Anna, a domestic helper from the Philippines, had managed her finances well until she took out two loans over the past few months for a friend she described as being “like a mother to me”.

The 37-year-old, who asked to be identified only by her first name, now has to pay creditors about HK$9,000 (US$1,149) a month – almost twice her salary – leaving her extremely stressed about her debt.

“My friend said she needed the money and asked if I could borrow from banks under my name, saying she would pay back the loans, but I was wrong to believe her,” she said.

“I am really hurt about this … I told her, you really put me in trouble, you put my job at risk. But she just says ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it’.”

Anna said the debt had taken a toll on her mental health, but she was prioritising her children’s needs over repayments, even as banks continued to chase her.

“The school told me my son has borderline depression because they kept asking him for payments, which I failed to give. That really breaks me,” she said.

“My situation really gives me depression. I just take it in a positive way and submit everything to God.”