KUALA LUMPUR: Business opportunities are aplenty in Malaysia, making it a hotspot for scams that are tweaked to get unsuspecting foreigners to part with large sums of money.
The latest of such scams comes with a new twist – a Muslim bride is thrown in to facilitate procurement of a business licence or other potential gain ... an opportunity few can resist.
The scam comes in the shape of a streetside stall promising foreigners access to various business opportunities. All the interested party has to do is pay RM300,000 as dowry to marry a local Muslim woman.
In return for the hefty sum, that is presumably to be paid to the prospective bride and her family, the foreign suitor would get to register businesses under his spouse’s name.
Curiously, there was a different rate for Arabs, particularly Saudis. They would be charged RM400,000 instead.
A sign at the stall states: “Due to (being) Saudi, there is an increase of RM100,000”.
Given that the prospective bride is Muslim, and most likely a bumiputra, the foreign suitor would automatically enjoy the special privileges given exclusively to bumiputras.
These privileges could pave the way to unlimited possibilities, such as special consideration for government contracts.
The stall, which was set up at the entrance to the Bukit Bintang MRT station, had a sign that implied it was representing a registered agency.
The sign said it would refer all applications for marriage to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim), Immigration Department and state religious authorities.
It was also implied that applicants would be interviewed by government agencies prior to the “marriage”.
When contacted, Jakim revealed it was in no way linked to the “agency” or its activities.
Based on a picture that went viral over the past few days, theSun observed the stall for a day, hoping to make enquiries on the services offered by the operator. However, no one turned up to man the stall.
But at about 2pm yesterday, three men arrived on two motorcycles and dismantled the stall and removed its signs and posters.
A shop assistant who worked nearby said the stall had been there for more than two months.
“I have worked here for two months, and that booth has been there since before I started,” he said.
The worker said at least seven foreigners had stopped to make enquiries at the stall, adding that the person he saw manning it was a Malaysian.
