Football: Malaysia arrests 83 over scam

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia arrested 83 people, mostly from China and Taiwan, over a huge scam that netted billions of dollars, a day after authorities busted a major betting and fraud ring. The suspects - 75 Taiwanese, six Chinese and two Malaysians - were held during raids on four bungalows on the outskirts of capital Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, said federal commercial crime director Syed Ismail Syed Azizan. They are under investigation for running a fraud scheme, cheating people in China and Taiwan out of billions of dollars by calling them to settle phony credit card or other bank charges. “We believe there is local involvement in this case,” said Azizan adding all the suspects were under detention and the foreigners faced the deportation from Malaysia.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 8^th, 2012.