A 62-year-old man in Singapore became a victim of loanshark harassment even though he had not taken out any loans.

The man received a deposit of S$200 in his bank account from the loanshark, who claimed that it was a loan and told him to repay it on time, according to Shin Min Daily News (SMDN).

This happened after he sought a S$7,600 personal loan from a bank, which said that it would get back to him.

The day after his visit to the bank, he received a call from the loanshark, who claimed to be a bank employee and asked for his personal details, including his bank account details, which he disclosed.

Felt that something was amiss

When the man checked his bank balance and found the incoming transfer of S$200, he felt that something was amiss and made a report at a police station.

He then returned the S$200 back to the sender, and even closed the bank account involved, hoping that this would be the end of the matter.

However, this did not deter the loanshark, and the man soon became the target of loan solicitation.

A photo by SMDN appears to show a WhatsApp conversation between the man and the loanshark, with the loanshark offering a S$500 loan at a "good good rate", and a claim that the offeror was being "scold very jialat" for having no customers.

The offer was promptly rejected by the man, however, which drew a response of three crying emojis.

Harassment on Facebook

The loanshark's pleading messages then saw a drastic change in tone.

A photo of a gate splashed with red paint was circulated on Facebook, along with a message asking for the man to repay a loan within 24 hours.

While the man was not named in the post, some of his personal information was included.

The post was accompanied with a threat to set his house on fire if he did not comply, even though he had already transferred back the S$200 that was sent to him.

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Top image via Alex Ware on unsplash