Kent Trading Standards call for information on home working and money lending scams

Trading Standards are concerned that some locally advertised 'home working schemes' are fronts for scams or illegal money lending (also known as 'loan sharking').

Whilst charging an up front 'registration' fee, illicit schemes offer no genuine employment at all. Alternatively, the victim may be offered a loan instead of paid work, with varying ways of repaying the debt.

Whichever is the case this often leaves the victim in an even worse financial position than they started in.

In September 2010 a pregnant woman was prosecuted for carrying out a spate of burglaries and stated that her activities were to pay back a loan shark. She had originally answered an advert offering the chance to earn extra money but was offered a loan instead and could not keep up the repayments.

Trading Standards are very keen to hear from anyone that has been involved in, or been affected by, home working scams or illegal money lenders. We are particularly interested in gathering intelligence from roadside adverts, local shop notice boards, drop in centres etc where home working is advertised.

To provide any information or report any concerns you have please call Trading Standards via Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.