KUALA LUMPUR: Seven people, including two women, were arrested in a raid at a condominium in Cheras last Friday.
The suspects, aged between 19 and 27, were all members of a bogus personal loan syndicate.
Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Sukri Kaman said police were alerted to the existence of the syndicate when a 26-year-old woman lodged a police report against them last month.
The victim found an advertisement on Facebook on July 11, and she had applied for the loan.
She then banked in RM7,000 to the syndicate, which they claimed as the lawyer and processing fees, for a RM28,000 loan.
She became suspicious when the syndicate asked her to pay for the second time, which prompted her to lodge the police report.
“The syndicate was using social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp and WeChat to advertise their services.
“They will approve the loans easily, even to those blacklisted by the Central Credit Reference Information System (CCRIS) and CTOS. The syndicate normally targets who can’t get loans from the legitimate company,” Sukri said in a press conference at the Dang Wangi police headquarters today.
The syndicate would use a third-party bank account to avoid authorities’ detection.
Following the arrest, Sukri, said police have solved 55 cases nationwide involving about RM220,000.
The case is being under Section 420 for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.