KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah Immigration Department today denied it is accepting fees from foreigners to approve entrance permits into Sabah issued by the Home Affairs Ministry.
State immigration director Sh Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof said the alleged fee system is a scam run by a syndicate and warns the public against falling for it.
She said the department has received complaints regarding a letter that went viral on social media, asking for payment to secure an entry permit into Sabah allegedly issued by the ministry.
“The document is fake, and the Sabah Immigration Department has never issued such a letter,” Sitti said in a statement.
“We urge the public not to fall for this syndicate and contact the nearest Immigration Department directly to get the correct information if there is a party claiming to be able to handle documents from this department.”
A government source familiar with the issue told The Vibes that the scam is not new, with syndicates cheating desperate undocumented migrants by selling forged copies of the IMM13 temporary passes that were issued to migrants fleeing civil unrest in the South Philippines in the 1980s.
The syndicates would issue fake receipts that appeared to have been issued by the state Immigration Department after the victims paid the required sum, the source said.
“After the scammers receive the payment and issue a fake receipt, they will promise to give the entrance permit and disappear,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
Meanwhile, Sitti urged the public to submit complaints or report related issues to the department via its website. – The Vibes, April 22, 2022
