Twenty-two
people, including 19 Nigerian men and a Nigerian woman, have been arrested
following a 10-month investigation into an African online scam.
Syndicate
members strike up friendships with their prospective victims through
these initial questions on Facebook as seen in the above Malaysian Mail picture
Following
the arrests, that included a Malaysian man, a Malaysian woman and a Thai woman,
police are conducting a major probe to find out the exact number of victims and
losses incurred.
Cheras
police chief ACP Chong Kok Sin said police set their sights on the syndicate
after the 50-year-old nurse reported in December last year she was duped into
investing in a bogus oil rig project.
“The
victim befriended a person on Facebook in June 2014, who persuaded her to open
two bank accounts under the names of a man and woman he provided, for a project
in Sarawak,” he said.
The nurse
made seven payments totalling RM18,400 into the two accounts over a period of
six months.
“The
victim decided to lodge a police report when she suspected something amiss
after being constantly harassed into making the deposits,” Chong said.
“The
Facebook friend kept changing his story about the oil rig project which further
raised the victim’s doubts.”
On June
6, a police team that had been tracking down the two account holders received a
tip-off on the whereabouts of one of them.
The
suspect — a Malaysian man — was picked up in Port Klang and remanded for 14
days before being released on police bail.
“Information
obtained from the suspect helped police to track down a Nigerian who is married
to the Malaysian woman, who later turned out to be the owner of the other bank
account,” Chong said.
A manhunt
for the remaining members of the syndicate was launched after police
interrogated the couple.
Nine
suspects were arrested in the first operation carried out in Kepong on October
20, and another 10 suspects in a follow-up operations in Bandar Damansara
Perdana two days later.
The
suspects, aged between 25 and 30 years, are mostly students of private
institutions in Kuala Lumpur.
“Investigations
revealed the Malaysian woman was used by her Nigerian husband only for her bank
account, before the funds are transferred to other suspects or to off-shore
accounts,” Chong said.
He said
police were on the trail of another African man, believed to be the mastermind.
“We are
working together with the education authorities to check on the validity of
their student visas and travel documents,” he said.
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