FireIce

12 Apr 13, 13:04

good lah

so coincidence i forgotten my password

can tell me my password? thanks.

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~

12 Apr 13, 13:40

this case appeared in the newspaper today...

FireIce

12 Apr 13, 13:41

on the news last nite.

Rednano

12 Apr 13, 13:47

The police issued an advisory on Thursday morning, advising the public to be vigilant about loanshark harassment scams.

Police have in the last month received several reports of harassment involving SMS messages that were purportedly sent by loansharks. In such cases, the victims would receive SMS messages from unknown mobile phone numbers threatening to harass their homes unless they pay up their loans.

When the victims called the phone numbers, the culprit would tell them that their "particulars" had been used to borrow money from loansharks. These loansharks demand payment and threaten to harass the victims' families by locking them up, splashing paint or setting fire to their homes if payment is not received.

A few victims would then transfer the money to bank account numbers given by the culprit out of fear for their safety. The public are advised to not reveal their personal particulars to unknown individuals and to keep their SingPass login details confidential. They are also advised not to give in to unknown and unsolicited demands for loan repayments and not to contact the senders of these SMS messages. If they receive such a call or SMS, they should also make a police report via the Singapore Police Force website or at their neighbourhood police centre.

Rednano

12 Apr 13, 13:51

More than 180 cases of intentional harassment made via SMSes purportedly sent by loansharks have been reported to the Police since early March 2013.

Police said at least 10 victims have fallen prey to the scam, and that at least $18,000 was transferred from the victims to the perpetrators.

They said the victims received SMSes from unknown mobile phone numbers. The SMS sender would threaten to come to the victims' homes unless they repay their loans.

When the victims called the phone numbers, they would be told by the culprits that their particulars had been used to borrow money from loansharks.

The culprits would also demand payment from the victims and threaten to harass their families by locking, splashing paint or setting fire to their units if they did not pay up.

Police said the victims in most of the cases had no dealings with loansharks.

But some of the victims fearing for their safety had transferred money to bank account numbers given by the culprits.

Police are advising the public to be wary of such scams and take preventive measures. These include not revealing one's personal particulars such as name, NRIC number, residential address, SingPass log-in details to unknown individuals.

Members of the public should also not contact the sender of the SMSes and not give in to unknown and unsolicited demands for loan repayments. They should contact the Police if they receive any call or SMS of such nature.

- CNA/de

Rednano

12 Apr 13, 13:53

In the past month, Police have received multiple reports of intentional harassment involving SMS messages that were purportedly sent by loansharks.

In these cases, the victims would usually receive SMS messages from unknown mobile phone numbers threatening to harass their homes unless they pay up their loans. When the victims called back the phone numbers, they would be told by the culprit(s) that their “particulars” had been used to borrow money from loansharks with no specific details provided. The culprit(s) would also demand payment from the victims and threaten to harass their families by locking, splashing paint or setting fire at their units if they did not pay up. Although the victims in most cases had no dealings with loansharks, a few of these victims would transfer money to bank account numbers provided by the culprit(s) out of fear for their safety.

Members of public are advised to be aware of such scams and to adopt the following measures:

Do not reveal your personal particulars such as name, NRIC number, residential address and contact details to unknown individuals;
Keep your SingPass log-in details confidential and do not disclose it to anyone;
Do not give in to unknown and unsolicited demands for loan repayments;
Do not contact the sender of the SMS messages; and
Lodge a Police report via the Electronic Police Centre (ePC) at http://www.spf.gov.sg/epc/ or at any Neighbourhood Police Centre/Post if you receive any call or SMS of such nature, or dial ‘999’ for urgent Police assistance.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
11 Apr 2013 @ 10.00am

Shaharasi

23 Jun 13, 13:46

Hi anyone know where can I get fast cash? I'm in need of $6000 ASAP due to my mum surgery amout. I'm 20 and I'm self employed. Earning $7000 a month. I don't mind any high interest charges.

FireIce

23 Jun 13, 13:58

if u r 20 and self employed and earning 7k and u dun have 6k cash at the snap of ur fingers, something is not rite, either yourself or ur "business"

Shaharasi

23 Jun 13, 14:04

Do you even know the what's the cost of the surgery??

