Confessions of a teen loan shark harasser
By Shaffiq Alkhatib
The New Paper
Sunday, Jul 29, 2012
Karl, 17, (not his real name) has done them all.
The lanky school dropout used to be a loan shark harasser when he was just 14 and he told The New Paper on Thursday that he did so to earn a quick buck.
"My father is not working and my mum, who works as a waitress, earns only about $1,000 a month. They don't give me money. So being a loan shark harasser is an easy way to earn cash."
Karl, who has only Primary 6 education, is also a former secret society member.
He said he was hanging out with his gang at a Geylang coffee shop when they were approached by a loan shark ,who asked them if they wanted to earn some money by being his harassers.
"It's an easy job and we agreed to work for him. These 'ah longs' (illegal moneylenders) are smart. They know who to approach. They will approach guys who look like 'ah bengs' (Hokkien slang for uncouth youths) . They won't choose 'nerdy' guys."
Karl also said the illegal moneylenders would approach potential harassers at places where there are no CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras like void decks.
"I worked alone and would be given things like paint to splash on doors and markers to harass the debtors by writing 'owe money pay money' messages near their flats. I was also given a list of debtors who could not repay their loans."
Karl admitted that he had several close shaves.
"A few times, some neighbours of debtors saw me splashing paint. They would shout 'Ooi!' and chase after me. But I am a fast runner and never got caught."
Karl was a loan shark harasser on and off for about a year.
He declined to reveal how much he earned for tormenting the debtors.
"I can just say that I earned quite a lot of money and I used the money to party and enjoy myself."
But Karl's luck ran out in 2010 when he was sent to a boys' home.
He told TNP that he was released only last year.
Looking back, Karl said that he now regrets his actions. "It was a very stupid thing to do. I don't want to go to jail."
Game arcades
Lawyer Rajan Supramaniam told TNP that he has dealt with several cases involving illegal moneylenders who had engaged youngsters to harass debtors.
"Some of these loan sharks will observe kids at game arcades. They will approach youngsters who spend a lot of money at such places.
"These teenagers are told they can earn easy money by working as harassers and some are lured by these promises."
Another lawyer, Mr Josephus Tan, agreed.
He added that LAN gaming centres are also possible places where youngsters are exposed to criminal activities because they are usually open until late.
"Some youngsters could be approached and enticed to take part in gang-related activities or tempted into becoming loan shark harassers with the promise that they could earn easy money," said Mr Tan.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
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