KUALA LUMPUR – Police uncovered a syndicate that used a platform to buy and sell goods to dupe victims into downloading an Android Package Kit (APK) before “siphoning” their money, with the arrest of seven men in a raid on two premises in Jalan Tun Razak here on Tuesday.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Azmi Abu Kassim said the suspects, comprising three locals and four foreigners, aged between 20 and 27 years old, were arrested by a team from the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department.
“The downloaded APK file allowed the syndicate to use the victim’s debit card because the victim had entered their banking information when the file was downloaded.
“As a result, the victim’s debit card will be used through an electronic payment application without the victim’s knowledge and preliminary investigations found that this syndicate has been operating for three months around Kuala Lumpur,” he said in a statement yesterday.
In the raid, he said police also confiscated 28 mobile phones and five computer units believed to be used in the activities of the fraud syndicate.
He said members of the syndicate, who acted as customer service officers on a salary of RM4,000, were detained for investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for committing fraud.
Accordingly, he also advised the public not to be easily deceived by offers from unknown origins and to report to the National Scam Response Centre at 997 if they have any information about scam syndicates. – Bernama, March 23, 2023
