JOHOR BARU, Dec 21 — A 32-year-old Malaysian woman working in Singapore said she lost RM22,970 in an apparent loan scam to fraudsters in the republic who were allegedly still harassing her and her family.

The woman, who only wanted to be known as Tee, said her troubles started after she took up a loan application online with the syndicate earlier this month, but which she did not complete.

She said she applied for the loan after viewing advertisements online that purported to be by a licensed money lending company in Singapore.

"When I clicked on the link, it was connected to the WhatsApp number of a man who claimed to be a representative of the company.

"The man, called Melvin, explained that in order to get a loan amounting to S$50,000, I had to pay a seven per cent government tax. So, I transferred the money to the given account amounting to S$3,500.

"Shortly after that, Melvin told me that there was a problem when the money was transferred and asked me to pay it back with the same amount and he promised that the money would be returned after the loan was approved,” she said at the Johor state MCA office in Danga Bay here today.

Also present was Johor MCA Public Complaints Bureau member Heng Zhi Li.

Despite paying the S$7,000 (RM22,970), Tee said Melvin then asked her for another S$6,000 that he claimed was for legal fees.

However, she said she told him then that she could not afford further payments and no longer wanted to continue with the application.

"The loan cancellation made Melvin angry and he then ordered me to pay a cancellation fee of S$7,500,” she said.

Tee said she then discovered he was not a representative of the licensed money lending company, and concluded that she was being defrauded.

She said she then lodged a police report in Singapore on December 11.

A day later, Tee said she, her mother, sister and a friend began receiving threats from an unknown number and demanding payment.

She did not say how their contact information came to be linked to her application.

"On December 12, the illegal money lender was believed to have splashed red paint on my sister’s house gate in Skudai,” she said.

Tee added that the alleged perpetrators had sent her a video of a note on a security grille outside the home with a phone number for her to call.

"The perpetrators also sent messages threatening to burn my family’s house and car,” she said, adding that she was worried about her family’s safety and hope the authorities would act.

At the press conference, Heng said he hoped both the Johor and Singapore police would cooperate in the case as those involved appeared to be operating in both locations.

Johor Baru Sourh police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat, when contacted, confirmed that police report has been filed on the matter.