Credit card application turns into a nightmare
JOHOR BARU: A simple credit card application turned Phoon Kin Fai's life upside down after his personal details fell into the wrong hands.
The 41-year-old cook said he submitted his credit card application through a mobile app on May 8 and was later contacted by someone claiming to be a representative from the company.
'A person who claimed to be from the company sent me a message the next day, asking for my personal details, including my bank account number.
'Convinced that he was legitimately from the company, I provided the details thinking it was part of the process.
'It did not cross my mind that it could be a scam as it seemed too much of a coincidence for someone to know I was applying for a credit card from that particular company just a day later,' he said, adding that the person also used the company's logo as his profile photo.
Phoon said this at a press conference arranged by Johor MCA Youth public services and complaints bureau chief Henry Mok at the Southern Johor Chinese Media Clubhouse here yesterday.
He added that a few hours after the first exchange, the scammer deposited RM600 into his bank account.
'He claimed the money was a loan I had requested. I was shocked as I had never asked for such a loan.
'He then demanded that I pay back RM1,200, including interest and service charges, by May 12, which was just five days later.
'I paid him RM600 the next day but refused to give any more,' he said, adding that he lodged a police report at the Nusa Bestari police station on the same day.
Phoon said he later blocked the scammer's number and several others linked to the individual, following police advice.
'They threatened to burn my house down and go after my family, including my elderly parents.
'They even sent videos of other houses they claimed to have been attacked, saying that the same would happen to me if I were to refuse to pay. After failing to reach me, they contacted my wife and continued the harassment.
'They accurately described my house and the car parked outside. It is terrifying, especially since my wife and our young children are at home,' he said.
Meanwhile, Mok said he would be sending a letter to the company Phoon had first applied for the credit card to find out more.
'I will also engage with the police as I have been seeing a rise in scam cases, including those involving loan sharks, in the last few months.
'I receive no fewer than 10 such cases each month, and sometimes two to three cases in a single day,' he said, urging the government to impose heavier penalties for such crimes.
When contacted, Iskandar Puteri OCPD Asst Comm M. Kumarasan confirmed that they received a report and the case was being investigated.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Teenage boys discover dead baby at playground
RESIDENTS at a people's housing project (PPR) in Gua Musang were shocked to discover the body of an infant at the community playground, reported Berita Harian. The body of the male infant was reportedly found wrapped in a piece of cloth beside a shelter at about 10.30pm. Fauziah Abdullah, a 45-year-old resident, said two teenage boys found the body. According to Fauziah, one of the boys claimed he felt he had stepped on something unusual in the dark, which prompted them to report the finding to police. Gua Musang OCPD Superintendent Sik Choon Foo, confirmed the discovery. He said the baby was already dead when discovered. > Local singer Zehra Zambri, 38, has claimed that her 42-year-old husband Nur Mohd Iqwan Samsudin has been missing since early last month, the daily also reported. According to Zehra, her lawyer has been unable to reach Iqwan to discuss their divorce proceedings. 'The last time we communicated was when he visited our sick child in hospital on July 10. 'I've tried reaching out regarding our child's needs, but there's no response. Previously he would answer, but now he's vanished without a trace,' Zehra was quoted as saying outside the Hulu Langat Syariah court. Zehra hopes that the resolution process through Hakam Islah would proceed smoothly. Zehra had filed a divorce application on March 7 this year. Zehra and Iqwan were married on Nov 10, 2021, and have a daughter together named Zahiyah Iqleela. (The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Two girls deny assaulting, unlawfully confining schoolmate
SUNGAI PETANI: Two 13-year-old girls pleaded not guilty at the Magistrate's Court here to two charges of assault and wrongfully confining a schoolmate. The Form One students entered their plea after the joint charges were read before magistrate Mohamad Azlan Basri. On the first charge, both accused are alleged to have voluntarily caused hurt to the 13-year-old victim in a school toilet at 6.40 pm on July 14. They were charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of one year, fine of up to RM2,000, or both, upon conviction. On the second charge, both accused are alleged to have wrongfully confined the victim at the same location, time and date, Bernama reported. This charge was brought under Section 342 of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of one year, fine of up to RM2,000, or both, upon conviction. Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nur Hazwani Md Nor requested the court impose a bail of RM4,000 on each accused. Counsel N. Nagaratnam sought a reduction, citing that both accused were still students. The court set bail at RM2,000 each with one surety, on condition that neither accused shall contact the victim. Mention was fixed for Sept 23. It was reported that a Form One student at a secondary school here was believed to have been bullied by her schoolmates. She was reportedly discovered in the school toilet, her hands and feet bound by a necktie and mouth gagged with a handkerchief. In a separate matter before the same court, two 15-year-old boys pleaded guilty to voluntarily causing hurt to a 16-year-old boy. They were accused of committing the offence at a school here at 12.15 pm on July 21. They were charged under Section 323 of the Penal Code, which provides for jail of up to a year, fine of up to RM2,000, or both, upon conviction. The court did not impose sentencing pending the status of their character reports. Bail was set at RM1,000 each with one surety.
