KUALA LUMPUR: A 37-year-old chef gave his name and bank account number to his ex-colleague when the latter asked him for a favour.
However, his 34-year-old friend took advantage of his kindess and used the chef’s name to take out loans from an Ah Long.
The victim, who only wanted to be known as Chong, said his friend, Ah Hao, had visited him in his hometown in Raub, Pahang, back in September.
“In September, Ah Hao travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Raub and asked me to bring him out to buy durian.
“Before going to the durian estate, Ah Hao asked me to give him my account number so that another friend can transfer money to him for the durians as his own account has been blacklisted.
“I didn’t question him and gave him my account number. I later withdrew RM800 for him,” he told a press conference at MCA Public Services and Complaints Department (PSCD), here, today.
The father-of-three said his nightmare began after the durian trip.
“On Sept 26, debt collectors came to house asking me to pay back the loan that I have taken from Ah Long. They left a poster with my photo and details and asked me to contact them.
“When we called, they told me that I had taken two loans, amounting to RM6,300. But when I asked them to provide proof, they failed to give me any evidence. They also refused to meet me, only told me to transfer the money to their account to settle the loan.
“After the first visit, the group came again on Oct 26, Nov 13, and Nov 26, where they splattered red paint at my house,” he said.
Chong said he had lodged a complaint at PSCD on Nov 21, where PSCD head Datuk Seri Michael Chong advised him to install closed-circuit television to capture the culprits.
“We manage to capture videos of the culprits splattering red paint at my house on Nov 26. I handed over the footage to the police and police told me that the debt collectors are using a fake vehicle registration number.
“I hope Ah Hao will come forward to settle the problem. Ah Hao cannot be contacted. I don’t know how much he had borrowed using my name and from how many Ah Longs,” he said.
He added that his family members have since been living in fear.
Meanwhile, Chong said he had received numerous complaints from victims who gave their details and MyKad to their friends or even strangers.
“Some give it to their friends as they wanted to help their friend and some gave it to strangers to earn commission.
“Members of the public must not give their details to anyone as some may abuse it to take out loans from loan sharks or use it for criminal purposes,” he said.