Rednano

23 Jun 13, 15:56

Healthcare Financing Philosophy
Singapore offers universal healthcare coverage to our citizens, with a financing system anchored on the twin philosophies of individual responsibility and affordable healthcare for all. Through a mixed financing system, use of market-based mechanisms to promote competition and transparency and the adoption of technology to improve the delivery of healthcare services, we have secured good healthcare outcomes for our population. We have done so with a national healthcare expenditure of about 4% of our GDP, which is low among developed countries (although this is expected to grow with an ageing population).

These features of the Singapore system have been recognised in various international assessments. We intend to continually evolve and improve our policies over time.

Universal coverage, multiple layers of protection
We have evolved a mixed financing system, with multiple tiers of protection to ensure that no Singaporean is denied access to basic healthcare because of affordability issues.

The first tier of protection is provided by heavy Government subsidies of up to 80% of the total bill in acute public hospital wards, which all Singaporeans can access. The second tier of protection is provided by Medisave, a compulsory individual medical savings account scheme which allows practically all Singaporeans to pay for their share of medical treatment without financial difficulty. Working Singaporeans and their employers contribute a part of the monthly wages into the account to save up for their future medical needs and this is portable across jobs and after retirement. As at 31 Dec 2010, the average Medisave balance is S$16,900¹. This is sufficient to pay for about 9 to 10 subsidised acute hospitalisation episodes. Click here for more information on bill sizes for patients in public hospitals)

The third level of protection is provided by MediShield, a low cost catastrophic medical insurance scheme. This allows Singaporeans to effectively risk-pool the financial risks of major illnesses. Individual responsibility for one’s healthcare needs is promoted through the features of deductibles and co-payment in MediShield. ElderShield, a severe disability insurance, is also available for subscription by Singaporeans to risk-pool against the financial risks of suffering a severe disability. Many middle and higher income Singaporeans have also supplemented their basic coverage with integrated private insurance policies (“Integrated Shield plans”) for treatment in the private sector. Singaporeans must subscribe to the basic MediShield product before they can purchase the add-on private Integrated Shield Plans. This industry structure preserves the national risk pool and guards against ‘cherry picking’ of healthy lives by private insurers. Similarly, “ElderShield Supplements” allow policyholders to enhance the disability benefits coverage offered by the basic ElderShield product.

Finally, Medifund is a medical endowment fund set up by the Government to act as the ultimate safety net for needy Singaporean patients who cannot afford to pay their medical bills despite heavy subsidies, Medisave and MediShield.

Organisation of service delivery
Singapore today has a mixed delivery model. The public sector dominates the acute care sector, delivering 80% of the care in this sector. The primary care sector is dominated by private sector providers, which account for about 80% of the market. In the step-down care sector (e.g. nursing homes, community hospitals and hospices), service provision is mainly provided by voluntary welfare organisations, most of which are funded by the Government for their services rendered to patients.

(Click here for more info)

Promoting competition and transparency
In 2004, the Ministry of Health began to publish hospital bill sizes to show the variation in costs among our hospitals, with a view to push our hospitals on this effort to “do more with less”. There have been some successes since then in spurring improvements, e.g. LASIK prices dropped by more than S$1,000 per eye and the competitive price wars continue to this day, at great benefit to consumers. The Ministry has also progressively published health outcomes on the website to encourage further improvements and help patients make more informed choices.

¹ Includes all CPF members (Singaporeans and PRs) with positive balances in their Medisave Account as at 31 December of the year.

