“Although it is impossible to get a loan directly at a bank branch without documents, the possibility of obtaining online loans still remains. Credit institutions, of course, conduct a thorough check of the borrower’s data and transfer funds strictly to the applicant’s personal account, but the risk should not be completely eliminated,” said the Compare expert.
According to him, if fraudsters only have access to your passport data or photo, you should definitely check your credit history regularly.
“By law, an extract can be obtained free of charge twice a year, but this is not always enough to respond to unlawful actions in a timely manner. However, there are also separate products, for example, paid fraud protection services. After connecting it, you will receive notifications about all attempts to obtain a loan or microloan in your name,” explained RT’s interlocutor.
When a microfinance organization or bank receives a loan application, they are required by law to send information about this, Glazkov recalled.
“If you have activated the notification service, you will immediately receive an SMS or email alert and will be able to promptly report an attempted fraud to a credit institution or the police. If attackers have gained access to your profile on the government services portal, be sure to immediately change the password to your account, and then report the incident to the portal’s support service and file a police report. This way you will record the incident and in case of fraudulent actions you will be able to challenge them more easily and quickly,” the specialist advised.
If it was not possible to prevent the processing of a loan or loan, you need to start challenging this operation as soon as possible, he recommended.
“First of all, contact the credit institution and file a claim, and also be sure to ask for copies of all documents: the contract and additional agreements to it, scanned copies of identification documents, and documents for the transfer or withdrawal of funds,” said expert.
If the money was sent to another bank, you will need to contact them also and ask for written confirmation that they were not credited to your name.
“They must give you this document, even if you do not have open bank accounts. Then you will need to file a statement with the police and, having received a notification coupon, contact the credit institution again. If after this the situation cannot be resolved, you will have to go to court. Litigation is not a quick process, but the good news is that the courts in such cases often take the applicant’s side,” added Glazkov.
Earlier, lawyer and public figure Natalya Weinberg told in a conversation with RT how to distinguish a debt collector from a fraudster.