Seeking justice: Chong (seated, second from right) with the loan shark harassment victims at the press conference. — ONG SOON HIN/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: After 37 years of believing her father was dead, Yaw Kai Hui was shocked to hear about him through a loan shark.
Yaw, who has never met her father, received a call on Sept 19 from a loan shark, claiming that her father had borrowed money.
“When I first got the call, I thought it was a scam because I believed he was dead.
“Then, I received a picture of a man and showed it to my mum to verify if he was actually my dad,” Yaw said.
To her surprise, the man in the photograph did turn out to be her father.
She claimed to have also received a threatening text message that included a picture of herself and her mother.
“I was surprised at how my father obtained my information, especially since I didn’t even know who he was,” she added.
She is unaware of the amount her father borrowed, and the loan shark is now demanding that she locate him for repayment.
At a press conference yesterday, MCA’s Public Services and Complaints Bureau head Datuk Seri Michael Chong highlighted Yaw’s case along with others involving individuals being pressured to settle debts for relatives and acquaintances they have not seen in years.
One such case is that of A. Andiappan, who claimed to have been approached by a man seeking a distant relative with an outstanding loan. The man also took a photo of Andiappan’s house.
Three weeks later, his daughter-in-law N. Gawri’s car was vandalised with coloured paint. She later filed a police report.
On Sept 20, Andiappan received a threatening message demanding that he pay RM15,000 or his house would be burned down by Deepavali.
“I have never met this distant relative and it has been 25 years since my father-in-law last saw him. Now, we are being pressured to settle a debt for him while our safety is at risk,” said Gawri.
The family had lodged four police reports, but no action had been taken so far.
Chong said he would personally reach out to the respective police station over the matter.
In another case, Lee Ling Ling, a 50-year-old teacher, became a guarantor for her friend Ah Mui in 2019.
Ah Mui, believed to have fled in early August, had borrowed RM28,000 and paid a total of RM47,930 in interest.
Now, loan sharks are demanding that Lee pay a remaining balance of RM20,500.
“I only wanted to help my friend. I hope they stop harassing me,” said Lee, who filed a police report on Sept 15.
Chong urged the public to file police reports if they encountered similar cases.
“We have received 266 reports to date regarding loan shark cases involving over RM24mil,” he said.
