KUALA LUMPUR: There has been a drastic increase in the number of Macau Scam incidences in the federal capital.
City police chief Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said, between Jan 1 and June 30 this year, there were 208 such cases involving losses of RM14 million.
“This was an increase from the 197 cases involving losses of RM10 million in the corresponding period last year. This shows that the awareness of city residents of this kind of scam is still not high enough,” he told reporters at the city police headquarters.
Mazlan said city police have so far arrested 22 members of one syndicate which had raked in RM3 million. The arrests were made in March.
“Of these, 13 people were charged in court on June 4, six are still being detained under the Prevention of Crime Act 2014, and three have been released on police bail.
“We also arrested four Taiwanese men who were arrested on July 24 at a condominium in Jalan Kuchai Lama,” he said.
Mazlan advised the public to not be fooled should they receive a telephone call from someone claiming to be from a financial institution or enforcement agency informing them about credit card or personal loan defaults or criminal cases.
“Just ignore such calls... do not follow the instructions these people give, especially if it involves the transfer of money. If you receive a suspicious call, refer it to the police or your bank,” he said.