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Scammed singer Ariff Bahran laments industry gatekeeping, awaits justice
🇲🇾 Malaysia /Economy & Trade

Scammed singer Ariff Bahran laments industry gatekeeping, awaits justice

From Utusan Malaysia · (2d ago) Malay Critical tone

Translated from Malay, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Singer Ariff Bahran expressed disappointment over experienced concert organizers questioning his foray into the industry after he was defrauded of hundreds of thousands of ringgit.
  • He claims established organizers try to monopolize the industry by imposing conditions, such as requiring popular artists to work only through them.
  • Ariff is awaiting positive developments from authorities regarding the RM425,000 he lost to a scammer, and hopes for firm action to prevent further fraud.

Kuala Lumpur – Singer Ariff Bahran has voiced his frustration after his efforts to enter the concert organizing industry were met with skepticism from some quarters, particularly following his own experience as a victim of a scam that cost him hundreds of thousands of ringgit. The 29-year-old artist, whose real name is Mohammad Ariff Bahran Ahmad Azhari, alleges that established concert organizers are attempting to monopolize the sector by dictating terms, including insisting that popular artists must exclusively deal with them.

Everyone starts from the bottom. There are times we get cheated, fall, and get back up. For me, that's normal when big players belittle us newcomers.

— Ariff BahranAriff Bahran commented on the challenges faced by new entrants in the concert organizing industry.

"Everyone starts from the bottom. There are times we get cheated, fall, and get back up. For me, that's normal when big players belittle us newcomers," Ariff stated at the Seloka Lebaran 2026 event. He added, "But there's no need to put others down just to stop them from doing business. Don't say, 'Oh, Sheila On 7 must go through me.' Why? If I can secure the band, what's wrong with that? Don't belittle."

But there's no need to put others down just to stop them from doing business. Don't say, 'Oh, Sheila On 7 must go through me.' Why? If I can secure the band, what's wrong with that? Don't belittle.

— Ariff BahranAriff Bahran criticized established organizers for attempting to monopolize the industry.

Regarding the RM425,000 he claims was swindled by an individual posing as a concert promoter, Ariff confirmed that there has been no positive progress from the authorities. The scammer remains silent, repeatedly postponing promised reimbursements. Ariff has publicly exposed the scammer's identity on Threads, hoping for justice and the return of his funds, which are crucial for his other business commitments. He expressed a strong desire for decisive action against the perpetrator to prevent others from falling victim to similar schemes. Despite the emotional toll and trauma, Ariff remains determined to resolve the case and plans to be far more meticulous in future ventures.

Until today, the individual involved remains silent. He did send a message saying he would make a bank transfer the next day, but it was postponed repeatedly without any results.

— Ariff BahranAriff Bahran described the lack of progress in recovering the defrauded funds.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Utusan Malaysia in Malay. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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