Haj travel fraud hard to detect when agents use holiday cover, says Islamic Affairs minister after 47 Malaysian pilgrims duped

JASIN, June 17 — The company linked to a recent fraud involving 47 Malaysian haj pilgrims has been confirmed to be operating without a valid licence or accreditation as a Haj Pilgrimage Operator (PJH), which is required to manage haj travel arrangements.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said preliminary checks showed that the agent in question was not affiliated with any company officially accredited by Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) or the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Haj and Umrah.
'It is not a PJH company and most likely a travel agent. There is also a possibility that they entered Jeddah illegally to perform the haj using tourist visas or those from other countries, and if that is the case, it would indeed be difficult for us to detect the offence,' he told reporters after visiting and distributing prayer items to the Muslim community at Kampung Orang Asli Bukit Seraya here yesterday.
Commenting further, Mohd Na'im said the group of pilgrims was believed to have first travelled to another destination, most likely Türkiye, before entering Saudi Arabia.
'In this case, I understand they travelled from Jeddah via Türkiye and not directly back here (to Malaysia). So they entered Jeddah from Türkiye, and we cannot stop them if their stated reason is for a holiday or similar,' he said.
He added that his ministry had undertaken numerous measures to curb such fraud cases, including issuing no fewer than 10 media statements during each haj season to warn pilgrims to remain vigilant against unscrupulous parties.
Among the efforts, he said, included setting up a special task force with TH, the Immigration Department and the Royal Malaysia Police, as well as tightening regulatory oversight of all haj travel agents and taking stern action against unlicensed operators.
Media reports previously stated that 47 Malaysian pilgrims were believed to have been duped by a local haj agent allegedly linked to a well-known religious figure. — Bernama

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