Malaysia - Phone Screen Protector - RM2,099

A student was left reeling after being asked to pay RM2,099 for "insurance" after buying a RM25 screen protector. The 23-year-old biomedical science student, said she was walking around a a mall near Petaling Street when a promoter offered her a screen protector and mobile phone cover for just RM25.

She added that the promoter told her that he needed to register her for insurance to cover any damage to the screen protector and asked for her MyKad. When she was about to pay, the cashier told her that the total was RM2,124, which was RM25 for the phone cover and screen protector and RM2,099 for the insurance.

She asked for clarification and was told that the 'insurance' could not be cancelled after it was registered. She did not have that much cash on her and the promoter appeared and "helped" her negotiate the cash price down to RM1,575.

She said the shop owner had refunded her RM1,575 after the police intervened. She added that the shop owner had thrown in the screen protector and phone cover for free.

Many have since told me that they or their friends had faced similar situations but had never reported it. Many suspected the shopkeeper and so-called ‘insurance’ company are same people; these people target students and those who are new to the city.