JOHOR BARU: Bogged down by financial constraints, a cash-strapped 34-year-old single mother was convinced by a loan shark's advertisement on social media, thinking it was from a legitimate bank.
Cashier Tan Ai Chue said she saw an advertisement of a bank offering a personal loan on Facebook on Dec 9 and decided to click on it, not knowing that it was actually an advertisement placed by an ah long.
Shortly after that, she received a message via WhatApp from a man who introduced himself as a bank executive and asked her how much money she wanted to borrow.
“I told him I wanted a loan of RM10,000 to open a hawker stall, since pay cuts at my current job due to the pandemic have left me with debts and financial constraints, ” said Tan.
“After the pay cuts, I only earn RM1,700 a month, which was not enough to cover my house rent, car loan, two young children’s expenses, on top of caring for my elderly mother.
“I am the sole breadwinner of the family after my husband passed away suddenly five years ago.
“We are now barely scraping by each month, and I am usually left with no more money for savings, ” she said in a press conference here, adding that she also has a debt of about RM1,000 in utility bills and are two months behind on her house rent.
Tan said the caller told her that he could only give her a loan of RM5,000 and told her that she was required to transfer RM1,300 into his bank account first to prove that her bank account was active.
Desperate, the widow borrowed money from her friends to pool together the amount and transferred it into the man’s account, as instructed.
“He then sent me an agreement to sign via WhatsApp and asked for another RM1,000 for legal fees - that was when I sensed something was not right and started questioning him.
“He got angry and spurted vulgarities, telling me that the loan agreement was off and that I had to pay him RM6,450 as compensation, or risk getting harmed.
“He even sent me some video clips showing individuals splashing red paint and setting fire to other people’s houses to scare me.
“I sought help from Pasir Gudang MCA Public Complaints Bureau, as now I am afraid for my family’s safety, on top of having to worry about getting out of our current financial situation, ” she said.
The bureau’s chief, Lim Thow Siang, who organised the press conference, tried calling the man in question but there was no answer.
He said he would also help Tan in looking for a vacant hawker stall to set up her own business to earn additional income for her family.
Meanwhile, when contacted, Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Padzli Mohd Zain said police received a report from the victim and investigations are ongoing. - Star
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