Sibu man made RM60,000 poorer after falling victim to loan scam

SIBU (Dec 21): A man’s bid to secure a loan of RM80,000 to start a business has left him poorer by nearly RM60,000 within a span of just four days.

In revealing this, National Consumer Action Council (MTPN) Sibu branch chairman Lucas Lau said the victim surnamed Ling, who is in his 30s, came across a website of a company claiming to be a ‘professional loan consultant’ that offered loans at an annual interest rate of 2.88 per cent.

“Ling was first asked to fill in his contact details and was contacted by someone from the company the next day.

“At first, the scammer asked whether his parents could be the guarantor, but Ling said no. In view of that, he was asked to pay an advance of RM7,000 which he did,” Lau told a press conference here today.

He said from Dec 5 to 8, Ling was asked to make payments for things such as insurance, credit score, bank activation and others.

“The victim made 13 transactions to five different accounts totalling about RM60,000 in just four days. When he refused to make further payments, the scammers threatened to lodge a police report accusing him of being involved in illegal activities,” said Lau.

This, he added, prompted Ling to file a police report of his own.

In this regard, Lau advised the people to never attempt to seek an easy way out when it comes to securing loans.

“The victim in this particular case believes that had he consulted with his family members before deciding to apply for the loan, he would not have lost his money.

“So I would like to urge everyone to always be careful as anyone can be a victim of a scam,” he said.