Woman conned in online scam

Tanya Stewart — duped

Debt-hit Tanya a victim of fake loan company
A WOMAN who lost hundred of pound to a fake loans company has urged others not to fall into the same trap.

Debt-ridden Tanya Stewart, who desperately needed a £6,000 loan, was lured by the bogus online scammers to part with almost £1,000.

Quick Cash Loans UK phoned Tanya after she filled out an online form on its website, demanding a succession of upfront “deposit” payments.

The 39-year-old, from Derker, who is currently not working due to a recent back operation, said: “Since not being able to work I have had a lot of problems with bills and debts piling up, so I needed a loan.

“But this has made it a whole lot worse.

“Over this last week I was asked over several calls to keep giving them money, each time they gave a different excuse why the loan had not gone through.”

The Citizens Advice Bureau revealed cold calling, newspaper ads, internet sites and even text messages are often used to lure vulnerable people with debt problems into the scam.

After persuading people to sign-up to the loans the companies demand anywhere from £35 to £2,000 as an initial fee, claiming that the loan would be transferred in a matter of days.

The Chronicle discovered the Quick Cash Loans UK’s website contained no telephone number — just the postal address of York Street, London, and an online enquiry form if customers wanted to contact them.

The same address covers several different companies, all claiming to provide quick and easy cash.

Ms Stewart, who has been urged by police to close her bank account immediately, claimed the callers were “persistent” in their approach.

She paid the money with Ukash vouchers, a way of spending online, instead of issuing bank account details over the web.

Tanya said: “I just want to urge other people to not go down this same route.”

Ukash has now warned people not to send its vouchers to “anyone cold-calling you to offer a tax rebate, personal loan or any other inducement.”

The firm warned: “This is a fraud and you will lose your money. They may claim to be from the Ministry of Finance, Money Saving Expert or a loan company but in all cases are fraudsters who will ask you to send them a fee in the form of a Ukash voucher code by email or over the telephone.”