Our Tenancy Services team have recently gained us accreditation with the Illegal Money Lending Team which means we're more prepared than ever to help you if you are a victim of Loan Sharks.
What’s the Illegal Money Lending Team?
The Illegal Money Lending Team was set up to investigate and prosecute loan sharks and to help support individuals who have borrowed money from them. It’s made up of a specialist teams of investigations and Liaise Officers who have backgrounds in the police, trading standards and debt advice.
They work within local communities and alongside local authorities, education providers and housing associations to help bring an end to loan sharks. Since 2004, they have helped more than 31,100 people who were victim to loan sharks and have written off over £91.2 million worth of illegal debt.
What’s our connection?
Thanks to the work of our Tenancy Services Team and particularly our Specialist Fraud Officer, Alastair, we now have partner status with the ILMT. To achieve this, we had to roll out extensive training to our frontline teams across the organisation.
This means that our colleagues now have the skills to help them recognise the signs of potential Loan Shark activity and know how to best support the victims.
We have also opened up our offices to the ILMT for them to use our spaces to support any victims of loan shark activity in the local area. This means that you have easy access to the service if you ever need to use it.
How do I report a loan shark?
If you’re the victim of Loan Shark activity, we can help. Please get in touch with us on 0345 60 20 540 or email us on tenancyservices@midlandheart.org.uk and we’ll get in touch with you to talk through your situation and see how best we can support you.
Depending on your circumstances, we might refer you to the ILMT so that they can investigate fully and put a stop to any illegal money lending.
You can also report a loan shark directly to the ILMT using their website.
Find out more information about ILMT here
We know a lot of people are struggling with the cost of living at the moment. If you’re worried about your finances, don’t forgot get in touch with our Money Advice Team who are here to offer you free and confidential advice. Read more about our money advice service here.
