Johor businessman claims loan sharks threatened children’s lives after alleged RM50,000 loan scam

“JOHOR BAHRU, May 21 — A 36-year-old businessman is now living in fear after several moneylenders threatened to kidnap and sell his son’s organs, in addition to injuring him and burning down his house over a loan application. Chan Chee Hau said he received the threat shortly after he applied to take out a RM50,000 loan meant for working capital for his car rental business in Kuala Lumpur. His ordeal started on May 8 after he saw a loan advertisement on Facebook that used a licensed loan company logo. “I was interested in taking out a RM50,000 loan and initially dealt with a man over the phone. “Later on the same day, I met up with him at a supermarket in Taman Molek here where he took a video of me holding my MyKad. “Later I was asked to transfer RM4,000 and RM329 for the system and insurance requirements. I was assured that the money would be reimbursed together with my loan amount,” he said at a media conference arranged by special officer to the Johor Jaya assemblyman, Lee Wern Yiing, and Seri Alam DAP branch chairman Wong Chu Hoe at the party’s Johor Jaya state assemblyman’s office in Taman Johor Jaya here today. Chan, who is a widower and single parent to two primary school children, said he also received calls from four illegal moneylenders who wanted to offer loans. He then became suspicious of how the moneylenders obtained his personal details. “I was later contacted by the moneylending company representative who claimed that their system was disrupted and they needed to re-record another video. “I agreed and met the representative on May 14 where I was asked to fill out a form,” he said, adding that the company did not transfer the promised loan he had applied for and he could not reach the representative. Feeling that he was duped, Chan then filed a report at the Skudai police station on the same day. “On May 18, while I was at home, I received a text message from two illegal moneylenders demanding RM1,500 including interest. “The moneylenders also sent me a picture of my MyKad and claimed that I had taken out a loan,” he said. Chan said he was deeply puzzled by the recent events and was unsure whether his details were being misused by certain parties to apply for loans. He grew more anxious after the moneylenders threatened to burn down his house, injure his father who is in his 60s, and harm his two children. “They also threatened to kidnap my children and sell their organs. “I have become increasingly uneasy due to the threats,” he said, adding that he lost RM1,329 while initially dealing with his loan application. Chan hopes that the authorities can assist in helping him clear his name. He is not ruling out the possibility that this may have been a scam by certain syndicates to deceive the public.

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