Single mother in Kuching loses RM5,800 to personal loan scam

KUCHING (Jan 30): A single mother of three here lost RM5,800 to a fraudulent personal loan scam, in which the suspect impersonated a representative of a digital bank.

According to George Lam, special assistant to Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii, the ordeal began on 22 December last year when the 39-year-old victim, identified as Chang, was contacted via WhatsApp by an individual claiming to be “Darren Lee”, who promised to facilitate a RM20,000 personal loan from RYT Bank.

“The suspect later instructed the victim to settle her alleged outstanding balances with Shopee PayLater, Shopee Loan and an LG Subscription, claiming this would improve her CTOS and CCRIS credit scores.

“The victim was then directed to transfer money to several private bank accounts,” Lam told a press conference at Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak headquarters here.

After making the payments, the victim discovered her balances remained unchanged.

“Despite this, the suspect continued to demand further payments as a condition for loan approval,” he added.

The victim realised she had fallen prey to a scam, suffering a total loss of RM5,800, before lodging a police report.

Lam stressed that such tactics violate standard banking procedures, noting that no legitimate bank or licensed financial institution would ever require upfront payments, debt settlement, or transfers to personal bank accounts, particularly via informal platforms such as WhatsApp.

He said the suspect may have obtained the victim’s identification card number to access her CTOS record.

“It is deeply concerning that scammers often target financially vulnerable groups, including single mothers, low-income earners and individuals in urgent need of financial assistance,” he said.

Lam called on the police to conduct a thorough investigation and urged banks and enforcement agencies to step up public awareness efforts to prevent similar scams.

He also urged the federal government to address the growing problem of “money mule” accounts by amending existing laws and imposing harsher penalties on individuals who knowingly or negligently allow their bank accounts to be used by scam syndicates.

He also urged the public to remain vigilant against any loan offers that require advance payments for approval.

“Scams continue to thrive because money mule accounts remain easily accessible. Without these accounts, scammers would not be able to receive funds.

“The government must act decisively at the source by strengthening the law to dismantle the entire scam ecosystem,” he said.

Lam added that the MP’s Service Centre will continue to follow up on the case and provide assistance to the victim, ensuring that the rights of vulnerable communities are protected.