KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 31 individuals claim to have fallen victim to a scam by a man with the ‘Datuk’ title, who offered business packages and sponsorship for performing Umrah, resulting in estimated losses of over RM300,000 since 2023.
The company lured participants to buy business packages priced between RM4,490 and RM13,090, allegedly involving individuals with titles such as 'ustaz' and 'ustazah' to create the appearance of a legitimate operation.
One of the victims, 52-year-old Rosmawati Mansor, who bought a business package in March 2023, said the company promised to sponsor participants to perform umrah and 'health coffee' packets to sell.
"Some participants received a few sample packets of coffee to sell, while others received nothing. To this day, the Umrah sponsorship promise has not been fulfilled," she told reporters on Thursday (Feb 20).
She said the Umrah trip, which was promised to take place between Sept 2023 and March 2024, has still not occurred. After waiting over a year, she lodged a police report on Feb 23 last year at the Port Klang Police Station in Selangor.
Rosmawati further claimed that the company also offered participants the opportunity to purchase homes in Kinding, Perak, at prices ranging from RM80,000 to RM110,000.
As a result, she said, 31 victims from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Melaka, Johor, and Sabah have decided to hire a lawyer to recover the money they had paid for the packages.
Meanwhile, another victim, 57-year-old Abu Bakar Majid, said he paid RM24,650 to join the business for himself and six other family members in Aug 2023, lured by the promised Umrah sponsorship.
"The first time, the Datuk promised that my family's umrah would start on Jan 16, 2024, but then he changed the date to Jan 24, 2024, and again postponed it to Feb 26, 2024.
"When that date came, he delayed it further until after the Hari Raya celebration in April 2024, which made me lose trust in him. I filled out a withdrawal form to request a refund, but by Aug 2024, only RM2,500 had been returned," he added.
Meanwhile, Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director, Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf, when contacted by Bernama, said his department would review all the reports received and urged the public to be cautious when choosing companies offering umrah packages, ensuring they are registered with the Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry.
"They can also check if the company has registered with hotels in the Holy Land to ensure their accommodation is secured before they arrive there," he added. - Bernama
