JOHOR BARU: What started as a fairy tale love story has turned into a nightmare for a single mother who lost over RM200,000 and is now living in fear of loan sharks.
The 37-year-old woman, who only wanted to be known as Lee, said her ex-boyfriend not only swindled thousands of ringgit from her but also used her address to borrow money from loan sharks.
“We met through an online gaming platform during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. He claimed that he had lost his father when he was a child and that his mother always argued and demanded money from him," she recounted.
"He also told me a sob story about his ex-girlfriend, who he claimed had just passed away. I felt sorry for him and was charmed by his words as he is a very sweet talker.
“After getting to know each other for a few months, he moved from Melaka to my house here. He presented himself as a good man who would even send my daughter to school and my mother to the market,” she said.
She shared this during a press conference organised by Johor MCA Youth public services and complaints bureau chief Henry Mok Teck Fatt on Thursday (July 18).
Lee said the 30-year-old man slowly revealed his true colours six months into the relationship when he began asking for money and even stole her credit card at one point.
“He worked as a private driver ferrying people between Johor and Singapore. After working with a company for a few months, he decided to start his own business, providing the same service. He asked me to help him buy a car to kick-start his business, which I agreed to as I trusted he would return the money once he was stable," she said.
“After some time, he asked me to get him another car to help boost his business, which I also obliged as I believed things would change for the better.”
Lee said she took out her entire life savings and even borrowed money from her mother to buy two second-hand cars for her ex-boyfriend.
“The first car, which was about RM100,000, was under my name, while the second car, which was about RM70,000, was under his name.
"Last year, he sold the car that was under his name without even consulting me. I had been asking him repeatedly about the whereabouts of the money, but he kept ignoring me.
“After losing so much money, I had to sell my house just to pay bills and other expenses,” she said.
Lee said her ex-boyfriend also hit her once, causing injuries to the back of her head.
“I did not file a report as I thought he would change. Each time he did something to upset me, he would apologise profusely and guilt trip me into giving him another chance. However, my patience ended when another woman contacted me saying she had a relationship with my boyfriend and he had also taken money from her before disappearing.
“He told her the same sob story about his dead father and ex-girlfriend. He even told her that I was his wife and that I had taken everything he owned after our divorce, which are all lies,” she said.
What made matters worse was that the man, whom she had chased out of her home last month, had also been borrowing money from loan sharks, who were now coming after her.
“My main concern is the safety of my family, especially since I am living with my mother, daughter, and pregnant sister-in-law and her baby.
"A note with a photo of his MyKad was sent to my house a few months ago, claiming he had borrowed money from a loan shark.
"It is only a matter of time before they start harassing me and my family to get to him. I have been living in fear and am not sure how many loan sharks he borrowed money from,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mok urged the public to be wary of such individuals and not to give everything to a person they hardly know.
“I hope the public is aware of such individuals and to be extra careful. I also urge those who lent money to this man to chase after him, not this woman who is also a victim,” he said.
