Questioning the messenger

“Just five minutes,” the elderly man tells his waiting wife. He’s busy securing their financial future, he explains. The advertisement by al-Lebananiyeh al-Arabieh lil Tasleef (LAT), a loan company, could not have been clearer: quick and easy money. At the end, the ad duly informed viewers that potential customers need collateral to receive their loans, such as a property or land deed, or a car or truck title. (This information was elaborated in a print ad the company took out in Al-Waseet, a free weekly classified ad newspaper). As the company is not a bank, it was not legally required to disclose the interest rate on the loans it offers. However, the company is now being sued by consumers who allege its owner was executing sales contracts on land and property before borrowers defaulted on their loans. In focusing on an elderly man, the ad may have been particularly targeting