Conman’s cheating spree finally comes to an end
JOHOR BARU: He befriended Tebrau MP Steven Choong via Facebook last year soon after Choong won in the last general election and applied for a job from him.
Three months later, Choong made him a staff member.
But apparently the 20-something man then went around telling people that he could get them affordable homes in Johor for a fee.
He is believed to have also collected money from a businessman purportedly to help him get work permits for foreign workers.
The employee, who was dismissed in December last year, is also believed to have cheated some businessmen in Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
Johor Commercial Crimes Investigations Department officers arrested the suspect, dubbed a “serial conman”, several days ago.
He has been remanded for cases in Johor and Selangor.
“The suspect took about RM10,000 from each of the desperate victims, promising them affordable houses in Taman Daya,” said a source.
Sources also said that he took the victims to the actual project site and gave them sales and purchase documents purportedly drafted by a legal firm.
Choong, when contacted, said he employed the man for at least four months before sacking him on Dec 31 last year.
Asked why he was terminated, Choong said the man had allegedly gone to the Immigration Department in Putrajaya to get work permits for foreign workers without informing him.
“Prior to that, he gave fake supermarket vouchers to a state executive council member to be distributed in her constituency,” he said.
Choong claimed that the man continued to impersonate as his employee after dismissal.
“We lodged police reports and even sent out a letter to all government departments and agencies that he does not work for me anymore,” he said.
As recently as last month, the man allegedly duped a furniture seller of thousands of ringgit, claiming that he was purchasing new items for a PKR office.
A police official confirmed that there were seven reports against the man in Johor and Selangor involving a sum of about RM500,000.