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reams of visiting the “land of God” for the minor pilgrimage or umrah have been shattered after a group of people found out that they were victims of a scam.

One victim, Walidjo, 62, who wished to observe the pilgrimage with his wife, said he was now ashamed to socialize with his neighbors in Depok, West Java, after he learned that PT Sahabat Sukses Indonesia (SSI), the travel agency he registered with had not followed through with its promises.

“I have prepared everything, from exchanging my money to real [Saudi Arabia’s currency] to conducting a celebration with my neighbors. Now I have been mostly spending my time at home to avoid meeting them,” he said.

Another consequence he had to bear was that the company where he worked fired him because he had taken too many periods of leaves from May to July.

“SSI kept delaying my departure hence I kept taking leave from work to avoid a scheduling clash,” he said, adding that he always received a cancellation notification a night before the promised departure.

Walidjo said that he had spared some money from his monthly salary and had financial assistance from his children to cover the total Rp 44 million (US$3,221) in expenses for their journey to the holy land.

“I was so excited to go with my wife but it turned out the company was unreliable,” he said.

SSI used well-known actress Peggy Melati Sukma to advertise the tour package on their promotional brochures and banners, luring many people to join. Peggy, however, denied allegations of her involvement. After being questioned by the Jakarta Police on Wednesday, she claimed that she had parted ways with the company in April 2015, a month before the scheduled departure was supposed to carry 25 pilgrims.

“Her appearance on the brochures and banners was what made us believe in the SSI’s credibility, because Peggy is a prominent actress,” said 60-year-old victim Syamsiar, who used his pension funds to register for the umrah.

The Jakarta Police have received more than 50 reports of umrah scams in the first five months of this year, or a 50-percent increase compared to the same period last year.

An investigator at the Jakarta Police, Adj. Comr. Armaini, said the police were after the alleged suspect, SSI’s executive director Riyanto, who was still at large.

Recently her team investigated a case involving PT Garuda Angkasa Mandiri in Tangerang, Banten, which had caused a total loss of Rp 612 million to 40 victims. The biggest case the police received involved 437 victims with a total loss of Rp 5.6 billion (US$409,207) allegedly conducted by Bekasi-based PT Lasantu Sentosa Sejati whose owner has been taken into custody for further investigation.

“We have verified 667 agents and the list is available on our website [haji.kemenag.go.id]. We urge would-be pilgrims to check the list,” said Arfi Hatim, an official with the Religious Affairs Ministry that oversees the haj and umrah directorate.(fac)