KUALA LUMPUR: A construction site worker, in debt with loansharks, dug a deeper hole for himself when he paid two conmen to "clear the debt."
The man, who wanted to be known as Chung, 47, paid two loansharks RM24,000 (RM7,000 to the first and RM17,000 to the second) after being promised they would settle his loan of RM35,000.
Chung said he was approached by the first loanshark, who called himself Lao Ban, on Oct 23, with an offer of a loan with low interest rate.
The man asked Chung to pay RM7,000 in "processing fees" for the loan to be approved. When the loan was not settled, Chung told the man he wanted his money back.
This was when Chung realised that he had been duped. He also read a newspaper article about a syndicate which fleeced people in the same manner.
“Now this syndicate is threatening me. They said that I still owe them money for the processing fees and won’t stop harassing me until I paid them,” Chung told reporters at the MCA Public Complaints Bureau.
Chung claimed that on Nov 3, he was approached by a man who posed as a Simon, a special assistant of the Bureau's head, Datuk Michael Chong.
“He said he was Michael Chong’s special assistant and could help me clear my RM35,000 debt but he would need me to contribute RM17,000.
"I was elated as I thought my problems were over, so I paid him in Cheras. But since then I have not been able to contact Simon,” said Chung.
He later contacted Chong’s office and knew he had been cheated again.
Chong said this was the fourth case reported to his office involving his name being used for cheating purposes amounting to over RM60,000.
“I want to clarify that there are no such representatives or special assistants in my department that would approach complainants to provide assistance,” he said.
He added that he had received nine reports involving conmen who targeted desperate loanshark victims since 2012.
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