55 ARRESTED FOR SMS FRAUD BETWEEN 2006-2008

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 (Bernama) -- Fifty-five people were arrested for sending out fraudulent text messages between 2006 and last year, the Lower House of Parliament was told Thursday.

Deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung said of those arrested, 43 were men.

He said 728 fraudulent text messages were reported to the police last year
involving losses of RM1.842 million. (US$1=RM3.59)

In 2007 the number of cases were 965 with losses of RM2.155 million and 318
cases with losses of RM548,725 in 2006.

"Between 2006 and last year, police crippled text message scams targeting
the Akademi Fantasia (AF4), Maxis, Celcom, Digi, Petronas, Shell, Astro, Audisi
KDI 4, Power Root and Gang Starz," he said in reply to Member of Parliament Er
Teck Hwa who wanted to know the number of telephone frauds and the measures
taken by the government to address them.

Chor said police were working with telecommunication companies to contain
the activities apart from sending reminders to consumers and carrying out
awareness campaign on the existence of such fraud.

He said police were also working with their Indonesian counterparts as most
of the fraudulent text messages were sent from the neighbouring country.

Chor also said that investigations showed that about 99 per cent of the
numbers used to send the text messages were registered under false names and
addresses.
-- BERNAMA