Source : @saifnasution
KUALA LUMPUR, October 27, 2026 – Malaysia must not be allowed to become a new operating base for international scam syndicates, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, as he revealed that police have carried out 968 raids and made 7,262 arrests linked to such networks since 2024.
Saifuddin made the remarks while winding up the policy-stage debate on Budget 2027 for the Home Ministry in the Dewan Rakyat on October 27. He later shared a video excerpt of the speech on his X account, writing that “Malaysia cannot be allowed to become a new base of operations for international scam syndicates,” in remarks translated from Malay.
“In tackling the threat of these scam syndicates, the police continue to intensify intelligence and operations,” Saifuddin said in the clip. “For the period from 2024 to September 2026, 968 raids and 7,262 arrests have been recorded.”
Cambodia link in arrest profiles
The minister said further analysis of those detained turned up what he described as a striking pattern. Of the 7,262 people arrested in that period, 2,912 had records of having worked in or been in Cambodia.
“This is unique. Unique data,” he told the House. “We arrested 7,262. When we profiled them, some 2,900 of them had worked in or been in Cambodia. Cambodia is, of course, well known as a location.”
Saifuddin said the finding would help strengthen intelligence work and the monitoring of cross-border syndicate movements, giving enforcement agencies a clearer picture of how the networks recruit, move and operate across the region.
Stepping up international cooperation
He said Malaysia is also stepping up international cooperation through Interpol, ASEANAPOL and direct police-to-police channels with counterparts in other countries.
“That is why, whenever the Home Ministry is invited to take part in international forums, seminars or meetings, we always make full use of them,” he said. “It is an opportunity for us to exchange and learn good practices from other countries.”
The remarks build on the message Saifuddin delivered earlier this month at the 20th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) in Manila, where he warned on October 20 that transnational crime has become increasingly complex, crossing borders and exploiting digital technology and artificial intelligence, and that “this threat can no longer be addressed by any one country alone.”
At that meeting, he listed cybercrime and online fraud as the first of Malaysia’s four priority areas for national security and regional cooperation. He pointed to the new 24-hour operations centre of the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC), launched in March 2026 and reachable through the 997 hotline to speed up the detection and freezing of scam proceeds, and to the Cyber Crime Bill 2026, passed by Parliament in July 2026 to strengthen the legal framework against cyber threats.
Saifuddin also told his ASEAN counterparts in Manila that the region’s success “is not measured by the number of agreements reached, but by the criminal networks dismantled, the victims protected and the criminals brought to justice.”
A regional problem
Large scam compounds in parts of Southeast Asia have drawn international attention in recent years, with syndicates running online investment, romance and impersonation fraud targeting victims across the region and beyond. Malaysian authorities have repeatedly warned the public about phone and online scams, and have urged victims to report losses quickly so that funds can be traced and frozen.
The Home Ministry oversees the Royal Malaysia Police, which leads investigations into scam syndicates, along with immigration and border control agencies. Saifuddin’s figures, covering almost three years of enforcement, offer one of the clearest official snapshots yet of the scale of the crackdown and of the links between syndicates operating in Malaysia and those based abroad.
The policy-stage debate on Budget 2027 is the stage at which ministers respond to issues raised by members of Parliament on their ministries before the House moves on to the committee stage.
Source: Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on X
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