ISKANDAR PUTERI, Jan 6 — Seven Chinese nationals are being investigated for involvement in a Macau scam syndicate under a sting dubbed “Ops Pelican” last Friday. 

Iskandar Puteri district police chief Assistant Commissioner Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said all seven men whose ages ranged from 20s to 30s, were arrested during a raid at the upscale Horizon Hills residential area based on intelligence reports gathered over two weeks and have been remanded for 14 days.

“In addition to the arrests, police also seized eight laptops, eight mobile phones and four wireless routers,” he told a press conference at the Iskandar Puteri district police headquarters here today.

Dzulkhairi said initial investigations showed all the suspects did not have valid travel documents.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for fraud and Section 6 (1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959 for not possessing valid travel documents.

In Malaysia, the Macau scam has been categorised as a telecommunication fraud where the suspects are part of a syndicate from Taiwan and China that are using local and international lines for fraudulent purposes.

Eventually, the victims would be tricked, usually by fear and spoofing, into transferring money into the scammer’s account through online banking or also Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transfers.

The police have constantly issued warnings and advised the public to be wary of the scam.

Dzulkhairi reminded the public to be cautious when receiving phone calls from strangers as it could be a scam.

“If in doubt, the public are advised to contact the nearest police station,” he said.