KUCHING: A local businesswoman narrowly avoided financial loss in a fake online loan scheme, only to face escalating threats from scammers who continue to demand payment to settle the “loan cancellation”.
Last week, the victim, in her 20s, had initially applied for an RM50,000 online loan. She submitted her personal information, including a selfie with her identity card and her family members’ contact numbers, to the scammer.
She was soon informed her loan was “approved” but was told to transfer RM2,000 as a credit verification fee, with a promise that RM3,000 would be refunded. Sensing something amiss, she cancelled the loan the same day.
Despite the cancellation, the scammer persisted and sent her a bank transfer slip, indicating a deposit of RM100 into her account. The scammer later claimed she owed RM2,900 in “cancellation fees” and threatened to expose her personal details online if she didn’t comply.
It was understood that the RM100 deposit has since been transferred back to the scammer’s account by the victim’s bank.
Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Public Complaint Bureau chief Milton Foo Tiang Wee, who is currently assisting the victim, said that a police report was filed for further action and the victim did not suffer any financial loss.
“On Monday (Oct 28), the victim received another call from the scammer, who now used the number — 017-5147065, demanding payment without mentioning an exact figure, only pressuring her to settle the ‘matter’.
“The scammer also sent photos of the victim, her personal details and family, while labelling her a “con woman” and threatening to post the photos on Facebook if she failed to pay them,” he said in a press conference yesterday (Oct 29).
Shaken by the threat, the victim turned to Foo, who advised her to inform the investigating officer on her case.
The officer had advised her and her family to block all calls and messages from the scammer’s numbers.
“Hopefully this matter can be put to a stop. I don’t know what the scammer will do next, but we will try our best to do what we can for her and for her family,” he said.
On another note, Foo also expressed frustration over what he described as insufficient efforts to combat scams, which he says are rapidly increasing in frequency and sophistication.
“We cannot condone such acts by scammers. With the advancement of technology, I don’t believe that nothing can be done to curb scams, take down fake online advertisements or trace these scammers’ locations.
“The police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) must be able to do something to curb all this. We cannot let this happen endlessly and make our people suffer every day,” he said.
