Desperate times call for creative measures
Long using social media to bait victims
JOHOR BARU: Loan sharks in Singapore are using social media to entrap Malaysians working in the island republic by luring them with offers of financial assistance.
In the first case, a 41-year-old workshop owner, called Lau, said his sister, who worked as an accountant across the Causeway, received S$600 (RM1,826) from an unknown individual through an e-wallet app on Sept 21.
“My sister contacted the person asking why he made the transaction but the person claimed somebody used her name on a loan.
“She wanted to return the money but the person told my sister that she must pay it with interest amounting to S$2,100 (RM6,395), but she refused,” he said at a press conference organised by Johor MCA public complaints and service bureau members Chua Jian Boon and Heng Xie Li here.
Lau said as her sister refused to pay the amount, the loan shark threatened her by claiming the debt had risen to S$5,000 (RM15,224), and he added that loan sharks were now targeting him by splashing red paint on his house and workshop on Sept 26 and 27.
In the second case, 52-year-old Shiu, was being harassed by loan sharks despite having fully settled her daughter’s debt of more than S$2,000 (RM6,088).
She said her daughter, who worked at an electronics factory, searched for moneylenders online as she wanted money to invest.
“My daughter received a loan of S$400 (RM1,218), but the loan shark told her that she must pay about S$1,700 (RM5,177) for full settlement.
“My family paid about S$2,000 (RM6,091) but they are still demanding another S$2,470 (RM7,523).
“They kept on harassing us by sending threatening videos and even threw a Molotov cocktail at our home recently,” she said, adding that she and her daughter lodged police reports here and in Singapore.
Meanwhile, Heng said the bureau received 20 loan shark cases between January and Oct 1, where the victims were Malaysians working in Singapore who still have families living here.
“These cases will not be the last, and we are expecting more incidents, especially during this difficult time,” he said.
When contacted, state police commercial crime chief Asst Comm Mohd Salleh Abdullah said they were investigating, and urged the public not to turn to illegal moneylenders.
“Investigations revealed that most of the cellphone numbers used by loan sharks here and in Singapore are registered under the names of foreigners who have already returned to their home countries,” he said, adding that police would continue to take action against loan sharks.