Businessmen fleeced of RM300,000 by bogus foreign worker agent

KUALA LUMPUR: Traders and business owners may have been collectively conned of RM300,000 by a man masquerading as a foreign workers agent, identified as Danny Sim.
Steel works factory owner Soh Kok Guan said it is unknown how many businesses were cheated by the conman as many have refused to come forward, but he estimated the monetary value by adding up the amount they have been cheated.
"They don't want to come forward, but I've talked to them and I estimated he (Sim) had conned more than RM300,000," Soh told a press conference at the DAP Segambut Service Centre yesterday.
Soh, 47, said he came into contact with Sim through a mutual friend, who recommended the latter when he heard that Soh wanted to hire some foreign workers about a year ago.
He said when he met Sim, the latter took down Soh's company details ostensibly to apply for approval at the Home Ministry.
A month later, Sim faxed Soh a letter claiming that the company has been approved by the Home Ministry to hire foreign workers and Soh is to pay RM9,000 in fees, RM1,000 for each worker.
Soh paid the money but the promised foreign workers did not arrive while Sim cannot be contacted until today.
Soh said he also recommended Sim to his friends Ho Sooi Aung, a tyre workshop owner who was cheated of RM8,000, and New Teck Heng, who owns an aluminium workshop and was cheated of RM15,000.
Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said the press conference was held to create public awareness of the conman to avoid any further instances of cheating.
Lim said the three complainants only lodged their police reports yesterday when they decided to come forward.
He also pointed out that the Home Ministry only allows companies to apply for foreign workers directly but many businesses engage middlemen services as they are either too busy or do not know how to do it themselves.