KUALA LUMPUR: Police have arrested six Nigerian men and a local woman believed to be part of a love scam syndicate.
Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said the seven suspects were arrested in two raids in Kajang on June 23.
"The seven, aged between 33 and 42, were part of an active love scam syndicate which targeted local as well as foreign victims.
"We also seized eight laptops, 17 mobile phones, three thumb drives, two modems, two routers, two ATM cards, two Nigerian passports and as an assortment of documents," he said in a statement on Sunday (June 27).
He said investigations revealed the syndicate has been linked to at least eight love scam cases.
"Our investigations also revealed the syndicate has been active for over five years.
"The men entered the country on social and student visas and continued to live here illegally," he said.
Comm Mohd Kamarudin said the suspects formed two separate groups, one to create fake accounts on social media and the other to look for mule accounts.
"They also worked with locals who would pretend to be Customs officers or courier company staff to dupe victims.
"We urge the public to exercise caution when befriending people online, especially those who promise gifts as a sign of affection.
"The public must also not panic or be gullible when receiving calls or messages from anyone claiming to be from courier companies or Customs asking for payment in order to release a parcel," he said.
He advised the public to use the ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/ webpage to cross reference the account details of recipients or sellers.
"If an account has been previously linked to any fraud, it would be in that database. Never give personal details to anyone such as account numbers, PIN, one-time passwords or TAC numbers," he said.
Comm Mohd Kamarudin urged the public to contact the CCID Scam Response Centre at 03-2610 1559 or 03-2610 1599 if they have any information on such cases.