The suspects with some of the items seized from them at the Sabah MACC office in Kota Kinabalu.
KOTA KINABALU: A syndicate where fraudsters pose as senior government officers claiming they can "settle" cases under investigation by authorities has been busted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
Sources said seven suspects, six men and a woman, posed as MACC and Home Ministry officials and cheated victims of hundreds of thousands of ringgit.
"They cheated victims by promising they can get them off the hook and get paid for it," sources said.
According to the sources, Sabah MACC and the police carried out raids across the city here over the past few days and arrested seven locals aged between 20 and 30.
The investigators also recovered various fake "VVIP" passes for access to the Home Ministry and palace as well as government uniforms, among others, during their raids.
According to a source, the key suspects are a couple sought by MACC who were arrested early Sunday (July 23).
Other suspects allowed their bank accounts to be used for victims to deposit money into to pay for their "services"
When contacted, Sabah MACC director Datuk S. Karunanithy confirmed the arrests and said that the case was for now being investigated for bribery under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
He also called on members of the public who have information related to the syndicate to come forward and cooperate with the MACC.
"I also like to advise the public not to allow others to use their bank accounts," he said, adding that they should also be wary of individuals claiming to be senior officers from MACC or the Home Ministry offering services to resolve their cases.
