KUALA LUMPUR – Cops in Malaysia nabbed 27 social media influencers – comprising 23 women and four men – for allegedly promoting illegal online gambling sites.
The Royal Malaysia Police’s director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the influencers – who were aged between 21 and 35 – were detained on June 13 in several Malaysian states, namely Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perlis, Kedah and Penang.
“Initial investigations revealed that gambling syndicates hired the suspects based on the number of followers they have on social media,” said Mr Mohd Shuhaily at a press conference on June 14.
“Each influencer is paid between RM1,500 (S$430) and RM8,000 for each social media platform, depending on the number of followers they have,” he added. “We believe each influencer is active on more than two social media platforms.”
Mr Mohd Shuhaily also said it is believed that the influencers were hired by multiple syndicates and have been active for about a year.
A total of 30 mobile phones were seized in the operation, he said. “On top of selling their products such as beauty products, the influencers also promote online gambling sites,” he said
Mr Mohd Shuhaily said the police will investigate further to track down the syndicates responsible for hiring the influencers.
“We are investigating the influencers under the Open Gaming House Act and Section 233 of the Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) Act,” he added. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK