Beware of rampant scammers when purchasing medical gloves, warns Margma

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (Margma) has urged local and international buyers to stay vigilant amidst the rush to purchase medical gloves.

Its president Denis Low said the association had recently received over a dozen reports from its members who discovered fraudulent and fake agents claiming to represent their respective companies for glove supplies.

"Some members reported that fake company letters were produced to appoint bogus agents while others were prompted by customers as quoted prices soared higher and promised of delivery timeline was cut short.

"As the global glove demand continues to spike due to the overwhelming Covid-19 pandemic, fraudsters and scammers quickly emerged and are harming both the genuine sellers and buyers in the industry," he said in a statement on Thursday (June 4).

The association urged buyers from both local and international markets not to fall prey to such fraudsters and scammers.

Low said buyers are encouraged to check the Margma website to ascertain the genuineness of the manufacturers they are dealing with or email [e-mail] for clarification.

He said the prices of gloves has soared and demand is overwhelming, with the industry supply fully booked till early next year.

"In such a situation, nobody other than the bona-fide manufacturers can spare supply of gloves at limited quantities.

"All buyers are advised to be extra careful and not get caught by these fraudsters claiming to offer any quantities of gloves and at ridiculous prices," he said.

Low also encouraged buyers to counter-check with the direct manufacturers or Margma.

He said Margma also assured that the industry is doing its best to meet global demand for the supply of medical gloves.

Low said industry players are also working within new operating guidelines and added that they abide by the stringent social compliances as manifested in the Industry Code of Conduct on Social Compliance for good governance of its workforce and the environment.

"Worker safety and welfare are being monitored critically to ensure a very conducive and rewarding workplace environment for all strata of employees in the industry.

"The majority of Margma members are members of Sedex, one of the world’s leading ethical trade service providers, working to improve working conditions in global supply chains covering labour, health and safety, environment and business ethics," he added.

Low said in the first quarter of 2020, the export of gloves amounted to approximately 53 billion pieces and for 2020, Margma estimated world consumption to reach 330 billion pieces of gloves.

"Malaysia is expected to provide about 220 billion pieces.

"In 2019, Malaysia exported 187 billion pieces out of estimated world consumption of 296 billion pieces," he added.

Low said Margma foresees the shortage of gloves due to overwhelming demand this year, to spill into 2021 with the industry continuing to be in an oversold position.