KUALA LUMPUR: A 32-year-old salesman has lost more than RM15,000 after falling victim to an online loan scam recently.
The victim, who only wanted to be known as Chong, said he applied for a RM30,000 loan to expand his business after coming across a website offering a money- lending service.
The man was asked to submit documents and make several payments as processing fees to “resolve certain issues and comply with conditions required by Bank Negara” for the loan.
He was also instructed to open a new bank account.
The man made payments totalling RM15,480 to several local bank accounts between March 2 and 5, and was assured the deposits would be refunded together with the loan approval.
Several days later, Chong said he noticed a cheque transaction amounting to RM53,240 deposited into his bank account, which supposedly included a refund of what he had paid apart from the loan sum.
However, he was unable to withdraw the money.
Chong said he had also applied for a separate RM1,000 loan but cancelled it after becoming suspicious of the transactions.
Despite this, he was charged RM1,000 for cancelling his second loan application by a suspected loan shark, with the debt increasing to RM20,000 if he failed to repay in time.
Chong said that he and his family are being harassed by the loan sharks through social media.
Meanwhile, MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong cautioned the public against online loan or money lending scams.
“Please go to the banks or licenced moneylenders if you need to take a loan.
“Do not be so trusting of such offers online,” he said at the press conference yesterday.
Also present were three families who publicly disowned a respective family member who had borrowed from loan sharks and gone into hiding after failing to repay the loans.
The first case involved a 53-year-old housewife and her 24-year-old son who went missing after taking a RM300,000 loan from loan sharks.
She said her family is facing harassment from the loan sharks demanding for repayment.
The other case involved a 50-year-old administration worker from Puchong who is being harassed by loan sharks despite losing contact with her 44-year-old brother for over a decade.
The woman said the loan sharks threatened to burn down her house if she fails to settle her brother’s loan.
Michael Chong said the third case involved a man known as Chan, a 72-year-old retiree from Tapah, Perak, who is facing harassment from loan sharks over money taken by his 33-year-old son who works as a civil servant in Kluang, Johor.
