A court in China is shaming people who owe money by telling everyone who calls them

One Chinese province is shaming people into paying their debts by forcing everyone who calls them to listen to a message about their overdue payments, according to newspapers in China and as reported on BBC radio. The Guanyun People’s Court in Jiangsu province has hit 10 people so far. When someone tries to ring those blacklisted, they are forced to listen to a prerecorded message before the call is put through.

"The user of the number you've dialed has been listed as someone who is avoiding debt repayments ordered by the Guanyun County People's Court. Please urge this person to fulfill their legal obligations. The Guanyun People's Court thanks you for your support,” the message says.

The newspapers report that simply changing phone numbers won’t work, as mobile phone numbers in China require name registration, so those messages would still follow you.

The new campaign is specifically focused on local business owners, and has so far only targeted people the court knows have the means to repay their debts, Wang Yong from the Guanyun County People's Court told The Paper.

The article was published on : theverge