Melaka homestay raided, China-led scam syndicate targeting South Koreans busted

KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department has busted an online investment scam syndicate targeting South Koreans, arresting 34 people in a raid on a homestay in Klebang Kechil, Melaka.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 51, were rounded up at 10.35am on Oct 22 by the department's Intelligence and Special Operations Division, with support from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and Melaka Immigration.

Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said those detained comprised 29 Chinese men, two Chinese women, a Taiwanese man, and two local men aged 22 and 32 who were believed to be caretakers of the premises.

He said the syndicate had rented the homestay as an operations centre to avoid the authorities.

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"The syndicate, run by Chinese and Taiwanese operators, used social media platforms and communication applications to deceive South Koreans in their home country through investment offers promising high returns in a short period," he said in a statement today.

Zakaria said the operators were assigned three areas of responsibility: managing customer service, handling investment-related information, and storing customer data.

Initial investigations revealed that the two local suspects were paid RM3,000 a month to supervise the workers and buy food and daily necessities.

Foreign operators were barred from leaving the premises during working hours, while meals were delivered directly by the two local suspects.

Zakaria said the syndicate operated daily from 8am to 8pm and was believed to have been active for the past three months.

Officers seized telecommunications equipment valued at RM318,600, including 309 mobile phones, 45 computer sets, five internet routers, a gigabit network switch, a portable Wi-Fi unit, an autogate remote control, and 21 notebooks containing scam scripts.

Zakaria said checks showed that three Chinese nationals had overstayed, while the remaining foreigners had no valid travel documents or passes.

The two local suspects were detained under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the foreign suspects were detained under Sections 6(1)(c) and 15(1)(c) of the same Act.

The suspects were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further investigation.