Tormented by the intimidation tactics and threats made by loan sharks towards his family, a 60-year-old man in Ipoh has openly pleaded for mercy so that the nightmare could be put to an end.
He made the plea during a press conference last Saturday (Jan 17) organised by Pasir Pinji assemblyman Goh See Hua, alongside city councillor Lim Chee Aun and a Democratic Action Party (DAP) service team.
Drained RM68,000 from EPF savings
According to the man simply known as Foo, he said he first received text messages from loan sharks last February, where he discovered that his youngest son had owed them a large sum of money.
“I couldn’t contact my youngest son at the time and I only came to know of his debts when he approached his older brother and sister for help.
Between February and December last year, I took out RM68,000 from my Employees Provident Fund (EPF) savings to pay off my son’s debts,” he recounted.
Foo added that his son’s debts were incurred from his online gambling habits.
House doused in red & white paint
Foo said three days after meeting his youngest son, loan sharks contacted him on Dec 27 and demanded RM3,000 from him.
However, he told them that he had no money left and subsequently lodged a police report after hanging up.
“I got several threatening messages on Jan 4 this year and my house was later splashed with white and red paint on Jan 12 and 13 respectively.
“On Jan 16, the loan sharks demanded RM7,000 via WhatsApp and threatened to splash paint again and set the house on fire.”
Foo said he’s no longer financially able to pay off his son’s debt and expressed fear that the harassment will affect his neighbours.
He also begged the loan sharks to go after his son instead and called on his son to stop running away and take responsibility for his own debts.
‘Don’t harass innocent people’
In a Facebook post, Goh urged the loan sharks to stop harassing innocent parties and to set their sights on the intended target.
“We must emphasise a basic principle: whoever borrows money is responsible for repaying it. Debt collection should not involve intimidation or harassment of relatives, nor any illegal acts that disturb normal life.
“To all parents, monitor your children’s behaviour and warn them to stay away from gambling. Online gambling not only ruins individual futures but often brings severe consequences for the entire family,” he wrote.
Goh said his team are currently monitoring the situation and will ensure the safety of Foo’s family and the community.
A police report was also lodged over the incident.
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