A Johor shoe salesman’s attempt to help a friend repay debts turned into a loan scam, with his family allegedly harassed and threatened with a RM10,000 demand.
PETALING JAYA: A shoe salesman in Skudai, Johor, has recounted how he allegedly fell victim to an online loan scam while trying to help a longtime friend settle his debts.
The man, identified as Zhang Zufan, said his secondary school friend contacted him in September seeking financial assistance, China Press reported.
The friend reportedly claimed to be in dire financial straits, saying his house had been set on fire over unpaid debts. However, he did not disclose the amount owed or the reason for the debts.
Wanting to help his friend, the 34-year-old searched for loan advertisements on TikTok on Oct 11 before contacting an advertiser via WhatsApp to enquire about a loan.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday, which was attended by Johor Parti Aspirasi Rakyat (Aspirasi) Public Complaints and Services Bureau chief Lim Thow Siang, Zhang said the advertiser requested his personal information, including his bank account details, identity card details and his parents’ phone numbers. He subsequently provided the information.
Zhang had initially planned to borrow between RM2,000 and RM3,000 to help his friend. However, the advertiser allegedly demanded an upfront deposit of RM600 to RM700, prompting him to abandon the loan application.
However, the situation reportedly worsened when the advertiser continued contacting him via WhatsApp and pressuring him to accept a RM500 loan, although he eventually received only RM300.
Despite having rejected the loan offer, Zhang discovered that RM300 had been deposited into his bank account the following day. Unable to tolerate the repeated harassment, he blocked the advertiser’s phone number.
His parents subsequently began receiving WhatsApp messages from the same advertiser.
When Zhang’s father attempted to resolve the matter, the advertiser allegedly demanded RM600. Zhang’s younger sister made the payment on behalf of the family, but the advertiser claimed that no payment reference had been provided and demanded another RM600.
After receiving a total of RM1,200 from Zhang’s family, the advertiser reportedly demanded an additional RM1,000 to “delete” Zhang’s records, threatening to have their home splashed with red paint if the payment was not made.
Suspecting that the advertiser was involved in a scam, the family refused to make any further payments.
However, on Oct 27, Zhang’s father discovered that their house had been splashed with red paint.
He subsequently received a message from the advertiser claiming that the “job” had already been carried out, followed by a demand for RM10,000.
Fearing for his family’s safety, Zhang’s father lodged two police reports later that day.