BUTTERWORTH: A few clicks on a laptop are all it takes to forge an ePass, a crucial document required by foreign workers seeking employment.
The fake passes closely resemble genuine ones and could easily deceive unsuspecting employers.
Each could fetch up to RM1,000, although prices were generally between RM50 and RM100.
Acting on a tip-off, Penang Immigration Department detained two Bangladeshis, aged 23 and 32, during a raid on a rented house in Simpang Ampat at 10pm on Thursday.
Its director Syamsul Fitry Ahmad said the forged documents were intended for undocumented or overstaying Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals working in the construction sector.
He said foreign workers are required to obtain a Visit Pass (Temporary Employment), which has to be renewed annually at a cost of more than RM2,000, depending on the sector.
“During the raid, we found forged ePass printouts bearing the particulars of one of the suspects and other foreigners. Another suspect had no valid pass to remain in Malaysia.
“We also found several foreign passports and about 50 forged ePass printouts, which we believe were ready for distribution to buyers.
“Also seized were laptops, mobile phones, printers and three vehicles,” he told reporters at the department’s state headquarters in Seberang Jaya.
Syamsul Fitry said the suspects used existing documents as templates, replacing the original holders’ particulars with those of new applicants.
“To an ordinary person, the documents might look genuine because ePasses can be printed,” he said.
“Many employers simply accept the passes presented by foreign workers without checking with the Immigration Department.
“However, we can verify their authenticity through the QR codes and our records,” he said.
Syamsul Fitry said payment records suggested some transactions could have reached RM500 to RM1,000, higher than the initially reported prices of RM50 to RM100.
He added that the department is also tracing foreigners who had obtained the forged documents.
Both suspects are being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Passports Act 1966.
