KUALA LUMPUR: A woman who raised donation money for 44 coffins for the needy, was implicated in a wrong-doing after the funds she collected were not reflected in bank statements and were unaccounted for.
The good Samaritan, identified as Ivy Chong, is a 27-year-old self-employed woman from Johor. She has been known for her charitable work since 2017.
She said a woman named Cindy Chua approached her last month and added her to a WeChat group, in which the group members were all involved in various charitable works.
Ivy Chong then managed to raise RM11,500 from her well-wishers and transferred the money to Chua and her husband’s accounts.
Later, another woman in the same WeChat group, named Linda Lee, claimed she needed RM154,000 to buy coffins for 44 foreign workers. To support her claims, Lee provided invoices for the coffins as well as the death certificates of the foreign workers.
Ivy Chong said she raised another RM45,500 and transferred the money to Chua, who acted as a middleman.
However, one of the well-wishers who had donated money earlier, called Chong a con artist after learning that the invoices and death certificates were fake.
Ivy Chong checked with the bank and found out that from the total sum, RM19,000 was not reflected in the bank statement.
She lodged two police reports and brought the matter up with MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong.
Michael Chong advised the public to be cautious when making donations. “I know these days we are surrounded with people who are noble and wants to do something good for others, but if you want to donate, verify the other end first,“ he said at the MCA headquarters today.
