KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Desperate debtors are resorting to pledging their cars and even international passports to loan sharks as collateral to get loans.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong said yesterday he had received 15 complaints of borrowers pledging their cars to loan sharks as collateral.

Datuk Michael Chong says many owners have not picked up their passports despite numerous reminders.

"In five of the cases, the cars were used for criminal purposes, such as smuggling. There are also 13 cases of debtors surrendering their international passports to Ah Long," he said.

"These people have no right to pledge their passports as it is the property of the government."

Chong said he had five passports that were surrendered to him by loan sharks after their loans were paid off.
"The owners have not picked up their passports despite numerous reminders."

He also said borrowers did not have the right to pledge their cars that were bound under a hire purchase agreement until their loans were paid off.

Chong said he had received 419 complaints on Ah Long, involving some RM42 million.