IPOH: A family here has been gripped by fear after their home and car were splashed with red paint, believed to be the work of illegal moneylenders over a loan application linked to their son in Singapore.
The incident occurred at 1.15am on Sunday (Oct 28), after which a member of the family saw a white car and a motorcycle prowling the area.
Fong Wai Sim, 60, said her 42-year-old son, who works in a food catering business in Singapore, had frequently borrowed from loan sharks.
"I helped him many times before, but I have had enough this time. I don’t even know how much he borrowed.
"I am more upset and disappointed with him rather than angry," she told a press conference held at her house in Bandar Baru Menglembu here on Tuesday (Dec 30).
The press conference was organised by Perak MCA Public Service and Complaints Bureau chief Charles Yuen.
Fong's daughter Soo Meng Fong, 30, a direct sales agent, said loan sharks had often demanded money from the family because of her brother.
She said this was the second police report lodged since the loan sharks first threatened the family five years ago.
"This time, they came to the house and splashed paint on our car and the gate.
"Our neighbour’s gate and porch were also hit," she added.
Soo said the family had cut ties with her brother and had also published a notice in the Chinese press before, but the loan sharks said they would continue to harass the family for money.
"The day after they threw the paint, they sent me a text message asking for the money back," she said, adding that her brother was the oldest of four siblings.
Soo said her mother and 70-year-old father are deeply disturbed by the incident, and fear for their safety.
"We are unable to sleep peacefully and become anxious whenever we see motorcycles or cars passing by the house.
"The loan sharks even said that if the matter is not settled, the house will be vandalised again," she added.
Yuen said illegal moneylending activities involving cross-border syndicates have become increasingly frequent, with victims and their families bearing the brunt of threats and harassment.
He said many cases involved scams in which individuals were forced to take loans and then forced to repay at exorbitant interest rates.
"In some cases, the victims only borrowed small amounts, but the interest calculations... quickly increased the debt to tens of thousands of ringgit.
"Many borrowers are Malaysians working in Singapore, making them easy targets.
"When the borrowers disappear or cannot pay, the syndicates turn their attention to family members in Malaysia, including parents," he said.
Yuen said families are threatened relentlessly to the point that they have sleepless nights, and in some cases, even distant relatives are affected.
He urged the authorities, including the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, to take firm action against illegal loan advertisements, which are widely promoted both physically and online.
"We have the mechanisms to stop these advertisements, but we rarely see decisive action.
"Enforcement must start early, not after families have been traumatised.
"Parents and relatives should not repay the loans, as the illegal moneylenders will only continue to increase the interest indefinitely.
"The borrower must take responsibility. Paying on their behalf does not solve the problem," he said.
Yuen reminded the public to avoid unlicensed lending platforms and to borrow only from banks or licensed financial institutions.
"Loans offered through social media or unknown platforms are not legal and should be avoided," he stressed.
