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KUALA LUMPUR – Police are urging those who might have fallen victim to fake advertisements offering plot rentals to booth vendors and traders for the Putrajaya International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (MyBalloonFiesta) to come forward and assist them with investigations.
Wangsa Maju police chief Ashari Abu Samah told The Vibes that only one report has been lodged against the fake advertisements, by MyBalloonFiesta’s rightful organisers AKA Balloon Sdn Bhd.
Ashari confirmed the report lodged by AKA Balloon was over the fake ads posted on Facebook promoting the rental of plots which were priced between RM1,500 and RM2,500 per day.
“So far, no victims have come forward to make a police report.
So, we urge anyone who has become a victim (of the fake ads) to please come forward and make a police report, and we will assist them with investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code.”
Section 420 of the Penal Code relates to cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property, which carries a prison sentence of not less than a year and no longer than ten years with whipping, and a fine upon conviction.
Ashari added that police are working to establish the identity of the suspects behind the fake ads.
This comes after AKA Balloon flagged and subsequently reported the fake advertisements posted on the Food Truck (Info Tapak Niaga) Facebook page that was promoting space for booths and vendors for the supposed balloon festival.
The post had claimed the MyBalloonFiesta is slated to take place this weekend, from June 16 to 19.
However, MyBalloonFiesta’s actual organisers, AKA Balloon, previously told The Vibes that this year’s instalment was still in the pipeline without any concrete details decided yet.
MyBalloonFiesta was first held in 2009, and organised annually over the next ten years, except for 2018.
The festival was called off in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and has been on hold since.
On average, the festival brings in around 20 hot air balloons, mostly from American and European countries, and attracts up to 150,000 visitors, the director said. – The Vibes, June 14, 2022.
