeded under Section 417 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 120B(1) of the same Code, which provides for a sentence of up to five years' imprisonment, a fine, or both upon conviction.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Zulfadzli Hassan appeared for the prosecution, while lawyer K. Kumaran represented the five Chinese nationals and Chiang Kian Hong represented the Taiwanese accused.
During mitigation, defence counsel informed the court that most of their clients were self-employed, while others had worked as cooks, security guards and bar attendants before their arrest.
The lawyers appealed for the minimum financial penalty, arguing that the offences were first-time offences and that the early guilty pleas had spared the court the time and expense of a full trial.
They also submitted that all six men wished to return to their respective home countries after the conclusion of the proceedings.
Magistrate Roshayati subsequently fined each accused RM9,000. Those who fail to pay the fine will serve 12 months' imprisonment in default.
Earlier this month, Penang Police dismantled three international scam syndicates during separate raids on premises operating as fraudulent call centres around Bukit Mertajam.
Penang Police Chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said 10 foreign nationals from China and Taiwan were arrested during an operation targeting a love scam syndicate based in Taman Pinggiran, Bukit Minyak.
Investigators believe the criminal network had been operating since January, targeting victims in Malaysia, China and Taiwan through sophisticated online romance scams.
Police also recovered scripted scam manuals used by the syndicate and seized 16 computers, 23 mobile phones and four Wi-Fi routers, with the confiscated equipment estimated to be worth approximately RM78,000. - June 18, 2026
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