Aged between 17 and 36, the suspects were picked up at different apartments in Bukit Jalil, Puchong, Sri Petaling and Kelana Jaya between 2pm and 2.30pm on March 16.
The operation was conducted following a report lodged by a victim, a 54-year-old restaurant supervisor, three days earlier.
“The woman received a call from a bank official and a police officer who claimed that she had an RM7,000 credit card debt.
“The victim who denied that she had the debt was transferred to another line where a female inspector asked her to transfer her RM70,000 savings to an account given by the suspect if she did not want her account to be frozen,” City police chief Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said.
The victim realised that she was duped when she received a call from her bank and was told that it was a fraud. She reportedly lost RM30,000.
Mazlan said all of the suspects were found to be locals.
The 36-year-old main suspect, believed to be the mastermind, was an IT expert and his accomplices included a suspect in a murder case that took place in Sungai Dua, Penang, in 2013.
“The syndicate, which has been operating for about a year, dupes the victim into thinking that their bank accounts would be frozen if they failed to pay their debts,” he said.
The Macau Scam involves its operators using VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology to replicate the telephone number of genuine institutions, including the police and Bank Negara Malaysia, to con people.
When police raided the apartments, they found a list of some 10,000 names as well as their contact numbers, age, addresses and even IC details.
It is believed that the syndicate was targeting senior citizens as they were more gullible, leading to some RM3 million in losses and 44 police reports.
“We are still investigating where they obtained the details and tracking down the remnants of the group,” Mazlan said.
There was also a book with a script for the scammers to respond with when questioned.
All suspects are remanded till Friday under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.