No matter how urgent you need for money is, it would be best if you always were wary of unscrupulous people who would take advantage of your situation. Loan scams happen everywhere, and they can involve large amounts of money. You if can do what the detectives are doing in Small Town Dicks, you should. It will be extra painful to be duped despite your financial distress.
You do not need to have a background in detective works to do so. You only have to pay attention to some details and use your judgment. Being wary and not being so trusting can spare you for some troubles ahead. While scammers have become so convincing, a doubting Thomas is all that you should be. Ask for details and other important information. Apply for a loan to your advantage and not to disadvantage you.
Here are some tips to avoid loan scams.
Avoid Loans That Are Too Good to Be True
There is no lender that does not need any requirement or offers the no charges. If a lender says that he only adds a few cents to the principal you are borrowing, it must be a fraud. Otherwise, if he doesn’t add interest, he should have put up a charitable institution.
This kind of lender may also be there to make fun of you. Maybe, he has no money but pretends to have. You may just be wasting your time with a lender like this.
Go Over Customer Reviews
There are many online lenders these days offering loans. Some may only need an online application by filling in their application. You may not also need any information about your credit standing. Most online lenders provide unsecured loans, which means that you need not submit any collateral.
Some of these online lenders are honest, though. You only have to need to do some research about their reputation. One way is to go over customer reviews but do not contend to only reading testimonials. Try to discover if the reviews came from actual customers. It may be safer to get recommendations from friends and family.
Don’t Patronize a Pawnshop
Pawning is a form of a secured loan because you bring collateral to the pawnshop before you are given your loan. Most pawned items are valued, not on their true value. If you fail to pay your loan on the scheduled date, the pawnshop is entitled to your collateral. For sure, you are at the losing end of things because they may have valued your pawned object way below its price. There are even stories that some pawnshops can alter your pawned item like jewelry.
Scammers have become smarter than during the good ole days, but there are ways to beat them at their own turf. Listening to Small Town Dicks podcast can help us with our own investigative work against loan scams.