It is estimated more than a million people are in debt to illegal money lenders, a number that has trebled in the past decade
One woman, a mother of three, was offered a £50 loan by a woman she met at the school gate.The debt quickly spiralled and she ended up paying thousands in cash with no records kept.
"I got to the point of wanting to end everything. I was very suicidal and didn't know who to go to. There were threats on my life and on my home. I had windows put in and I would get messages off people bullying me because she had sent them to my door, she even used local youths in the area as a campaign of terror."The woman's experience matches what was found in a study by the Centre for Social Justice, a think tank.
"There's a sort of perception that every illegal lender is someone in a hoodie in a dark alley and while those people certainly do exist, it's far more likely that an illegal lender is someone you know, rather than someone you've met for the first time." Experts say the crime is so widespread and hidden that victims are too scared or ashamed to report their experiences. The large sums of money and extortionate rates of interest take a psychological toll, leaving victims feeling trapped and helpless.