The police have warned the public to be wary of a group posing as police officers to hoodwink them into parting with money to free their loved ones supposedly caught with drugs.

Since January, six similar cases were reported to the police, amounting to losses of about RM48,000.

Subang Jaya police chief, ACP Yahaya Ramli said in such situations where the intended victims were approached over the 'arrest' of their loved ones, they should get confirmation from the police by visiting the nearest police station.

"Don't panic...first, try to contact the family member concerned before taking any further step or making any decision," he advised.

He said the modus operandi of the syndicate was to call the intended victim, using computer software and gadgets such as 'Magic Jack', via the internet.

"The syndicate members use voice over internet protocol," he said during a statement here today.

Yahaya said the syndicate members would then frighten the victims by informing them of a non-existent arrest of one of their family members for alleged possession of drugs.

"They would then demand for 'bribes' to set their loved ones free," he added.

The victims would then be told to follow the syndicate's rules in handing over the money, among them, placing the cash in public places such as rubbish bins and bus stations to avoid detection.

For more information on the syndicate, the public has been advised to contact the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department operations office at 03-26163999 or 03-26163822.