KUCHING: A local businesswoman, who sought financial support for her struggling business amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, fell victim to an online loan scam that has left her reeling with losses exceeding RM60,000.
To make matters worse, the suspects harassed and threatened her family.
The 40-year-old woman’s ordeal began when she responded to an advertisement on Facebook in May.
“After clicking a link in the advertisement, I was redirected to WhatsApp.
“I wanted to borrow RM20,000, but since I was a first-time applicant, I was only offered RM2,000,” she told a press conference at the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Public Complaints Bureau yesterday (Sept 26).
However, she only received RM1,400 in her account, credited from a personal bank account. She was obligated to repay RM1,800.
In addition, she would also have to pay a weekly “interest” and an alleged administrative fee of RM600.
From May to September this year, she accepted loan offers from 32 different contacts ranging from RM400 to RM1,500, to cover various interest charges.
Unknowingly, she had accrued debts amounting to RM32,000 while paying over RM60,000 in interest charges to various bank accounts each time.
If she was unable to meet the repayments, the suspects would post her photos on social media, labelling her as a cheater and debtor.
“They also hacked into my phone, gaining access to my contacts and creating chat groups to expose my predicament.
“They threatened to find my husband and, even worse, to locate my children at their schools,” she said.
Fearing for her family’s safety, the businesswoman reported the incident to the police on Sept 18.
When asked, she said that she was aware of the cybercrime awareness campaigns carried out by various government agencies and departments.
“Honestly, I am aware of the numerous scams but I decided to click on the link out of desperation for money to run my business.
“It is not easy to get loans from banks these days and I needed to keep my business rolling,” she said.
