Ipoh Raid Busts Online Love Scam Targeting China

Photo courtesy of The Star

Twelve Chinese nationals have been arrested in Ipoh after police dismantled an online love scam call centre accused of defrauding victims in China, in raids on two houses on 16 July.

Perak police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Alwi Zainal Abidin said the men, aged between 25 and 40, were detained during simultaneous raids by the Ipoh district commercial crime investigation division at about 4.15pm, at premises in Taman Ipoh Selatan and Medan Pengkalan Setia, following intelligence on online fraud activities.

How the scam worked

Investigators said the syndicate had been operating since June, using Telegram, WeChat and local internet services to pose as attractive individuals with fake profile photos before randomly contacting victims online. Once a rapport was built, targets were lured into fake trading schemes with promises of high returns and pressured into making repeated payments, according to conversation scripts recovered from seized laptops.

Police seized 158 mobile phones, six laptops, five wifi routers, five conversation scripts, 15 SIM cards, three USB charging stations and other equipment worth an estimated RM34,500. All 12 suspects have been remanded until 19 July, and the case is being investigated under the Penal Code, the Immigration Act and Immigration Regulations.

Comm Mohd Alwi said Perak police would continue taking proactive action against online scam call centre syndicates and urged the public to be cautious of individuals known only through online conversations, and to report similar scam activity to the nearest police station.

This particular scam's victims were in China, not Malaysia, and there is no indication foreigners living in or visiting Malaysia were targeted this time. The story's relevance to expats is narrower: it is part of Malaysia's wider, sustained crackdown on scam call centres, which have repeatedly been found employing, and sometimes exploiting, foreign nationals on Malaysian soil, and which Malaysian police forces across several states have targeted in raids throughout the year.

Foreigners in Malaysia should be aware that police continue to actively raid such operations, and that any foreign national found working in one without valid documentation risks arrest under the Immigration Act, regardless of whether they were a willing participant or a trafficking victim.

July 18 2026