The FBI is urging people to be wary about phone calls and emails about outstanding loans.
Problem Solver Susan Hogan joined The Rhode Show with information you need to know to protect yourself.
“They’re calling … and calling … and calling,” Susan Hogan told The Rhode Show. “They’re calling your work, your home phone, and sometimes your cell phone.”
These scammers make the assumption that you either have these loans, or that you have not paid one off.
Susan warned that these scammers have your information.
“They have people’s personal information, social security numbers, insurance policy numbers,” she said.
Once these scammers have your information, they keep trying to get in contact.
“In upwards of dozens of phone calls a day, and then it goes into emails as well,” Susan said.
Sources believe that this is either an inside job done at these loan companies or that your computer may have been hacked.
“If they hacked into you computer, they also have your friends and relative list from Facebook,” Susan told The Rhode Show. “It has spiraled out of control.”
It is recommended that even if an email or letter looks official, be wary.
Ways to protect yourself from scammers:
- If you do owe some money to this payday loan, call the company. Ask “am I delinquent?” If they say no, and you know you are, ask for proof.
- If you have no debt out there, you need to immediately call the three credit bureaus to put a fraud alert on the account.
- If the harassment doesn’t stop, unfortunately in some cases, people may need to change their phone numbers and or emails.