Malaysia Arrests More Than 400 in Doo Group Raid as Financial Scam Crackdown Widens

Hundreds detained at Bangsar South office

Malaysian police arrested more than 400 people on August 26, 2025, during a raid on the Kuala Lumpur office of Doo Group, a Singapore-based financial technology company and an official online financial trading partner of Manchester United. The operation targeted the company's premises spanning five storeys in the Bangsar South commercial district.

The arrests came during a nationwide campaign against illegal call centres, financial fraud and online scam syndicates. Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said police had arrested nearly 12,000 people in connection with almost 32,000 fraud cases so far in 2025. Losses were estimated at RM1.5 billion, about US$355 million.

Officers escorted groups of detainees from the building and transported them in a convoy of police vans to Travers Police Station in Bangsar for processing. Photographs and videos circulating on social media showed people lining up beside police vehicles and officers carrying black plastic bags containing seized items.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus confirmed the operation and said investigations were continuing because of the scale of the arrests. As of September 1, police had not publicly connected Doo Group to specific fraudulent activities or disclosed the nationalities of those detained. A special press conference was expected, although no date was given.

Doo Group said its Malaysian office primarily handled client servicing and described the police visit as an inspection within a broader enforcement campaign. The company maintained that its operations complied with regulatory requirements, denied wrongdoing and said business was continuing as normal.

The case brought together several issues drawing attention across the region: the growth of scam call centres, the oversight of online trading businesses and the public visibility that comes with a major football sponsorship.

How the police operation unfolded

Witnesses described large groups of men and women being led out of the Bangsar South building and placed in police vans. Officers carried away bags of seized material, while additional police trucks arrived to transport more detainees. The operation continued into the evening.

Videos and photographs spread quickly online, bringing the raid to a much wider audience. Images of the detainees and the convoy outside the office became a focus of public discussion about the company and the wider crackdown.

Some people who had applied for jobs at Doo Group, including Data Engineer and Senior Data Analyst positions, expressed shock. Others who had not been hired said they felt relieved after learning of the investigation.

Social media users also claimed that Malaysian employees were among those arrested and that some had been unaware of any alleged wrongdoing. Those claims formed part of the online reaction, while police continued processing the large number of people detained.

Doo Group says it is cooperating

Doo Group said it was providing authorities with the information and documents they requested. It described its approach as transparent and constructive and sought to reassure clients, business partners and other stakeholders about its operations.

A spokesperson for Doo Group gave the company's account of the inspection and its response:

As part of a broader nationwide campaign against illegal call centres, Malaysian authorities recently conducted inspections at several business premises, including ours. We would like to reassure our clients, partners, and stakeholders that our operations remain fully compliant, and we are working transparently and constructively with the authorities by providing all the information required. Compliance, integrity, and accountability are fundamental to the way we operate. We are confident that our strong governance standards will ensure this matter is clarified and resolved swiftly.

The company said the visit was routine within the wider sweep against illegal call centres. Its position was that the Malaysian office performed client servicing work and that the business had not engaged in wrongdoing.

Police investigations remained active, and authorities had not ruled out further action. For employees and customers, the immediate situation combined the company's assurance that operations were continuing with an investigation involving hundreds of detainees.

A crackdown involving nearly 32,000 fraud cases

Saifuddin's figures placed the raid within a much larger national enforcement effort. Nearly 12,000 arrests, almost 32,000 fraud cases and estimated losses of RM1.5 billion had been recorded so far in 2025.

Malaysian police have increased their attention to call centres and online fraud syndicates, using new technologies and intelligence sharing to identify and dismantle criminal networks. The effort aims to disrupt operations that can contact victims across borders while working from offices or residential buildings inside Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur's luxury condominiums and commercial towers have been used by scam call centres. Such operations often employ both Malaysian and foreign nationals and can present themselves as ordinary businesses or financial service providers.

Authorities have also warned building owners and landlords that they could face conspiracy charges if they knowingly allow scam call centres to operate on their premises. The warning extends the enforcement focus beyond the people making calls to those who knowingly provide space for the operations.

Saifuddin has called for law enforcement personnel to improve their skills and adopt advanced tools, including artificial intelligence, to combat cybercrime. Authorities have said scam syndicates themselves use sophisticated technology, including artificial intelligence, to automate calls and evade detection.

What scam call centres do

Scam call centres use telephone calls, emails and online platforms to deceive individuals and businesses into handing over money or personal information. Their activities can cross national borders, with operations in Malaysia targeting people locally and overseas, particularly in China and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

The schemes described in the crackdown include several forms of deception and illegal activity:

• Investment fraud, in which people are promised high returns through fake investment schemes, often involving foreign exchange or cryptocurrency trading.
• Impersonation scams, in which callers pose as government officials, police officers or bank representatives to obtain personal information or persuade victims to transfer money.
• Illegal online gambling operations serving customers in Malaysia and other countries.

Foreign exchange trading, often called forex, involves exchanging one currency for another. In an investment scam, the promise of trading profits is used to persuade someone to send money into a fraudulent scheme.

Many of the centres identified by authorities employ foreign nationals and focus on victims outside Malaysia, especially in China. Their use of commercial premises and the appearance of a legitimate business can make the nature of their work difficult for outsiders to judge.

Where Doo Group's Malaysian office fits

Doo Group's Malaysian call centre reportedly served clients in China and across the Far East, supporting the group's offshore brokerage business, D Prime, formerly known as Doo Prime. A brokerage provides access to financial trading services, while client servicing involves handling customer needs connected with those services.

