Citizens Advice Gosport is a company limited by guarantee, Registered in England number 5971208, Registered Office: Martin Snape House, 96 Pavilion Way,
Gosport, Hampshire PO12 1GE. Registered Charity Number 1116994
Citizens Advice Gosport is proud to support the Stop Loan Sharks Week Campaign #SharkFreeSurfing to raise awareness of the dangers of online loan sharks and help people access advice and support if they have fallen victim to this crime.
How to protect yourself from loan sharks online
Know who you're dealing with. If you've only ever met someone online or are unsure of the legitimacy of a lender, take some time to do a bit more research.
Check the lender is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). If not, don’t borrow from them - report to the Stop Loan Sharks team.
Beware of loan adverts with no credit checks. Loan sharks have been known to advertise in community groups and on local selling pages.
They may seem friendly and accommodating, but their behaviour can quickly change, and you might be harassed or threatened if you get behind with your repayments.
Lenders must carry out credit checks to make sure borrowers can afford to pay back their loans.
You should never hand over your bank details to strangers, even if they lure you with attractive offers. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Beware of any requests for your details or money. Loan sharks may ask for copies of your passport or pictures of your house, the street and your house number.
Never send money or give card details, online account details or copies of personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust.
If you have been a victim of illegal money lending, or are concerned about someone you know, please contact the Stop Loan Sharks 24-hour helpline on 0300 555 2222 or visit the website>>>
About Illegal Money Lending Team
The England Illegal Money Lending Team (IMLT) is a national team that investigates and prosecutes loan sharks. The IMLT provides free and confidential emotional and practical support to anyone affected by illegal money lending. Loan sharks are increasingly using social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to advertise their illegal loans and target potential victims. The #SharkFreeSurfing campaign aims to tackle new forms of illegal lending and encourage people to better protect themselves online and take precautions to avoid falling prey to this type of crime.
Why we support this campaign
We want to encourage the public to report illegal money lending activity and increase intelligence from communities.
We aim to increase public understanding of what activity or behaviour to look out for when dealing with loan sharks online.
We want to increase awareness of key reporting channels like the Stop Loan Sharks 24-hour confidential helpline 0300 555 2222.
Getting Advice
If you need help and you want to talk to someone, we provide free, confidential and impartial advice to everyone. Our trained Advisors can give you advice over the phone through our national phone service, Adviceline calling 0300 330 9031, Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00.
