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Deputy Home Affairs Minister Datuk Tan Chai Ho said immigration officials were tracking down other such cases of "spouse visa" holders working illegally here.
He believed the figure was just the tip of the iceberg, with many more breaking the law.
The women, all of whom were detained in Penang, had been issued a visa that allowed them to stay here for a year after marrying Malaysians.
It is learnt that some women from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and China were involved in scam marriages to work here.
It was recently reported that nearly 34,000 marriages between local men and foreign women were registered between the year 2000 and June this year.
Vietnamese brides were the most popular with 1,185 marriages last year and 1,711 involving girls from China.
Indonesian and Thai women are also a favourite with Malaysian men.
The marriages are arranged by an agent, with the women getting between RM3,000 and RM5,000 a month to marry Malaysians.
The girls, usually in their 20s, start working at karaoke joints as guest relations officers soon after the marriage.
"We are tracking them down. But it is difficult to prove that these marriages are scams."
Tan said there were instances when foreign nationals working in entertainment centres produced their marriage certificates during raids by the Immigration Department.
"They claimed to be married to locals and said they were at the places of entertainment looking for a friend."
Tan said immigration officials knew that the women were working illegally but could not prove it.
"The very fact that they carry their marriage certificates to such places indicates that they are involved in something suspicious.
"Their husbands, when contacted, said they allowed their wives to go to such places."
Tan was speaking to reporters after launching a blood donation drive at the National Blood Centre here, organised by the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur taxi drivers welfare association.
Tan said there was obviously a loophole in the issuance of visas.
"The government is in the process of reviewing visa issuance criteria."
MCA complaints bureau chairman Datuk Michael Chong said his bureau received cases of old men reporting their young foreign wives missing.
He said although some worked as GROs in karaoke joints, others were known to stay at home and entertain customers there.
"Things sometimes go wrong when the syndicates stop paying the old men their monthly dues and their wives run away."
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