How to spot a loan scam

Key points

• Be careful of anyone who asks for money before your finance is approved.
• No honest lender or broker can promise approval before they assess you.
• Never share your passwords, PINs or full card numbers. Our staff will never ask for your password.
• If you are not sure a message is from us, stop and call our office on 0419 182 804.

Red flags to watch for

Fees before approval

A common scam asks you to pay an "application fee", "insurance" or a "deposit" before the loan is approved, often by gift card, crypto or a money transfer. Once you pay, the loan never arrives. Ask for every fee in writing, and be very wary of paying anything upfront to someone you have not checked.

Guaranteed approval

Every application has to be assessed. Words like "guaranteed approval", "no checks" or "everyone is approved" are a warning sign.

Pressure to act now

Scammers rush you so you don't stop to think. "This offer ends today" or "sign now or lose it" are reasons to slow down, not speed up. Take your time and read everything before you sign.

Requests for passwords or card numbers

Nobody needs your online banking password, your email password, a one-time code sent to your phone or your full card number to arrange a loan. If someone asks, stop.

Look-alike websites and emails

Fake websites and emails can copy a real company's name, logo and colours. Look closely at the web address and the sender's email address. A small spelling change or an extra word can mean it is fake.

How we contact you

• Our website is payintimeglobal.org. Our forms, My account and our tools are all on pages of that website.
• Our office phone is 0419 182 804.
• Our staff will never ask for your password, a sign-in code or your full card number.
• We will not ask you to pay with gift cards or crypto.

Read more about how we protect your account and documents on our Security page.

If something feels wrong

1. Stop. Don't reply, click links, pay or send documents.
2. Check. Find our details yourself (type payintimeglobal.org into your browser) and contact us to ask if the message is real.
3. Act fast if you have already paid or shared details. Call your bank straight away, and change any passwords you shared.
4. Report it to the scam reporting service or consumer protection body in your country.

Our Before you borrow checklist also covers how to check that a lender or broker is licensed.