I had my doubts after spotting haj pilgrimage ‘scammer’, says victim

 

Police said 57 reports were lodged over the alleged scam in which 380 prospective haj pilgrims were left stranded in KLIA. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: When Aida – not her real name – and her husband spotted someone familiar, it set off alarm bells.

It was a woman who she knew had been linked to several cases of alleged fraud involving pilgrimage packages.

Unfortunately for Aida, her worst fears came true. She was among the 380 prospective haj pilgrims who found themselves stranded at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). They were believed to be victims of a scam by a travel agency.

“My husband had told the agency to be wary (of this woman),” she told FMT.

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“But the agent reassured us that this individual had turned over a new leaf, so the travel agencies were giving her a second chance.”

She and the other prospective pilgrims ended up being camped out in KLIA for 10 days, from June 28 till July 7.

Aida and her husband knew they had been conned after being informed that their flight to Mecca had been delayed several times due to issues with their visa.

“The flight kept getting delayed, and finally, some of us decided to stage a protest of sorts.

“But the whole scam came to light when police informed us that there was no record of any company chartering a plane to take us to Mecca,” Aida said.

We were also told that there was no “furada” or private Haj visas, she added.

The document is reportedly issued by Saudi Arabia, without involving the quota allocated to Tabung Haji.

A dejected Aida said she couldn’t even look at the other prospective haj pilgrims who were all prepared for their supposed trip to the Holy Land.

“They all knew that they had been conned, but they didn’t know what to do next or where to go. All they could do was to lodge police reports.”

Yesterday, it was reported that 57 police reports had been lodged over the alleged scam, with the victims claiming losses amounting to over RM2.37 million.

Five suspects have since been nabbed, including the owner, an agent and two employees of the travel agency.

Aida said she can only hope that the relevant authorities take stern action against those behind this scam to ensure it does not happen again.

“I do not want this woman to get away again. She must be punished for what she has done.

“I am afraid that next year, she will change the name of the company and employ the same tactics.” - FMT