Rednano

23 Jun 13, 15:57

Overview

An introduction to the healthcare system in Singapore.More »

Medisave

Medisave, introduced in April 1984, is a national medical savings scheme which helps individuals put aside part of their income into their Medisave Accounts to meet their future personal or immediate family's hospitalization, day surgery and certain outpatient expenses.Find out more about Medisave. More »

Medishield

MediShield, introduced in 1990, is a low cost catastrophic illness insurance scheme. It is designed to help members meet the medical expenses from major or prolonged illnesses from which their Medisave balance would not be sufficient to cover. MediShield operates on a co-payment and deductible system to avoid the problems associated with first-dollar, comprehensive insurance. The premiums for MediShield is payable by Medisave. More »

Medifund

Medifund is an endowment fund set up by the Government in April 1993 to help needy Singaporeans who are unable to pay for their medical expenses. This fund acts as a safety net for those who cannot afford the subsidised bill charges despite Medisave and MediShield coverage. Medifund was established with an initial capital of S$200 million and capital injections will be made when budget surpluses are available. The capital sum currently stands at S$1.7 billion. The interest income from this capital sum are being utilised to finance the needy. More »

ElderShield

ElderShield, introduced in September 2002, is an affordable severe disability insurance scheme designed to help Singaporeans meet with expenses incurred in the event of severe disability. ElderShield premiums can be paid with Medisave or cash. More »

Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly (IDAPE)

The Interim Disability Assistance Programme for the Elderly (IDAPE) scheme provides financial help to need and disabled Singaporeans, who were not eligible to join ElderShield due to their age and pre-existing conditions. More »

Other subsidy schemes

Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS)

The Community Health Assist Scheme engages private general practitioners (GPs) to provide common outpatient medical services to needy elderly at polyclinic charges. More »

Drug Subsidies

Patients receive drug subsidies based on their paying status and the scheme under which the drug is covered (e.g. Standard Drug List, Medication Assistance Fund, inpatient drug subsidy, etc). Some drugs are subsidised only for specific clinical indications. More »

Shaharasi

23 Jun 13, 18:36

Any have any contacts of moneylender? Or maybe ah long

Rednano

23 Jun 13, 21:54

News @ AsiaOne

Fri, Sep 21, 2012
The New Paper

Notorious loan shark Ah Long San's driver was sworn to secrecy.

But the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) needed Ah Gee's help to track down the wanted criminal.

Several investigators had tried to speak to the chauffeur, but he refused to reveal any information about his employer.

In the end, a resourceful CPIB officer, Deputy Director Teng Khee Fatt, spoke to Ah Gee and gained his trust.

Moved after being called a "good man" by the officer, Ah Gee finally gave the CPIB details that helped force Ah Long San's hand.

The case involving Ah Long San is one of 18 cases highlighted in CPIB's coffee table book titled The Journey - 60 Years of Fighting Corruption in Singapore.

The 120-page publication was launched on tuesday on the bureau's 60th anniversary commemorative ceremony.

Besides the Ah Long San case, other high-profile cases involving offenders from all walks of life are also included, such as former ministers, policemen, football players and senior executives of companies.

Feared criminal

Ah Long San was an infamous moneylender and criminal in the 1990s.

He owned a number of legitimate businesses like karaoke pubs, but he was also involved in illegal moneylending.

Despite being a feared criminal, he was not caught for a long time.

That was because those who had information about him preferred to keep mum, fearing for their safety and the safety of their loved ones.

And Ah Long San had moles within the police force who tipped him off to raids.

In all, he managed to bribe nine crooked cops, all of whom ended up behind bars.

The highest ranking was a former assistant superintendent of police, who was 29 years old when he was jailed 18 months on Jan 11, 2000.

The former cop, who used to work as an air steward, first met the loan shark at a 24-hour Geylang food stall in 1994.

Ah Long San later became aware of the younger man's desire to join the police force and encouraged him to do so.

He also sponsored the ex-policeman's education in law.

Before he joined the police force in October 1997, the former cop had accepted various sums of money from Ah Long San.

This included a S$20,000 advance in 1995 to complete his law studies in Britain after he failed his second-year external law examination here.

The younger man remained in close contact with the loan shark through the years.

It was the former cop who introduced his other colleagues to Ah Long San.

The ex-policeman was convicted on four corruption charges - for receiving three bribes of S$1,000 each and one of S$5,000 between November 1997 and January 1999.

He took the money and used his office and contacts to influence the outcome of investigations.

And when the loan shark's brother was arrested, Ah Long San used his moles in the police force to check on the status of the case.

