Real police thrashed fake police

Police thrashed an online fraud syndicate posing as police officials from the national police headquarters and Bank Negara when they raided a condominium in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

A businessman from Tawau, Sabah, was the last victim when he was scammed a cool RM3.2 million in February.

Commercial Crime boss Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said the 12 noon raid resulted in the arrest of four men and a woman, aged between 23 and 33.

He said the syndicate, active over the past three months, masqueraded as police officers from the police headquarters and top officials from Bank Negara, would contact their victims by telephone telling them their bank accounts would be blocked for investigation by the police and Bank Negara (the country's banking regulator). They would give reasons including money laundering and misuse of the account.

The victims would then be asked to transfer their money to another account provided by the syndicate to ensure that their money would not be frozen. Once this was done, the money would be transferrred a third account controlled by the syndicate.

Syed Ismail said, one of the suspects was detained for five months in China for the same offence last year.

"The suspect was sent back to Malaysia and he is one of the key figures in this syndicate," he said.