PETALING JAYA: The Immigration Department has issued a warning to the public on fake social media accounts offering bogus immigration services, including blacklist removal and
non-existent programmes.
Its director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said preliminary investigations revealed such fraudulent accounts charge fees for each so-called service, falsely claiming ties to the department to make illegal profits.
“These activities are deliberate attempts to deceive the public by misusing the department’s name,” Zakaria said in a statement yesterday.
He stressed that the department has never appointed any individual or third party as agents for immigration-related matters and reminded the public that all immigration transactions must be conducted directly at official Immigration Department offices.
Zakaria urged the public not to be easily swayed by offers or advertisements on social media promising “backdoor” services, warning that the department would continue monitoring and investigating these accounts before taking legal action.
The government, through the Home Ministry and the Immigration Department, is ramping up enforcement and monitoring efforts
to combat illegal activities that
threaten public trust in Malaysia’s immigration system.
Meanwhile, Zakaria revealed that between Jan 1 and July 3, the department arrested 1,005 employers suspected of hiring or harbouring undocumented migrants.
The arrests involved employers across various sectors, including restaurants, factories and retail shops, with most of those detained being locals who provided shelter to foreign nationals without valid documents.
“As of July, we have achieved 70% of our key performance indicator and I am confident we will surpass our target by the end of this year,” he said.