The crooked cops were also told to treat Ah Long San's sibling nicely.

Ah Long San was later convicted and sentenced to 18 months' jail for bribing a then-police officer.

Knowing that he could be serving more jail time, he went into hiding after failing to appear in court when the appeal against his 18-month sentence was heard.

But The New Paper managed to score an exclusive interview with him in June 2001 while he was on the run.

Speaking to TNP then, he said: "My jail term is 18 months. But I still have several cases pending.... I will be in jail for a long time."

But he was arrested on July 9, 2001, after he surrendered to the authorities.

He was jailed for 10 years on Oct 4, 2001, when he was 45.

It was then the heaviest sentence meted out by the courts for graft.

[email protected]

Get The New Paper for more stories.

Rednano

23 Jun 13, 21:56

Mon, Oct 12, 2009
The New Paper

By Tan Kee Yun

THEY wear designer clothes, Rolex watches, drive around town in their flashy cars and splurge on nightclubs and lounges.

Welcome to the world of the 'Ah Long Lieutenants', the 'inner circle' of the loan-shark leaders in Singapore.

"If you look at the loan-shark organisation in terms of five levels, they are probably at the third or fourth level," said 66-year-old Lionel de Souza, an ex-police officer, in an interview with The New Paper on Sunday.

Mr De Souza, who has more than 25 years' experience in the police force, is the managing director of LJ Investigation & Consultancy Services.

While the ages of these 'Ah Long Lieutenants' span a wide range, from their late 20s to 50s, they often share the same demographics.

Lowly educated ('many left school at Primary Six or Secondary Two') and with a long criminal history, they usually build up criminal affiliations during their time in jail.

Mr De Souza said that because of their connections, they become the 'big fish' of the Ah Long leaders after they are released from jail.

Money comes easily to them, as they take a large slice of commission off the earnings of their bosses.

A good example would be the assistants of brothers Chua Tiong Tiong, now 52, better known as Ah Long San, and loan-shark king Chua Tiong Chye, 44, who headed a multi-million illegal moneylending syndicate before they were busted in 1998.

The younger Chua, notoriously known as Lau Ter Kor, which means old maniac in Hokkien, reportedly took in $300,000 a month at the peak of his loan-sharking business and was often seen zipping around in his swanky Lexus.
The loan-shark hierarchy

He worked on a 'profit-sharing scheme' with his lackeys, police told The New Paper then. He gave $50,000 to each of his senior assistants and it was their responsibility to loan and collect the money.

Ultimately, it was an incentive plan for the assistants. Out of the $50,000 given to them, if they made back the same amount, Lau Ter Kor would let them keep half the amount.

In reality, these loan sharks are taking a loan from the 'kings' but pay less than the usual 20 per cent interest.

So when they loan money out themselves and the debtors are slow in repaying, the pressure is also on the assistant to squeeze the debtor. Otherwise the 'kings' will be hounding the assistants themselves.

According to Mr De Souza, in recent years, some of these 'Ah Long Lieutenants' have become more ingenious with their moneylending tactics.

For one, they only use prepaid mobile numbers registered by their debtors, many of whom are forced to become runners when they cannot repay their debts. So when police arrest a debtor-turn-runner and trace the mobile number, they end up with another debtor.

Another trick up their sleeve is to use debtors to open bank accounts but to hand the ATM card and the access number to the loan shark.

Debtors credit money into their own account and the loan sharks make an ATM withdrawal, again covering their tracks.

Mr De Souza added: "There is a group of them who will even get their debtors to gamble on ships. They'll tell their debtors, oh you don't have money to return us, never mind, we'll take you to gamble on international waters.

Those in debt will end up in greater debt, added MrDe Souza.

Loan sharks typically give loans with a flat interest rate of 20 per cent. For a $1,000 loan, the borrower only receives $800 because $200 is immediately kept by the moneylender as interest.

If $600 is repaid the next week, it is still short of the $1,000 and the moneylender will only count it as $400 having been repaid, taking another $200 as further interest. That's how some borrowers end up paying 100 per cent interest.

