LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — Scammers are masquerading as legitimate loan providers.
Reports suggest phony lenders are guaranteeing a quick loan with no upfront fees. Victims who provide their banking information to the scammers are left in the negative and scammed out of their money.
Chris Babin, with the Better Business Bureau of Acadiana, said, “The reports that we’ve had from consumers is that they’re getting unsolicited communications from lenders saying that they’re eligible for loans and varying amounts and that they need a bunch of information up front and what’s happening is they’re giving their credit card and bank account information to be able to have the funds given to them that they’re having loaned and what’s happening is they’re losing funds and falling into scammers’ hands.”
Once you agree to the loan, that’s when the scammers step in, taking your personal banking information to deposit the loan into your account via a check. Turns out, the loan check is fake.
“When they deposit it in their account, the supposed lender is telling them that they need to purchase some insurance for the loan and different things, so they send money elsewhere. Two, three days later, the bank lets them know the check doesn’t clear or the funds they send are long gone. The loan was not real, and the financial institution was fake,” explained Babin.
