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In the wake of a video of debt collection agents creating a commotion outside an alleged debtor’s home that went viral — calling into question the methods employed by such agents — the founder of the company that employed the agents has stepped forward to shed some light on the industry.
‘Robin Hood’ debt collectors face iron rods, hot water in retrieval of money http://tdy.sg/1sTeX6m
SINGAPORE — They have been chased off with an iron rod, had hot water flung at them and even been accused of damaging property, all in their endeavour to help those owed money claim what is theirs — for a fee.
And while they are sometimes mistaken as loansharks harassing debtors into returning monies, their clients, in fact, range from businesses seeking payment to individuals who may have been duped into making loans. They even negotiate with moneylenders on behalf of debtors.
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There is no licensing requirement or legislation that regulates debt collectors in Singapore, but Mr Roger said he takes care to operate within the confines of criminal law.
The company starts by sending a letter of demand to the debtor. This is followed by phone calls and if there is no response, the company’s “field agents” visit the debtor’s home or the organisation.
Mr Roger said his agents include ex-offenders and former police officers. Dressed in uniforms, they usually make visits in groups of three of four for safety. They are also trained in negotiation skills and wear spy cams to ensure the proceedings are on record.
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The uniforms, he added, help distinguish them from loansharks. The agents are also trained not to be physical and to call the police should the situation turns ugly.
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Approaching the debtor’s workplace to collect debts, although potentially embarrassing, is not an offence, said Law Minister K Shanmugam in Parliament in 2012.
He said, “However, moneylenders cannot resort to harassment vandalism, violence or threatening behaviour when recovering debts. Borrowers who encounter such behaviour should report the matter to the police…”
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Roger Rajan, founder of debt-collecting agency, JMS Rogers, says that their debt-collectors are properly trained.
“We also crack down on scam syndicates, illegal loansharks, and loan defaulters in our line of work which other debt collection agencies do not do.”
Debt collectors creating commotion outside HDB flat: People are properly trained, says agency http://bit.ly/1xXhbBU
JMS Rogers has responded to the viral video which shows their licensed debt collectors making a scene outside a HDB flat while trying to collect payment.
The agency, founded by Roger Rajan, has released a response explaining the situation that required such measures.
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Here is the statement in full:
“It has come to our attention that the recent public interest on the viral video, where one of our JMS Rogers licensee debt collection field agents was seen creating a commotion outside a debtor’s home in Buangkok, has created quite a buzz on social media channels and was also picked up by Lianhe Wanbao last night.
“Public opinion is varied, with some members of the public even confusing licensed debt collection officers with illegal loansharks or ‘ah longs’.
“Nothing can be further from this perception as one of our services offered to clients under stress from illegal loansharks is to actually track down these illegal loansharks and negotiate an early settlement with them to prevent further harassment of our clients.
“We are not in the business of money-lending. All our licensed debt collectors are properly trained before they work in the field and their modus operandi do not involve physical attacks or property destruction.
“We do not hesitate to cancel franchisee agreements if they are found to violate any legal rules.
“JMS Rogers, being the leader in the debt recovery industry for over a decade with over $30m of debts recovered for our clients, is open for interviews to help you gain further insight on what goes on in the field and to clarify this episode’s circumstances regarding this stubborn debtor who has conned $23,000 from a mentally handicapped young man and caused immense stress onto his family as a result and what was done to assist them in collecting back the monies owed.
“A rising number of new citizens here from other countries have also come to us to seek help – because of their trust misplaced with local partners or suppliers who cheated them/default on payments due, and not knowing how to seek early closure to this growing problem and unfamiliarity with local laws.
“We have unique insights that we can share with you on how the public & corporations can protect themselves or solve such issues where legal or police attention would take up too much time or due to complicated circumstances.
“We also crack down on scam syndicates, illegal loansharks, and loan defaulters in our line of work which other debt collection agencies do not do.
“Our track record puts us in high regard in this multi-million dollar industry.”
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Debt collectors in video were trying to recover monies from ‘stubborn’ con man: JMS Rogers http://yhoo.it/1w8ggOL
The three debt collectors seen in a video shouting and banging on the door of a borrower’s house was trying to recover monies from a “stubborn debtor who conned $23,000 from a mentally handicapped young man”, said JMS Rogers, a Singapore-based licensed debt recovery and credit management company.
In an email to Yahoo Singapore on Thursday, they said that the debtor had caused “immense stress” onto the handicapped man’s family, and that JMS Rogers were assisting the family in collecting the monies owed.
The debtor, known as “Jonathan”, had apparently borrowed $23,000 from a moneylender. JMS Rogers also confirmed that the 1-minute 40-second video was recorded at a HDB flat in Buangkok.
“All [of] our licensed debt collectors are properly trained before they work in the field and their modus operandi do not involve physical attacks or property destruction,” they assured.
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The Real Singapore shared a link.
Licensed debt collectors or ‘hooligans’? See how they harass HDB resident to make him pay up http://bit.ly/1CbCEaR
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JMS ROGERS – Singapore Debt Recovery Part 1: http://youtu.be/804dDOI2uwg @YouTube 님이 공유
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weehingthong 
Work of Debt Collectors like JMS Rogers and others
I refer to some comments made by the public concerning the work methods of debt collectors who seem to ‘harass’ those who owe monies to their clients.
The reality is far from the common public perception of their work. Their work is demanding and not always appreciated except by their clients who are the real victims. Pity the debtor? Think again!
I wish to emphasise that I am a victim of a Singaporean who owe me monies till today but refused to pay after repeated reminders and phone calls.
My situation is that this person owes me rent for which she promised to pay by instalments which out of sympathy I agreed.
The tenant rented the place from me and sub tenanted the place making much money in the process. When I chased for rental payment, the tenant would say that she has no monies to pay and asked for instalment payments. This happened over 6 to 9 months.
The tenant would cry in front of me whenever I chased for payment and asked for patience and more time to pay. During this period, she would collect rent from all her sub tenants each month without fail.
I only realised later that her crying were all part of the show and the promised payments were all a bluff to buy time.
When the lease came close to an end, she moved out of the premises without informing me that she has moved.
I found the place empty except for damages which the tenant refused to repair. I had to spend monies to repair the damages and re-paint the place.
For over 4 months now, I keep calling her handphone almost everyday. All calls went unanswered. So I know that the phone number is still valid but she simply refused to answer my calls. Even my emails went unanswered.
I checked with lawyers who advised me that what I am facing is a practical problem of recovering the debt, not a matter of the law but enforcing payment on someone who refuses to be contactable.
I asked the lawyers if it is really so easy in Singapore to cheat someone simply by refusing to pay a legitimate debt just by remaining non contactable. Where then is justice served? The lawyers remained silent.
In my case, its even worse. The tenant used my place to make monies through sub tenancy, refused to pay the rent, and finally absconded leaving me with a damaged property and rent arrears.
This is abuse and cheating pure and simple.
Call me ignorant for all the mistakes I made but I truly appreciate the work of debt collectors who have a sense of justice to make amends for the wrongs done to the real victims like myself.
JMS Rogers has even offered to take up my case pro bono when no one would help without charging me high fees.
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