Scammers often find ways to dress up bogus offers as official business.
For suppliers, a fake government order can look convincing enough to cost them real money.
It has been claimed that officers from the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry were being impersonated in fake procurement documents. Is this true?
Verdict:
TRUE
The Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) has stressed that all ministry procurement matters are carried out solely through government orders via the ePerolehan system, and that it has never asked suppliers to make any payments to secure contracts or confirm orders.
The ministry said all procurement matters are handled according to the applicable financial procedures.
"KPWKM has never asked suppliers to make any payments to officers, individuals or third parties to secure contracts or confirm any orders," the ministry said in a statement.
The warning came after scammers used the names of KPWKM officers to collect payments for food, beverages and souvenirs for fictitious government programmes, reported Bernama.
"The complaints received so far involve losses of thousands of ringgit, with scammers posing as company representatives and falsely claiming to have received government orders from KPWKM officers. Suppliers were then asked to make payments to secure contracts or confirm orders," read the statement.
KPWKM called on all parties, especially suppliers, to exercise caution and check the validity of any government purchase orders via the ePerolehan system before proceeding with any transactions.
"Suppliers are also advised not to make any payments to individuals or third parties using KPWKM's name, and not to fall for offers of orders or collaborations made outside official channels," it added.
The ministry urged the public to report any suspicious offers or payment requests made in KPWKM's name to the authorities immediately.
