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Pinoy Abroad

Three Pinays among 60 arrested in Malaysia for online love scam


At least three Filipinas were among 60 people arrested in Malaysia Monday for allegedly taking part in an Internet love scam, a Malaysian news site reported Tuesday. Police taking part in "Ops Tiong" raided an apartment complex in Kepong in Kuala Lumpur where the racket was being committed, Malaysia's New Straits Times reported. During the three-hour raid that started 2 a.m., police also arrested 49 men and three women from Nigeria, three men from South Africa, a woman from Uganda, and a woman from Thailand. Five tested positive for drug abuse, while 28 did not have travel documents when arrested, the report said. The racket had been the subject of 332 Internet scam complaints from January to April, and had caused some RM51.3 million (P698.337 million) in losses this year. It was also the subject of 967 complaints involving RM40.9 million (P556.764 million) last year. Seized during the raid were 30 laptops and 68 cell phones. Investigation showed the syndicate would court women through social media, and promise to give them expensive gifts. But the syndicate would tell the victims the gifts had been seized at Customs, and that they needed money to release them. "The victims will be coaxed into transferring money several times," police said. — BM, GMA News

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