By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, June 12: Enticed by Facebook advertisements offering home repair services on top of free inspections, consumers across Sarawak have allegedly fallen victim to a suspected scam syndicate, suffering losses amounting to thousands of ringgit while their original household problems remained unresolved.
In a statement, the Sarawak Consumers Association (PPS) expressed concern over the growing number of complaints received regarding home repair services promoted through Facebook and allegedly operated by foreign nationals from China.
The association claimed that following an initial public disclosure made recently, more victims have come forward with complaints showing similar patterns and, to date, has received complaints from victims in Kuching, Sibu, Miri, and Bintulu, with reported losses including RM4,200 and RM3,000 in Kuching, RM5,400 in Sibu, RM2,700 in Miri, and RM5,600 in Bintulu.
“More alarmingly, PPS has also received information suggesting that there may be other victims throughout Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia who have encountered the same modus operandi,” it said, adding that it does not rule out the possibility that the activities are being conducted in an organised manner by the same individuals or group.
Elaborating, the association said consumers claimed to have been charged unreasonable fees, while workers failed to provide clear explanations regarding the fee structure despite being asked repeatedly.
“After the supposed repair works were carried out, consumers were allegedly pressured into making payments without any explanation or breakdown of charges, with payments requested to be transferred into personal bank accounts. After payment was made, the service providers could no longer be contacted, and the original damage remained unresolved,” it said.
The association also shared details from two police reports. In one case in Kuching on May 26, a woman claimed that two Chinese nationals she had contacted through a Facebook advertisement inspected her leaking sink and said waterproof glue was needed to fix it.
Despite paying RM3,000 via online transfer, the sink continued leaking after the repair. The workers initially promised to return the next day, but later said they were in Sibu and subsequently became unreachable. The complainant also claimed she did not receive a receipt for the payment.
In the second case in Sibu, the complainant said he contacted the company to repair a leaking pipe and was instructed to pay a RM5,400 deposit via online transfer on May 29.
Although workers were dispatched, the pipe was still leaking after the four-hour waiting period advised by the company. When contacted again, the company assured the complainant that another worker would return on June 6 to fix the problem. However, subsequent attempts to contact the company went unanswered.
According to PPS president, Dr Wynson Ong Teck Ping, the growing number of complaints within a short period indicates that the issue can no longer be regarded as isolated incidents.
“When victims from several divisions in Sarawak and even Peninsular Malaysia come forward with nearly identical complaints, it raises serious questions as to whether there is a network or syndicate exploiting consumers through social media platforms,” said Ong.
He added that the issue extends beyond financial losses and also involves public safety concerns, as well as possible violations of immigration laws, and stressed that consumers are not only losing money but are also exposing themselves to security risks by allowing unknown individuals into their homes.
PPS also said that some victims had lodged police reports. However, the cases were reportedly not classified as fraud because the individuals involved had visited the homes and carried out repair work, even though the work did not rectify the actual damage, and the reported defects remained unresolved.
In this regard, PPS has contacted the Kuching district police chief and expressed appreciation for his prompt response to the matter, and urged the police, together with the immigration department and other relevant authorities, to investigate the individuals and companies involved and determine the legality of their operations in Malaysia.
“PPS does not oppose the presence of foreign nationals who work legally and comply with Malaysian laws. However, any individual carrying out employment activities in Malaysia must possess valid permits, comply with regulations and refrain from exploiting consumers.
“The public is advised to exercise greater caution when responding to home repair advertisements on social media, particularly those that do not provide a clear business address, valid licence or verifiable service record,” it said.
Individuals who believe they may have fallen victim to the same modus operandi are urged to lodge a police report immediately and contact PPS to assist in information gathering and further action.
Complaints may be submitted to the PPS at 017-710 9299. — DayakDaily
