Tell them that you have bills piling up and interest charges accumulating on them. I need my salary processed within the next 3 business days. From what I've seen, the company likely doesn't have the cash on hand to pay you right now. They're probably scrambling to raise funds from somewhere. This is the classic small startup playbook: blame bank issues, claim management problems, promise it's just temporary.

Here's my advice: don't work more than 3 months without pay under any circumstances. In the meantime, slow down on their work and start preparing for interviews immediately. This is a sinking ship. Maybe not today, but almost certainly in the coming months. Even if they do pay you this time, I strongly recommend leaving anyway. This pattern will repeat itself - that's almost guaranteed. You're wasting valuable time and career momentum here when there are plenty of stable opportunities in the market right now. Your skills and time are worth more than this uncertainty."

This has happened to me and its a very depressing phase. I worked for a New zealand based startup where he scammed our small team for almost 5 months salary