- You can contact the Registry at 1800-2255-529 or via e-mail at OneMinLaw@mlaw.gov.sg. Rest assured that the Registry will not disclose your details to the moneylender without your consent. To facilitate the Registry to investigate your complaint, you may need to attend an interview with our officers and provide us with all relevant information and documents related to your loan transactions and circumstances of your dealings with the moneylender. The Registry views complaints against moneylenders seriously and will investigate them thoroughly. Errant moneylenders will be taken to task.
- If a moneylender has engaged in an unfair practice towards you, you can pursue the matter through the Small Claims Tribunal or the Court under the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act. The Court also has the power to set aside loan transactions that are exorbitant or substantially unfair.
- Make sure the moneylender delivers to you the correct principal amount of the loan. The moneylender is only permitted an upfront deduction of a loan approval fee of up to 10% of the principal amount.
- Pay the loan instalments on time to avoid incurring late payment fees and late interest.
- Make sure the moneylender issues to you a dated and signed receipt every time you repay your loan or pay any fees in cash, and check it for correctness (e.g. name, amount, date).
- Make sure you receive a statement of account for all your loan(s) at least once every 6 months, and check it for correctness (e.g. name, amount, date); and
- You should retain all statement of accounts and receipts of payments, as documentation and evidence of payments.
You should ensure that:
- You understand your responsibilities as a surety;
- You receive a copy of the Note of Contract at the time that the loan is granted to the borrower;
- The moneylender has explained the terms in the Note of Contact in a language that you understand; and
- The moneylender does not keep your NRIC card or any other personal ID documents (e.g. driverโs licence, passport).
- The moneylender does not acquire any information that contains passwords to your user accounts (e.g. Singpass account, Internet banking account, email account).
You are advised to seek clarifications on specific terms of the loan contract before signing up with a licensed moneylender, and not to rely solely on the content of advertisements from the moneylender.
Under the advertising rules, which took effect on 1 November 2011, licensed moneylenders are permitted to advertise only through these three channels: (a) business or consumer directories (in print or online media); (b) websites belonging to the moneylender; and (c) advertisements placed within or on the exterior of the moneylenderโs business premises. All other channels are prohibited.
In this regard, the advertising rules can help you differentiate between licensed and unlicensed moneylenders. If you receive flyers, SMSes, emails or other forms of advertisements which are not permitted under the rules, these would be from either licensed moneylenders operating in violation of the rules, or loansharks. Hence, you are advised not to respond to such advertisements. Instead, you should report the advertisements to the Registry at 1800-2255-529 or by email at OneMinLaw@mlaw.gov.sg. Errant licensed moneylenders will be investigated by the Registry and loansharks will be investigated by the Police.
