KUALA LUMPUR: A retired man has endured weeks of harassment from a debt collection company over a debt he never owed.
Aside from demanding money and behaving like thugs, the debt collectors have also refused to disclose who sent them to recover the money.
Chong Wan Yoong, 62, from Rawang, Selangor, has been subjected to ongoing intimidation by two men claiming to represent a debt collection agency.
Since December 2024, the duo has visited his home at least six times, resorting to aggressive tactics such as shouting, hurling insults, calling him a liar and plastering defamatory notices on his gate labelling him a “con man”.
They have also repeatedly called him over the phone in an apparent attempt to intimidate him.
Wan Yoong, a former company director, resigned from his position in 2014.
A year later, the company he was associated with became embroiled in a legal dispute with a hardware firm, according to MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau chief Datuk Seri Michael Chong.
Although he and other directors were implicated, the case was resolved in 2018, with the court ruling that Wan Yoong was not liable for any outstanding debt.
Despite this, the debt collectors have demanded RM100,000 from him, without offering any explanation as to why he has to pay up.
“When questioned about who had engaged them, the collectors refused to disclose any information, leaving Mr Chong uncertain whether they were sent by a bank or the hardware company involved in the past dispute,” said Michael during a press conference at Wisma MCA here yesterday.
He condemned the actions of the debt collectors and raised concerns over the possibility of banks employing agencies that resort to harassment.
“If this is from the bank, we want to know why banks would employ such ‘debt collecting companies’ that use harassment as part of their modus operandi.
“If it is not from the bank, then how do these debt collectors have so much information on the victim?
“Banks have access to this information. If they are truly involved in hiring these third-party agencies, it is highly unprofessional.
“Financial institutions must not engage in such practices. Debt collection should be conducted professionally instead of through intimidation at people’s homes,” Michael said.
He further revealed that Wan Yoong’s case is not an isolated incident.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg. We have received numerous complaints of debt collectors harassing victims at their homes or offices without identifying their employer.”
Wan Yoong has lodged four police reports, and till today, no action has been taken.
According to lawyer Ivan Tan, the authorities have classified the case as “No Further Action” ( A), stating they can only intervene if the collectors trespass into his home.
“Until today, Wan Yoong still does not know who sent these debt collectors.
“We would like to suggest to the police to investigate this case under Section 506 of the Penal Code, which covers criminal intimidation, Tan said.
He added that this case may also fall under defamation laws, specifically Section 499 of the Penal Code, as Wan Yoong has been publicly accused of being a liar despite the court ruling that he is not liable for any debt.
Tan stressed the need for stronger enforcement to curb the use of illegal harassment tactics by debt collection agencies, urging authorities to take immediate action.
