SUNGAI BULOH: The police have crippled a syndicate run by a husband and wife who were targetting frontliners and allegedly selling them “special deals” for non-existent holiday packages.
-Advertisement-
Sungai Buloh OCPD Supt Shafa’aton Abu Bakar said they were alerted to the issue after a nurse was duped into purchasing one of the holiday packages on Sept 13.
“She saw a WhatsApp post in a group with her colleagues about a holiday package to Port Dickson for between RM88 and RM499 and contacted the company, ” said Supt Shafa’aton at the Sungai Buloh police headquarters on Monday (Sept 28).
She said that the company told the nurse that she could act as their agent and offered her a 10% commission for each referral.
Supt Shafa’aton said the nurse then managed to get 26 of her colleagues to make bookings amounting to RM7,778 with the company.
“The complainant lodged a report when checks with the hotel showed no bookings had been made.
-Advertisement-
“A team from the Sungai Buloh commercial crime investigation department raided a homestay at Ampang on Sept 24 and arrested a man and woman aged 27 and 26 respectively,” she said.
Supt Shafa’aton added that the man was the owner of the company the woman, his wife, acted as the liaison with “agents” and customers who had made bookings.
She said the investigation revealed the company was not registered with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry and was not appointed by any of the hotels or residences as an agent.
“They would receive payment from customers and make bookings via an online travel booking platform. The investigation revealed that there were never any actual packages offered,” she said.
Supt Shafa’aton also said that the police seized four mobile phones and a laptop and have remanded the couple until Sept 29 to assist further investigations.
She said the case was being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. -The Star