Friday, 24 February 2017 | MYT 1:26 PM
Police bust 'love parcel' scam with arrest of five people
ATM cards were some of the items seized during the raid.
KUALA LUMPUR: A "love parcel" scam syndicate has been smashed with the arrest of five suspects.
Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Sukri Kaman said the five suspects, aged between 20 and 37, were arrested on Wednesday after police acted on information gathered.
"The police raided an apartment in Kajang at about 4pm. Three of the suspects are local women, and the other two are Nigerians," he said at a press conference at the Dang Wangi police headquarters here on Friday.
The women were found to be in relationships with the men.
"A number of ATM cards, handphones and laptops were seized as well," he said.
ACP Mohd Sukri revealed that the syndicate focused on single women, single mothers and working professionals, including doctors and lawyers.
He added that the syndicate operated across the country.
"This syndicate is crafty. The men used the local bank accounts of their lovers as the 'receiving account' for their scam.
"Love is blind. The victims were influenced by the scammers' sweet words. They were willing to sacrifice anything just for love," he said.
He added that about 18 cases had been linked to this syndicate but police believe there are more.
According to ACP Mohd Sukri, Dang Wangi police had 35 cases of this nature in 2016.
There have been four cases so far this year.
Losses were estimated to be RM5,939,920 from last year.Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/02/24/love-parcel-scam-syndicate-busted/#ehAsZHjHdc8GXsHZ.99
