SINGAPORE: The police on Friday (Nov 30) warned students to be careful about the part-time jobs they sign up for during the school holidays, saying they have observed youths being hired for loan-sharking activities after they responded to job ads on the Internet.
The advisory came as the authorities arrested 109 people, with the youngest aged 14, for their suspected involvement in loan-sharking activities in a three-day operation that ended on Wednesday.
Advertisement"The police have observed that youths were found to be recruited for loan-sharking activities when they respond to job advertisements posted on online platforms such as Facebook and Gumtree. Students are reminded to exercise caution when taking up part-time jobs during the school holidays, especially those promising quick and easy money," the police said in a news release.
The operation involved simultaneous raids at multiple locations islandwide by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and the six police land divisions.
Preliminary investigations showed 23 suspects may have been runners who carried out ATM transfers on behalf of loan sharks.
Five other suspects are believed to have carried out loan shark acts of harassment such as splashing paint and scrawling graffiti on walls.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAnother three suspects are believed to have provided false contact information to acquire loans, while the remaining 78 are believed to have opened bank accounts and given their ATM cards and personal identification numbers to loan sharks to facilitate the moneylending business.
Investigations are ongoing.
In all, the police have arrested 1,091 people in their anti-loan-sharking operations this year, they said.
"Opening a bank account, distributing pamphlets, acting as a look-out, being a runner or acting as a harasser for loan sharks are criminal activities that have serious consequences, such as a hefty fine, jail term and even caning," said the police.
"When a bank account of an ATM card of a person is used to facilitate moneylending by an unlicensed moneylender, that person is presumed to have assisted in the carrying on the business of unlicensed moneylending," it added.
First-time offenders found guilty of carrying out or assisting in unlicensed moneylending business may be fined between S$30,000 and S$300,000, jailed up to four years and given up to six strokes of the cane.
Those found guilty of acting on behalf of an unlicensed moneylender, committing or attempting acts of harassment may get up to five years' jail, a fine between S$5,000 and S$50,000 and three to six strokes of the cane.
Anyone convicted of providing false contact information to obtain loans from loan sharks may be jailed a maximum of 12 months and those guilty of failing to report a change of address may get a maximum S$5,000 fine, up to five years in jail or both.
Those found guilty of instigating a youth to assist in unlicensed moneylending business or carrying out harassment acts on behalf of loan sharks may be jailed up to nine years, fined between S$6,000 and S$300,000 and given a maximum of 12 strokes of the cane.
SPF also warned the public that loan sharks are increasingly sending unsolicited loan ads via text messages or online platforms and reminded people not to reply to such ads and to report the number as spam.
Members of the public are also advised not to work with or assist loan sharks in any way and to call the police at 999 or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5664 if they suspect anyone of being involved in illegal loan-sharking activities.
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