Johor Police Allegedly Threaten Singaporeans Into Paying S$2,926 ‘Kopi Money’ For Not Carrying Passports
Johor is a very popular spot for Singaporean tourists and for good reason. There’s tasty food, cheap petrol, and bargain shopping. But police asking for ‘kopi money’ might be something to watch for as well.
A Singaporean woman, Marissa, posted about her experience with the allegedly corrupt cops.
She claimed that the police demanded nearly S$3,000 due to her not carrying her passport at the time.
Her Malaysian friends later advised her to insist on going to the bank as the officers will not dare to approach CCTVs.
Randomly pulled over in Johor for passport check
Marissa posted her story to social media platform Lemon8 around 13 Aug, titled “10,000 RM Kopi Money Experience”.
Source: Marissa on Lemon8
In the post, Marissa shared that she and her fellow Singaporean friend had just finished shopping for groceries at the Sunway Big Box shopping mall. Thereafter, they got into her friend’s family car which carried a Johor licence plate and headed back to his house.
Sometime into the journey, Marissa felt like they were being tailed and noticed a local police car following them. This confused her as she claimed that they were driving at appropriate speeds.
Nevertheless, the cop car allegedly sounded its sirens and pulled them over. Five officers asked to see their passports.
Source: WapCar, for illustration purposes only
Perhaps thinking it would be just a casual shopping trip around the block, Marissa didn’t have her passport with her.
Apparently, the Johor police said that by doing so, she was breaking Malaysian law and could be banned from entering the country for the next five years.
Source: Singapore Professional Immigration Consultancy, for illustration purposes only
Johor police allegedly demand ‘kopi money’
The police officers then allegedly offered the pair a way out in the form of a cash payment, often known as ‘kopi money’ or bribe, of RM10,000 (S$2,926.27).
As she didn’t have much cash on hand for the shopping trip, Marissa suggested that the officers follow her to a nearby bank to withdraw money from an ATM there.
This seemed to unnerve the five officers, who refused and demanded an alternative instead. The Singaporeans could pay them all the cash they had as “tuition fees” for the educational lesson on Malaysian law. Marissa insisted in her Lemon8 post that this was exactly what the officer said.
Source: Marissa on Lemon8
Tired after a long day, she and her friend decided to just agree to get the cops off their backs. The pair took out about RM500 (S$146) in cash and handed it over to the officers, only to realise in hindsight that the amount may have been too much.
Source: Marissa on Lemon8
After hearing about the bizarre incident, Marissa’s Malaysian friends advised her to lie that she had no cash and insist on going to the ATM if she ever found herself in such a situation again.
According to them, the police officers would want to avoid bank CCTVs as ‘kopi money’ is illegal under Malaysian law.
Remain calm & claim you need to go to an ATM
Other than the above advice, here are some other tips her local friends shared to help other foreigners in similar situations in Malaysia:
- Remain calm
- Don’t break any actual laws
- Claim you’re not carrying cash
- Claim you’re a student
- Explain that you need to draw money at a bank
- Say you’re there to visit your dying grandmother
- Carry your passport at all times, even for short distances
Although our Singpass account contains personal details including a digital copy of our NRIC, Malaysian authorities allegedly do not recognise it.
Source: Marissa on Lemon8
Separately, Marissa clarified in her post that she did not intend to spoil the reputation of Malaysia, which she deemed beautiful and enjoyable. Instead, she merely shared her experience to warn and help other tourists to avoid being blackmailed.
Prior to this incident, a similar case happened when a Johor customs officer allegedly demanded RM100 (S$32) of ‘kopi money’ from a Singaporean family who forgot to have their passports stamped upon crossing the checkpoint.
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Featured image adapted from WapCar and k. hartman on Flickr, for illustration purposes only.
