KUALA LUMPUR: Police busted an African phishing syndicate which withdrew money from people’s accounts without their knowledge.
The syndicate’s activities came to light when a victim lodged a report after RM5,000 went missing from her bank account on Tuesday.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department deputy director II Senior Asst Comm Datuk Rodwan Yusuf said that the money was transferred from the 27-year-old student’s account into a local woman’s account.
It is learnt that the victim had updated her bank details via e-mail after receiving a form requesting her to do so.
He said the syndicate was crippled when police made their first arrest by nabbing the local woman, in her 20s, at a bank in Petaling Jaya.
“The woman went to the bank to withdraw the money but was unable to do so as her account had been frozen,” SAC Rodwan told a press conference yesterday.
He said the bank froze the suspect’s account after the victim lodged a police report, stating that her account had been tampered with.
SAC Rodwan added that the suspect filed a report with the bank when she could not withdraw any money.
Police rushed to the bank and arrested the woman after a bank officer alerted them that she was there.
Following the arrest, police raided a house in Taman Putra Perdana and another in Bandar Bukit Puchong where they arrested five African men aged between 25 and 35.
Initial investigation revealed that the suspects were also involved in other scams.
During the raid, police seized laptop computers, handphones, student cards, university offer letters and passports.