PETALING JAYA: A 29-year-old serial conman has allegedly duped car owners and unsuspecting buyers out of millions of ringgit since 2018 using an elaborate rental scam—and even multiple arrests and court charges have failed to stop him.
On Monday (Oct 5), four of his latest victims sought assistance from MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong after finding themselves ensnared in the scheme.
Chong revealed that the suspect operates by renting vehicles, paying faithfully for a few months to earn the owner's trust, and then disappearing with the car. The stolen vehicles are subsequently sold to unsuspecting buyers or used as collateral for illegal loans with moneylenders.
“He leaves the original owner without their vehicle and the new buyer without their money,” Chong said, adding that police suspect dozens of victims have fallen prey to the man, whose criminal record holds multiple cases.
Among those seeking help was 31-year-old Aaron Tiyagarajan, whose identity was allegedly stolen and used by the suspect to scam others.
Aaron endured sleepless nights after being called repeatedly by police, who initially believed he was the fraudster.
“I have no idea how the suspect got hold of my identity—I have never lost my MyKad. But as a result of his actions, I was arrested and remanded for investigation in a case of mistaken identity,” Aaron said.
Car owners recounted similar experiences of being duped after renting out their vehicles to the suspect.
One victim, Abdul Muaz Ahmad Baharudin, said the suspect rented his high-end multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) in April, paying the rent for only three months before cutting off all communication.
“Last month, I discovered he had posted an advertisement offering my car for sale,” Abdul Muaz said. A 31-year-old car owner from Penang similarly lost his sedan under identical rental circumstances.
In the most recent case early last month, Puchong businessman Cheah Hwa Kong, 49, rented his MPV to the suspect for two weeks at RM3,000.
“He paid the rental, but two weeks later, he failed to return my car and gave all sorts of excuses,” Cheah said. “The GPS tracking system in my car was also disabled, making it untraceable.”
Cheah eventually managed to trace the vehicle to Taiping, Perak, on Sept 26 and had it towed back, only to learn that the suspect had used it as collateral to secure a loan from a moneylender.
Chong urged police to step up their investigation and take swift action against the perpetrator to prevent more people from falling victim to the persistent scheme.
