Fallout with lover leaves woman with RM210,000 debt
KUALA LUMPUR: A 28yearold woman is in debt for over RM210,000, thanks to her former lover, who ran away after ending the hair salon business they had set up together.
The woman, who only wanted to be known as Chong, said she was convinced by her then boyfriend, Lee, to open a hair salon in Johor, in 2015.
“I asked for RM180,000 from my family while he raised RM20,000 as capital for the business,” she told reporters at MCA Public Services and Complaints Department yesterday.
She said Lee, a 38yearold hairstylist, also persuaded her eldest brother to join in as business partner to set up another branch.
When their relationship ended last year, Lee then had asked Chong’s permission to allow him to carry on with the business.
“That’s when things started going downhill. He stopped paying rent and bills for the hair salon,” she alleged.
Lee also owed RM28,600 in rent, and the overdue electricity and telephone bills totalled RM4,000, Chong said during the press conference
She claimed Lee had also convinced customers to sign up for hair treatment packages before closing down the business.
“I also found out that he forged my signature to issue several cheques,” Chong said, adding that she believed her boyfriend has fled the country.
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department chief Datuk Seri Michael Chong said he has received 12 similar reports this year, and 11 of the victims were female.
“If you want to set up a business with your lovers, make sure you know them very well,” he said.
He advised those who chose to end their relationships should also cease all business partnerships with their former lovers.