Perak MCA Public Service and complaints bureau chief Charles Yuen giving a press conference on the illegal money lending platform whereby the perpetrators threatned and extort more payment and even set fire to the victim's family home twice.
IPOH: A former restaurant worker is at her wits end after loan sharks threatened to harm her family and neighbours, despite having settled the "debt" incurred by her 20-year-old son.
Chin Poh Wan, 42, who is currently unemployed, said loan sharks have threatened to kidnap her son and burn down her parents' and neighbours' houses if she did not pay them.
"They threatened to sell my son to Vietnam and also burn down the whole row of houses where my parents are staying.
They also threatened to find me at my workplace," she said at a press conference held by Perak MCA public services and complaints bureau chief Charles Yuen on Monday (Dec 16).
Chin added that she would get up to seven calls from unknown numbers daily on WhatsApp.
“I have switched off my mobile phone to avoid being harassed," she said.
Chin said Molotov cocktails have been thrown at her parents' home twice, the first time in mid-November and more recently, last week.
"In the first incident, my car was damaged. The second time, my father's and two of my neighbours' cars were damaged, as the Molotov cocktails were also thrown at their homes," she said.
Chin then added that the electricity supply to her parents' home has been cut off due to burnt cables and said that the trouble began when her son clicked on a money-lending advertisement on Facebook in October to borrow about S$3,000 (RM9,924)
"After giving his particulars, he got S$500 (RM1,654) deposited into his account but was required to pay S$700 (RM2,315) to secure the remaining sum.
Feeling something amiss, my son returned the money and blocked the number that was in contact with him," she said.
Chin then said that her son gave her number as a contact to the loan sharks and added that they began to harass and threaten her.
" I asked them how much I needed to pay to settle the matter and agreed on RM31,200 which I collected and paid," she said.
"However, I got another call, saying that my son still owed them more money and they continued to threaten us," she added.
Chin said she is no longer able to pay the loan sharks as she has quit her job.
"They are like vampires and are not satisfied even after I've paid them. I hope that they can just let us go and don't harm my family and neighbours, who are all innocent," she added.
Meanwhile, Yuen said that he has spoken to the case’s investigating officer and was told that an individual who is believed to be linked to the Molotov cocktail thrown at Chin’s parents’ home has been arrested.
“This is a serious matter, as it involves not just one family, but has affected the neighbours as well," he said.
"We would like to call on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to do something to reduce the money-lending advertisements on social media platforms.
We also call on the local authorities to remove the physical banners from lamp posts or the streets," added Yuen.
