Alleged business, Umrah scam: 31 individuals lose over RM300,000

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 20 — 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 like ‘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 (that was) promised has not been fulfilled,” she told the press today.

The Umrah trip, which was supposed to take place between September 2023 and March 2024, has still not occurred. After waiting over a year, Rosmawati filed a police report on February 23 last year at the Port Klang police station.

She added 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, 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 August 2023, lured by the promised Umrah sponsorship.

“The first time, the Datuk promised that my family’s Umrah would start on January 16, 2024, but then he changed the date to January 24, 2024, and again postponed it to February 26, 2024.

“When that date came, he delayed it further until after the Hari Raya (Aidilfitri) celebration in April 2024, which made me lose trust in him. I filled out a withdrawal form to request a refund, but by August 2024, only RM2,500 had been returned,” he said.

When contacted by Bernama, Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director, Datuk Seri Ramli Mohamed Yoosuf said his department will 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 (Saudi Arabia) to ensure their accommodation is secured before they arrive there,” he said.

— Bernama