Latest news with #MichaelChong
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Loan sharks using 'mistress ruse' to harass, claims family
KUALA LUMPUR: A woman from Jinjang Utara here has lodged multiple police reports after her family was allegedly targeted by loan sharks using a woman, posing as her father's mistress, to demand payment. The complainant, a 32-year-old customer service worker, said the harassment began in June last year. That was when a woman in her 30s, who identified herself as "Little 3", began calling family members and claiming to be involved with her 57-year-old father. The woman reportedly pressured them to repay debts he allegedly owed, the true amount of which remains unclear. In one instance, "Little 3" appeared at the family's grandmother's home and demanded RM300,000 after showing a loan agreement purportedly signed by the father. The family claimed more loan shark threats followed each of her appearances. "Normally, a mistress would come and just demand money, but because of the loan agreement, the family strongly believes that she is not his mistress but a loan shark," said MCA Public Complaints and Services Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong. This was at a press conference highlighting several loan shark-related cases at Wisma MCA today. The complainant and other members of her family were present. The alleged mistress also distributed the father's photograph online. Posters were also sent to relatives in an apparent effort to shame the family into paying. The complainant's father has long been absent from the household due to work and had prior issues with loan sharks. The family confronted their father about the allegations, but he denied having any relationship with her. The family urged the father, who has since been untraceable, to come forward and take responsibility for the loan. MCA Youth Legal Bureau deputy chief Victor Teoh said that if the loan agreement was genuine, the family may have legal grounds to sue the father. Chong said the case reflects a trend in which loan sharks adopt subtler, more manipulative tactics involving women to avoid risks. As of today, his department has recorded 196 loan shark cases, involving more than RM20 million. The press conference also highlighted other complainants, whose cases involve strange and alarming circumstances. A housewife in Petaling Jaya discovered her front gate chained and padlocked with a threatening note on 26 June. The note contained an IC copy of a man whom she had never met, with her home address listed. Although police later contacted the lenders who claimed the man owed them RM300, they demanded RM5,000 from the housewife to remove her from a blacklist. The woman had also received official letters and debit cards addressed to the man over the past year. She believes her address was fraudulently used in the scam. In a separate case, a 29-year-old accountant from Klang said she repaid all her loan shark debts earlier this month, only to find RM3,000 mysteriously deposited into her account. She was later contacted by a man claiming to be the depositor, demanding repayment. After blocking him, another man began threatening her with property damage and harassing her family. Meanwhile, a coach in Rawang reported that his elder brother, a hardware shop owner and habitual gambler, had disappeared after taking out further loans. The family, having already paid RM300,000 on his behalf, was now facing new threats. They attended the press conference to formally disown him to avoid further intimidation.
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
'Ah long' posing a debtor's mistress harasses family members for payment
PETALING JAYA: Gone are the days of red paint with loan sharks now employing more "obscure" tactics to mentally torment debtors and their families. According to MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, loan sharks are now masquerading as the debtor's mistress to harass family members for their money. One such victim, a 32-year-old who only wanted to be known as Ng, told a press conference at Wisma MCA that a so-called mistress of her father had started harassing her family since July 2024. She claimed that the woman demanded RM300,000 from the family as payment for a loan allegedly taken by her father. The woman suddenly showed up at her grandmother's home demanding that the family take responsibility. Ng said that this was not the first time loan sharks had approached her family as her father was a habitual borrower with the family already settling RM150,000 of his past debts. "We confronted my father last year demanding to know if he actually had a mistress and he denied it. He has since disappeared for the last six months and this woman continues to harass us over this money," she said. The "mistress" had also posted photos of her father at the complainant's aunt's house to mount pressure on the family to pay up. Chong said that it is highly unlikely that the woman was a mistress. "What mistress would have a loan agreement for this sort of matter? We urge the father to come out to settle this issue," he said.
The Star
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Fans outraged after organisers disappear with concert refunds
MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong during a press conference at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Fans of a Korean singer, whose fan meeting here was cancelled, are demanding refunds from the organisers, who they claim have disappeared. A group, headed by a woman known as Saza, announced that the event featuring Korean singer Onew, titled the 'Guess Onew Fanmeeting 2024', was initially scheduled for July 27. However, the venue was altered before the event was ultimately cancelled. Fans who purchased tickets through an online portal were informed that the refund had been returned to the event organisers. 'We were told that the refund process would begin in August and be fully completed by December. However, we have yet to get any refunds at all. 'In the meantime, the event organiser has continued to conduct events, with at least three we know of since the cancellation of this one,' Saza, who also works as a lawyer, said. MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who organised the press conference for the group, stated that several members had taken the issue to the Tribunal for Consumer Claims and had received a decision allowing them to pursue their refunds. He added that the group had collectively lost around RM20,000 from the unfulfilled tickets. However, efforts to serve the letter to the company have been unsuccessful, with the group claiming that the premises had been vacated. 'We will give them a week to respond to us. I hope they will come so we can solve this matter without requiring a civil suit. 'If they fail to do so, then we will need to move on to the second step, and we will cross that bridge if we are forced to,' he said. Saza added that they have tried numerous avenues to retrieve their money, including getting in contact with the talent agency that had planned to bring the singer over. She added that they were told they were in a legal dispute with the organiser. 'I pity the foreign fans the most because they do not have the avenue to come here to fight this in person,' she said.
