Riches To Rags: Man Who Amassed RM1 Million In Debt Now Lives In Wira To Pay Off Scam Victims
Ariff Peter’s life took a devastating turn when he lost everything to an investment scam, accumulating a debt of over RM1 mil.
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Ariff Luqman Peter Lisut, 27, affectionately known as Ariff Peter, was living the dream a few years ago. He had a successful cattle farming business, a comfortable lifestyle, and a promising career in the music industry. He was even a rising star in the local music scene, having sung the theme song for a popular movie and participated in a talent show.
However, his life took an unexpected turn when he invested in a digital currency scheme that turned out to be a scam. Ariff not only lost his business, homes, cars, and savings but also found himself burdened with a debt exceeding RM1 million.
Ariff Peter, who started his business at the age of 20, now lives alone but maintains contact with his father, as his mother passed away eight years ago due to breast cancer.
Ariff sold off all of his assets to repay his clients, but he cannot afford to rent a room. Despite liquidating his assets, the proceeds fell short of covering his RM100,000 debt. He was left with nothing but the clothes on his back and his Proton Wira, which he now calls home, and showering at gas station restrooms.
He has said that he is living in his car temporarily and that he plans to find a place to rent once he has paid off his debt.
In the face of this adversity, Ariff decided to rebuild his life one step at a time. He took on various odd jobs to make ends meet, including office cleaning, songwriting, and creating business posters and copywriting, while holding down a stable job with a decent monthly salary for the past month.
He also worked as a delivery driver to support himself.
Harnessing the power of social media, Ariff shared his story and the valuable lessons he had learned. He used his online presence to promote his services and seek new job opportunities. His determination and resilience struck a chord with many, quickly amassing a following on social media.
Today, Ariff is steadily regaining his footing. He holds a permanent position as a Digital Marketer and Content Writer at a private company. Ariff allocates RM2,000 (90%) from his salary every month towards settling his remaining debts, a commitment he made to himself.
In a Twitter thread from back in August, Ariff shared, “In the last 3 months, I had saved enough to pay off my business debt. However, my father insisted on borrowing that money to expedite the compensation process for our village residents. Unfortunately, he fell victim to a scam. While I understand his good intentions, the scammer was apprehended last Saturday.”
“Recognizing my father’s unfortunate experience, I decided to meet with Temu Anwar to discuss matters with Datuk Seri @anwaribrahim and the federal government to facilitate compensation for our village residents. Alhamdulillah, PMX and the federal government extended their assistance. I express my gratitude to PMX.”
Ariff concluded with a promise, “I commit to providing updates on the remaining debts, thanks to the support of those who have promoted my service business and shared this journey with me. I will continue to highlight the businesses and individuals who have backed my service business. Thank you for your support.”
More recently, he provided an update on Twitter saying, “From 7 figures to 6 figures and now almost to 5 figures. In this time, I will do anything as long as the debt can be paid. I’m not ashamed to live like this, I’m even more ashamed if I live luxuriously as a result of other people’s suffering.”
Ariff’s story is a cautionary tale about the dangers of investing in high-risk schemes. It is important to do your research carefully before investing any money, especially if the promises of high returns seem too good to be true.
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