KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 — Police have detained a married couple suspected of being involved in a luxury hotel accommodation scam targeting frontliners in a raid at a homestay in Ampang near here on Thursday.
Sungai Buloh district police chief Supt Shafa’aton Abu Bakar said that the husband and wife, aged 26 and 27, were nabbed after receiving a report from a nurse who worked at a government hospital on September 13 who was a victim of the couple.
Shafa’aton said that the victim learned about the advertisement in a WhatsApp group for overnight accommodation that offers breakfast at a leading hotel in Port Dickson for a package priced between RM88 and RM499 per night.
“The victim then contacted the suspects’ company and was offered to become an agent with a commission of 10 per cent by distributing package advertisements to her colleagues,” she said in a press conference here today.
The victim received 26 bookings from her colleagues and had made a payment of over RM7,000 to the company's bank account and was issued receipts for open booking at any time, she said.
She said that the victim only realised she had been duped after checking with the hotel involved and found that no accommodation bookings were made by the company.
“Investigations found that the suspects have been active since last September using the company name, I & I Paradise Venture, where most of the victims are frontliners.
“As at September 30, police received 30 reports involving the same case with a loss value of RM26,193,” she said, adding the unemployed couple have been remanded until tomorrow. — Bernama
