Loan Sharks - Illegal Money Lending

A Loan Shark is someone who lends money without the appropriate licence issued by the Office of Fair Trading. Loan Sharks rarely, if ever, give any paperwork and if payments are missed they often use intimidation and violence to get money from their ’clients’. The Illegal Money Lending Team is here to help. If you have any information, however small, on loan shark activities we can help.

Loan shark lending is a crime - don’t be a victim, we can help you.

• Have you or anyone you know been offered a cash loan?
• Have you received threats if you cannot pay back the loan?
• Has your bank card been taken from you as ’security’?
• Does the amount you owe keep increasing even though you are making payments?

If you said yes to any of these, you can contact us:

• Loan Shark and Illegal Money Lending Team
• reportaloanshark@stoploansharks.gov.uk
• Tel: 0300 555 2222

All information will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Although the Illegal Money Lending Team is based in Birmingham, there are officers that cover the south east so you will be put in touch with the team responsible for the Reading area.