Foreign ‘tourists' turn handymen in Malaysia, fleece customers of thousands
Foreigners entering Malaysia as 'tourists' have scammed unsuspecting customers out of thousands.
PETALING JAYA - Renovation scams have taken a new turn, with foreigners who supposedly came to Malaysia as 'tourists' fleecing unsuspecting customers out of thousands of ringgit, some offering fly-by-night handyman and contractor services.
What is worse is the shoddy workmanship that wears off within days.
This also comes with a hefty price tag, where victims have been charged somewhere between RM6,000 (S$1,800) and RM11,000 for waterproofing and leakage repair works.
Mr Kan Tuck Poh, a 48-year-old chef from Iskandar Puteri, Johor, said he came across a waterproofing and repairs advertisement on social media.
Mr Kan, who works as a chef in Singapore, said he enlisted the so-called handymen based on the advertisement.
'They did not quote the price before beginning the work. They simply used an adhesive to plug the leakage,' he told The Star.
'After they were done, they quoted RM6,900 as the cost. The warranty supposedly lasted for six years,' he added.
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Mr Kan said the adhesive only lasted for five days and once it came off, he had trouble getting hold of the two men.
They kept coming up with excuses.
'They drove a local car and spoke with a thick foreign accent. I asked them how long they had been here. They said they had only arrived two days earlier and they came here under a tourist visa,' he said.
Suspecting it was a scam and after failing to get the duo to fix the leakage, he finally lodged a police report.
'When I asked them to come to the police station to settle the problem, they blocked me,' he said.
Mr Kan believes that they were operating nationwide and not just in Johor.
In his police report, Mr Kan said he had paid RM2,900 in cash.
He had later transferred RM1,000 and S$912 to two Singaporean bank accounts belonging to two foreign nationals.
He even said that the handyman had threatened to 'burn down his house' if he lodged a police report.
The Star found the Facebook page of the service provider was still active with the last post being on May 25.
They claim to offer professional waterproofing and leak repair services.
Their promotional literature included short videos of two handymen fixing roofs, bathrooms and other areas, and also included purported customer testimonials.
They also claimed to offer free on-site inspection and contact was solely through WhatsApp.
Petaling Jaya Malaysian Chinese Association deputy chief Lim Han Boon said he personally visited a renovation site along Jalan Alor and found about 50 foreign nationals working on the project.
He said a friend of his, who happened to be one of the workers for the project, had informed him about the situation.
'When I asked how long they had been working here, some of them tried to avoid answering my questions,' he said, noting that they spoke in foreign accents.
According to Mr Lim, the site involved renovation work across three floors.
Upon inspecting the materials being used, he noted that some appeared to have been sourced from a foreign country.
He believes it is possible that the contractor procured the renovation materials directly from a foreign country and shipped them to Malaysia for use.
'Local construction companies have to pay taxes, EPF contributions for their workers and other overheads,' he said. EPF, or E mployees Provident Fund, refers to Malaysia's pension scheme.
'But even after factoring in airfares, accommodation and wages, these foreign workers still cost less than hiring locals.'
Mr Lim added that he plans to gather more evidence before submitting the matter to the police and Immigration Department for further action.
In 2024, Malaysia's Construction Industry Development Board unveiled a standard construction agreement template that outlines the responsibilities and contractual obligations that all involved parties should adhere to during a renovation project – in an effort to combat renovation scams.
It urged homeowners to stay informed about the current prices of construction materials, labour costs and local council regulations affecting renovation work. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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