KUALA LUMPUR: A 37-year-old chef has claimed that he is being hounded by loan sharks after giving his name and bank account to his ex-colleague.
The chef, who wanted to be known only as Chong, said he now fears for his family’s safety after he was cheated by his ex-colleague identified as Ah Hao.
Chong said Ah Hao had visited him in his hometown in Raub, Pahang, in September to buy RM2,000 worth of durians but was short of RM800.
“He told me that his bank account was blocked and asked for my bank account number so that the remaining RM800 can be deposited into my account,“ Chong said at a press conference in Wisma MCA today.
Chong gave him his account number and later withdrew RM800 for him.
The father of three said his nightmare began after the durian purchase.
On Sept 26, debt collectors came to Chong’s house asking him to pay back the loan that he took from an Ah Long. They left a poster with his photo and details and asked him to contact them.
“When we called, they told me that I had taken two loans, amounting to RM6,300,“ he said.
“However, when I asked them to provide evidence, they failed to give me any.
“They also refused to meet me, only told me to transfer the money to their account to settle the loan. The group came again on Oct 26, Nov 13, and Nov 26, where they splattered red paint at my house.”
Chong subsequently lodged a police report and filed a complaint at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department to urge Ah Hao to come forward.
“I hope Ah Hao will come forward to resolve this issue. Ah Hao cannot be contacted. I don’t know how much he had borrowed using my name and from how many Ah Longs,“ he added.
MCA public services and complaints department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong urged members of the public to be cautious when disclosing their bank account details.
He also advised the public to not share their MyKad details with anyone.
