Loan sharks set fire to shop in Malaysia after businessman’s son clicked on Facebook ad in Singapore

Loan sharks set fire to store after businessman’s son clicks on Facebook ad

Loan sharks allegedly set fire to a businessman’s shop in Malacca after his son, who is in Singapore, clicked on a loan advert on Facebook.

Source: Sin Chew Daily

The businessman, Xu Rongqing (transliterated from Chinese), received a message from an unknown number in Singapore on August 2, Sin Chew Daily reported.

The message said his son had borrowed S$700 from two loan sharks and would burn down his shop if he did not pay back the money.

Son clicked on loan ad but denied borrowing money

After this, Mr Xu spoke to his son, who said he had not borrowed any money but admitted to clicking on a loan ad on Facebook.

He said that someone then messaged him saying that they had accidentally deposited money into his account and asked him to return it, but he ignored the message and blocked the sender.

Mr Xu’s son told his father it was a scam and advised him to call the police, but Mr Xu brushed it off.

At about 1:50 a.m. on August 5, Mr. Xu heard a loud noise coming from his shop. When he and his wife opened the window to see if it was true, the front of the shop was already on fire.

Businessman must pay for his peace

According to Mr Xu, he, his wife and his 91-year-old father usually live in the shop, so when a man claiming to be the “arsonist” called and asked for S$5,000 in exchange for peace, he transferred RM9,500 (S$2,831).

A few days later, another person claiming to belong to a second group of loan sharks asked for S$2,500 and said they would “throw acid” if Mr Xu did not pay.

Source: Sin Chew Daily

Mr Xu’s son subsequently filed a report with the Singapore police.

When Xu realised the scam was endless, he contacted local police and asked Malacca MP Khoo Poay Tiong for help.

Malacca MP calls on authorities to investigate matter

According to Mr Khoo, Mr Xu’s case has escalated from a fraud case to a criminal case.

He urged local police to work closely with Singaporean authorities to combat cross-border crime.

As the loan sharks were already engaged in criminal activities, MP Khoo called for the urgent establishment of an ‘inter-ministerial action committee’ to tackle the issue.

Source: Sin Chew Daily

He also pointed out that the loan sharks had the identity card numbers and photos of the victim’s entire family, and that the data breach therefore had to be investigated.

MP Khoo also urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to investigate the online loan advertisements and called on Bank Negara Malaysia to track down the culprits behind the online transfers.

Meanwhile, he said he would raise the issue in parliament and ask the government to pass or amend laws to tackle such criminal groups.

Also read: ‘Wheelchair-bound’ street vendor caught on the spot after finishing work in M’sia, customer feels cheated

‘Wheelchair-bound’ street vendor caught on the spot after finishing work in M’sia, customer feels ripped off

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Main image adapted from Sin Chew Daily

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