KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 28 ― Imitating the voice of friends and family members is the latest tactic being used by online fraudsters to deceive their victims into lending them money, said Petaling Jaya District Police chief ACP Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal.

He said that after introducing themselves, the suspects would say that the telephone number in use was a new one.

"The fraudsters would then give bank account numbers which do not belong to the victims' friends or family members for the purpose of getting the 'loan',” he said in a statement last night.

He said the victims would only realise they've been duped when they contacted their friends or family members on the original telephone numbers.

A total of 20 investigation papers have also been opened on crimes using disguise as the modus operandi and involving losses of RM250,000, he said.

Nik Ezanee said a total of 78 reports had been received involving losses amounting to almost RM7 million relating to cyber and multimedia crime from January until today.

In another development, Nik Ezanee said that four local men have been arrested in three separate raids on suspicion of being involved in a break-in at a gymnasium in Lebuh Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya here.

He said the arrest of two of the suspects in the 6am incident on Tuesday (November 24) was made after police had viewed the closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at the premises.

He said two suspects, aged 19 and 22, were held in a 1pm raid on a flat in the Kayu Ara area in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

Later that day, at 4.30pm, police carried out two separate raids in the Pelangi Damansara and Flora Damansara areas and arrested two more suspects, aged 18 and 40.

Nik Ezanee said the two suspects from the first raid had criminal records and have been remanded for seven days while the other two have been remanded for two days, adding that the case is being investigated under Section 457 of the Penal Code for burglary.

He said that with the arrests, police believe they have solved three burglary cases involving gymnasiums in Lebuh Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara and Taman Tun Dr Ismail. ― Bernama