World · Malaysia Bureau
Police arrest 20 men in romance scam targeting Chinese nationals
Authorities have detained 20 male suspects aged 19 to 41 in a raid on the Batu Feringghi area as part of an investigation into an international romance fraud scheme. The operation targeted a network accused of defrauding victims in China through elaborate online scams.
LSN Malaysia ·
Police have arrested 20 men suspected of operating a sophisticated romance scam that targeted victims across the border in China. The suspects, whose ages range from 19 to 41 years old, were apprehended during a coordinated enforcement operation at Batu Feringghi. Authorities said the network employed deceptive online tactics to establish fraudulent romantic relationships with their targets, extracting substantial sums of money through various pretexts. The operation marks the latest crackdown on cross-border cybercrime networks operating from Malaysia that prey on international victims. Investigators are examining financial records and electronic devices seized during the raid to determine the full extent of the fraud operation and identify additional suspects. The case underscores growing concerns about organised romance scam networks exploiting dating platforms and social media to perpetrate financial crimes against overseas nationals.