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So scary....recently I've seen quite a lot of these flyers around my estate too. Looks like everyone wants a piece of the action. ------ Jul 4, 2011 Loan sharks masquerading as licensed moneylenders They tout services via fliers, online ads, but are not on approved list By Mavis Toh A flier for an illegal moneylender at the grille gate of a Bishan flat. Such moneylenders offer quick, hassle-free loans at exorbitant interest rates, and ask for borrowers' confidential SingPass information and passwords so they can get personal and financial data. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG ILLEGAL moneylenders pretending to be licensed operators are becoming brazen, dropping fliers and name cards at the doorsteps of flats and on car windshields across the island. Some are also advertising their services on classified websites such as ----.com and gumtree.sg Touting themselves as licensed operators to unsuspecting borrowers, they offer quick, hassle-free loans at exorbitant interest rates through bank transfers - not unlike the way loan sharks operate. A check by The Straits Times found at least 10 such operators advertising on various sites online. None of them is on the Insolvency and Public Trustee's Office's list of licensed moneylenders. Some list company names such as Jenny Finance and Javier Credit. Others simply leave a number and go by names such as Apple and Ivan. Several of them returned calls made to them last week using overseas numbers, and said they were based abroad but had workers in Singapore. One even said he had an office on Jurong Island. All eight contacted asked for the caller's confidential SingPass information and passwords to access his Central Provident Fund accounts and get personal and financial data.

have been looking at used car ads in sgcarmart. called a "direct owner" selling his car and turns out he is actually a car dealer. what a turn off. looked closer at some "owner" ads and some seems to be dealer as well (eg. offering trade-in, loans, etc). why these people pretend to be owners? should i have any concerns buying from them? my initial reaction is that if he can't even be open about who he is and his company name, how can i feel comfortable buying a car from him....