KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14: The Selangor Immigration Department says fraudsters have come to the fore to impersonate immigration officers to deceive employers, claiming that they can secure the release of foreign workers who had been detained during enforcement operations.
State Immigration director Khairrul Aminus Kamaruddin said these fraudsters operate as ‘middlemen’ and take advantage of every enforcement operation to exploit unsuspecting employers.
“Every time we conduct an operation, there will be individuals who misuse the Immigration Department’s name by calling employers and claiming to be Selangor immigration officers.
“This syndicate will request payment through the Touch ‘n Go application or in cash, on the pretext of securing the release of foreign workers detained during the operation,” he told reporters after taking part in an enforcement operation in Pelangi Damansara, Petaling Jaya, last night.
He said some employers ended up paying between RM5,000 and RM10,000 for each worker without verifying the claims, only to discover later when they went to the Immigration Department’s office in Shah Alam that the phone number used for payment was no longer active.
Khairrul Aminus said such fraudulent activity had been active since last month and had caused losses of about RM57,000 to some employers.
He said the fraudsters would use the names and photographs of actual immigration officers in trying to convince employers to make payments.
Several police reports have been lodged and the department advised employers not to deal with third parties for the release of their workers.
Khairrul said that if a foreign worker had been detained, the employer must present original documents related to the worker for verification purposes before the release process can be carried out according to legal procedures.
“Most of them (the workers) have valid documents, but their passports are held by the employer. Therefore, the employer must bring the original passport, and we will release the workers according to the proper procedure,” he said.
— BERNAMA