Indonesian Police Expose Methods of Illegal Hajj Scams
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – The Indonesian National Police (Polri) has uncovered several modus operandi in the practice of organising illegal Hajj pilgrimages, which have the potential to harm prospective pilgrims.
Deputy Head of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of Polri, Inspector General of Police Nunung Syaifuddin, stated in Jakarta on Friday that, based on monitoring results, one of the methods identified is the misuse of non-Hajj visas, such as pilgrimage visas and work visas.
“The method involves sending prospective pilgrims earlier to obtain a residence permit (iqamah), which is then used for Hajj,” said Nunung.
Additionally, there are offers of Hajj without queuing at high costs that do not comply with official regulations, exploiting furoda visas, mujamalah visas, or amil visas, which are essentially free of charge by the Saudi Arabian government.
Polri has also discovered the use of visas from other countries, such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei Darussalam, to illegally send Indonesian citizens through those countries to Saudi Arabia.
Other identified cases include pilgrims failing to depart from several international embarkation points, such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Batam, and Makassar, as well as the abandonment of pilgrims abroad without clear accommodation, transportation, or certainty of performing the pilgrimage.
Furthermore, fraudulent practices using a Ponzi scheme have been found, namely using funds from new pilgrims to send off older ones, as well as embezzlement of funds under the pretext of force majeure to avoid refund obligations.
“These methods are often exploited by certain individuals to carry out fraudulent practices and non-procedural departures that harm the public,” Nunung said.
Polri has also highlighted the existence of illegal Hajj and Umrah travel agencies that are not registered as Official Hajj Special Pilgrimage Organisers (PIHK) or Official Umrah Pilgrimage Travel Organisers (PPIU).
These illegal agencies generally use fake identities or affiliations, offer non-transparent packages, and lack service standards and pilgrim protection.
To protect the public, Polri has established the Hajj and Umrah Task Force as a follow-up to coordination with the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Nunung said the Polri Hajj Task Force will prioritise three main strategies: preemptive, preventive, and law enforcement efforts.
In terms of law enforcement, Polri will firmly address perpetrators of fraud, embezzlement, and document misuse, including cracking down on illegal travel agencies.
“Bareskrim Polri is collaborating with the Ministry of Religious Affairs in enforcing the law against various violations in Hajj pilgrimage organisation,” he said.
He also urged the public to be more vigilant and ensure all registration processes are conducted through official channels.
“We urge the public to ensure Hajj registration through official channels, verify the legality of travel agencies, avoid being tempted by queue-free Hajj offers, and use official Hajj visas,” he stated.