Crime & Courts

14 arrested for online job scams in Johor

JOHOR BARU: Johor police arrested 14 individuals believed to be members of an online job offer syndicate in a raid on two terrace houses in Taman Mount Austin here last Friday.

Johor Police Chief Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the suspects, aged between 17 and 31 years, comprised 10 local men, one foreigner and three local women.

The syndicate targets victims from abroad, especially Singapore, by offering them positions as travel agents.

"The syndicate offers the job through the social media. It is believed that this syndicate has been operating for about three months.

"Those offered are tasked with booking hotel rooms online and they receive a commission of up to SGD6 per room.

"However, when there are many orders, they are asked to increase the value to allow the next order to be made.

It caused losses to the victims reaching thousands of ringgit. But the actual loss is still under investigation," he said at a press conference at the Johor Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK) here on Monday.

According to Kamarul Zaman, the police also seized 20 laptop computers, 32 mobile phones and one whiteboard.

He said the syndicate used telephone lines registered abroad.

"The members of this syndicate act as human resources officers with salary ranging from RM2,500 to RM4,000 but thry only receive one month's salary.

"The Johor Police is working with the Singapore authorities to get more information to trace the remaining members of this syndicate.

"We advise the public to be more careful with any job offers that promise lucrative returns and commissions in a short time," he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code and Section 120B(2) of the Penal Code.

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