SANDAKAN: Residents in the Batu Sapi area have been cautioned against falling victim to scams involving the purported construction of Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) houses or the Housing Project for the Hardcore Poor (PPRT) in Kampung Pening Lalai.
Karamunting Community Development Leader Dato Chew Kok Woh said his office recently received complaints regarding an individual falsely claiming to facilitate such housing projects in the area.
“My office was visited by a couple who were fire victims in 2022 in Kg Sundang and are now residing in Kg Gas. They claimed to have been approached by an individual claiming to be a village chief in Kg Pening Lalat,” he said in a statement.
“According to the couple, this person told them he could arrange for them to build a PPRT housing unit on a plot of land at a cost of RM3,000 per lot,” he said.
Chew also said a former Commissioner of Oaths who is still actively signing statutory declarations and certifying true copies of important documents, is potentially lending credibility to this scam.
Chew categorically said that there is no appointed village chief by the Native Court for Kg Pening Lalai located along Jalan Bokara.
“The Kg Pening Lalat area is actually company-owned land and not a private property. Any construction of PPRT or SMJ Houses requires valid permission from the landowner, not verification through an unauthorised village chief, commissioner of oaths or middleman,” Chew clarified.
He said to qualify for an SMJ House, applicants must possess a titled land lot with the landowner’s consent and the land must be dry and accessible to utilities like electricity and water supply.
“Applicants must fall under the e-Kasih category, be fire or natural disaster victims, persons with disabilities or living in dilapidated homes. Those interested can visit the UPPM office or contact me to register,” Chew added.
He urged the public to verify the authenticity of any claims by purported village chiefs or others by contacting the Karamunting UPPM Office at 089 211200 or reaching out to him at 012 8176628.