Fearful of big bosses

For all the bravado and arrogance they display, these sidekicks of the Ah Longs are extremely fearful of their big bosses.

And it often shows upon their arrest, said MrDeSouza.

While the runners are nabbed and jailed for offences ranging from vandalism to illegal moneylending, the lieutenants face the tougher penalties.

These men are detained under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act, also known as detention without trial.

The Act is applicable only when a serious crime has been committed and prosecution is not possible because witnesses are not willing or afraid to testify in court.

Only a minister can sign the detention order, which is valid for two years and renewable.

"As the saying goes, when you throw a stone, you hide the hand," said Mr De Souza.

"The sidekicks know the Ah Long leaders wield a lot of power and they do not want to divulge the identity (of their bosses), for fear of reprisals.

"So, they are willing to sacrifice themselves instead."

This article was first published in The New Paper.

Rednano

23 Jun 13, 21:58

Avenues Of Help

Dealing with loansharks
The best advice to deal with loansharks is to not deal with them at all.


    Never borrow from loansharks; any short term solution this seems to provide will be overshadowed by the unceasing harassments for payments, even after the full sum is paid;



    Never be a guarantor to any illegal loans;



    Do not lend your NRIC to another person;



    Do not gamble excessively & seek help if you are a compulsive gambler;

The public is advised to urge their friends and relatives not to borrow from illegal lenders but seek help through legal means of financial assistance such as credit counselling helplines and financial management professionals.

Borrowing from loansharks will result in dire consequences, some of which may include:


    Family/loved-ones suffering from the trauma and embarrassment caused by loanshark harassment;



    Never be a guarantor to any illegal loans; Indiscriminate borrowing and subsequent harassment may affect ties between family/love-ones;



    Innocent neighbours bearing the brunt of harassment;



    High exorbitant interest rates charged by the loansharks cause debtors to further spiral into debt and thus there is no way out for them, with many turning to a life of crime by working for the loansharks;

Members of the public who require help on gambling addiction and financial counselling may call the following agencies for assistance:


    Credit Counselling Singapore at 1800-225 5227 (9am to 6pm from Mondays to Friday) or email [email protected]



    National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) at 1800-6-668-668 or visit the website (http://www.ncpg.org.sg)



    National Addictions Management Service (NAMS), Institute of Mental Health (IMH) at their All Addictions Helpline: 6 - RECOVER (6732 6837) (Mon - Fri, 8.30am - 6.00pm) or visit the website http://www.nams.org.sg



    Tanjong Pagar Family Service Centre (FSC) (designated centre for family and debt counselling services for problem gamblers and their loved ones) at contact no: 6593 6489. To contact a FSC, call the ComCare Hotline at 1800-222-0000



    WE CARE Community Services at 6471-5346, email: [email protected] or visit the website www.wecare.org.sg

Members of the public who are going through a difficult time and require counselling may call the following agency for assistance:


    The Samaritans of Singapore at 1800-221-4444 (24 Hours Daily)

Rednano

23 Jun 13, 21:59

Community Involvement - What You Can Do To Fight Loansharking Activities

Community involvement
An important part of Police’s strategy in the fight against loansharks is the involvement of the community. Police officers cannot be omnipresent; however, residents and those working in the housing estates are constantly present and can effectively help the Police as well as the community.

How you can play a part
Stay vigilant, report loansharking activities
The public can help the Police with their vigilance and immediate reporting of suspicious persons and loanshark harassment activities in their neighbourhoods. Police seek the public’s assistance to provide detailed descriptions of such persons and to work with the Police to solve the case. The public should however avoid doing anything which would put them in harm’s way.

To provide Police information on loansharking activities, members of the public can call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000 or to dial ‘999’ if urgent assistance is required.

Alternatively, persons who may not want to approach the Police directly may call the National Crime Prevention Council’s (NCPC) ‘X Ah Long’ Hotline at 1800-924-5664 (1800-X-AH-LONG) (9am to 5pm from Mondays to Friday) to provide the information which will be channelled to Police to assist us with our investigations. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Victims of loansharking activities
Victims of loanshark harassment are advised to lodge a Police report at the nearest Neighbourhood Police Centre or to dial ‘999’ if urgent assistance is required. Police will investigate into all reports of loanshark harassment. They can also consider installing CCTVs at their residence to deter harassment and to provide Police with footage capture to assist with our investigations.

