Debtor notes sent to government buildings and homes; man to be charged with loanshark harassment

SINGAPORE: Debtor notes were sent via post to various government buildings and residential units between Mar 22 and Apr 28, leading to several reports of harassment received by the police.

A 45-year-old man will be charged over his suspected involvement in printing and mailing these debtor notes and in loansharking activities, the police said in a news release on Thursday (Sep 14).

The police did not identify the government buildings.

The notes contained photographs and personal information of alleged debtors of unlicensed moneylending.

Through follow-up investigations, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and the seven Police Land Divisions established the identity of the man. The police arrested him on May 5 near Sengkang.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the man had allegedly worked for a loanshark to print and mail debtor notes to multiple addressees islandwide. He had also allegedly assisted the loanshark in carrying out banking transactions at automated teller machines, the police said.

The man will charged in court on Sep 15 for two counts of assisting in unlicensed moneylending and 22 counts of harassing a debtor on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender.

For assisting in unlicensed moneylending, first-time offenders can be jailed for up to four years, fined between S$30,000 and S$300,000, and caned for not more than six strokes.

For harassing a debtor on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender, first-time offenders can be jailed for up to five years, fined between S$5,000 and S$50,000, and caned for three to six strokes.

“The police will continue to take tough enforcement action against those involved in the unlicensed moneylending business, regardless of their roles, to ensure that they face the full brunt of the law,” the police said.

Members of the public are also advised to stay away from unlicensed moneylenders and not to work with or assist them in any way, it added.