Three men believed to be involved in 180 SMS loanshark scam cases arrested

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Following extensive inquiries, three suspects were arrested at Hougang and Ceylon Road by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and Police Intelligence Department.

Several handphones, laptops, ATM cards and USB drives were also seized during a six-hour operation on Friday.

Police have arrested the three men, aged between 18 and 26, for suspected involvement in a series of island-wide loanshark harassment scams.

In these cases, the victims would usually receive SMS messages from unknown mobile phone numbers threatening to harass their homes unless they pay up.

When the victims called back the phone numbers, they would be told by the culprits that their "particulars" had been used to borrow money from loansharks with no specific details provided.

The culprits 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 the victims transferred money to bank account numbers provided by the culprits out of fear.

The three men will be charged in Court on 13 April 2013 for an offence of Cheating with Common Intention under Section 420 read with Section 34 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 which carries a punishment of up to 10 years' imprisonment and a fine.

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

a) Do not reveal your personal particulars such as name, NRIC number, residential address and contact details to unknown individuals;

b) Keep your SingPass log-in details confidential and do not disclose it to anyone;

c) Do not give in to unknown and unsolicited demands for loan repayments; and

d) Do not contact the sender of the SMS messages.

Members of public who receive such SMSes or calls should report the matter to the Police at any police station. They can call '999' if urgent police assistance is required.