6 intelligent Ways to Protect Yourself from a Loan Scam

Understanding Loan Scams

Getting instant access to credit has become easy. But so has becoming a victim to loan scams. From fake lenders to phishing schemes, there are many different kinds of personal loan frauds that can lead to severe negative consequences. 

However, you don’t need to compromise on your borrowing activity. Identifying certain red flags beforehand can protect you from falling prey to fraudulent lenders. 

Read this blog to understand all there is to know online loan scams and report loan frauds right in time.

Some Common Loan Scams in India

Loan scammers have found their way to access their victim’s sensitive information using various tactics. But being able to recognize the warning signs early can save you from a lot of damage. 

Here are some signs to look out for

Alarmingly High Interest Rates

Personal loan interest rate depends on many factors like your credit score, monthly income, and repayment history. Lenders regulated by the RBI usually charge an interest ranging anything between 10% to 44%. If you find a lender charging you anything beyond that, then it could be a sign of a loan scam.

No Prior Credit Checks

A lender needs to perform a credit check to assess the risk associated with providing you credit. If a lender is giving you a loan without any kind of credit check, then know you could be falling prey to a personal loan scam. 

Paying an Upfront Fees

Asking from an upfront fee before loan disbursement is one of the most common signs of an online loan scams. You are only supposed to pay additional charges processing fees or joining fees after you have received the loan.   

Unprofessional Communication

If you’re receiving loan offers through different communication channels, look out for grammatical errors and poor grammar. This is one of the most common signs of personal loan frauds.   

Lack of Physical Presence

One of the good borrowing practices is to take a loan from a reputed financial institution. It’s important to ensure they’re a registered lender that follows all the regulatory requirements of the RBI. 

Also Read: Personal Loan Disbursement Process – How it Works?

Intelligent Ways to Protect Yourself from Loan Scams

The biggest concern of any borrower when taking a loan is falling for a loan scam or borrowing money from a fake lender. It is a valid fear because scams like identity theft, advance-fee loans, or debt-settlement loan scams have been on a rise in India. You can avoid falling prey to such loan scams by doing these 6 things:   

1. Investigate Your Lender Thoroughly  

Before you take any kind of loan, it is crucial to thoroughly research and investigate your lender. Go through their website, app store reviews, and social media platforms to confirm their authenticity.  

A genuine lender has to meet the regulatory requirements of the RBI. While investigating them, you can validate their authenticity by checking mentions of banking partners or NBFC partners.  

You could also go through the app store and Facebook reviews to look for user testimonials.     

2. Verify the Loan Documents the Lender Provides

When you’re approved for a loan, your lender will send you a loan agreement which should contain all the necessary information like the processing fee, interest charges and guidelines on penalties and default.  

Before you sign the agreement, it is extremely important to thoroughly go through it and understand all the terms mentioned in it. If you feel there is any form of discrepancy in your agreement or a term you cannot understand, you should reach out to the lender for more information or talk to an advisor.  

3. Make Sure the Lender Isn’t Asking for Excessive Information 

According to the lending guidelines of RBI, a lender is supposed to take personal information like PAN, Aadhaar number, and monthly income to determine your credit-worthiness and give you a loan offer.  

When applying for a loan, make sure that you’re not providing the lender with excessive information like any banking passwords, PINs or confidential financial statements.  

This will keep your data protected and avoid any kind of identity theft or fraud.  

4. Check If the Lender Has a Website  

If your lender doesn’t have any website, then chances are they’re fraudulent. This is because any fake lender would want to keep their identity anonymous and would want to avoid writing about themselves. While many such lenders don’t have a website, there are also a few lenders who create a fake or unsecured website.  

You can easily differentiate between an unsecured and secured website by paying close attention to their URL. If the URL contains, “http” instead of “https”, then chances are the website is unsecure and it’s best to avoid that lender.  

5. Be Careful of Up-Front Costs Such As Advance Fee 

Demanding an advance fee for loan approval is a very common type of loan scam where the lender guarantees a loan but asks the borrower to pay a “small fee” or an “advance fee” to secure the loan.   

Be careful of such lenders and don’t pay any kind of fee before getting a loan because it’s quite likely that you wouldn’t receive your money back.  

Processing fee is usually the only charge that is supposed to be paid up-front which is mostly deducted from or added to the loan amount.   

6. Approach a Legal Advisor 

Whether it’s understanding legal terms or investigating if the lender is following the RBI guidelines for lending, you can always approach a legal advisor to get clarity.  

They can also help you go through the loan agreements and alert you if they find any discrepancies.  

Conclusion 

Instant personal loans have made credit accessible and are helping millions of Indians meet their immediate financial needs. 

But with the rise in the number of fake lenders, it is important to keep a few things in mind to avoid falling prey to any loan scam.  

If you want to get instant access to money, opt for a genuine lender like Zype.