93 Chinese, 6 Malaysians arrested for alleged phone swindle

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Police say 93 Chinese citizens and six Malaysians have been detained on suspicion of being involved in swindling money from people in China through a telephone scam.

Commercial crime investigation chief Amar Singh says the arrests, the largest in recent months, were made Wednesday during a police raid at a call center in a high-end office area in Kuala Lumpur. He says the 99 comprised 78 men and 21 women, and included a 14-year-old Malaysian.

Singh says the syndicate is believed to make millions of dollars a month and that all its victims were Chinese. He said Friday that Malaysian police are working with their Chinese counterparts to determine the exact amount of losses and on how to deal with the scammers.