By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 29: A 26-year-old woman from Miri who fell victim to a recent loan scam continued to receive threats from a scammer who threatened to disclose her personal details on social media, portraying her as a scammer.
Based on the chronology of events, the victim who currently works in Kuching, attempted to secure a RM50,000 loan after seeing a Facebook advertisement on Oct 20.
The next day (Oct 21), she received a WhatsApp message requesting her salary slip, bank statement, and ID document.
By 7pm, she was informed that her loan was approved and was asked for her bank account details and family contacts.
Later, the suspect claimed they needed a RM2,000 advance for a credit check, promising to return it with an additional RM1,000, raising her suspicions.
The victim then decided to cancel the loan on the same day.
The following day (Oct 22), she received RM100 in her account and was then asked to pay RM2,900 as a cancellation fee. The scammer also threatened to use her personal information to take out online loans in her name.
This prompted the victim to seek help from Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau (PCB) chief Milton Foo and subsequently file a police report on Oct 24.
Yesterday (Oct 28), the victim received another WhatsApp message or call from the scammer, extorting her for the payment to “settle the matter” or risk having her personal information uploaded on social media.
Feeling uneasy and intimidated, the victim informed the matter to the investigating officer, who told her to block the scammer’s number.
In this case, the victim fortunately did not suffer any financial losses because when the scammer asked her to pay the so-called processing fees, she became suspicious and decided not to proceed with the transaction.
The RM100 that she received on her account had also been returned to the sender’s account.
Following these events, Foo during a press conference at SUPP headquarters in Kuching today, expressed his disappointment in law enforcement agencies’ effort to curb the rampant scam cases.
He also called on the Communications Ministry to play an active role in blocking fraudulent advertisements on social media.
“These syndicates cause great concern for victims who are deceived, as they also pose a threat to the safety of victims and their families.
“They use psychological tactics to intimidate you, making your family feel threatened and forcing you to give whatever they demand.
“I firmly believe that justice may be delayed, but it will never be lost because we have laws and order in our country,” he said. — DayakDaily
