By Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
IPOH — Perak MOTAC director Muhammad Aminuddin Abdul Majid has confirmed that umrah scam cases do exist in the state, particularly involving unlicensed companies posing as legitimate agencies.
“Consumers can visit the MOTAC office or check the official website to verify whether a company is genuinely registered. Some were once licensed, but their licences have expired — and that is already considered invalid,” he said.
He said cases involving registered agencies are minimal, estimated at only around one per cent. However, Perak once recorded as many as 400 pilgrims who could not depart after falling for an umrah offer of RM3,990 from an out-of-state company.
He stressed that the public should not be afraid to lodge reports, as the government consistently monitors and takes action against entities that deceive consumers.
“PUHAZ and MOTAC agree that consumer education is key to eliminating scam syndicates, while helping the public regain confidence in registered operators.
“With Visit Malaysia 2026 approaching, the integrity of the tourism and umrah industry must be restored.
“The year 2025 is now regarded as one of the most challenging periods in Perak’s umrah operations, due to rising scam cases, unrealistic package offers, and the misuse of tourist visas,” he said.
