Fraud and Abuse Online: Harmful Practices in Internet Payday Lending

Pew Charitable Trusts
Sunday, November 2, 2014

A new report finds a number of problematic trends in the online payday loan market including consumer harassment, threats, dissemination of personal information, fraud, unauthorized accessing of checking accounts and automated payments that do not reduce loan principal. Pew found that many online loans are designed to promote renewals and long-term indebtedness. Thirty percent of online payday loan borrowers report being threatened by a lender or debt collector. Thirty-two percent of borrowers reported unauthorized withdrawals and 20 percent received a loan or product they did not authorize. Nine in 10 payday loan complaints to the Better Business Bureau are made against online lenders, although online loans account for only about one-third of the market.