SEPANG, Selangor - At first, there were taxi touts. Now, another kind of tout is allegedly plaguing Malaysia’s main airport – those who pose as immigration officers to make a quick buck by extorting money from unsuspecting first-time travellers from South Asia.

The Star has learnt that gullible travellers, especially visitors from Bangladesh and Pakistan, are often pulled aside at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) by the alleged touts, who claim to be immigration officers, and extorted for cash.

The matter came to light when a TikTok user with the handle @khanxze posted several videos of a man allegedly extorting money from a Pakistani man who had arrived in Malaysia for the first time.

“When I was at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 1’s arrival hall, I was approached by a distressed man asking whether I could speak Urdu, to which I said yes.

“The man told me that a stranger, who claimed to be an immigration officer, had taken RM300 (S$85) from him. The man asked for my help to ask the individual why he had to pay the amount,” wrote the TikTok user, who wanted to be known only as Mr Khan.

Mr Khan said he observed the situation and found that first-time travellers, especially those from Pakistan, were being asked for cash.

He confronted the man who had posed as a so-called “officer” and demanded an explanation. The man asked him to leave.

In the videos, the tout is heard telling Mr Khan that he would collect RM200 from each traveller and was simply earning a living.

“Jangan kacau. Kita ambil RM200 to RM300 tak ada masalah. (Don’t bother, there won’t be an issue if we take RM200 to RM300),” Mr Khan said.

He added that such incidents put the country in a bad light.

When contacted by The Star, Mr Khan said he was at the airport to pick up his sister when he was approached by the Pakistani man. He later lodged a complaint with airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

“I e-mailed the complaint to MAHB. I received a reply, asking me to lodge a police report too, which I have yet to do.

“However, I hope that the authorities will take prompt action because this tarnishes our image,” he said over the phone.

When The Star met employees of food outlets at the airport’s arrival hall, they confirmed that they had also seen these touts.

One employee said a group of men often sat at the restaurant opposite his workplace.

“We have noticed that almost daily, several groups of travellers would be stopped by the men,” said the employee.

“We’re not sure what happened, but based on what we heard, it is true that a man would ask for money from these travellers.”

The employee added that the touts would return to the same location almost every day and would target those who appear vulnerable, especially foreign workers arriving in the country for the first time.

However, the group has not been seen since the first video posted on April 12 went viral.

“I hope something can be done about this. They are clearly doing something wrong,” said the employee.

Meanwhile, a foreign national who is also an employee at a food joint in KLIA said a group of five or six men would come over almost every day.

“Two to three of them would be stationed at the arrival hall, while another two to three (would be) at the food outlet.

“A few months ago, one of the victims told me that they had asked him for RM200,” he said when met by The Star.

“They would take a photo of the passport of the foreigner who had just arrived and press for money,” he added.

The employee also claimed that some of the men were seen with what appeared to be tags used by airport employees.

“They would target Pakistanis or Bangladeshis who looked gullible and had arrived in Malaysia for the first time,” he said.

Other social media users claimed they had encountered the same situation.

One social media user claimed the tout demanded RM3,000 from his sibling, while another said her friend was asked for RM900, despite having cleared the immigration process.

The Immigration Department said it is investigating the matter.

“This allegation is of grave concern as it tarnishes the image of the department. I have directed for an investigation to be carried out and for the mastermind to be identified,” Immigration Department director-general Ruslin Jusoh told The Star.

Datuk Ruslin said the Immigration Department in KLIA has also lodged a police report following the claims.

“This will enable the authorities to investigate the allegation that immigration personnel are demanding money,” he said.

Meanwhile, MAHB said it has raised the matter with the police for a “thorough investigation and appropriate action”.

It urged travellers and the public to immediately report such incidents to the authorities if they encounter similar situations.

Separately, tourism players say the presence of touts extorting money from travellers may not bode well for Malaysia’s image.

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Nigel Wong said: “The presence of these individuals will definitely sully the image of Malaysia, especially for first-time visitors.”

He called for stricter enforcement against such touts.

“While we recognise the efforts currently being made by the authorities, the recurrence of such situations clearly indicates that the problem has yet to be dealt with adequately,” he said.

“Matta encourages stricter enforcement and harsher penalties for such individuals.”

Inbound Tourism Alliance chairman Uzaidi Udanis urged travellers to be alert and report such incidents to the authorities.

“In general, whenever a destination is popular with tourists, there will be people trying to take advantage of it,” he said, adding that touting happens in many countries.

“They (touts) tend to focus on certain groups of tourists, thinking they can take advantage of them. Tourists have to be more alert.” THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK