JOHOR BARU, Malaysia - An elderly couple is on the verge of losing their home after their daughter conned them into putting up their house as collateral for a loan to pay off her debts.

The daughter and her husband have since gone missing and the house in Taman University is now up for auction.

The 68-year-old mother said it all started when her daughter begged her brother to take out a loan using their home as collateral.

She said her 75-year-old husband, a former hospital attendant, bought the low-cost house for RM30,000 (S$12,000) more than 20 years ago.

"My son took pity on her and subsequently took out a RM102,000 loan in 2006," she said.

"We did not realise that it had not been serviced for almost three years until the bank informed us recently that our house would be auctioned off for failure to repay the loan instalments," she said at the Johor Baru MCA public complaints bureau yesterday.

The woman and her husband, who suffers from various chronic illnesses, are now at their wit's end as they have no means of repaying the loan.

The son has lodged a police report against his sister.

Bureau deputy chairman Michael Tay said he would do his best to assist the family.

-The Star/Asia News Network