Malaysian loanshark politely apologises after targeting wrong house, texts victim 'sorry for making you anxious'

Receiving an apology from a loanshark might seem highly unlikely, but that's what one Malaysian man got after he was wrongfully harassed. 

In a press conference on Tuesday (Jan 3), Malaysian authorities said that the man, surnamed Chen, had been wrongfully harassed by loansharks, reported China Press.

However, the loansharks have since apologised to Chen over WhatsApp, and promised not to harass him and his family again. 

Malaysian news outlet Sin Chew Daily published a screenshot of the conversation between Chen and the loanshark, which showed the latter saying: "Sorry for making you anxious, I sincerely apologise bro." 

According to the Malaysian authorities, six men turned up at Chen's home in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, on Dec 28 to collect debts.

They showed Chen a photo of the debtor — surnamed Ho — which neither Chen nor his family members recognised.

The runners then stuck a debt collection poster outside Chen's home and continued to harass them thereafter. 

Unable to bear with the harassment any longer, Chen approached local authorities for help. 

Speaking on behalf of Chen, Li Wenbing, director of the Public Complaints & Service Team of the Selangor Youth League said: "This matter has been resolved, and [Chen] no longer needs to worry about being harassed. He can celebrate the new year without any worries." 

Loansharks send roast pig to Malay family 

In Singapore, loansharks have gotten pretty creative chasing debtors, which have involved food deliveries. 

In November 2021, a Malay family in Tampines became the target of harassment when a $188 roast pig was delivered to their home. 

Aw Say Meng, the owner of Ming Wang Roasted Pig Supplier Pte Ltd told Shin Min Daily News then that he received the order from a mobile phone number that belonged to a business that claimed to provide "financial services". 

The customer also insisted on paying cash on delivery, and even told Aw that he could call the police if he did not receive payment. 

When Aw showed up with the roast pig, no one answered the door and he ended up waiting for four hours. 

Aw was then told to collect the money from a maid who was said to be living in the flat with an elderly Malay widower, however, it is unclear if she was the debtor.

He later called the police for help.

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claudiatan@asiaone.com