Govt warns of unauthorized banks

BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung: The government has reminded prospective haj pilgrims to save up for their trip only in authorized banks.

Director-General of Haj Affairs Taufiq Kamil said on Sunday that all prospective pilgrims should ignore offers and high- profile promotions from banks that are not authorized, but he did not go into detail as to how one would clearly know the difference.

He recalled a number of haj pilgrims from Yogyakarta who could not be registered for the trip in January this year because they deposited their haj funds in unauthorized banks.

"People in villages seem particularly prone to these kinds of scams," he said. --Antara