PETALING JAYA: Shafiq bought a Toyota Ford Ranger during the movement control order but with a loan to service, he decided to let a car rental company use it so he could get some money.
He’s now stuck with the loan and four traffic summonses but no car after it was stolen by a renter.
“I am so depressed. I have countless commitments and recently, I received four summonses for speeding as well. But I don’t have the car.
“I bought it to use in my freelance job but that now that it’s stolen, I have no choice but to be a ehailing driver to continue servicing my loan and survive,” said the victim, who requested that his full name not be used.
Shafiq’s car was among 35 vehicles, including high-end luxurious cars, that were stolen by a syndicate whose members pretend to be renters.
What’s worse, the person who now has the car actually has a duplicate grant for the vehicle – and he wants RM30,000 to return the vehicle.
“On Jan 1, 2021, I handed the car to the rental company and I should have got it back on Jan 1 this year. At first, everything went smoothly, but in August, I noticed delays in the RM2,000 monthly payment.
“I got more suspicious in November when there was no GPS signal from my car. Then, the rental company owner told me the car had been stolen,” he added.
Shafiq claimed that the company owner, who is also his friend, had tried to lodge police reports twice but the police had “advised” them to instead initiate civil action.
“Based on my agreement with the company, they should bear the responsibility should anything happen to my car, but since they can’t lodge a police report, and the cars are not considered ‘stolen’, they can’t claim from their insurance.
“And they can’t pay us,” he added.
Disappointed, the car rental owner hired a private investigator.
“From what I was told, the thief managed to sell all 35 cars to several individual buyers.
“The company managed to retrieve 10 cars from the new owners who willingly returned them. Five more, including my car, are still with new owners who refused to give them back.
“The man bought my car for RM30,000, so he is asking for his money back.
“The police say they will retrieve the car only if we pay the RM30,000,” he claimed, adding that a report had been lodged against the police with the Public Complaints Bureau.
What’s more puzzling, said Shafiq, is that the new owner has a duplicate of his grant.
“My insurance expired in September, but I was shocked when I saw that my road tax had been renewed.
“I asked a friend who works with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and was told the syndicate had a duplicate copy of my grant,” he claimed.
JPJ director-general Datuk Zailani Hashim (pic) said they had yet to receive a report on the issuance of the Vehicle Ownership Certificate (VOC) to non-owners.
He said the registered owner has to be at the JPJ office for biometric verification (thumbprint) before a copy of the VOC can be issued.
“Each registered vehicle must have a VOC and it is the responsibility of the registered owner to ensure the VOC is always in hand,” he said, when asked whether it was wrong to hold a VOC for someone else’s vehicle.
Another car renter, who wanted to be known only as Zack, had it worse.
He said he had lent out his car after being inspired by a success story shared by a woman who claimed she could earn thousands from renting her car.
His car was not only stolen but smuggled into Thailand as well.
“I lodged a police report that evening and they transferred my case to the Commercial Crime Investigation Department. The officer there asked why I had rented out my car and told me that it was wrong.
“I admitted that I was wrong and had just wanted to increase my earnings. Then, he told me my car had already entered Thailand.
“The officer told me to go get it back myself with the help of friends,” he said.
Zack was not about to be deterred.
He travelled almost 3,500km in four days and managed to recover his car.
“I know I’m in the wrong, but I think it’s not right for a layman to go there and get their car back by themselves,” he said.
