TWO people have been arrested in relation to suspected illegal money lending activities in East Lothian and Midlothian.
Officers from the Scottish Illegal Money Lending Unit (SIMLU), alongside partner agencies, searched the premises of two people in Dalkeith last Wednesday.
A 59-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman were arrested and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
Fiona Richardson, chief officer of Trading Standards Scotland, said: “Illegal money lenders exploit the most vulnerable in our communities.
“Illegal lenders use threats and intimidation to extort as much money from their borrowers as possible.
“This in turns results in people paying back exorbitant amounts of money over a long period of time.
“Working with our partners throughout Scotland, we are committed to taking action against anyone who operates such practices.”
The Scottish Illegal Money Lending Unit is part of Trading Standards Scotland, which is based within the local authority umbrella group CoSLA.
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