Sungai Lembing:A call centre syndicate running a telephone scam operation at a resort in Sungai Lembing, Pahang, was dismantled after the Malaysian Immigration Department detained 98 individuals, including 95 foreigners.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban reported that the operation commenced at 12.50 pm, following a month-long intelligence gathering utilizing various technological assets.
The 95 foreigners included 84 Chinese men, four Chinese women, two Myanmar nationals, and one woman each from Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Russia, aged between 20 and 75. Three locals, including a man believed to be the resort owner, were also taken into custody.
Zakaria revealed that the syndicate used the isolated resort, which had ceased operations in 2025, as their base to evade authorities. They rented the premises for RM30,000 a month from June 10, with the owner aware of their activities.
The syndicate operated round the clock in shifts, with members assigned individual KPIs and targets. Local lookouts monitored resort movements. The location lacked electricity, relying on a generator, CCTV cameras installed on trees, and Starlink internet equipment to avoid detection.
Intelligence indicated that the syndicate had operated at this location for about three months and had previously moved between countries, including Cambodia and Vietnam, to evade detection.
During the operation, authorities seized 49 Chinese passports, passports from Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Russia, an Indonesian Travel Document, 100 mobile phones, 120 computer sets, a CCTV camera, nine packs of unused SIM cards, RM5,000 cash, and 11 sets of Starlink equipment.
Zakaria noted that the call centre likely served as a hub for targeting nationals of syndicate members' home countries. For instance, Chinese nationals were believed to target Chinese citizens in China.
Detentions were carried out under various sections of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and the Immigration Regulations 1963. The resort owner was remanded for up to seven days to assist investigations, while all detainees were transported to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further investigation.