RM620 loan balloons to RM200,000
Gate torched over compound interests in debt scam
GEORGE TOWN: Suspected loan sharks poured petrol and set ablaze a woman’s gate, all because of a supposed RM620 loan with RM200,000 in compound interests.
Cheoh Phaik Gaik, 62, was rudely awakened by the smell of petrol outside her house in Abu Siti Lane here at 1am on Saturday.
“I woke my husband up and went to our porch where I saw a roll of burnt paper.
“I tried to open the gate but it was chained with a padlock.
“There was a big paper note saying ‘Now you want cheat my company money ah?
“Now you never contact me I will keep burn it’.
“Only later did I realise my gate was torched by suspected loan sharks who were after my son in
Singapore,” she said during a press conference at her house arranged by Penang Front Party (PFP) vice-president Ong Seong Lu yesterday.
A video of her gate being set ablaze was sent to Cheoh’s daughter by the suspected loan sharks as a warning, where one of the two men could be heard saying in Tamil “burn it first”.
Cheoh said her son was offered a loan of S$200 (RM620) through an Internet scam some time ago.
“Although he didn’t want it, the money was transferred into his bank account.
“He returned the money immediately after sensing something was wrong, but the loan sharks began harassing him.
“They claimed that the loan has now ballooned to RM200,000.
“My son had already made a report on the scam in Singapore and they have stopped harassing him, but they are now hounding us. They must have tracked my house through my son’s MyKad,” she said.
Cheoh said she did not suspect anything until two weeks ago when she and her husband found a long scratch on their car when they parked in Air Itam.
“I began receiving calls asking us for the money after the incident.
“We also do not know how they got my daughter’s and my phone numbers,” she added.
Cheoh said she had lodged a report at the George Town district police station and urged the police to investigate, adding that she feared for her life and her husband’s.
Meanwhile, Ong urged people not to fall for money scams on the Internet as loan sharks would not hesitate to cause harm to people and property if the money was not repaid.