KUALA LUMPUR: Police have smashed the country's biggest fake credit card syndicate in recent years with the arrest of 19 people between in Klang Valley and Ipoh, Perak over the weekend.
Commercial Crime Investigation Department (Money Laundering) senior assistant commissioner Khalil Azlan Chik said police first received a tip-off on the case in November last year.
"Following that, we conducted close surveillance on the syndicate for five months," he said.
He said the syndicate received their supply of fake credit cards and data from an international syndicate.
The syndicate members here would then enter the credit card details into the fake ones," he told reporters at the Commercial Crime Investigation Department here today.
Khalil said the ready-to-go credit cards would then be handed over to syndicate members who served as mules.
"The mules were also provided with passports, flight tickets and cash to buy branded items. The syndicate members used the WeChat application to communicate.
"Among the countries that were visited by the mules were the United Kingdom, France, Czech Republic, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam," he said.
Khalil said upon arrival at their destination, the mules used the fake credit cards to buy various branded items such as Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Prada handbags and others.
"With Interpol's assistance, we then formed a special task force to track the suspects.
"The nineteen detained were aged between 19 and 24, including a Nigerian," he said.
During the raids, police seized 2,371 fake credit cards, three credit card processing machines, cash worth RM163,234, US$D1400 and £250.
"Also seized were 31 items of jewelry, nine branded watches, seven handbags and wallets, 22 handphones, two laptops, five cameras and eight cars.
The case is being investigated under Sections 420 and 472 of the Penal Code and section 4(1) of Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.