Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar said the raids led to the arrest of 38 people, including three Malaysians, aged between 19 and 50.

Electronic devices worth about RM138,000, believed to have been used in criminal activities, were also seized, Bernama reported.

Shazeli said an initial investigation showed that the syndicates were involved in love and job scams, online gambling and online investment fraud, targeting foreign nationals from China, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore.

“Some of the syndicates offered WeChat and iCloud accounts for sale via Telegram, which were then sold to China-based scam syndicates.

“Most of the syndicate members acted as customer service personnel and operators.

“Two of the three Malaysians detained were employed as cooks and drivers for the syndicates,” he told a press conference on the success of the Selangor commercial crime investigation department and the narcotics crime investigation department in Shah Alam today.

Shazeli said the victims were approached through social media apps such as WeChat, Potato Chat, WhatsApp, Line, and Telegram.

He said the foreign suspects had entered the country legally earlier this year using social visit passes. They have been remanded for between four and seven days.