KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian influencer is under scrutiny after being accused of failing to deliver the travel services promised through her agency.
Several dissatisfied travellers have taken to social media to share their negative experiences, alleging poor management of their week-long trips to South Korea and the agency's repeated failure to meet advertised commitments.
Influencer Kim Seri, who is based in South Korea and boasts 1.1 million followers on TikTok, where she frequently shares glimpses of her life as a single mother of two and business owner, operates a travel agency catering primarily to Malaysian halal travellers.
Her agency arranges group tours to South Korea.
The controversy erupted when a viral video showed a tour group stranded at Incheon Airport.
The group claimed that they were issued fake return tickets by Kim Seri's agency.
After discovering their flight bookings were non-existent, the agency reportedly blamed a "system error" and offered partial refunds, leaving the group to arrange their own return tickets.
"Our names were not listed with any airline," one affected traveller said.
In response, Kim Seri attributed the issue to a technical error that led to the omission of travellers' names from the flight list.
Another customer who travelled with the agency from Dec 9 to 15 reported multiple discrepancies, including a change from a Malaysia Airlines flight to an AirAsia flight, with no baggage allowance or in-flight meals as initially promised.
Upon arrival, the group was also informed they would be staying at a different hotel than originally booked, and several attractions were closed during their visit.
To make matters worse, the group was left without transportation on their final day.
One individual even compiled a list of 28 alleged victims, claiming the agency had defrauded them of nearly RM400,000, with each customer paying an average of RM13,000 for their travel packages.
As the allegations spread, Kim Seri issued an apology on Instagram, acknowledging her mistakes and pledging to refund the affected customers.
She assured them that refunds would be processed via a repayment plan, with all outstanding amounts to be settled by Feb 1.
"I deeply apologise for the inconvenience and difficulties caused and ask for your understanding, as I am unable to issue all refunds immediately.
"However, I promise to resolve this issue fully by the stated deadline," she said.
Kim Seri also admitted she might face legal consequences.
Meanwhile, Dang Wangi police chief ACP Sulizmie Affendy Sulaiman confirmed that five police reports had been filed against her in relation to the fraud allegations.
The police have urged other victims to come forward and file official complaints to assist with the investigation.