MOTAC yet to receive reports of fraudulent haj by proxy packages

PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) has not received any reports on cases of fraudulent haj by proxy (badal haji) services involving haj and umrah travel agencies thus far, said its Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

However, Nancy said MOTAC always monitors all registered haj and umrah travel agencies and will take appropriate action including revoking licences if found guilty.

"Thus far, there have been no reports (of fraud). We have always heard (about cases of fraud), but we will continue to monitor," she said at a press conference after the 2022 Industry Lead Body for Arts and Culture Convocation ceremony here today.

A total of 333 arts and culture graduates covering the fields of dance, theatre, music and stage management received the Malaysian Skills Certificate (SKM) from Nancy.

Nancy was commenting on media reports on haj and umrah travel agencies which were detected offering haj by proxy services with payment packages ranging from as low as RM1,700 to RM3,000 per person.

The attractive offer, however, was deemed dubious and did not match some of the rules set by the Saudi Arabian government at this time.

Haj by proxy is the act of performing haj rituals on behalf of someone who is unable to perform haj themselves and it is even permissible to perform haj by proxy for those who have no hope of recovering from illness.

Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) operations director (Guidance) Tengku Aziz Raja Abdullah was reported to have said that those interested in haj by proxy services were advised to identify the performer's identity and not just pay without checking because there are certain conditions set and it cannot simply be performed by just anyone.

-- BERNAMA