JOHOR BARU: Police busted a training centre that recruited people to impersonate enforcement officers to carry out its Macau scam.

       Eight people – including a “scriptwriter” for the syndicate – have been arrested.

       These recruits were promised a monthly salary of RM3,000 plus a 3% commission for every successful target that they ripped off, said Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

       He said that recruits who worked as runners for the syndicate would also get RM3,000 in salary including monthly allowances.

       A supervisor or trainer acting as an agent would get a reward of RM300 and RM800 for every new recruit they roped in, he added.

       “Those who had already memorised the script would be sent to several bungalows around here and Kulai, and even overseas to Dubai and Cambodia to cheat Malaysians.”

       These “employees” were trained for about a month, he told a press conference yesterday.

       Comm Ayob said the training centre had been operating for about a week.

       A team of police raided a shop lot located along Jalan Padu at Kampung Tahana 2 here between 3.30am and 12.50pm last Friday (Oct 15).

       “In the first operation, police arrested six male suspects between the ages of 21 and 43 years. All of these suspects worked as teachers, agents, and operators at the centre.

       “Following the early arrests, police arrested another 27-year-old man around here at 7pm on the same day where the suspect works as the account manager for the syndicate,” he said.

       Comm Ayob said police eventually nabbed a 33-year-old man at a house in Taman Saga in Kulai at around 2.30pm on Tuesday (Oct 20) where he worked as a scriptwriter for the syndicate.

       They would train new recruits on the tactics to use in their impersonation as enforcement officers from the police, Customs Department, Bank Negara or Inland Revenue Board.

       Comm Ayob said that police were still looking for two more male suspects in their 20s and 30s. One of them is the syndicate head.

       Police also seized various items including 11 mobile phones, two laptops, a printer, a recorder, a scrip book and five handwritten documents containing scripts to cheat their victims.

       Police have classified the case under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.

       Comm Ayob urged the public to always be wary when receiving calls from people claiming to represent enforcement agencies or financial institutions to avoid being a victim of a Macau scam.

       “So far, scam syndicates have cheated victims in Johor of RM1.3mil in losses,” he said adding that the public should not be easily fooled especially in matters linked to financial transactions.

       Comm Ayob said the public can verify the phone number or the bank accounts they receive through http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/.