D Prime is domiciled in Mauritius and Vanuatu and primarily targets traders in China and the Asia-Pacific region. Doo Group is controlled by Chinese national Junjie Chen and operates businesses across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

The group also has licensed businesses in Cyprus and the United Kingdom, holds licences in Hong Kong and has expanded internationally through partnerships and sponsorships. Its Manchester United relationship is its most prominent public association in the account of the raid.

Doo Group identified client servicing as the main function of its Malaysian office. That description is central to the company's explanation of why staff were working at the Bangsar South premises when police arrived.

The wider regulatory debate concerns how online financial businesses operate across borders, including aggressive offshore marketing, unlicensed activity and the boundary between legitimate administrative support and illegal solicitation. Solicitation means actively seeking customers or encouraging them to use a financial service.

Licences, complaints and an earlier alert

Doo Group's licensed subsidiaries include Doo Clearing Limited, which is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, and Doo Financial Cyprus Limited, which is licensed by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, known as CySEC.

The group's regulatory presence has drawn attention alongside complaints from users in Malaysia and elsewhere. Those complaints have included difficulties withdrawing funds and concerns about unlicensed investment schemes.

In 2021, Bank Negara Malaysia flagged the Doo Prime Malaysia Berhad Investment Scheme in an update to its Financial Consumer Alert, warning the public about potential risks. Online discussion following the raid also referred to complaints about Doo Prime and its lack of a Bank Negara Malaysia licence.

Regulators across Asia have been increasing scrutiny of online brokers and trading platforms. Concerns include how offshore businesses attract customers and whether the activities carried out in a particular place are properly authorised.

Similar enforcement operations have taken place in Singapore, Hong Kong and Cyprus, including action targeting unlicensed forex brokers and online trading platforms. Malaysia's campaign forms part of a broader regional effort against cybercrime, financial fraud and illegal investment activity.

Why Manchester United is part of the story

Doo Group became Manchester United's official online financial trading partner in 2023 and extended the relationship into a third season in 2025. The sponsorship has given the company visibility far beyond the customers who use its financial services.

The partnership includes merchandise carrying both brands, exclusive events and special discounts for fans and clients. Doo Group has distributed thousands of branded items across its offices and offers employees a 10% discount at the United Direct Store.

Doo Group has used the association to increase brand awareness and connect its business with values it identifies with Manchester United, including discipline, teamwork and determination. The football club previously said it was impressed by the company's focus on technology and its strong brand values when choosing it as a partner.

Manchester United had not commented publicly on the police raid as of September 1. The sponsorship nevertheless increased public interest in the investigation and brought further attention to the company's business and regulatory position.

For people who recognised the Doo name through football rather than finance, the raid connected a familiar sporting partnership with questions about the activities at a Malaysian office. The company's response remained that it was complying with regulatory requirements and cooperating with investigators.

The sequence from the 2021 alert to the raid

The events span several years, from a Malaysian consumer warning to the football partnership and the police operation. The main dates are:

• 2021: Bank Negara Malaysia flagged the Doo Prime Malaysia Berhad Investment Scheme in its Financial Consumer Alert update.
• 2023: Doo Group became Manchester United's official online financial trading partner.
• 2025: The Manchester United partnership was extended into a third season.
• August 26, 2025: Malaysian police raided Doo Group's Bangsar South office and arrested more than 400 people.
• September 1, 2025: Investigations were continuing, while Doo Group maintained that it had done nothing wrong and that business was operating normally.

The timeline brings together the company's growing public profile, earlier concerns about an investment scheme bearing the Doo Prime name and the current police investigation. Each development concerns a different part of the company's relationship with customers, regulators or the wider public.

What the case means for workers and customers

The hundreds of arrests have made the investigation an immediate concern for employees, their families and people considering work in the online trading sector. The reaction from job applicants showed how quickly an enforcement operation can affect perceptions of a workplace, including among people who never joined the company.

Customers have been given assurances that Doo Group's business continues as normal. At the same time, complaints about withdrawals and concerns about unlicensed schemes have returned to public discussion alongside the raid.

Police and regulators face the broader task of identifying the activities taking place inside businesses that use financial technology, trading platforms and customer service teams. Malaysia's campaign is focused on finding scam operations and disrupting the networks behind them, including those targeting people in other countries.

The wider enforcement effort also affects property owners who knowingly host illegal call centres. Authorities have made clear that such owners can face legal consequences, while Saifuddin's call for stronger technical skills reflects the growing use of technology on both sides of financial crime investigations.

The Doo Group case remained under investigation on September 1. Its scale, the company's international operations and its football sponsorship had made it a prominent episode in a crackdown already associated with nearly 12,000 arrests and RM1.5 billion in reported losses across Malaysia in 2025.

What to Know

• Police arrested more than 400 people at Doo Group's Bangsar South office in Kuala Lumpur on August 26, 2025.
• Detainees were taken to Travers Police Station in Bangsar for processing, and Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus confirmed the operation.
• Doo Group said its Malaysian office mainly handled client servicing, maintained that its operations were compliant and said it was cooperating with authorities.
• The wider Malaysian fraud crackdown involved nearly 12,000 arrests, almost 32,000 cases and estimated losses of RM1.5 billion so far in 2025.
• The group's offshore brokerage, D Prime, formerly Doo Prime, primarily targets traders in China and the Asia-Pacific region.
• Doo Group became Manchester United's official online financial trading partner in 2023 and extended the partnership into a third season in 2025.
• Investigations were continuing as of September 1, and Manchester United had not publicly commented on the raid.