Cold calls – Charm

25 arrested as Hong Kong police bust loan shark ring charging up to 282% interest rate

2 months ago02 mins

Hong Kong police have arrested 25 people, some as young as 13, in a crackdown on a loan shark syndicate that charged victims annual interest rates of up to 282 per cent. Police said on Thursday that the triad-linked crime ring had loaned HK$200 million (US$25.5 million) to about 2,000 residents over the past year,…

‘Rampant like a pandemic’: why Hongkongers struggle to get peace from junk calls

8 months ago02 mins

Hongkonger Chan Shuk-wah feels exhausted by the constant ringing of her phone. On any given weekday, nearly all of the calls lighting up her phone are from unknown numbers — as many as a dozen each day, mostly selling health checks or pushing loan applications. The relentless calls have disrupted her professional life as a…