'I borrowed £100 from a woman I thought was a friend... I ended owing over £40k'
05.03.2023 - 21:47
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
For Kelly it all started with £100. All she needed was some extra cash to make sure her kids could have a decent, healthy meal.
A friend of a friend who lived round the corner said she could borrow the money she needed, and give it back once Kelly got paid at the end of the month. It seemed so simple.
But three years later, the mum found herself owing the woman over £40,000 - despite only borrowing around £2,500 from her.
READ MORE: 'I spent a day at the place you call if you're in debt. It was truly harrowing'
Her monthly repayments had stacked up so much that Kelly considered jumping off a bridge so the woman couldn't come after her. She thought about doing it more than once.
When the lending first started in 2019, Kelly, which is not her real name, didn't realise she was being reeled in by a loan shark.
The woman had presented herself to Kelly as a friend and offered to lend her the £100 she needed until she got paid her Universal Credit payment at the end of the month.
"I thought I'd just be paying back what I borrowed but then I got a message saying I owed her £325 or £345 'depending on what she felt like,'" Kelly said, speaking to the M.E.N.
"I was mortified to be honest. I didn't like the idea of having to pay that amount back but I just thought it would be a one off."
But before long, Kelly found herself struggling for money again. She tried going to a member of the family, but they weren't able to lend her the amount she needed.
"Because I was desperate and stupid at the time I went back to her and asked to borrow the money again until I got paid and that's just how it went on," she said.
"What I had to pay back varied depending on what she felt like but it always had to be paid on time. If I said