58 arrested in alleged love scam operation targeting S’porean men in Kelantan, M’sia

Malaysia police have arrested 58 individuals on Apr. 22 following a raid at a resort in Kelantan that was allegedly used for a love scam syndicate’s operations.

The scammers allegedly targeted Singaporean men, The Star reported.

The raid

According to Kelantan police, the raid took place around 4:30pm and was carried out following intelligence gathered by the police.

The rented resort premises were apparently converted into a call centre to run the scam.

The syndicate was found using at least eight routers, including satellite internet networks, to ensure stable connectivity and to evade detection.

A total of 46 computers, five laptops, 118 mobile phones and eight routers, with a total value estimated at RM179,000 (S$57,611) were seized during the raid.

Modus operandi

The accused allegedly posed as women from Indonesia to emotionally manipulate victims.

"Their modus operandi was to send messages such as 'hi' before building relationships through WhatsApp without video calls, and eventually deceiving victims into sending money," police said.

They were believed to have operated daily since late March from noon to midnight.

The syndicate was apparently managed by three supervisors and 55 operators.

The police have yet to determine total losses as no reports had been lodged by affected Singaporeans.

The syndicate

Those arrested comprised 53 men and five women, aged between 20 and 30.

Two Malaysians and 56 foreign nationals, mostly from China, were involved.

Investigations revealed that 33 of the foreign nationals had valid travel documents, while the others did not.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Photos from Polis Kontinjen Kelantan/ Facebook