About 300 jobless artistes hiding from loan sharks

PERSATUAN Seniman Malaysia claimed that some 300 artistes had borrowed from loan sharks due to the lack of job offers, reported Metro Ahad.

Its president Zed Zaidi said records showed that while 20% of artistes and employees in the entertainment industry receive regular offers, the remaining 80% do not.

He said these artistes would borrow between RM5,000 and RM10,000 before going into hiding when they could not afford to pay the interest.

“What is worrying is that the Ah Long would hold on to their ATM cards. There was a case where the data and personal information of an artiste was misused.

“The Ah Long could also use these bank accounts to deposit their proceeds from illegal activities such as online gambling.

“We’re just worried that one day, there will be celebrities accused of money laundering,” he said.

Seniman secretary-general Mohd Hafiz Mohd Nafiah urged artistes who were unable to repay their Ah Long debts to see him.

Seniman, he said, would help them find job opportunities.

> Kosmo! reported actress Izreen Azminda as refuting allegations that she is the owner of the car sprayed with the words “perampas laki orang” (husband snatcher) in red paint.

She said she does not own a white Honda Civic.

An image of the car sprayed with red paint has since gone viral on social media with many netizens speculating that it belongs to Izreen.

In August last year, Izreen had married musician Ude in a private ceremony. Ude’s first wife was not informed of the marriage.

Izreen, who has since come under criticism from netizens, said she would not be lodging a police report as there was no threat made against her.