Police cripple cloned credit cards syndicate

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have crippled a syndicate that cloned credit cards with the arrest of 19 people, including the mastermind, in several operations in Klang Valley and Ipoh, Perak.
Commercial Crime Investigation Department (Money Laundering) principal assistant director SAC Khalil Azlan Chik said ​all the suspects, including a Nigerian, aged between 19 to 42, were held separately between April 16 and 18.
"We received a tip-off in November last year and tracked them for five months before arresting the suspects," Khalil told reporters at the CCID here today.
Khalil said the syndicate, which has been active for five months, obtained the supply of fake credit cards and data from an international syndicate.
He added they would then enter the cardholders' details into the fake cards.
"The cards will be given to the syndicate members who were appointed as mules. The members were also provided with passports,
flight tickets, and pocket money to fly to foreign countries to use the cards," he said.
The members communicate with each other through "WeChat" application.
"When they arrive at the destination, they will swipe the cards to buy branded goods.
"They will hand over the goods to the syndicate leader who will then sell the items at a lower price," he said.
Khalil said the syndicate members, who are usually university students, would receive a 10% commission from the leader.
Khalil said among the countries that were visited by the members were the United Kingdom, France, Czech Republic, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.
He added police seized 2,371 cloned credit cards, three credit card processing machines, cash worth RM163,234, US$1,400 and EURO250.
The case is being investigated under Sections 420 and 472 of the Penal Code and Section 4(1) of Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism
Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.