The Star
11 hours ago
- The Star
Jail for Malaysian man who scammed at least five people over illegal cross-border taxi services in Singapore
SINGAPORE: A driver who provided illegal cross-border taxi services between Singapore and Malaysia decided to flout the law further by cheating his customers. Pretending he would provide them with such transport services, Tan Wei Yap took deposits from them, then cut off contact. On Wednesday (Aug 13), the 32-year-old Malaysian was sentenced to seven months' jail after he pleaded guilty to three cheating charges. Five similar charges were taken into consideration for his sentencing. The court heard that Tan, also known as 'Sky', was a driver at a Malaysian company providing illegal cross-border taxi services across the Causeway. He earned about RM1,000 (S$305) to RM5,000 monthly, but turned to cheating customers when he experienced financial difficulties. Over about nine months from April 16, 2024, to Jan 8, 2025, Tan scammed at least five victims of about $1,862. He monitored social media platforms for cross-border taxi services requests and privately messaged potential victims. To appear credible, he told them he was from a firm named 'Sky Ye Transport' and collected deposits from them. Once the victims had made the deposits, he confirmed the bookings and sent them photos of a vehicle and an individual, who was actually his former boss. On the scheduled pickup day, Tan did not appear and became uncontactable when the victims sent him messages. One of the victims was recommended to Tan's company by a colleague when she was planning a trip to Cameron Highlands with her friends and family. When she decided to engage Tan's services, he told her to pay a deposit of RM2,500 and said that another RM2,500 would be payable after the trips were completed. But after she paid the initial deposit, he kept asking her to transfer more money, ostensibly to purchase 'mandatory travel insurance'. The victim refused and asked him for receipts, upon which Tan added his 'secretary' to a group chat with the victim. Investigations revealed later that this second mobile number belonged to Tan. Sensing something was amiss, the victim asked him to refund the deposit. But Tan assured her that his company was licensed and that she had to pay a 30 per cent penalty if she insisted on a refund. The victim later said she would report the matter to the police, prompting Tan and his 'secretary' to leave the group chat. Following a police report lodged by another victim on Jan 23, Tan was placed on an immigration stop list. He was stopped on Jan 30 when he tried to enter Singapore via Woodlands Checkpoint by car at about 8am. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) alerted the police, and told Tan to report to a police investigation officer (IO) the next day. They also informed him that he was not allowed to leave Singapore until he did so, which Tan acknowledged. However, he tried to leave Singapore for Johor Bahru at 8.20pm on the same day and was stopped again. Deputy Public Prosecutor Colin Ng said: 'The accused claimed that he wanted to return to (Johor Bahru) for a meal before reporting to the IO in Singapore the next day.' Tan was arrested on Jan 31 and charged in court the next day. He did not make any restitution to the victims. Asking for Tan to be jailed for between 26 and 30 weeks, DPP Ng highlighted the premeditation and planning behind his offences. The authorities have lately been clamping down on illegal cross-border passenger transport services, with 19 drivers caught in a combined operation on Aug 5 by ICA and the Land Transport Authority (LTA). According to LTA, 136 drivers have been caught providing such services since 2022, and their foreign-registered vehicles were impounded. Those who have been charged and convicted so far have been fined up to $2,600 and had the vehicles forfeited. - The Straits Times/ANN
