KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry must treat the ah long (loan shark) menace as an organised crime problem, not merely a commercial offence, said the Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO).
Its secretary-general Datuk Hishamuddin Hashim urged authorities to go after the masterminds behind these syndicates instead of only arresting low-level operatives tasked with intimidation acts like throwing paint or Molotov cocktails.
He said many victims suffer mental distress, family breakdowns, and financial ruin — often without realising they were trapped in elaborate loan scams.
Loan Shark
“These victims are not borrowers but scam victims,” Hishamuddin said, adding that ah long syndicates disguise themselves as legitimate SME loan providers demanding upfront payments before manipulating repayment terms.
He warned that small loans can spiral into hundreds of thousands of ringgit, likening the scheme to other fraud types such as Macau and forex scams.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.