Full Story below by Christina Chin of The Star ([email protected])

Don’t leave your properties vacant or you could end up deep in debt – or worse, on a loan shark’s hit list.

WHITE collar criminals and conmen are cashing in on vacant houses.

Previously, owners only had vagrants and drug addicts to worry about if they had to leave their homes empty. Now, criminals are increasingly on the lookout for addresses to abuse, warns Universiti Sains Malaysia criminologist Assoc Prof Dr P. Sundramoorthy.

Dr Sundramoorthy, who lives in the expensive Minden Heights neighbourhood in Gelugor, Penang, notices many unoccupied units. Easily identifiable, such homes become targets for devious minds.

“With financial crimes and the number of people borrowing from loan sharks on the rise, misusing addresses of empty units is more rampant now than ever before.”

The police are on to them, Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) intelligence and operations deputy director SAC Roslan Abd Wahid assures. Credit card syndicates, especially, are being closely monitored, he says.

“These criminals are always looking for new ways to exploit the system and using addresses of vacant premises is one of them.”

“People invest in properties then leave them empty when they cannot rent them out.” – Datuk Seri Michael Chong

Sympathising with home owners, he describes them as victims of circumstances. People don’t expect their addresses being used for criminal activity.

And some banks outsource their credit card recruitment to companies. These agents, he explains, don’t bother verifying addresses. It’s all about sales targets.

Calling on banks to tighten their checks, SAC Roslan stresses that all credit card applications must be thoroughly vetted.

“Don’t simply approve. Cross check documents with the applicant’s identity card. But owners, too, must do their part. Always update your address with the National Registration Department (NRD),” he says, stressing the importance of lodging a police report if an address has been abused.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong, who recently highlighted the new modus operandi, believes there are many such cases in the country.

On Aug 6, The Star reported that vacant properties are being used by unscrupulous people to carry out illegal transactions without the knowledge of the owners. (Online at tinyurl.com/hb9gls5.)

The tactic was uncovered by Chong when the addresses of two empty houses in Cheras and Rawang, in the Klang Valley, were used by at least six people to register a company, apply for credit cards and a phone line, and even borrow money from illegal moneylenders.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure there are many such cases nationwide. People invest in properties then leave them empty when they cannot rent them out. A conman comes along, sees an opportunity and uses the address for illegal activities, leaving the owner to pay the price.”

Business these days is so bad that illegal moneylenders and loan sharks will wire money to your account without even checking if the house address given is legit, Chong adds.

The problem, says Dr Sundramoorthy, is that Malaysians don’t bother updating their addresses at the NRD when they move.

“Misusing addresses of empty units is more rampant now than ever before.” – Assoc Prof Dr P. Sundramoorthy

As the authorities do in Germany, the Government here must make it compulsory to do so and act against those who don’t, he feels. This, he says, is important for safety and security. He explains why.

“It doesn’t matter if you have 10 properties, the NRD should only have one official correspondence address for each citizen and that address should be where you’re currently staying.

“This allows banks, Government agencies and law enforcement authorities to easily check if your property has been used for fraudulent purposes.

“So if you move and leave your old home vacant, you have to notify the NRD. If later, someone uses your old address to apply for a credit card, you can dispute it by showing them your current registered address.”

To make it easier for the public, the online updating of addresses should be allowed, he suggests.

Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation senior vice-president Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye offers some “common sense” wisdom to those with vacant properties: inform the nearest police station if your house is going to be empty. If the police have a record and a crime is committed on the premises or if the address is used for illegal purposes, it’s easier for the owner to clear him or herself of any responsibility.

Also, if the police know that your home is empty, they can assign petrol cars to the area and be more vigilant of activities that are out of the ordinary.

“This is a free service provided by the police. Use it,” says Lee.

Still, it remains the responsibility of home owners to know what is happening on their premises, Community Policing Malaysia founder and president Kuan Chee Heng stresses.

He shared the story of how a Singaporean had his home here taken over by a family of vagrants. Owners can’t just abandon their properties. It’s irresponsible, he says.

“The burden’s on you to check if you’re going to leave the place empty. Once the damage is done, it’s too late to complain,” he says, advising owners to get neighbours to help keep an eye on the place.

Not only will you have to worry about criminals occupying the property, vandalism and theft, ghosts and spirits are always on the look out for abandoned abodes, Kuan says, only half in jest.

Story above is originally posted at The Star.