Malaysian Police Raid Online Scam Centres In Johor, Arrest 335 People

Malaysian ⁠police have raided 32 premises ⁠hosting online scam activities in Forest City in the state of Johor, arresting 335 people and seizing assets worth about 1 million ringgit (US$245,000), according to the state police chief.

The operation was carried out on ‌July 15, targeting two areas that had been identified as hubs for call centres running online fraud activities, Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said in a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday.

Those arrested were aged between 20 and 58 and included 309 Chinese nationals, 19 Indonesians, ⁠three Malaysians, and four Myanmar citizens, Ab Rahaman said.

Equipment and devices worth about 1 ‌million ringgit that were used to carry out the fraud activities were also seized, he added.

“The fraud activities were carried out ‌through investment and love scams, targeting victims from abroad, particularly from China and ⁠Indonesia,” he ⁠added.

The Forest City development has been beset by a ‌variety of environmental and regulatory issues since its launch in 2016. Photo: EPA-EFE

The Forest City development is a US$100 billion project on reclaimed land backed by embattled Chinese ‌developer Country Garden Holdings and a private Malaysian company linked to Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar.

The project, located ‌in southern ‌Johor state on the border with Singapore, has been beset by a ‌variety of environmental and regulatory issues since its launch in 2016, prompting the government ⁠to introduce tax breaks and incentives in 2024 to try to lure investment and ⁠spur economic growth in the area.

Forest City was also recently home to the Network School, the “digital nomad” community run by US ‌investor Balaji Srinivasan, which was ‌embroiled in controversy after allegations surfaced that it included participants from Israel, leading to Malaysian authorities revoking its business licence.

Ab Rahaman said there was no connection between the scams and the Network School.