JOHOR BARU: An elderly married couple here has logded a police report after claiming that they had been threatened by a scammer posing as an Ah Long or loan shark.
The daughter of the victims, both aged 70, who only wanted to be known as Lim said her parents’ house in Taman Johor Jaya was also splashed with red paint while the pillar was set on fire on May 27 and 30.
The 45-year-old single mother said the incident was believed to have stemmed from her 20-year-old nephew, who tried to apply for SG$3,500 (RM10,708) loan from eight Singapore-based financial institutions on April 22.
Lim said her nephew found out about the loan through advertisements on Facebook.
She said all the institutions were using the same tactic of imposing a ‘test payment’ on borrowers and the loan amount would be increased for overdue payments.
“My nephew had received SG$350 (RM1,071) as a test payment and due to two hours late in repayment, the amount was raised to SG$800 (RM2,448).
“So far, a total of SG$6,790 (RM20,808) has been paid to the eight institutions, but no loan has been granted,” she told reporters at a media conference organised by Pasir Gudang MCA Public Complaints Bureau deputy chief Ang Tun Chek here today.
Lim said her nephew who works as an operator in Singapore was currently being quarantined after returning to Johor Baru on May 28.
She said, a police report was lodged at the Johor Jaya Police Station on May 31, hoping that immediate action could be taken as she was concerned over the safety of her parents. — Bernama
