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View all search resultsVictims of alleged haj scam flock to agency office
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Would-be pilgrims flock to First Travel on Jl TB Simatupang, South Jakarta, demanding the return of their money they paid for minor haj to the travel agency, on Monday. (kompas.com/Alsadad Rudi)
T
he dreams of would-be pilgrims hoping to visit the holy sites of Islam in Saudi Arabia were dashed recently after they found out that they had fallen victim to an alleged scam.
Customers who had paid for umroh (minor haj), flocked to the First Travel office on Jl. TB Simatupang in South Jakarta on Monday. They demanded that the agency refund the money they had paid for their pilgrim.
“They promised to send me on ‘umroh’ in December last year. But it seems unlikely, so I demand they return the money,” said one of the customers, Sa’an, as quoted by kompas.com.
Sa’an, a resident of Jagakarsa in South Jakarta, added that he had paid Rp 29 million (US$2,179) to the agency for him and his wife.
The Investment Alert Task Force under the Financial Services Authority (OJK) previously closed down 11 business entities, which were collecting funds and managing public investments without permits.
Among them was First Travel, which offered low-cost umroh packages. The agency allegedly embezzled funds paid by thousands of its customers.
The task force chief, Tongam L. Tobing, said these companies had operated illegally and that their operations were potentially detrimental to the public. (fac)
