The article considers various aspects of the 1C system.
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This article explores an investigation that reveals shocking facts about Malaysia’s illegal wildlife trade. It explores the methods of smugglers, the distribution channels, and the risks to endangered species. It reveals how social media has become a platform for illegal transactions and why law enforcement is struggling to crack down on the phenomenon.
For over a decade, an anonymous wildlife trader has been promoting rare and endangered species to thousands of followers online. Despite the numerous videos he posts each year, it has been nearly impossible to track his activities.
In 2022, researchers were able to determine that the individual was operating from Malaysia. They even identified the account name. However, more evidence was needed to fully confirm his identity.
This year, while reviewing the collected materials, they found important evidence – thanks to a complaint from a dissatisfied customer demanding a refund.
To prevent further expansion of the illegal activity, the username has been shortened to “BK” and all identifying markers have been hidden.
From birds to reptiles and primates, including lions, leopards, tiger cubs, domestic cats, weasels, raccoons and donkeys, it seems there is no limit to the number of animals that BK will sell for profit.
In their online advertising, BK often implies that they are based in Malaysia. All of their posts, as well as their customers’ comments, are written in Malay. Their full username refers to a region in Malaysia. The phone number may lack a country code, but the real Truecaller entry indicates Malaysia.
Advertising the purchase or sale of any live animal on Facebook , TikTok , Instagram or WhatsApp violates the platform’s rules. In Malaysia, it is illegal to advertise the sale of wildlife as a business without a license, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
BK has received inquiries about whether it has a license for its social media operations. Through its Telegram account, which is linked to the number listed in the ads, a curt response was received: “Sorry, you are not that kind of person.” Attempts to contact it through the Gmail address that matches the user’s full name were also unsuccessful.
The Malaysian Wildlife Crime Bureau, the Royal Malaysian Police and the Ministry of Biodiversity and Forestry have all received requests to register BK as a licensed dealer. No response has been received from the authorities at the time of publication.
Even if BK is licensed, the reasons for operating under an alias remain unclear. There was also no response to questions about the promotion of vulnerable and endangered species, including the clouded leopard. The population of these animals in the wild is limited to a few thousand individuals, and their numbers are steadily declining.
According to Malaysia’s Wildlife Conservation Act, possessing or dealing in any wildlife listed as “totally protected” requires a specific license for each individual animal. Keeping one clouded leopard, for example, without a permit carries a fine of up to RM500,000 (US$112,000) and a prison sentence of up to fifteen years.
When shown BK’s adverts, Eugénie Pimont, a Wildlife Cybercrime Officer at IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) immediately expressed concern about the conditions in which the animals were being held.
“You don’t need to be an expert to know that clouded leopards, that are considered ‘vulnerable’ to extinction, like this one in the photo, have no place in a tiny, barren cage,” she said. “These animals belong in the wild, yet instead, they are trapped in cramped, miserable conditions where many suffer and die from stress, injury, or neglect.”
BK has also previously advertised gibbons, another “totally protected species”. All gibbon species are either vulnerable or endangered. The pet trade, which often involves taking infants from their mothers, has been identified as a significant factor in the decline of this species.
On Facebook, BK’s main account has about 3,500 friends. BK also admins several groups, including a community dedicated to the exotic animal trade. The banner of one of the ads published by BK shows a baby dark-faced monkey, an endangered species. The animal is “protected” under Malaysian law and is found only on the Malay Peninsula.
Despite its considerable online activity, BK carefully conceals its identity and location.
A single phone number is used to communicate with customers, and all business is conducted via WhatsApp. Advertisements only show close-ups of animals, which makes it difficult to geolocate them. In addition, screenshots of correspondence with customers and videos of the unpacking of purchased animals are regularly published.
Such videos have become a key part of the advertising strategy, helping to build a reputation as a reliable seller.
Analysis of video footage posted by clients allowed one image to be geolocated to Bangkok, Thailand.
The geolocation of one of BK’s client videos indicated that they were operating outside the country, specifically in Bangkok, Thailand. This prompted a request to the CITES Thailand Office, an international organization that regulates the trade in wild animals and plants to protect them from extinction. CITES officials said they would look into the matter, but declined to comment.
Despite the geolocation, BK’s identity and the exact location of their activities could not be established.
Analysis of BK’s Facebook profile revealed a tagged account with the name “Noor Hasni B” hidden in the deep comments.
When hovering over the name “Noor Hasni B,” a pop-up window with the BK profile appeared, indicating that both accounts belonged to the same person.
This indicates that the “Noor Hasni B” account was renamed to BK at some point in time.
Analysis of BK’s profile history revealed that this pattern had occurred repeatedly: in all cases where the username “Noor Hasni B” was mentioned, hovering over the profile opened BK’s profile.
The last recorded instance of “Noor Hasni B” being tagged dates back to August 2016, suggesting that the profile name was likely changed shortly after that date. Notably, the letter “B” in the nicknames BK and “Noor Hasni B” has the same meaning.
