Kota Kinabalu: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) call for an immediate crackdown on syndicates “weaponising” legitimate company credentials to front high-value fake tenders.
LDP Vice-President and Central Public Complaints Bureau Head, Chin Vun Pheaw, said a sophisticated new wave of corporate identity theft is targeting Sabah’s construction and engineering sectors.
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He sounded the alarm after two established Sabah-based companies discovered their identities were being used to anchor a fraudulent multi-million ringgit sewage treatment plant upgrading project.
He said the syndicate’s tactics represent a dangerous evolution in local scams.
According to Chin, the perpetrators produced highly convincing documents—complete with the victimised companies’ names, official seals, and forged signatures of directors—to lure sub-contractors and investors into a non-existent project.
“This is more than a simple scam; it is professional forgery. Both directors have confirmed they never signed these documents or authorized any involvement in the project.”
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“Their reputations are being hijacked to lend a ‘veneer of legitimacy’ to a total sham,” Chin revealed.
Chin warned that the case signals a shift in syndicate strategies.
By using the names of reputable local firms, scammers can bypass the initial scepticism of seasoned contractors.
Meanwhile, police reports have been lodged, with the LDP pushing for investigations under the Penal Code for document forgery, impersonation, and fraud.
Chin emphasised that the Bureau is monitoring the situation closely to ensure the victims’ corporate standings are not permanently damaged by the syndicate’s trail of deceit.
“We are urging everyone in the engineering and contracting world: Trust, but verify. Do not take a company seal or a director’s signature at face value in this digital age.
Cross-check every tender through official government portals or direct verification with the companies involved,” Chin warned.
The LDP is now calling on regulators and the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) to enhance oversight, warning that if left unchecked, these “ghost tenders” could paralyse trust within Sabah’s construction industry and cause devastating financial losses for local players.
