IN light of rampant cases of fraudulent operators peddling gloves, Hartalega Holdings Bhd has put its foot down against glove scammers.
This is considering that demand for gloves has spiralled considerably as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to its CEO Kuan Mun Leong.
“Attempting to capitalise on the situation, scammers have relentlessly approached potential buyers with false claims,” he highlighted his concerns in a media statement.
“Their claims revolve around having ready stock and allocation of Hartalega’s own brand nitrile and latex gloves, GloveOn.
“Their fraudulent schemes include claiming to be stock allocators for Hartalega, requesting for payment to be deposited in escrow or third-party accounts and utilising social media to solicit business, among others.”
In advising buyers to remain vigilant, Kuan said all orders go through Hartalega directly and only e-mails sent from its domain @hartalega.com.my are genuine.
“We never solicit any business on social media, nor do we solicit for payment via social media. We produce to order and given the global shortage of gloves currently, there is no excess stock or capacity,” he noted.
Moreover, the GloveOn products bought in Malaysia are for Malaysian consumption only and are not for export purposes, according to Kuan.
In this regard, Hartalega deals directly with its officially appointed distributors who are listed in its website at https://gloveonglobal.com/mys/distributors/ and does not appoint brokers or re-sellers for re-export.
“We do not collaborate with any other factories within Malaysia or any factories outside of Malaysia to produce or pack our gloves, nor do we appoint any third parties to represent Hartalega for export of our GloveOn brand,” cautioned Kuan.
Over the past few months, Hartalega has taken action against glove scammers or has lodged several police reports in addition to initiating litigation against one of the perpetrators with court proceedings ongoing.
“The fact that people are being misled by these fraudulent operators is a very serious crime, particularly given the fact that gloves are critical personal protective equipment, especially for those in the healthcare industry,” added Kuan. – Nov 2, 2020
