SETAPAK: Songster Ariff Luqman Peter Lisut, 27,who had been in debt over RM1 million since two years ago revealed to the New Straits Times that apart from settling his debt, he is currently planning to get married.
Affectionately known as Ariff Peter, he told an NST reporter that since his entire life turned upside down following an ill-fated foray into investments in digital currency, only a handful of individuals remained to assist him.
"My old friends are nowhere to be seen but fortunately, I found a new circle of friends who are sincere in helping me within their capabilities."
Ariff said that in the midst of the unfortunate event, he had been grateful that there is someone special who has been supporting him from the start.
"I feel thankful that I found the right person who is willing to be with me through my ups and downs.
"She has served as my motivation to put in more effort in settling the debt," he said, adding that he has offered numerous services such as house cleaning, copywriting, song composing, content creating and product promoting.
"I don't mind the job as long as it is a lawful one because I want to continue living comfortably and safely, free from any debts."
Hailing from Bintulu, the musical artist has recently taken on two song composing jobs this year for a local film, namely the movie 'Coast Guard' and 'Mat Tudung'.
He said that the first three months were extremely struggling as he was adapting to live in his Proton Wira after selling his cattle farming enterprise, two houses, three vehicles – including an imported one – and a van to compensate clients who suffered losses in his investment scheme.
"I was depressed and was constantly questioning my ill-fated journey. It was exhausting as I was only a normal human putting in maximum effort just to pay off my debt.
"I worked endlessly and only slept for two to three hours a day but after a while, I gradually accepted my fate and focused on how to immediately be off-debt."
Ariff said that currently, he already obtained a permanent job working as the head of marketing for a mortgage company.
"I am grateful for my situation now, although I have fixed working hours but I still continue to do other jobs such as being a delivery service driver for Lalamove and backstage worker for events."
After going viral in various social media platforms, Ariff said that there are individuals who are willing to assist him financially to which he declined the offer.
"I still have the strength to work which is why I rejected the offer but if they want to help, they can assist me in promoting my services."
"My partner has been encouraging me to continue settling my debt and although it is a slow process, I am motivated to observe that the numbers are decreasing."
Ariff advised members of the public to be wary of any investments offered especially suspicious ones and never completely trust strangers.
"Please do your research before investing in any shares and remember that there are no shortcuts in life. If you want to earn money, you have to work for it," he said as he is determined to settle his debt in the near future.