Welsh Sharks Targeted
Monday 27th August 2007 The Government has introduced a new 10 strong team to crackdown on illegal lenders in the UK. Research shows that over 165,000 households in the UK owe money to so called ‘loan sharks’ and since the scheme was piloted earlier in the year over 200 sharks have been identified with 39 arrests made.
As well as targeting loan sharks, the unit is to team up with the Citizen’s Advice Bureau to offer advice and support to their victims. Illegal lenders are known to target single parents, drug users and people with mental health problems – it is hoped that the unit can help to raise awareness of the dangers of borrowing money through these channels amongst those at risks.
The new unit will be based in Cardiff and follows on from successful pilots, which have run in Glasgow and Birmingham. The Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Wales has stated that it is unsure of the exact numbers of people in their area who owe money to loan sharks as the threat of violence often stops individuals coming forward for help. It is hoped however, that the new unit will help protect those who are the most vulnerable.
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