KUALA LUMPUR – What is JomDonate.com, the online fundraising website that has brought infamy to influencers Aisyah Hijanah Azhari and husband Aliff Teega, after they were accused of abusing donations they raised in collaboration with the platform?
While the internet celebrity couple have drawn flak after it was claimed that JomDonate offered them 20% in commission from the funds donated for promoting the platform, the fundraising portal has also come under scrutiny for alleged links to a PAS politician.
What is JomDonate?
Founded in 2015, the online platform is also a crowdfunding site, allowing anyone to share about their situation or needs and invite those interested to donate. This is according to a March 2021 document explaining how JomDonate functions.
A check on the JomDonate website shows a variety of causes listed, including those related to Islamic welfare, orphan adoption, and personal fundraising by a father for his child needing heart surgery.
From the website, there is nothing to indicate if these causes are legitimate. No verification by expert authorities or relevant government departments of agencies related to the cause are listed.
JomDonate states it is promoting the practice of “giving back to the community”, whether for oneself, for organisations, or anyone in need of assistance. It also aims to provide social media users with “online tools” to help them reach more people to fund their needs.
Who is behind JomDonate?
No records of any company with the name is found in the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) database, however, from a separate document, JomDonate appears linked to Jom Digital Sdn Bhd.
The document bearing Jom Digital’s name and company address, together with the JomDonate logo, appears to be a proposal for an initiative to clean flood victims’ homes in January 2022.
With a registered address in Pelangi Damansara PJU6, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, and a business address in Taman Samudera, Batu Caves, Selangor, its business is described as “information technology service activities, other business support activities and research and development on ICT”. It was founded four years ago and has a share capital of RM35,000.
Jom Digital’s largest shareholder is one Mohamad Basri Ibrahim, 34, who is one of four directors appointed in December 2020.
A Pakatan Harapan-linked blog named him as one of two people arrested along with the influencer couple Aisyah and Aliff, describing him as the “mastermind” behind JomDonate.
Harapan Daily also claimed that Mohamad Basri is the son-in-law of PAS vice-president and Bagan Serai MP Datuk Idris Ahmad.
In its financial statement to SSM for the year ending May 31, 2023, Jom Digital made a loss of RM109,717 out of revenue earnings of RM136,393.
For the previous financial year ending May 31, 2022, it reported a loss of RM226,054 out of RM490,910 revenue.
Mohamad Basri’s name also appears in SSM documents for Buruj Watches Sdn Bhd, established in 2016 for the retail and wholesale of watches, with a total issued share capital of RM203,000.
He and wife Nur Izzati Idris are the only directors and shareholders of Burj Watches, which has the same business address in Taman Samudera, Batu Caves, as Jom Digital.
In its financial statement for the year ending December 31, 2023, Buruj Watches reported losses of RM73,753 out of RM2.23 million revenue.
In comparison, for the previous financial year ending December 31, 2022, it reported RM130,434 in profits out of RM3.16 million revenue.
The Aisyah Hijanah and Aliff Teega saga
Aisyah, who has 1.5 million followers on Instagram, and Aliff, whose real name is Mohd Hazalif Mohd Hazani and has 1.2 million followers, are currently under remand by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for four days until July 14.
They are being investigated in connection with misappropriating donations totalling RM3 million raised since 2020.
Their case has drawn attention, as the couple are well-known online celebrities who create Islamic social media content, besides selling tudung and religious books.
With JomDonate, they had urged their followers to donate to various causes, including for needy Muslims through a Raya Korban campaign, and for Palestine.
However, questions were raised by netizens after the couple began displaying a lavish lifestyle on their social media platforms, prompting followers to doubt if the funds donated had reached the intended recipients.
Questions mounted after an Instagram user, @emirhaqim, fanned curiosity when he posted that influencers who worked with JomDonate to raise funds were given a 20% commission from the amount donated each time they posted social media content promoting a JomDonate campaign.
Debate on the matter exploded on social media, with many saying they believe the funds donated should be given in full to their targeted recipients. Many also felt influencers should not be paid commissions for charitable causes.
In the midst of this debate, another influencer, Iddin Ramli, verified @emirhaqim’s claims, confirming that he had been approached by JomDonate and offered 20% commissions. Iddin, however, said on Facebook he turned down these offers as he believed funds raised for charity should benefit intended recipients without any cuts.
Prior to the couple’s arrest, Aisyah took to social media to deny allegations of misappropriating funds she and her husband had raised, insisting that not a cent was used to fund their lifestyles. She also denied receiving 20% commission out of the donations made. – July 13, 2024
