Some of the most evil individuals are the ones who take advantage of bad situations. Right now, while everyone is panicking about the Wuhan virus, there are individuals who have deliberately raised the price of face masks with the intention of making a quick buck.
A concerned Malaysian has shared on Twitter of his discovery while looking for a face mask in Publika. Upon finding what he was looking for, he discovered that the shop has increased the price of the masks, selling them at RM120 per box.
Previously, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has released a statement, warning traders not to raise the prices on the face masks. As reported by The Star, offenders can be fined up to RM100,000 and three years jail time while a company can be fined up to RM500,000.
We contacted the concerned Malaysian and he told us that when he questioned the cashier about the price, he was told to try and look for these masks at someplace else.
Read the full tweet here:
There’s a DIY store in Publika (same row with Bestari) that sells boxes of face masks for RM120 each. Everyone was angry but the cashier doesn’t seem to care because he said everywhere else is out. They’re taking advantage of the current situation. @KKMPutrajaya pic.twitter.com/AcRm7zW94v
— The Mumu (@mumuedstar) February 1, 2020
This is a worrying incident as some individuals might be desperately in need of these face masks but they might not be able to afford to pay the marked up price. Hopefully more and more Malaysians will bring these greedy shop owners to justice so that we can bring the prices back to what it was!