A viral Threads post claims foreigners posed as parking attendants in Petaling Street, sparking online debate over enforcement in busy Kuala Lumpur areas.
A social media post by a woman claiming she encountered an alleged illegal parking collection gang in the Petaling Street area has triggered discussion online, with many users sharing similar experiences and concerns about enforcement in busy city areas.
The incident was shared on Threads by @umiehaffizah and has since gained more than 5,100 likes and nearly 500 comments.
“There are still illegal parking collector gangs around. This was at Petaling Street, and they were foreigners,” she wrote.
In a follow-up comment, she described how the situation unfolded while she and her husband were looking for parking.
“The story is like this. My husband and I were looking for parking when a guy in a green shirt came over pretending to watch over the parking area and then asked for parking money. My husband immediately got out of the car and asked him why he was asking for parking money and he left straight away,” she said.
She added that another individual in a red shirt later appeared and initially claimed he was waiting for his girlfriend, but was allegedly seen interacting with the first man.
“Then suddenly this guy in the red shirt came. He said he was waiting for his girlfriend, but my husband saw him talking to the guy in the green shirt earlier, which means they were in the same group. After I became firm, he denied that he was collecting parking fees,” she added.
The post quickly drew responses from other users, with several claiming they had encountered similar situations in various parts of Kuala Lumpur.
User @meeraazmi said, “Many foreigners are doing this kind of thing. It happened to me in Kampung Baru recently when I went out for a meal. An uncle on a motorcycle came around asking for RM5. We just paid because we couldn’t be bothered dealing with it.”
Others pointed to hotspots such as Jalan Alor and Changkat, claiming that informal parking charges have become increasingly common in certain busy areas.
Some commenters praised the couple for confronting the situation, saying public resistance could help deter such practices.
User @syafiqlias.bey commented, “This brother is solid. Well done. It’s our responsibility to stop this kind of culture.”
Others urged stronger enforcement and accountability, warning that such informal collections could escalate if left unchecked.
“If this is allowed to continue, they’ll eventually form groups and start using force like what happens in some places abroad,” one user said.
Another user claimed that similar unofficial parking fees are already being collected in nightlife areas, although these claims could not be independently verified.
The Sun Malaysia
