MAKKAH: While the government was busy mobilizing manpower to facilitate a smooth Haj, some people were busy cheating aspiring domestic pilgrims by establishing fake branches of reputable Haj companies in far flung areas of the Kingdom. These companies, which operated without official licenses and without the permission of the companies they claim to represent, disappeared without trace a couple of days before Haj once they have people’s money.
Fahd Ammash, who lives in a remote village in the Makkah province, paid SR3,000 to one such fraudster. “I visited a Haj group office in my village. There was a big sign outside the office saying it was a branch of a reputable company in Jeddah. The fee was SR3,000 for accommodation and transportation in Mina. It was only later that I discovered the permits given to me were fake.”
Ammash said he knew several people who have been victims of such companies. “These organizations start operating on a large scale in the runup to Haj,” he said. “They operate in far flung areas where the authorities cannot monitor them.”
Hussein Uwais, an Egyptian expatriate, said strict measures should be applied to put an end to the problem of fake Haj companies. Uwais and 20 other pilgrims were cheated by one such operator. “We paid over SR3,500 to join a Haj caravan. He promised us that the Haj permits would come within two days and that our documents were being processed at the Passport Department,” said Uwais.
“A few days before Haj I was shocked to find he had closed office and disappeared,” he added.
Mahmoud Abdul Kareem, a veteran Haj group operator, said there are criminals out there taking advantage of people’s ignorance. “I remember a similar case that happened last year in which people paid money to a guy in Jeddah who gave them fake permits. He managed to attract a lot of people by clever advertisement,” he said.
“There are other types of people who bring pilgrims to Makkah on buses and convince them that they have tents in Mina. When they arrive they find nothing. These people end up sleeping on the street,” he added.
The Ministry of Haj, together with other official departments, tries to identify the kingpins behind fake Haj groups. “Fifteen fake Haj groups were busted just before this year’s Haj,” said a source at the ministry.
Saad Al-Qurashi, deputy of Haj and Umrah Affairs at the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the problem had been on the decline in the last few years. “The punishment for operating without license is tougher now. It includes a SR100,000 fine and up to 12 months in jail,” he added.
