September 10, 2002

1:52 PM

Hong Kong Debt Collection Gets Ugly."Collectors have been known to throw snakes, or a swarm of grasshoppers into an apartment to hasten debt repayment, or to hang the carcasses of dogs and cats outside." I think I'd prefer being declined for credit, wouldn't you?
posted by Miss Beth (3 comments total)

In one particularly gruesome case, three men tortured and dismembered a 23-year-old nightclub hostess and stuffed her head inside a Hello Kitty doll. She allegedly owed $2,560


As much as you have to give them credit for creativity, their likelihood of collecting on that debt are nil. Makes penalty fees seem quaint, doesn't it?
posted by dr_dank at 2:02 PM on September 10, 2002

Even in pop culture, it's not depicted as a particularly glamorous way to make a living, even if you advance in the industry enough to call yourself The King of Debt Collecting Agent. Most of the characters in that film come to a bad end.
posted by poseur at 5:21 PM on September 10, 2002

arson in particular is a scary weapon.

several people in recent memory have had their flats splashed with inflammable liquids and set ablaze.

in one case unrelated to debt-collection, a spurned lover jammed shut the outer security gate and set the flat of his ex-girlfriend on fire, burning her and her new boyfriend alive.

of course the banks disavow knowledge of these kinds of tactics - all they want is their money back. but in hong kong they are largely to blame for many of the debt problems, as they constantly foist credit upon people despite the economic climate.
posted by bwg at 8:17 PM on September 10, 2002