Money is being extorted at Kuala Lumpur airport

SEPANG – After taxi touts, another form of touts lurks around the country’s main airport, posing as so-called officers and making a quick buck by extorting money from unsuspecting new travelers from South Asia.

The Star has learned that gullible travelers, especially from Bangladesh and Pakistan, are often sidelined at Kuala Lumpur International Airport by these touts claiming to be immigration officials and extorted for money.

The case came to light when a TikTok user with the handle @khanxze posted several videos of a man allegedly extorting money from a Pakistani man who had first arrived in Malaysia.

“While I was in the arrivals hall of Terminal 1 of Kuala Lumpur International Airport, I was approached by a man in distress who asked if I could speak Urdu, to which I said yes.

READ ALSO: Immigration warns of fraudsters who extort money

“The man told me that a foreigner, claiming to be an immigration officer, had taken RM300 from him. The (Pakistani) man asked for my help to ask the person why he had to pay the amount,” wrote the man who wanted to be known only as Khan.

Khan said he then observed the situation and discovered that new travelers, especially from Pakistan, were being extorted.

He also confronted the man, who posed as a so-called ‘officer’, and demanded an explanation before being asked to leave.

In the videos, the tout Khan was heard saying that he would collect RM200 from each traveler and just make a living.

“Jangan Kacau. Kita ambil RM200 to RM300 costs ada masalah. (Don’t worry, there won’t be any problem if we bring RM200 to RM300),” he said.

READ ALSO: Stakeholders: The country’s image will take a hit

Khan also said such incidents cast the country’s image in a bad light.

When contacted, Khan said he was at the airport to pick up his sister before he was approached by the Pakistani man. Following the incident, he filed a complaint with Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

“I sent the complaint to MAHB by email. I received a response asking me to also report it to the police, which I still have to do.

“However, I hope that the authorities will take action soon because this is damaging our image,” he said by phone.

When The Star met with food service staff at the airport’s arrival hall, they confirmed that they had witnessed the presence of these touts in the airport area.

“Yes, there has always been a group of men in the restaurant across the street from our building. We noticed that several groups of travelers were stopped by the men almost every day.

“We are not sure what happened, but from what we heard it was true that a man was asking for money from these travelers,” said an employee here.

The worker added that the touts returned to the same location almost every day and targeted those who appeared vulnerable, especially foreign workers arriving in the country for the first time.

However, the group has not been seen since the video posted on April 12 went viral.

“I hope something can be done about this. They are clearly doing something wrong,” the local woman said.

Meanwhile, a stranger who is also an employee at a food stall there said a group of five to six men would pass by almost every day.

“Two to three of them would be stationed in the arrivals hall, while another two to three would be at the food store.

“A few months ago, one of the victims told me that they had asked him for RM200,” he said when met with The Star.

“They took a photo of the passport of the foreigner who had just arrived and insisted on money,” he added.

He claimed that some men were also seen carrying tags said to be used by airport workers.

READ ALSO: Call for more safety in public spaces

“They would target Pakistanis or Bangladeshis who looked gullible and had arrived in Malaysia for the first time,” he said.

However, since the video went viral, they were not seen in their usual spot.

Other social media users claimed to have experienced the same thing.

One social media user claimed that the tout had demanded RM3,000 from his sibling, while another said her boyfriend was asked for RM900 despite having cleared the immigration process.