The Star
15-07-2025
- The Star
Fan group wants money back after event organiser refuses to comply with tribunal's refund decision
KUALA LUMPUR: A group of fans are demanding their money back after an event organiser refused to comply with a tribunal's decision for refunds. The group, led by a woman who goes by Saza, said that the event was originally due to be held on July 27, 2024, but had its venue changed before ultimately being cancelled. "We were told that the refund process would begin in August and be fully completed by December. However, we have yet to get any refunds at all. "In the meantime, the event organiser has continued to conduct events with at least three that we know off since the cancellation of this one," she said. MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who organised the press conference for the group, said that several members had brought the matter to the Consumer Claims Tribunal and that they had received the decision to claim their refunds. He added that the group had collectively lost around RM20,000 from the unfulfilled tickets. However, efforts to serve the letter to the company have been unsuccessful, with the group claiming that their premise had been vacated. "We will give them a week to respond to us. I hope they will come so we can solve this matter without requiring a civil suit. "If they fail to do so then we will need to move on to the second step and we will cross that bridge if we are forced to," he said.
Free Malaysia Today
11-07-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Loan shark threatens to expose nude photo of 14-year-old girl
MCA public services and complaints department chief Michael Chong (standing third from left) and Ms Yap (standing third from right) during a press conference at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur today. KUALA LUMPUR : A 14-year-old girl was blackmailed by a loan shark who threatened to expose her nude photo on social media after she was lured into an online job scam. The victim, identified only as Ms Yap, responded to a 'part-time job' offer sent via WhatsApp and was added to a Telegram group offering paid online tasks. She was instructed to transfer RM30 to begin the tasks and received RM60 after completing two assignments. However, during her third task, she was told she had made a mistake and was asked to top up RM500 to proceed. She was later told to pay another RM1,000, which she could not do. On July 5, she approached a loan shark known as 'Terry' who demanded a nude photo and her family's personal details as collateral after claiming it was necessary as she was underage and could not sign a loan agreement. The RM1,000 was disbursed to her via an e-wallet, and Terry instructed her to repay RM1,500 within six days. Her father settled the RM1,500 debt on Monday, believing the matter was closed. However, on Tuesday, Terry called again, claiming that the early repayment had caused a system error, and demanded RM15,000. He threatened to post the girl's nude photo on Facebook and warned that he would take further action against the family if payment was not made. The family lodged a police report on Tuesday and met with MCA public services and complaints department chief Michael Chong yesterday. Speaking at a press conference here, Chong said the case was one of 43 scam-related complaints involving women this year, including at least three incidents of extortion with nude photos. 'This case is just the tip of the iceberg,' he said. 'These scam syndicates are now working with Ah Longs (loan sharks) using platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram and Telegram to exploit young women.' Chong urged parents to monitor their children's online activity and warned the youth against falling for promises of easy cash through online jobs or investment schemes. He also called for stronger enforcement and awareness campaigns to tackle the growing threat of digital exploitation involving scam syndicates and illegal moneylenders. Woman tricked into paying RM18,100 after believing she won Singapore lottery In a separate case, Ms Leong, a 24-year-old woman from Puchong, Selangor, fell victim to a transnational lottery scam after being duped by a self-proclaimed 'master' based in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Leong said the scam began after she was promised help winning the Singapore lottery. She was told to pay RM1,600 to purchase a ticket through one of the so-called master's 'followers' in Singapore. Shortly after, she was informed that she had won second prize, amounting to RM1.76 million. However, the follower claimed that the winnings were 'stuck' due to tax and banking issues, and requested RM8,000 to process their release. Believing that the prize was real, Leong made the payment and even gave an additional RM4,000 in cash as a 'gesture of gratitude'. In her attempt to claim the supposed prize money, Leong ended up borrowing a total of RM18,100 from seven different loan sharks. She sought help after realising that she had been conned.
