For two years, the 70-year-old Oamaru woman, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, struggled with growing debts after the loss of her main income and financial exploitation by her granddaughter. Although she was warned against it, Molly thought her granddaughter was honest and she wanted to help her out. I was left with nothing.”Relying solely on the pension, Molly’s debts had snowballed so much that she could only dedicate $50 a fortnight to food. Molly’s debts – as high as $63,000 at one point – exceed the threshold needed to declare bankruptcy. They had the difficult task of processing her bankruptcy during last year’s Covid-19 lockdown, but once it was done, Molly’s debts were wiped.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 12, 2021 03:56 UTC