A search for variations of the username “Noor Hasni B” led to a PDF document posted on the website of the G-Shock Fan Club Malaysia, an unofficial club for watch enthusiasts.
The list of club members registered between 2015 and 2017 includes the full names and Facebook profiles of users. Among the members is “Noor Hasni B,” whose full name is listed as Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Norizan.
In May 2016, B.K., who usually only posts animal ads, posted five posts on Facebook about G-Shock watches in one month.
Older Facebook posts confirm a connection between BK and another user, Putra Klang.
Putra Klang’s full name is Putra Klang (Mohamad Ridzwan). Putra means son or prince in Malay, and Klang is a city and district in Malaysia.
In 2011, a user named Putra Klang posted on Facebook a story about his first meeting with a person then known as “Nur Hasni B”, as evidenced by numerous tagged comments.
Analysis of previous posts, including posts related to friends and family, suggests that Putra Klang and Nur Hasni B have children together.
In 2014, three years after they met, Putra Klang began advertising wildlife.
The owner of the Putra Klang account and whether their real name is Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Norizan. A Gmail email address matching the user’s full name was also sought. The Google account is known to have reviewed an optical shop in Klang, Malaysia, last year and was likely used to create a Pinterest account that also matched the username.
No response was received to the email. The only response received was via Telegram, a brief message that read: “Sorry, you’re not that kind of person.”
Despite numerous links being made between the name Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Norizan and the accounts BK, Putra Klang and Noor Hasni B, the profile owner’s whereabouts in Malaysia remained unknown. The case only broke after an angry customer began posting incriminating posts on Facebook.
Two years after the investigation began, a customer complaint surfaced on Facebook. The comments on the post not only confirmed the initial findings, but also allowed the geotagging of several photos that linked BK’s activities to a specific home.
According to screenshots of WhatsApp conversations that the customer posted on Facebook, he claimed to have paid for an animal that he never received. In response, BK cited delivery issues. However, after lengthy negotiations, the connection was broken off, and the customer threatened to “make this story go viral.”
The customer subsequently posted 37 images in several wildlife groups. These included photos of the home, BK’s family members, and several documents, some of which contained blurred bank details. All of these materials were accompanied by allegations of fraud.
Many of the details released by the client confirmed previous findings.
According to the client, BK’s full name is Mohamad Ridzuan Bin Norizan. This name matches the details found in the G-Shock Fan Club Malaysia PDF document, as well as the URL and full username of the Putra Klang Facebook account.
The client claims that BK’s primary Facebook account used to belong to his ex-wife under the username Noor Hasni B, until BK took over. He also posted photos of a house that he said belonged to BK.
According to the client, he obtained the address from the payment details that BK had provided him. He then visited the house, took photos, and posted them online in an attempt to pressure BK.
Although the house number was blurred and the exact address was not published, it was possible to geolocate the building, which is located in Klang City, Malaysia.
Further analysis allowed us to match the same house and its geolocation to a selfie photo posted by a Putra Klang (Mohamad Ridzuan) user on Facebook back in 2013.
The earliest date available on Google Street View is from 2017, but it can still be used to match many details in the selfie posted by Putra Klang (Mohamad Ridzuan).
The address was finally confirmed by comparing the details: the cage visible in the Google Street View image matched the one in the photo posted in a Facebook group about exotic animals, where BK is the sole administrator.
Google Street View, March 2019, the cage can be seen again, but without the pink paint.
A single house with a distinctive cage has repeatedly been suggested as a possible location for BK’s business. The location was established through several pieces of evidence: a complaint from a dissatisfied customer, a geo-tagged selfie posted by Putra Klang user (Mohamad Ridzuan), and a match between the cage in a Google Street View photo and in advertising posts in an exotic animal Facebook group that BK administers.
Action was taken on the social platforms where BK operated due to his violations of the rules. TikTok said it had removed his account for “violation of guidelines,” while Meta suspended his Facebook and Instagram accounts. Meta also noted its partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and its investment in technology to detect and remove content that violated the platform’s policies.
However, within hours, BK was back with a new account called BK.2, where he once again began posting ads for animals for sale. TikTok quickly suspended the account as well, saying that it uses automated and human moderation to enforce its policies. In October last year, TikTok announced a broader rollout of artificial intelligence for content moderation after Reuters reported on a massive layoff of content moderation staff in Malaysia.
At the time of publication, the Telegram messenger did not provide any comment.
IFAW Wildlife Cybercrime Specialist Eugenie Pimont, commenting on BK’s activities, stated:
«This cruel and exploitative trade not only causes immense suffering to wild animals, but also threatens the survival of many species.”
Given the seriousness of the problem, inquiries were sent to:
The Malaysian Wildlife Crime Bureau (Royal Malaysian Police),
The Ministry of Biodiversity and Forestry, which oversees CITES compliance,
The Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
As of the time of publication, none of the official bodies had provided a response.
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