The Immigration Department is cracking down on those selling fake Enforcement Cards (E-Cards), a temporary work pass issued to illegal immigrants, Kosmo Online reported today.

Director-general of Immigration Mustafar Ali said syndicates were offering employers fake E-Cards for between RM1,000 and RM4,000 each.

“We have detected more than 50 cases of fake E-Card scams that are offered by the syndicate to local and foreign employers.”

The deadline for illegal foreign workers to apply for the E-Card expired on June 31. 

The  E-card programme is an early screening procedure for employers and illegal foreign worker to obtain direct conditional approval for the foreigners to work in Malaysia.

Mustafar said only 23% of the 600,000 illegal foreigners believed to be in the country had registered for the E-Card.

He said the lukewarm response could be due to the stringent requirements and paperwork, and the reluctance of employers to register their workers, especially those running small businesses.

The Immigration Department’s Op Mega E-Card to weed out illegal foreign workers started on July 1. From July 1 to July 10, 502 operations were conducted nationwide and 3,071 foreigners arrested

According to the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF), there are an  estimated 900,000 illegals in the country. – August 14, 2017.