Swimming with Loan Sharks

Episode image for Swimming with Loan Sharks

Duration: 30 minutes

Loan sharks are thriving in recession-hit Britain, as the poor and vulnerable run out of credit and find themselves relying on criminals instead.

Reporter Simon Boazman finds the victims who have suffered brutal violence, and looks at the lenders who can charge 17,000 per cent interest.

  • Taking a bite out of loan sharks

    As the credit crunch continues, Panorama gains access to the teams leading a crackdown on the loan sharks preying on the most vulnerable on housing estates across the UK.

    Read more here

  • "I was the victim of a loan shark"

    Sorry, you must enable Javascript to display media content

    Stephanie Plummer tells Panorama about how she became a victim of a loan shark and why she eventually decided to report him to the authorities.

  • Panorama: Help and advice lines

    People affected by unmanageable debt levels or who are victims of loan sharks can turn to these agencies for help.

    Read more

Credits

Presenter
Jeremy Vine
Participant
Simon Boazman
Producer
John O'Kane

Broadcasts

See all broadcasts of Swimming with Loan Sharks (5)

Watch previous episodes

Panorama logo

Catch up on a year's worth of Panorama programmes on BBC iPlayer.

More …

BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.