By DayakDaily Team
SIBU, June 20: An individual here turned to the service centre of Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing, and Local Government (Public Health and Housing), Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee, for help after allegedly falling victim to threats and extortion by an unlicensed online lender.
According to a report from TVS, the complainant claimed to have borrowed RM15,000 from an unlicensed online moneylending business and had repaid RM7,500 into a bank account provided by the lender.
However, the lender later allegedly claimed that the payment had not been received because the account had supposedly been frozen, and subsequently demanded an additional RM30,000 in compensation from the complainant.
The complainant rejected the demand, stating the intention to only settle the remaining RM7,500 balance to fully repay the RM15,000 loan.
The service centre assisted the complainant in lodging a police report, whereby initial police investigations found that the account, which was allegedly said to have been frozen, was in fact still active and functioning normally.
Following the discovery, police took action to freeze the account to facilitate further investigations, and based on the latest findings of the investigation, the complainant does not need to pay any additional claims or disputed outstanding debt.
Meanwhile, police advised the public to lodge complaints with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) if their personal information is disseminated on online platforms.
The public was also reminded not to deal with unlicensed moneylenders and to seek assistance from the authorities immediately if they become victims of threats or extortion. — DayakDaily
