A Russian woman was detained in a fraudulent call center in Malaysia

A Russian citizen was among 95 foreigners detained by the Malaysian immigration service during an operation to neutralize a fraudulent call center, said Zakaria Shaaban, director general of the country's immigration service.

The operation took place in Sungai Lembing in the Malaysian state of Pahang after about a month of observation. In total, law enforcement officers detained 98 people: 95 foreigners and three Malaysian citizens. Among the foreigners were 88 Chinese citizens, two citizens of Myanmar, as well as one citizen each from Russia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia, and one resident of Hong Kong.

"The modus operandi we discovered was to use an isolated resort complex as a base of operations to avoid detection by the authorities," Shaaban told reporters.

According to the immigration service, the complex ceased official operations in 2025. The alleged fraud center operated there around the clock for about three months.

According to the authorities, the foreigners lived and worked directly on the territory of the complex. Employees at the proposed call center were given individual performance targets and plans, and commissions were provided for meeting targets. Authorities believe the group may have previously operated in other countries, including Cambodia and Vietnam, periodically changing locations to avoid detection.