Illegal loan sharks targeted by Shropshire Council and partners

Specialist training to help the council and its partners crack down on loan sharks has been taking place.

There were around 100 people who took part in the training day, including council staff, people from housing associations Severnside and Shropshire Housing Groups, and voluntary sector staff from A4U and the Shropshire Housing Alliance, as well as tenant volunteers.  The training increased their awareness and knowledge so they can help members of the public avoid illegal money lenders.

The training, delivered by the England Illegal Money Lending Team, outlined the underhand way that loan sharks target people and how they were sometimes subjected to violence if they could not pay back the loans.  They also talked about how to spot people who may be targeted by loan sharks and where they can get help.  Jackie Jeffries from the Citizen’s Advice Service outlined how and where people could get help if people found they had financial difficulties, and Karen Farrow from just Credit outlined how they helped people get affordable loans.

There was really positive feedback from those who attended the training days, who said it would help them to help those who found themselves in financial difficulties, and how to stop loan sharks taking advantage of those with financial problems.

Mal Price, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for housing, said:

“It’s really important that our staff have the very latest information about this sort of thing, so they can give the best possible help to people who need it.”

If you are affected by illegal money lending, you can contact the England Illegal Money Lending team 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on 0300 555 2222 or by email at reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk or by texting: loan shark + your message to 60003.