Following Malaysia’s decision to grant visa-free access to Chinese nationals, some Chinese individuals have set up scam call centers in the country, primarily targeting Chinese citizens in China.
Reports from Malaysian media on December 16th revealed that the Pahang State Police and the Bukit Aman Police Headquarters raided a scam call center at a hotel in Bera on the 27th of last month, arresting 8 Chinese nationals aged between 21 and 39, comprising 6 men and 2 women. The police seized 19 mobile phones and 2 laptops, with a total value of 31,500 Malaysian ringgit.
It was reported that these scammers used fake Facebook accounts to contact victims, then moved to other communication apps to lure them into fake high-return investment schemes, primarily targeting Chinese citizens in China.
Additionally, on the evening of December 2nd, the Pahang State Criminal Investigations Department and the Temerloh district police conducted a raid on a residence in Bandar Baru Hills, Pahang, destroying another scam call center and arresting 5 individuals aged between 29 and 39, including two locals, two Chinese men, and one Indonesian woman.
The police successfully dismantled two scam operations in this operation, with the masterminds behind them confirmed to be Chinese nationals, with the proceeds of their scams flowing back to China.
Countries like Cambodia and Myanmar in Southeast Asia have been under scrutiny in recent years due to organized crime activities related to forced crimes and scams. There are widespread suspicions that these operations are backed by the Chinese authorities, intertwined with Chinese elite and the “Belt and Road” initiative.
While Malaysia has not seen the same scale of armed scam centers as in Myanmar and Cambodia, there is a significant presence of Chinese scam groups operating, with victims primarily in China. Cases involving these groups have been frequently exposed in recent times.
In December 2024, a Chinese scam syndicate purchased a nine-story commercial building in Kuala Lumpur, posing as a legitimate company and deceiving Chinese investors into the “Durian Orchard Project,” involving tens of millions of renminbi.
In February 2025, Malaysian authorities busted a scam group led by a Chinese couple who had relocated from the Philippines to Malaysia, purchasing eight luxury apartments in downtown Kuala Lumpur as a telecom scam center, targeting Chinese victims.
In May 2025, in Ipoh, a standalone house housed 12 individuals (including Chinese nationals) running a job scam call center targeting Chinese victims.
In November 2025, eight Chinese nationals were arrested for operating a call center targeting individuals within China, located near a hotel in Triang, Pahang.