KUALA LUMPUR: A 37-year-old woman alleges that she is being pursued by a loan shark over a debt owed by her father, whom she has never met.
Yaw Kah Hui said the loan shark claimed that her father had borrowed an unspecified amount of money and demanded that she locate him to repay the debt.
Initially, she thought the calls from the loan shark was a scam.
"Despite not knowing this person since birth, the loan shark is searching for me.
"On Sept 19, I received a threatening message with a picture of a man said to be my father, as well as a picture of me and my mother on WhatsApp.
"I was shocked as to how he got my information when I myself do not know my father. I asked my mother and she also did not know where my father lived.
"My parents were not married so I asked my mother whether this man is indeed my father, and she confirmed it," she said during a press conference at Wisma MCA here today.
While Yaw has no idea how the loan shark obtained her personal information, she said her father's name is stated on her birth certificate.
Earlier, MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong presented three cases of individuals being pursued by loan sharks for debts incurred by unknown persons.
In the second case, Gawri Nelamuham described how a man visited her father-in-law's home on Aug 16, seeking her husband's distant relative who owed a debt.
Following this, her home and car were vandalised with red, green and blue paint between Sept 8 and 23.
On Sept 20, Gawri's father-in-law received a threatening message stating that their house would be burned down before Deepavali unless they paid RM15,500.
"We haven't seen this man in 25 years, and suddenly someone claims we owe money to loan sharks.
"We didn't take it seriously until the paint incident," she said.
Despite lodging four police reports, Gawri said she was concerned for the safety of her child and in-laws.
"I have informed the police and we also have a security guard (in the area) and have installed CCTV cameras. But I am still afraid that they will burn our house down," she added.
The third case involves 50-year-old teacher Lee Ling Ling, who became a guarantor for a friend named Ah Mui in 2019.
The borrower fled in early August, and now the loan shark is demanding that Lee pay an outstanding debt of RM20,500.
"The total amount borrowed was RM28,000, but my friend had paid the total interest of RM47,930.
"Now the loan sharks are demanding that I pay the balance of RM20,500.
"I only wanted to help my friend, I can't pay for her loan," Lee said, adding that she lodged a police report on Sept 15.