JOHOR BARU, March 27 — Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has today called for stern action to be taken against the perpetrators of the Johor Affordable Homes (RMMJ) scam.
“It is sad to hear of these cases because the rakyat have been told time and again that there are only online applications, and that there are no third parties to act in between.
“What makes me even sadder is that these heartless conmen are taking advantage of people who are in the lower income segment, who may have spent their savings trusting them in the hope of securing a home,” he told the Royal Press Office today.
His comments on the issue were later uploaded to his official Facebook page.
Sultan Ibrahim advised Johoreans to be wary of scammers promising to help secure affordable housing units.
He cited the Bangsa Johor Dream House (Rumah Impian Bangsa Johor or RIBJ) housing scheme as an example, saying the process was straightforward and transparent.
“With RIBJ, the applications are done online, which are then vetted by the Sultan Ibrahim Johor Foundation and eligible applicants are informed as soon as possible.
“Please be careful and don’t trust anybody who is promising you that you will get an affordable housing unit,” advised Sultan Ibrahim.
It was reported today that more than 70 people in Johor were tricked into paying RM13,000 each as deposit for the RMMJ homes.
The scam was said to be the biggest to date involving the RMMJ home scheme where unsuspecting victims had handed their money to ‘middlemen’ who promised that the houses would be ready by the end of 2018.
However, the ‘middlemen’ have since disappeared or given excuses about project delays.
