The police issued an advisory on Thursday morning, advising the public to be vigilant about loanshark harassment scams.

Police have in the last month received several reports of harassment involving SMS messages that were purportedly sent by loansharks. In such cases, the victims would receive SMS messages from unknown mobile phone numbers threatening to harass their homes unless they pay up their loans.

When the victims called the phone numbers, the culprit would tell them that their "particulars" had been used to borrow money from loansharks. These loansharks demand payment and threaten to harass the victims' families by locking them up, splashing paint or setting fire to their homes if payment is not received.

A few victims would then transfer the money to bank account numbers given by the culprit out of fear for their safety. The public are advised to not reveal their personal particulars to unknown individuals and to keep their SingPass login details confidential. They are also advised not to give in to unknown and unsolicited demands for loan repayments and not to contact the senders of these SMS messages. If they receive such a call or SMS, they should also make a police report via the Singapore Police Force website or at their neighbourhood police centre.