Mastermind members and 'buyer' caught in the act of dealing with would-be victim
SHAH ALAM: Two members of a real estate scam syndicate were nabbed by police while in the midst of “negotiating” a deal with a potential victim.
Police arrested the two men at a coffee shop in Jalan SS3/59, Taman Bahagia, Petaling Jaya, around 1.30pm last Friday.
Selangor Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Asst Comm Chong Mun Phing said the men, part of a real estate syndicate, were meeting with someone on a “business deal” during the operation.
“We arrested the two men, both aged 58. One of them was the mastermind of the syndicate,” she said at the state police headquarters yesterday.
She said the group’s modus operandi was that the mastermind, posing as a senior agent from a reputable real estate firm, would approach his target looking to sell or lease a business property.
“He would then get an accomplice to pose as a buyer, who would pay for the property with a post-dated cheque.
“The mastermind would also receive a post-dated cheque for his commission,” she said.
However, the mastermind would falsify the date and cash out the commission cheque before the original cheque bounces.
The police seized ATM cards, photocopies of ICs and business cards belonging to the mastermind under multiple aliases.
ACP Chong said the syndicate has been linked to at least 18 cheating cases in Selangor involving RM80,200 from their victims, with more similar cases in Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan.
Sources: The Star/Asia News Network
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