Illegal operations: Chong said his department has received 269 Ah Long cases involving RM28mil so far this year. — ONG SOON HIN/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: A man’s good intention to repay a friend who loaned him RM3,000 seven years ago backfired when the latter tried to extort RM60,000 from him and his family.
The man’s mother, who only wanted to be known as Ang, from Selangor, said her eldest son, Chua, 28, had borrowed the money in 2016 when he was jobless.
“The friend Pek did not mention anything about charging an interest,” she said yesterday.
Ang said Chua then left to work in Dubai in 2017 and managed to save some money.
When he returned in late August, he reached out to Pek, intending to return him RM10,000 for his help, she said.
“However, Pek said it was too little and told us to take the money back. Instead, he demanded RM60,000.
“He also said he would keep disturbing our family if we didn’t pay up,” she added.
Ang said her house had since been splashed with red paint in four incidents on Sept 19, 28, 29 and Oct 4.
After lodging four police reports, Ang said she sought help from MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong.
Following a discussion with the friend, Chong said Pek agreed to lower the amount to RM33,333.
When asked, Ang said Pek had all the while not been in touch with her family until Chua wanted to repay him.
In another case, an administration clerk found defamatory posters containing her MyKad and details circulated by an illegal moneylender.
Lee, 49, from here, said she had borrowed from several Ah Long and had problems paying until another illegal moneylender known as Lim approached her and offered to help.
“He told me that he would help me settle my RM150,000 outstanding loan in March but I knew I didn’t borrow that much.
“I have paid him back RM112,000 so far,” she said, adding that Lim kept harassing her to pay up another RM150,000.
She claimed that her house was chained last Saturday.
“I also found out that pictures containing my MyKad and printed with the word ‘scammer’ were pasted on the lamp posts near my house.
“I had already paid him but he still demanded more,” she said, adding that she had been living in fear and donned a cap and face mask when she went out.
Chong said Lim had since agreed to lower the amount to RM60,000.
“That was pretty low and ungentlemanly of him to paste defamatory posters all over to damage her (Lee’s) reputation.
“The borrowers want to pay their debts but they have been publicly humiliated,” he added.
This year, as of yesterday, the department has received 269 Ah Long cases involving RM28mil, said Chong.
