Police warning about online loan scams
Wednesday, 6th June 2012.
Suffolk Constabulary is urging web-users to be wary of online loans as some sites cheat people out of money.
Police say some websites offering loans will ask for money upfront to cover what they may refer to as admin fees, tax protection or payment protection.
Many such sites may also ask for payment through UKash vouchers or Pay Point vouchers.
They stress that no legitimate loan provider will ask for money upfront in such a way. Payment vouchers can also be difficult to trace for police, making prosecutions and compensation very difficult.
DS Panicos Monk said: "We're urging people to be sensible and look for these warning signs when applying for loans online.
"It's best to do some research into the company before using them. Many postal addresses can turn out to be false when you put them into a search engine for example, and some people may have already come across the company and posted about them online."
"These so-called 'companies' regularly change their name and can disappear overnight."
A Lowestoft woman recently lost over £700 to one such scam before reporting the incident to police.
If you think you have fallen victim to such fraud, contact Suffolk Police on 101.
Police say some websites offering loans will ask for money upfront to cover what they may refer to as admin fees, tax protection or payment protection.
Many such sites may also ask for payment through UKash vouchers or Pay Point vouchers.
They stress that no legitimate loan provider will ask for money upfront in such a way. Payment vouchers can also be difficult to trace for police, making prosecutions and compensation very difficult.
DS Panicos Monk said: "We're urging people to be sensible and look for these warning signs when applying for loans online.
"It's best to do some research into the company before using them. Many postal addresses can turn out to be false when you put them into a search engine for example, and some people may have already come across the company and posted about them online."
"These so-called 'companies' regularly change their name and can disappear overnight."
A Lowestoft woman recently lost over £700 to one such scam before reporting the incident to police.
If you think you have fallen victim to such fraud, contact Suffolk Police on 101.
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