00:04A shuttered resort in Sungai Lembing, Kwantan was raided by the Immigration Department
00:09after scammers allegedly turned the premises into a call center.
00:14Immigration Director General Datuk Zakaria Shaban said the operation, conducted on October 5th,
00:20followed nearly a month of surveillance.
00:22He said a total of 98 people, including 95 foreigners, were arrested during the raid.
00:30Among the foreign suspects were 88 Chinese nationals, two from Myanmar,
00:36and one each from Indonesia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia and Russia.
00:42Three Malaysians were also detained, including a man believed to be the owner of the premises.
00:48Zakaria said the syndicate was believed to have been operating at the premises for about three months
00:53and had been moving between countries.
00:56He added that the operation was conducted off the grid,
00:59with electricity supplied by generators and internet access provided through Starlink devices.
01:06The premises was also self-sufficient, with one of the group members assigned to prepare meals.
01:11Investigators seized employment contracts indicating that workers were paid around 3,000 ringgit a month
01:19with additional commissions for meeting targets.
01:22Those who failed to meet their quotas faced penalties.
01:26The department also seized 50 passports, including 49 Chinese passports and one Cambodian passport.
01:34Zakaria said preliminary investigations found that some suspects had overstayed their visas,
01:39while others had entered Malaysia without valid documents.
01:43The syndicate was also believed to have paid around 30,000 ringgit a month in rent for the premises.
