KUALA LUMPUR: A couple was arrested in a crackdown on illegal streaming activities in raids at three locations around Selangor and Kuala Lumpur on March 14.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director, Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said the detained individuals, aged 53 and 57, are believed to be the masterminds behind the syndicate.
He said that the first raid was conducted at a residential unit in Sungai Long, Kajang, suspected of operating as a control centre to monitor server uptime and downtime for illegal streaming activities.
“While the second location in Jalan Kovil Hilir, Sentul and the third in Taman Genting, Setapak, are suspected to function as servers for illegal streaming, supplying content from Astro and other international broadcasting stations to users of the syndicate’s application,“ he said here today.
In the operation, the police also seized several Astro streaming devices, international broadcasting equipment, video encoders and several satellite dishes with an estimated value of RM100,000.
Ramli said that the case is being investigated under Section 43AA(1) of the Copyright Act 1987 and advised the public not to engage in illegal streaming activities as it is an offence under Malaysian law.
In a separate case, Ramli confirmed the existence of a syndicate using the e-reporting facility developed by the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) for fraudulent purposes, resulting in victims suffering losses.
“The modus operandi of this e-reporting scam was detected to have started around mid-2023. Recently, this syndicate began making video calls to convince and deceive victims into making payments or money transfers.
“Similar to the tactics used in phone scams, victims receive phone calls from individuals posing as courier company officials and the caller creates a situation that causes the victim to panic and follow all instructions given,“ he said.
Ramli further explained that the call would be transferred to the ‘police’ via a video call, and through that call, the victim would be convinced to make a police report online (e-reporting) and interact with fake police officers against a backdrop resembling a police station.
“Throughout 2023, a total of 34 police reports were received related to this modus operandi, involving losses amounting to RM1,011,110 while for this year until March 14, a total of 14 police reports were received involving losses amounting to RM960,500,“ he said. –Bernama