Halim Shah: Fraudster Extraordinaire - Part 1
In Malaysia, titles are a dime a dozen, especially among people of influence and this rings especially true when you are trying to rise up the social ladder. In many cases, having a title will immediately make yourself distinct from the rest of the people. Usually, a title is bestowed upon a recipient out of recognition for their contributions to society, hence the the accompanying pomp and circumstance when someone receives a title.
Malaysian society places a high value on titles, especially those awarded by the royalty or federal government. Apart from that, doctorates are also a source of great pride and increased stature among social circles as it shows that you have qualified yourself as an academic. The honours system in Malaysia is a well and truly fascinating thing, if only it could be kept out of the hands of various fraudsters and thieves.
Enter Halim Shah. One wonders where on earth this poor soul emerged from, or how he had managed to fool and swindle various people over the years. But one thing is for sure, he has definitely capitalized on Malaysians' craze and overzealousness to respect people with titles and made up a few for himself!
Sinister Beginnings
Born Suresh Shannon Cyril Xavier in 1976, Halim Shah converted to Islam soon after he was charged with three counts of cheating three people. What did he cheat them of? He posed as a bogus flying school instructor and led the victims to believe that his school was licenced to train pilots (Read the full report here). Not only was he charged for cheating, he was also rearrested on the same day after posting bail for using a false identity card to transfer ownership of a motorcycle. Incredible? It gets better...
Shortly thereafter, it was revealed that he had fashioned himself a datukship and started going around posing as an officer in the Penang Deputy Chief Minister's Office in charge of foreign investment. A pretty big step up from flight school instructor!
Needless to say, this was soon found out as the email address listed in the card was not an official state government email. Even Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng posted on his blog that he had made a police report against him for claiming to be part of the Penang State Government.
But of course, Shannon had an insatiable itch to keep trying to scam people. He even led people to believe that he was the Treasurer of Parti Keadilan Rakyat! Just look at his vain attempt to defend himself when he was discovered by actual party members. What a joke!
New Beginnings, Same Old Habits
Having been caught out one too many times, what did Shannon do? He did what all scheming and conniving low-lifes do. He embraced another religion and changed his name. Not for the faith, not because it was the right thing to do, but because it was necessary. His name was now known to the public as a serial fraudster. But he could not change his ways. Thus emerged... Halim Shah, or better known as Halim Shah Harem Shahnon bin Abdullah. He has a few aliases, even being known as Harlem Shah and now associates himself with all sorts of personalities. Some of them even as shady as he is. As the saying goes... Birds of a feather flock together.
Here you can see he has made up quite an image for himself, associating with corrupt individuals, and shady businesspersons. His days of supporting PKR and DAP are long forgotten! Now he serves UMNO and finds refuge under their wing. Truly a snake if we ever saw one. Now Halim (or Shannon) goes around flaunting his titles of "Dato Sri" and "Dr". One wonders where he got those from? And what is he a doctor of?
Switching his name up a little, he also goes by the name of "Dr" Harlem Shahnon! Pain Management Specialist? Are these occupations even real? Of course, this is all an invention. For a man as delusional as Halim, this must be a very real occupation. After all, it does make it easier to scam people. Sadly, he cannot even manage that properly. Just look at this 2/5 star rating! Truly pitiful.
Now... How do we know that he is a true fraud? We have proof... stay tuned for part 2.
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