The primary tourism authority in Malaysia is cautioning the nation's Muslim population to remain vigilant against fraudulent activities when undertaking pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) said it was concerned about the “escalating issue” of scams and urged the government to do more about it.
"The current and glaring weakness over the past decades lie in what is viewed as an inadequate level of enforcement, especially on unlicensed operators," said Nigel Wong, MATTA’s president.
Around 60% of Malaysia’s 33 million population follows Islam, which requires adherents to make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca during their lives.
To manage crowds, Saudi Arabia operates a quota system that allocates a certain number of slots each year for the main Hajj pilgrimage, which usually works out at 1 per 1,000 Muslims per country, with authorities in those countries in turn managing who gets to go.
Scams have been reported in other countries, from Malaysia’s neighbor Indonesia, home to more Muslims than any other country, to Britain, where police issue warnings to would-be travelers to be vigilant about who they book with.
The fraudsters have "caused financial losses and emotional distress to innocent pilgrims," according to MATTA, which warned that Malaysia’s travel industry was being "tarnished" by the scams, which have taken in people traveling for Umrah, the pilgrimage to Mecca that can be done anytime outside the main Hajj event.
