As consumers have lost their jobs and struggled to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic, many have turned to payday loans and other short-term solutions, with an increase in solutions in line. This has not only allowed predatory lenders to thrive – many borrowers still face exorbitant interest rates and opaque fees – but has also created a fertile environment for scam artists, according to a new in-depth study from the Better Business Bureau. .
From 2019 to July 2022, BBB received nearly 3,000 customer complaints about payday loan companies, with a disputed dollar amount of nearly $3 million. In addition, more than 117,000 complaints have been filed against debt collection companies at BBB.
Complainants often said they felt ill-informed about the terms of their loans. Many fall into what consumer advocates call a “debt trap” of racking up interest and fees that can force customers to pay double the amount originally borrowed. A St. Louis, Missouri woman recently told BBB that over the course of her $300 loan, she paid over $1,200 and still owed an additional $1,500.
The scammers haven’t missed an opportunity to take advantage of consumers either. Posing as payday loan companies and debt collectors, scammers use stolen information to trick consumers into handing over banking information and cash. In one case, BBB discovered that hackers had stolen and released detailed personal and financial data for more than 200,000 consumers.
The BBB study advises consumers to thoroughly research all of their borrowing options — as well as the terms of a payday loan — before signing anything for a short-term loan.