9 people nabbed for offering non-existent jobs in Australia

 

The suspects were nabbed in two separate raids on Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR: Seven men and two women were detained on suspicion of being part of a syndicate offering non-existent jobs in Australia.

The suspects, aged 20 to 31, were believed to be working at the syndicate’s call centre which had been operating since March 2020.

The federal commercial crime investigation department director, Kamarudin Md Din, said the syndicate used social media to advertise job offers in Australia, and a website to guide the victims to apply for a work visa abroad.

“Victims were charged A$420 (RM1,400) for processing (visa applications) and the syndicate would send them a screenshot showing the application document as well as a copy of the fake document using the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs letterhead.

He said 658 applications using the syndicate’s email address were still pending. The applicants were Bangladeshis, Malaysians and Pakistanis.

Kamarudin said reports had been lodged by 1,023 people with the Australian high commission, while police received 28 reports about losses amounting to RM155,472.

He said the syndicate had changed its company name, Facebook account and website address several times, using names such as Top Speed Agency Visa and Eco Travel Malaysia, among others, but the design, email template, invoice as well as social media accounts maintained the same format.

Those who have fallen victim to this syndicate are urged to lodge a report so that further investigations can be carried out, he added.

Members of the public could check on suspicious job offers by calling the CCID scam response centre at 03-2610 1559 or 03-2610 1599. - FMT