Get into the act of keeping your neighbourhood free from loansharking activities
Citizens on Patrol (COP)
COP groups have been established in many communities and neighbourhoods in Singapore, and is one of the initiatives under the Community Safety and Security Programme (CSSP). COP groups are trained by Police on safety, observation skills and crime prevention measures. COP help augment police patrols by being the 'eyes and ears' for the Police during their patrols. COP will alert the Police when they see suspicious activities or persons loitering within their neighbourhood, thus helping to detect and prevent crime and security threats. Volunteers under the COP scheme would be encouraged to pay attention to HDB void decks and other HDB common areas in their routine patrols. During COP patrols, should they notice any crime in progress or any persons behaving suspiciously, the volunteers would call for the Police.

Neighbourhood Watch Groups (NWGs)
Residents have taken the initiative to assist Police in the forming of Neighbourhood Watch Groups (NWGs) at affected locations. Neighbours living beside, below and above affected units are engaged to form NWGs, informing the Police at the onset of any suspicious activity. This is critical in the early detection and intervention before the harassment can cause any injury to persons or damage to property.

How to join
If you are keen to play a part in making your estate a safer place to live in, you can participate in the NWG or the COP initiatives. Please contact your Neighbourhood Police Centre to find out more on these initiatives as well as on how you can join.

Engaging the Community
Educational posters on the consequences of loanshark harassment or borrowing from loansharks have been displayed at locations such as the notice boards of HDB lift lobbies, and advisories against loanshark harassment are also distributed to residents to create awareness amongst the public. Officers from Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPCs) have also gone house-to-house to engage residents and to give them advisories by hand to encourage them to do their part against this scourge. Police have garnered the support from the grassroots and community and embarked on various CSSP Projects to combat the UML situation. The essence of these initiatives involves engaging the community to be the extra eyes and ears of the Police, reporting cases immediately when any suspicious activity is sighted within their neighbourhood. The involvement from the residents and constant vigilance to look out for suspicious persons/activities would ensure that their neighbourhood remains safe and secure. Grassroots organisations, schools, and town councils other agencies are also encouraged to engage the community to educate them on the consequences of borrowing from loansharks as well as in the dissemination of crime prevention materials. If required, the materials can be obtained from the Resources section in this website.

Parents too, have a part to play
A worrying trend observed is the increase in the number of youths (seven to 19 years) caught for their involvement in loansharking and harassment activities. In the first half of 2011, 98 youths, about half of whom were students, were arrested for loansharking activities as compared to the 78 youths arrested in the first half of 2010. Amongst those arrested, investigations revealed that most were recruited by the loansharks to conduct acts of harassment, while others had assisted the loansharking syndicates by providing bank accounts for their illegal operations. Some of them were also involved in the distribution of namecards, pamphlets and flyers advertising ‘easy-loans’ for illegal moneylenders.

Youths are easy prey for loansharks who dangle easy money as an incentive and provide false assurance that if caught, they would only be punished with probation. This is a myth, as youths may be sentenced to Reformative Training Centre, even for their first offence. Also, Under the Moneylenders Act 2010 (Revised Edition), it is also now an offence for persons who cause or procure persons under 16 to engage in such acts of harassment. This is punishable with imprisoned up to seven years, a maximum fine of $300,000, and a maximum of 12 strokes of the cane.

Police seek the public’s continued cooperation in our fight to stamp out the scourge of loansharks from our community. Parents should also be mindful of their children’s activities and to educate them so that the youths do not fall prey to these unscrupulous criminals. They can do so by reminding their loved ones about the severity of loansharking-related offences and intervene promptly should they display tell-tale signs of being under the influence of bad company.

Rednano

23 Jun 13, 21:59

Loansharking Situation In Singapore

The loansharking situation in Singapore
Further progress has been made in the fight against loansharking activities in 2011.

