No haj package scams reported this season, says Religious Affairs minister

SEPANG, 1 July — No cases of haj and Badal haj (haj by proxy) package scams were recorded throughout the 1447H/2026M season following integrated monitoring by various agencies, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan.

He attributed the success to close cooperation between Tabung Haji (TH), the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and relevant authorities, who conducted physical monitoring at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) alongside digital surveillance on social media platforms.

“Alhamdulillah, we received no reports of fraud, including Badal haj scams. This demonstrates the effectiveness of our measures and we are grateful for achieving ‘zero’ scammer cases this year,” he told reporters after welcoming the final flight of haj pilgrims here today.

Also present were Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Marhamah Rosli and TH Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Hussain.

Meanwhile, Zulkifli noted that TH successfully reduced the deferment rate for haj offers from 50 per cent last year to 18 per cent this season, following proactive steps such as early notifications to prospective pilgrims and continuous preparation campaigns.

“We launched the #menujuistitoah campaign last February to encourage early preparation, with haj offers finalised by Ramadan 1447H and significantly earlier than in previous seasons,” he added.

The final flight from the Holy Land saw 258 pilgrims arrive at KLIA at 12.10 pm aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH 8385, which had departed Madinah at 10.14 pm (Saudi Arabian time) yesterday. — Bernama