Loan sharks threaten couple over worker’s debt

A Malaysian Chinese man was harassed by loan sharks in Singapore after his foreign domestic worker borrowed S$300 (US$221).

Allen Moo, a famous pop singer, told Shin Min Daily that in early April, his wife received a mobile message from loan sharks that the couple’s domestic worker had borrowed S$300. Allen Moo’s elder brother, Eric Moo, is a famous Taiwan-based singer-songwriter and record producer.

The message said the loan sharks lent S$300 to the domestic worker and said they could lend her S$3,000 if she could return the loan plus interest of S$120 within a week. But once the domestic worker received the S$300, she changed her mind and wanted to return the money.

After one week, the loan sharks sent a message to the couple, who helped the domestic worker to repay the S$300. The loan sharks were not satisfied and demanded S$1,000. The couple received some threatening messages, so they reported the case to the police.

Moo said the domestic worker had been a good worker for the family for more than two years and never mentioned having any financial difficulty.

The report did not disclose the nationality of the domestic worker.

From this year, foreign workers who are found to have borrowed money from loan sharks will be sent back to their home countries and not allowed to work in Singapore anymore.