[COMMUNICATED]
Loan sharks. Nasty criminals who prey on vulnerable individuals who are desperate to borrow their money. They can appear initially friendly but eventually turn to harassment, intimidation, threats and violence to force their victims to pay back their debts at an exorbitant percentage.
When Avraham Tzaiger’s Israeli tech business started to become less lucrative at the dawn of the Corona crisis, he borrowed money from what he thought was a trustworthy individual with the intent of restructuring his business in a more profitable and proactive manner. He projected to start collecting a profit a year or two down the line so that he could continue to support his wonderful family.
But the “trustworthy individual” that Avraham borrowed funds from turned out to be dangerous. The man has started to threaten his family, frightening the couple so much that they have taken their four children and fled from their home.
“He hasn’t been able to pay back the loans. Our lives became a nightmare,” explains Avraham’s wife Rachel in a gut-wrenching video.
“People knocked on our door every hour, even during the night… I am so afraid that they will harm my husband. These people are very dangerous.”
Now, the Tzaiger family is in an even more terrifying predicament: The man is asking for $50,000 and unless he receives the money in less than one month, he has threatened to resort to grave actions.
Avraham has a wife and four children. Emergency funds are being collected here to keep them safe.
Is there a חיוב to bail out people who act irresponsibly? He needed money? You and I also need money, but we won’t approach a loan shark because nothing good will come out of it.
The number to call the police in Israel is 100