FOUR FOREIGNERS, TWO LOCALS ARRESTED FOR SCAMS THROUGH FACEBOOK

SHAH ALAM (Selangor, Malaysia), May 4 (Bernama) -- Police have busted a
syndicate believed to have cheated its victims of RM1.11 million (US$0.366
million) through the social networking website, Facebook, following the arrest
of four male foreigners and two local women in "Ops Tiong" in the federal
capital yesterday.

Federal police Commercial Crime Investigation Department director, Syed
Ismail Syed Azizan, said the two African nationals, two Bangladeshis and
two local women, all aged 23 to 33, were arrested at different locations in
Kepong, near Kuala Lumpur following a police report lodged by a 48-year-old
woman in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah state, in March.

"The two Bangladeshis were workers of the first suspect, an African," he
told reporters after making a working visit to the Selangor police headquarters,
here, Wednesday.

He said the sydicate's modus operandi involved getting to know the victims
through Facebook and after a few weeks, the suspects would dupe the victims by
saying that they had obtained a project with Petronas and were waiting for the
balance of the payment amounting to about RM4.6 million (US$1.53 million).

"The suspects claimed that there were stamp-duty and insurance charges to be
paid before they could get the contract.

"They would also have sought the use of the victims' bank account to receive
money from the so-called contract."

Syed Ismail said during the arrests, police seized RM15,000 (US$5,000) in
cash, 18 bank ATM cards, seven handphones and a computer laptop.

He said all the suspects were being remanded under Section 420 of the Penal
Code for cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property.

He also disclosed that last year, 1,114 cheating cases through the Internet
were reported nationwide involving RM3.12 million (US$1.04 million) in losses to
the victims.