England's Illegal Money Lending Team Seizes Weapons and Passports in Raids, Makes 33 Arrests from 597 Reports

A samurai sword, meat cleaver, hunting knives, knuckle duster, gold jewellery and babies' passports were among items seized in raids by England's Illegal Money Lending Team. The team gave the BBC rare access to how they track down loan sharks and exclusive access to their evidence store. David Benbow leads the Illegal Money Lending Team from Birmingham.

He stated there is always some sort of control measure by the loan shark to get you to pay. The IMLT evidence store contains gold jewellery and various passports including those for babies which loan sharks use as control measures. Benbow flips through folders of evidence including diaries used by loan sharks to record incomes.

Passports and documents seized in raids serve to stop people from travelling, accessing employment or anything where physical ID is required. IMLT conducted a dawn raid in Bristol following a public tip-off received more than a year ago. Officers arrested a suspected loan shark believed to have taken up to £750,000 from about 200 victims.

Documents including passports were seized during the operation. The IMLT received 597 reports to its Stop Loan Sharks service in the past year. There were 33 arrests and six convictions from those reports.

IMLT cases can take many months to build a successful case and many suspects are cautioned and served with cease-and-desist notices rather than taken to court. 9 million people had used an illegal money lender in Great Britain in a 12-month period. Loan sharks have increasingly moved online since the Covid pandemic.

Following the shift online, victims are now found up to 60 miles apart rather than within the same neighbourhood. Sarah, aged 28 and from Yorkshire, first contacted a loan shark via social media after being turned down for a credit card. Sarah borrowed less than £10,000 from loan sharks and repaid £20,000.

Her initial loan agreement was to borrow £50 and repay £100. Sarah sent photos of her utility bills to the loan shark believing it was a legitimate registration process. She received threatening messages including the words "I want it now or you are gonna be hurt".

Sarah became homeless and tried to end her life several times after being threatened by loan sharks. She has only recently finished paying £20,000 of debt repayments. "When I look back, I'm filled with shame," Sarah said.

Some of Sarah's friends had taken their own lives after accumulating thousands of pounds in loan shark debt. Unregulated lending is illegal. Citizens Advice and the FCA suggest contacting your local credit union for people who need help with a small loan.

Paul from West Yorkshire paid more than £5,000 in cash to loan sharks after his son's debt and later paid more than £20,000 total. Paul's son borrowed £30 for a round of drinks from a so-called friend and then borrowed a small amount more on a few other occasions. Paul installed CCTV cameras throughout his home and avoids being in the home alone due to fear of loan sharks returning.

West Yorkshire Police said it was unable to progress Paul's report due to a lack of evidence. "All of the advice, all of the people that you could turn to say, 'don't pay'. But… you'll find a way because you feel as though you've got to make the pain go away," Paul said.

"They don't say I'm going to hurt you - something will happen to your house… but they are there in your space.