Total UML and harassment cases ^[1] continue to fall with more arrested

There was a reduction of 3,492 cases (or -21%) of UML and harassment in 2011 where 13,342 cases were reported, as compared to 2010 where 16,834 cases were reported. While the number of cases have fallen, continual community partnership coupled with Police’s resolute crackdown on all levels of the loansharking syndicates and on all persons involved in loansharking activities of any nature have resulted in a 31% increase in arrests - from 1,508 persons in 2010 to 1,981 persons in 2011 (or +473 persons).
Total Loanshark harassment cases ^[2] fall significantly with more arrested

In 2011, 11,776 cases of loanshark harassment were recorded, a significant 24% drop (or -3,749 cases) from the 15,525 loanshark harassment cases recorded in 2010. Correspondingly, 373 persons have been arrested for loanshark harassment in 2011. This is an almost 50% increase (or +120 persons) from the 253 persons arrested for loanshark harassment in 2010.

Police’s efforts in combating loansharking activities
The number of loansharking and harassment cases has been on a steady decline since 2009. At the same time, the number of persons arrested for loansharking and harassment has been on an increase over the last three years. This is testament to Police’s relentless commitment in tackling the loansharking situation until the menace is eradicated.

Police take a serious view of loansharking and related harassment cases and will continue efforts to clamp down on all levels of the loanshark syndicates and bring all perpetrators of loansharking activities to justice, regardless of their involvement.

Measures have also been taken at all levels, from to the Police and community, against loansharking and harassment. The strategies is multi-pronged and that of enhancing legislation, strengthening enforcement and collaborating with strategic partners. The amended Moneylenders Act came into effect on 11 February 2010 allowing us to deal with loansharking syndicates as such criminal organisations, so as to target financiers and masterminds, disrupt flow of money and resources and ensure that leaders do not escape the bite of our laws by instructing local operatives from the haven of other countrie s. To target the many layers comprising an organisation, anyone who contributes or facilitates a loansharking operation will not escape the law.

[1] These cases are classified under the Moneylenders Act (Revised Edition 2010).

[2] Cases of loanshark harassment refer to harassment specific cases classified under Section 28 of the Moneylenders Act (Revised Edition 2010). They form part of the overall UML and harassment cases stated in (a) above.

Shaharasi

24 Jun 13, 12:16

Hi anyone know where can I apply a loan when I'm 20?

Rednano

24 Jun 13, 12:29

See your Member of Parliament (MP) to write appeal letter?

www.parliament.gov.sg/whos-my-mp

Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) is the name of a feedback/redress system developed in Singapore for citizens to meet their member of parliament. The MPS are usually held once a week. Many citizens see the MPS as an opportunity to resolve problems that they are having with the bureaucracy.The MP will write a petition letter to the relevant ministry, statutory board or any concerned parties to appeal on behalf of the resident. The letters are accorded a higher priority by the Civil Service as they come from elected representatives.

Cases deal with a wide range of problems. These include, but are not limited to, family financial problems (e.g. health-cost issues, jobs, financial assistance), CPF matters, various licenses, HDB related problems (e.g. subsidized rental housing, obtaining a subsidized HDB flat), immigration issues, and appeals for school admissions and school fee subsidy.

Most sessions last past midnight to help residents effectively due to waiting time.

The process of meeting the MP or Ministers varies from constituency to constituency, but they follow a general pattern:

1) Registration and take queue number

2) Constituent meets the petition writer who pens the letter (either hand-written or via PC) on behalf of the MP

3) Wait and queue to meet the MP

4) Meet the MP in a separate room, constituent informs the MP of his/her problems one-to-one.

5) MP assures the constituent that they will look into the case and send the letter. For urgent cases, the letter will be typed out, sign by the MP and hands it to the constituent immediately. For normal cases, the letter will be vetted through by the MP’s or Minister’s Personal Secretary and sent out within three working days.

Rednano

24 Jun 13, 12:31

http://app.msf.gov.sg/Assistance.aspx

FireIce

24 Jun 13, 12:35

mai waste MP's time

Loan shark help please..

Other subsidy schemes