Latest news with #ComplaintsDepartment


Malay Mail
6 days ago
- Malay Mail
Red flags for ‘rewards': Teen girl loses more than money to scammers, ‘Ah Long' on Telegram app
KUALA LUMPUR, July 10 — A 14-year-old girl was duped into paying money and threatened to have her nude pictures publicly exposed after falling for an online fraud scheme, the New Straits Times reported today. Here's how it happened. The teenager who was keen to make extra money, stumbled on a Telegram chat group that offered users a reward of RM250 a day to complete several tasks online. She joined and paid RM500 upfront, only to find out that she was locked out of the payment platform after completing the assigned tasks. She was then told to pay RM1,000 to settle the issue and recommended to apply for funds from a loan shark called 'Terry' who told her to send nude pictures of herself as collateral. After doing so, she was still refused entry into the online payment platform; instead, she was told to apply for a bigger loan of RM3,000 this time. But 'Terry' rejected her second application, supposedly because she had yet to settle her initial debt, forcing the girl to disclose the matter to her parents who collected RM1,500 as settlement. But this too was snubbed by the loan shark who allegedly said the payment was now too early and 'messed up his system'. This time, he demanded the girl pay RM15,000. 'The loan shark threatened me and my family that if I didn't settle my debts, he would release my naked photos online,' the 14-year-old girl, who went to MCA Public Services and Complaints Department here today, was quoted as saying. MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong said the 14-year-old girl was one of three people who reported having been blackmailed after sending their nude photos to loan sharks today. 'We are extremely concerned that even someone as young as a 14 could get caught up in borrowing from loan sharks and end up facing extortion,' he was quoted as saying. The girl's case is currently under investigation by the police's Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division, according to Wanita MCA secretary-general Ivone Low. Low urged the government to take concrete steps to protect this vulnerable group.


Observer
09-02-2025
- Business
- Observer
CPA intervenes for refund of tour package amount
Muscat: The Consumer Protection Authority (CPA) in Muscat Governorate facilitated an amicable settlement between a consumer and a travel and tourism agency due to the agency's failure to provide the agreed-upon service. The consumer was refunded an amount of RO4,956. The CPA's Complaints Department received a complaint from a consumer against a travel and tourism agency that agreed to arrange an 8-day trip to several European countries aboard a cruise ship, which included accommodation, guided tours, internet packages, ticket booking, and visa processing. The consumer had paid the full amount for the service. |However, the complaint arose when the consumer repeatedly attempted to contact the agency without receiving a response, forcing her to visit the agency's office in person. Upon meeting with an employee, she was informed that the agency was facing financial difficulties and would be unable to provide the service. Following standard procedures, the concerned parties were summoned for discussion regarding the complaint. Consequently, an amicable settlement was reached, resulting in a refund of RO4,956 to the consumer for the amount she had paid for the service.