[ITEM 3] QUESTION: What are the signs of a fraudulent loan/borrowing?

The lending market attracts not only legal banks and microfinance organizations, but also numerous fraudsters who use various schemes to deceive citizens. One of the most striking signs of an unreliable lender is the requirement to make a prepayment, the so-called insurance premium, application review fee, or payment for lawyer services before receiving the money. Reliable financial organizations never require a borrower to transfer their own funds in advance, and withhold all necessary fees from the amount of the loan already issued.

The second warning sign is the concealment of real lending terms and the lack of complete information in the public domain. If a company evades providing a clear payment schedule, cannot name the exact total cost of the loan, or offers to sign a contract with overly small print and confusing wording, this is a reason to immediately terminate communication. You should also be wary if the contract contains clauses about the lender's right to unilaterally change terms or transfer the debt to third parties on enslaving terms.

The third characteristic sign of fraudsters is the promise of 100% loan approval to any applicant. Legal banks and microfinance organizations are required by law to assess the client's solvency, request their credit history from credit history bureaus, and check their debt load level. If you are guaranteed the issuance of money without a passport, without income certificates, with a black credit history, and open overdue payments, you are dealing with illegal lenders.

To protect yourself from such situations, always check if the organization has a license from the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. Do not click on dubious links from advertisements in social networks, do not send photos of your documents to strangers, and read every clause of the contract carefully before signing it. Remember that excessive haste and gullibility in financial matters almost always lead to the loss of money and the emergence of serious problems.