Snapchat loan shark who used “cruel tactics” to threaten victims with violence is jailed


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Rovin Mavunga of Union Street, Doncaster, South Yorkshire hunted down vulnerable people and used “cruel tactics” and threats of violence when they missed repayments, the England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) said.

Mavunga charged nearly 100% interest on loans and pocketed £ 140,000 in repayments over a 22 month period, the Sheffield Crown Court heard.

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The 24-year-old ran an “organized, sophisticated and lucrative illegal business” in which he offered 130 borrowers short-term, high-interest loans – repayments were arbitrarily increased and heavy penalties were imposed for late payments and neglect.

His victims included a single mother of two who was attacked on the street for unpaid debt and had to move away from the threats, and a financially extremely vulnerable man who took out 91 loans.

The woman became aware of Mavunga’s business through his Snapchat ads and took out a series of small loans before she could no longer pay.

She was slapped twice in the face by a man who came up to her in the street and asked, “Where is Lou’s money?”

The IMLT said Mavunga sent a picture of a house and vehicle to another victim to intimidate them, believing they belonged to the victim’s mother.

He then introduced the victim to a man named “Arnold” who used Snapchat to threaten to burn his house down and raise the interest on his £ 1,000 loan until he owed £ 7,000.

A threatening SMS that Mavunga sent to its victims read: “Sometimes it is better to avoid certain circumstances while you can. Because if I start to get you, it will be too late. “

Another read: “You always think it’s a game until I find you.”

A victim begged the loan shark not to involve his family when he sent a message saying, “I’ll talk to your mother now … And I’ll come back later … She has a nice car.”

Mavunga was arrested in January 2020 when IMLT officials, working with Doncaster Trading Standards and South Yorkshire Police, executed an arrest warrant at his home and seized electronic equipment.

The IMLT said he continued to operate illegally after the arrest and started a company called 24/7 Loans in February 2020.

He was arrested again in March 2020.

Telephone records showed Mavunga made a profit of £ 25,000 from a group of 35 borrowers and the outstanding loan balance at the time of his first arrest was £ 100,000.

Recorder Megan Rhys convicted Mavunga on Wednesday of illegal moneylending crimes and condemned his “appalling behavior that takes advantage of people who are personally and financially vulnerable”.

The IMLT said the judge added that those who borrowed from Mavunga “did not borrow large sums for an extravagant lifestyle but for basic necessities” and were “understandably scared” when their debts “escalated beyond recognition” .

Tony Quigley, Director of IMLT, said, “Mavunga ran an organized, sophisticated, and profitable illegal moneylending business by paying a social media influencer to promote its services online to attract more customers.

“He has deliberately exploited financially vulnerable people and used cruel tactics to enforce the debt.

“This case shows the misery that loan sharks cause and the way in which customers of unregulated lenders face unscrupulous lending practices such as threats, high interest rates and fines.”

Mr. Quigley urged anyone with concern about loan sharks to call the IMLT’s 24-hour helpline on 0300 5552222 or live chat between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays at stoploansharks.co.uk.

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