KUALA LUMPUR: A grieving family is facing additional hardship as loan sharks harass them without even disclosing the amount owed by a deceased relative.
They are enduring threatening calls and defamatory social media posts with no end in sight.
The sister of the deceased, Chey, 52, said things unfolded soon after he died in November.
In January, she began receiving calls from loan sharks claiming that her brother owed them money.
This came as a shock to Chey, who was unaware of any such debt and believes her brother’s death was linked to pressure from these individuals.
“He was a smart person and held a high position at a company. I did not know anything about the loan sharks until after his death,” she told a press conference arranged by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department here yesterday.
Chey said the threats continued even on the first day of Chinese New Year.
Questionable debt: Chong (left) sharing the family’s predicament during the press conference. Also present are lawyers Ivan Tan Kai Yong (right), Marcus Chong (second row, left) and Tee Choon Seng. — LOW BOON TAT/The Star
Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who was present, said the family is very distressed.
He revealed that the family had a strained relationship with the deceased due to his borrowing habits, adding that Chey had not been in contact with her brother for three years before his death.
He said despite repeated requests to reveal the debt amount, the loan sharks refused to do so but continued to hound the family, including Chey’s mother, and also posted defamatory messages about them on social media.
Chong said it is very unusual for loan sharks not to divulge the amount borrowed.
“Dead men tell no tales and the loan sharks are also refusing to disclose the debt amount. They could be extortionists,” he said, adding that the family has lodged two police reports.
Chong said the department is drafting a letter to the police to urge them to investigate the matter under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 too.
