Chef in thorny situation after giving bank number to friend to 'buy durians'

KUALA LUMPUR: A 37-year-old chef in Raub now fears for his family's safety after becoming the target of loan sharks that began targeting him after he shared his bank account number with a friend.

The chef, who only wanted to be known as Chong, said that his problems began after he met up with a friend named Ah Hao, who was short of RM800 when he came to Raub from Kuala Lumpur to buy RM2,000 worth of durians.

"Ah Hao told me that his bank account had been blocked and he asked if the money could be banked into my account instead," said Chong at a press conference in Wisma MCA on Tuesday (Dec 4).

Chong then shared his bank account number with Ah Hao and gave him the RM800 when he received the money in his account.

Following this, said Chong, loan sharks started to come after him claiming that he owed them RM6,300.

"They came to my parents' house looking for me and put up a poster with my photo and details, saying that I owed them money," said Chong, who stays with his parents.

"After that, they splattered my parents' house with red paint three times," said Chong.

Chong lodged a police report and filed a complaint at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department to urge Ah Hao to come forward.

Chong said that he suspected that this had to do with him sharing his bank account number with Ah Hao.

"I've tried getting in touch with him but I haven't been able to reach him," said Chong.

MCA public services and complaints department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong urged members of the public to be cautious when disclosing their bank account details.

He also urged the public to not share their MyKad details with anyone.