Anti-fraud activists say the pattern of David Balisong’s disappearance fits into the modus operandi of scam centre operators

David Balisong, 17, was reported missing after he secretly took a flight from the UK to Malaysia on June 6, carrying nothing but a backpack. Malaysian police said he was last seen by eyewitnesses at the KL Sentral transport hub in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur a day later.

His last known communication was on June 9, when his family said they received an email from an unknown address telling them he was “in a safe place” and to “not try to find me”.

Your personal data will be processed and information from your device (cookies, unique identifiers, and other device data) may be stored by, accessed by and shared with 88 TCF vendor(s) and 20 ad partner(s), or used specifically by this site or app.

Some vendors may process your personal data on the basis of legitimate interest, which you can object to by managing your options below. Look for a link at the bottom of this page or in the site menu to manage or withdraw consent in privacy and cookie settings.