Teacher borrows $600 from loan shark, forced to send nudes and become runner
A secondary school teacher who borrowed money from unlicensed moneylenders was allegedly forced to send nude photos and videos, and become a runner for them.
Geraldine Quek Yi Ling, 42, pleaded guilty to seven charges under the Moneylenders Act, with another 12 charges taken into consideration during sentencing.
According to Shin Min Daily News, she was the Head of English Language and Literature at St Patrick’s School at the time of the offences. She had also reportedly received an innovation award from the school last year.
It was revealed in court documents that Quek began investing in cryptocurrency in 2023. However, after suffering losses when the crypto market crashed, she borrowed money from loan sharks to continue trading.
At one point, she allegedly owed money to about four different loan shark groups.
The $600 debt that snowballed
In December 2024, Quek was introduced by one loan shark to another man known as “Travis Heng”, from whom she borrowed $600.
Unable to repay the loan in full, she paid between $100 and $200 weekly, but mounting interest caused the debt to snowball.
In September 2025, she attempted to negotiate with the loan shark, but he allegedly began harassing her instead.
The court heard that in October 2025, the loan shark threatened to harass her at home unless she sent him nude photos. She complied out of fear.
He later demanded nude videos as well, threatening to circulate the earlier photos if she refused.
The loan shark then instructed her to photograph and film the homes of other debtors. He told her that he would deduct $10 from her debt for every unit she targeted.
She was also told to leave loan shark notes and take part in harassment activities such as placing raw pork hoofs and hell notes outside debtors’ homes. She complied with his instructions as she was not certain how much debt she had accumulated, and hoped that he would eventually stop harassing her.
According to investigations, Quek committed 18 loan shark harassment offences between October and November 2025, including leaving debtor notes at residential units and sending threatening parcels.
She was sentenced to 18 months’ jail.
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