QuickCheck: Can you trust cheap 'Aidiladha sacrifice' packages?

WITH Hari Raya Aidiladha just around the corner, ads offering affordable "Aidiladha sacrifice" will soon be sighted online. Are they all legitimate offers?

Verdict:

UNDETERMINED

On Tuesday (June 14), the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca) deputy secretary-general Nur Asyikin Aminuddin said consumers should check whether the organisers offering the package were registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia.

She said they should also check the banking information or telephone number of the organisers concerned on the website semakmule.rmp.gov.my before paying online.

"If a warning appears, report the seller to the authorities such as the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) so that the advertisement can be blocked to prevent others from being deceived," she told Bernama.

Similarly, Ikram Health Malaysia president Dr Mohd Afiq Mohd Nor said the public must ensure that the institutions that provide or organise the Aidiladha sacrifice programme were valid and free of fraud.

He said consumers should do a survey of the online market price, adding a price that was too cheap was usually an indication that it was a fraudulent scheme.

Yayasan Maghfirah ambassador Mohammad Hafiz Hamidun said potential buyers must ensure that the name of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) or company that conducted the sacrificial ritual can be trusted.

He also said the public should be wary of advertisements on social media that offered Aidiladha sacrifice services in and outside the country.

"To avoid falling prey, it is best to opt for a package by a reputable NGO which provides complete information on its programmes, such as package price, NGO name, correct account (bank) number and phone number,” he said.

He also expressed the need for Islamic religious authorities, such as the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), to monitor and take appropriate action against those who offer fake packages.

Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) chief Datuk Nadzim Johan said those who wanted to book an Aidiladha sacrificial package should check the background of the organisers and the price offered to avoid being cheated.