By Alia Azwa
GOMBAK, 7 July 2023: In an attempt to convert the E-Belia Rahmah credit to cash, several youths have fallen victim to fraudulent activities lured by certain parties who claimed to offer this “service” on various social media platforms.
Twitter and Instagram have been flooded with advertisements promising young people the opportunity to convert their RM200 credit into cash ever since the government began disbursing the RM400 million in aid to two million eligible youths until August 31, 2023.
E-Belia Rahmah was provided in the form of e-wallet credits via three applications: Touch ‘n Go e-wallet, Boost, and Setel, to youths aged 18 to 20 or university and college students who are pursuing their studies full-time.
This programme aimed to increase cashless payments, in an effort to boost local sellers' economies. At the same time, Malaysian youths would be able to ease their financial burden; however, some of them decided to transfer the e-wallet credit into their bank account with the so-called “service” found on social media.
In a recent press conference in Johor, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said that the RM200 credit should not be converted into cash or transferred peer-to-peer, as it would violate the terms of the programme and allow scammers to take advantage of the situation.
“We would like to remind youths not to fall prey to scammers offering to convert the credit into cash, especially on social media. These are all lies, and several students have ended up losing the RM200 altogether in attempts to convert it into cash.” He said.
In another case, a student from Sarawak, Margaret Mary, said not many premises in her state accepted payments via the three e-wallet apps, as most stores preferred cash or payments through the S Pay Global (Sarawak Pay) app, requiring her to transfer the e-wallet credit into her bank account.
The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has officially announced that they have received 14 reports of a scam syndicate, as victims have collectively lost approximately RM2,800 in e-wallet credit.
The police are actively tracing the scammers and other fraudulent parties who are using the same modus operandi, targeting E-Belia Rahmah recipients, as they never received the promised money in their bank accounts. The recipients are advised to take extra precautions and not attempt to convert the credit, as it violates the sole purpose of E-Belia Rahmah.***
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