No Haj Fraud Complaints So Far, Monitoring Intensified To Protect Pilgrims - Zulkifli

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Bernama) -- No complaints involving haj fraud cases have been received for this year’s haj season so far, but monitoring efforts are being intensified to curb such activities from becoming widespread.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Zulkifli Hasan said his ministry, together with the Pilgrims Fund Board (TH) and Department of Waqf, Zakat and Haj (JAWHAR), is continuously monitoring the situation to prevent Malaysians from falling victim to irresponsible parties.

“The public is advised to always refer to TH for verification should they receive any suspicious offers or information related to haj matters to avoid becoming victims of fraud,” he told reporters after officiating the Religious Affairs' Department 2025 Excellent Service Awards ceremony here today.

TH yesterday confirmed that no Malaysian pilgrims had been detected using fake visas or detained by the Saudi Arabian authorities so far for attempting to perform the pilgrimage without valid permits or haj visas.

Zulkifli said this year’s haj operations have been running smoothly overall due to careful planning and continuous improvements by TH.

He said the trend also reflected a positive change as the percentage of prospective pilgrims appealing to postpone their haj journey had shown a significant decline.

"As a result of meticulous planning this year, we can see very significant changes and improvements. Among them, the rate of prospective pilgrims postponing their haj has continued to decline to a very encouraging percentage,” he said.

Earlier in his speech, Zulkifli said civil servants, particularly those in the Religious Affairs' Department, must cultivate critical thinking in carrying out their duties in line with the challenges of the technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) era.

He said transformation in the civil service should not depend solely on technological adaptation, but must also involve changes in work culture, behaviour and ways of thinking. 

He also urged civil servants to reassess personal and organisational approaches in efforts to strengthen the quality of service delivery to the people.

According to him, the concept was also highlighted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim through his book titled ‘Rethinking Ourselves’, which encourages society to re-evaluate its way of thinking in building a better future.

-- BERNAMA