25-7-2023 (KUALA LUMPUR) A tourist scam has been uncovered at Kuala Lumpur’s iconic landmark, the Petronas Twin Towers. Scam artists posing as friendly photographers offer to take pictures of tourists with the towers as the backdrop, only to demand payment afterwards. Each photo costs between RM5 and RM10, and they intentionally take more than five photos, resulting in fees exceeding RM50. An Indonesian tourist shared a video on TikTok showing the scam in action, where he witnessed the scam artists in action.
The scam artists reportedly do not mention payment beforehand, leading tourists to believe that they are being assisted out of kindness. Once the photos are taken, the scam artists demand payment, leaving tourists with little choice but to pay the exorbitant fees.
The video has caused outrage among netizens, with many calling for action to be taken to prevent such scams from tarnishing Malaysia’s reputation. Some have shared their own experiences of being scammed in other countries, stating that it is a widespread problem.
The Malaysian authorities have been urged to take action to put an end to the scam. The scammers are believed to be foreigners, including Indonesians, and their actions are damaging the image of Malaysia. Netizens have called for the Kuala Lumpur City Hall to take immediate action to eradicate the problem.
One local resident shared their experience of being approached by a scam artist and said they managed to avoid being scammed by confronting the artist directly.
Kalau tak kawal makin parah la keadaan ni. Macam kita pergi negara lain takut kena scam macam tu la pelancong datang negara kita kena hadap dengan benda macam ni. Patutnya DBKL kena buat serbuan la pic.twitter.com/g6ONQfjvQa
— Travel Jimat (@TravelJimat) July 21, 2023
