Remember the cheating case involving a Vietnamese tourist in Singapore. All he wanted was to buy an iPhone 6, but instead, he was forced to fork out more than double the price by an unscrupulous seller.
Just when you thought nobody will pull the same trick here in Malaysia, think again. A local paper had reported several customers being held against their will until they pay up more than what was agreed upon.
A 28-year-old victim was reported to be buying 4 phones at RM200 each at Kota Raya Shopping Complex. However after making the payment of RM800, he was told to enter a secluded room where he was locked up for hours. He was then told to pay an exorbitant RM10,000 fee for his release. Eventually, the victim was set free, but not after he withdrawn RM5,000 from an ATM. To rub salt to the wound, the 4 phones which he got was different from what was shown earlier.
Obviously, the next thing to do was to report to the relevant authorities. He was said to have complained to several agencies including the Ministry of trade and Consumer Affairs, but no action has been taken. As a last resort, he seeks help from PPIM (Persatuan Pengguna Islam Malaysia) which proceeded to raid the shop.
From the operation, it was found that there are a number of phone shops at Kota Raya that are selling counterfeit products at skyrocketed prices. In total, they had managed to cover as much as RM11,900 on behalf of 7 victims. Apart from locals, these shops tend to target foreigners especially women that would often fall prey to such tactics. As always, it is advisable to shop at reputable retailers and beware of dodgy dealers that offer unbelievable deals. If the deal is too good to be true, then it probably is. This isn’t just limited to expensive phone models as we’ve seen fake Xiaomi devices in the market as well.
If you’re planning to get a smartphone, it is best to visit an authorised dealer or order directly from the official online store. Hopefully you won’t get a surprise like this poor chap.
