SINGAPORE – A 14-year-old boy is the youngest of 102 people being investigated for involvement in unauthorized money lending activities.
The oldest suspect is 69 years old.
Police announced in a statement on May 7 that the suspects were arrested after an island-wide investigation conducted between April 22 and April 26 by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and the 7th Police Land Division. .
Eleven of the suspects are suspected of harassing debtors in their homes, and 45 are believed to be runners who are suspected of assisting unauthorized money lenders, such as by transferring money through automated teller machines (ATMs). are.
The remaining 46 suspects are believed to have assisted unauthorized money lenders by opening bank accounts and authorizing the use of ATM cards, personal identification numbers and internet banking tokens, police said.
The investigation is ongoing, they added.
A person who allows an illegal moneylender to use his or her bank account, ATM card, or Internet banking token is considered to be aiding and abetting an unauthorized moneylending operation.
Anyone found guilty of engaging in or aiding an unauthorized moneylending business could face up to four years in prison, a fine of $30,000 to $300,000, and up to six lashes of the cane. There is.
Anyone found guilty of harassment or attempted harassment by an unauthorized moneylender could face up to five years in prison, a fine of $5,000 to $50,000, and three to six lashes.
Police said they would continue to crack down on those involved in illegal money lending, including those who open or transfer bank accounts to support unlicensed money lenders.
The police urge the public to stay away from unlicensed money lenders, and if you have someone you know or think is involved in an unlicensed money lending business, call the police at 999 or the X-Ah Long hotline at 1800-924-5666. He urged people to call and report the incident.
