Penang police arrest 29 foreigners in 'Scratch and Win' scam raids

GEORGE TOWN: Police have arrested 29 foreigners following three raids on a "Scratch and Win" online scam syndicate believed to have targeted victims in China and Cambodia.

Penang police chief Datuk Dennis Lim said the suspects, aged between 20 and 63, comprised 19 Chinese nationals — 18 men and a woman — and 10 Cambodians, including one man and nine women.

The Penang Commercial Crime Investigation Department raided three separate bungalows in the southwest district on Sept 22.

Lim said the syndicate used rented bungalows and upscale premises as call centres to run live sessions on social media platforms, including Facebook Live and LINE.

"The modus operandi is the same. They conducted live sessions on Facebook and offered victims 'Scratch and Win' cards, making them believe they had won major prizes," he told reporters at the state police contingent headquarters.

Lim said victims were then instructed to make payments via QR codes for processing fees, taxes and insurance to claim their prizes.

"However, when they tried to withdraw the money, there was nothing. It was a scam," Lim said.

Police seized 251 mobile phones, 17 laptops, two desktop computers, six sets of modems and routers, along with documents, customer records, "Scratch and Win" cards and codes.

Also seized were suspected fake licence or certification documents, as well as studio and communication equipment.

Lim said preliminary investigations found the syndicate had been operating for about two to three months, targeting mainly Chinese and Cambodian nationals.

He said police had yet to determine the total losses suffered by victims as investigations were ongoing.

"Based on our checks, the QR code was linked to an account registered in Cambodia. We are still investigating," he added.

Lim said the three raids involved different locations but the same modus operandi, prompting police to investigate possible links to the same syndicate.

"The three locations were different, but the modus operandi was the same. We are heading in that direction," he said.

The suspects have been remanded until Oct 13 under Section 420 read with Section 120B of the Penal Code for cheating and criminal conspiracy.

They are also being investigated under Sections 6(3) and 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

Lim said the bungalows were rented for more than RM10,000 a month each, adding that 14 of the Chinese nationals lacked valid identification documents when detained.

He declined to disclose details on the suspected mastermind, citing ongoing investigations.

Police advised the public to remain vigilant against online scams and report suspected fraud to the nearest police station or the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997.