KUALA LUMPUR: THIRTY-FOUR Malaysians, including two minors, have been detained by Australian Immigration officials after falling victim to fruit-picking scams.
Bersih Sydney, in an article on its Facebook page on Sept 10, revealed that the organisation was approached by Salvation Army Australia to help the Malaysians, who were detained at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre.
It said the Malaysians were awaiting deportation after being caught working as fruit pickers in a blueberry farm in Coffs Coast without valid visas.
“It was soon clear that these illegal workers had fallen victim to a scam that is becoming increasingly prevalent,” it said, adding that the seriousness of the matter had prompted the Australian High Commission in Malaysia to issue a warning.
Bersih Sydney revealed that agents operating in Malaysia, some linked to tour companies, were claiming that they could help Malaysians obtain fruit-picking jobs in Australia from as low as RM3,999, which covered airfare, hotel expenses, visa application, accommodation and transport fees.
It said those working on the farm were also subjected to poor working and living conditions, and were paid below the minimum wage.
It also revealed the extent of misinformation that these “agents” spread for personal gain.
The victims were told that tourist visas, bridging visas and even student visas would allow them to work in Australia, which was untrue.
“In other instances, these agents offered to arrange for work travel visas for applicants; it is worth noting that the Australian government issues only 100 Subclass 417 work travel visas to Malaysians a year.
“Others recruit Malaysian students in Australia, or suggest that they enrol in technical and further education (Tafe) courses, and then work while holding a student visa.
“This usually leads them to work at fruit farms beyond the stipulated hours, exposing them to the risk of having their visas revoked.
“Once these workers are caught, the agents refuse to get involved, while the victims bear the consequences and risk being deported.
“Currently, our team member, together with the Australian Salvation Army, are working with the authorities to bring this crime to an end.
“We advise the public to stay informed on such scams and to only obtain Australian visas through reputable channels.”
The Australian High Commission in Malaysia had issued a statement warning against such scams and cautioned the public to take note of what their visa allowed them to do while in Australia.
“The Department of Immigration and Border Protection warns people to be cautious regarding claims that Australian visas are allegedly for sale. These claims are not true.
“Australian visas are not for sale. Visas can only be obtained through official channels.
“We are aware (that there are) facilitators in Malaysia organising flights to Australia for people who intend to work illegally with an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visa.”
This, it said, was a scam by the “facilitators” to cheat the victims or for personal gain.
“An ETA does not permit you to undertake paid work (such as fruit picking) in Australia. Don’t be fooled by these scams.
“If you work in Australia in breach of your visa conditions, you may be detained and removed, and subject to the three-year exclusion period.”
The New Straits Times came across several Facebook pages offering such services, one of them was titled “Working and job info in Australia”, which had more than 2,500 likes.
There were various postings offering packages ranging from RM3,000 to RM18,000.
In one posting, the page administrator also offered fruit picking jobs in South Korea for RM2,500.