09071149100

I got a rather dubious call earlier today, but it wasn’t from the number listed here. The call originated from 02045201709. The chap on the other end introduced himself as Jason Brown-though I highly suspect that’s not his real name. He claimed to represent a firm called MONEY FINANCE, insisting they were direct loan providers rather than brokers. He told me I had recently applied for a loan of £250, which he said was now approved based on the information I’d supposedly submitted. Admittedly, I had been looking into a minor loan, but given my Disability Benefit status and somewhat rocky credit history, I was very much aware that approval was a long shot, even with those lenders who are known to take individual circumstances into consideration. Anyway, he proceeded to verify some personal details-details I thought he would already have access to-but he pressed on for particulars like my salary, marital status, and employment. To that, I remarked that if he had my application, he should already possess that information. He claimed there were sections missing, which I found highly unlikely considering the thoroughness of my application. I recognised straight away that this was a bit fishy, but I thought I’d humour the situation to see how far the conversation might go. When I expressed interest in moving forward, I inquired about the interest rate. He quoted a rather unbelievable 14.2% APR. Given my historical credit failures, it was laughable to think anyone would approve a loan at such a rate for someone like me. And here’s the kicker-when I asked him about the monthly repayments, he rattled off figures for various timeframes. What I did catch, which made me chuckle, was that the repayment for a £250 loan over a year at 24.1% APR was “conveniently” quoted at £21 and a few pence. I couldn’t help but grin to myself-£21 multiplied by 12? That totals £252 on a mere £250 loan! Almost like a charitable contribution, isn’t it? So, when I mentioned I’d like to carry on, he said I’d need to speak to his “supervisor” to get everything sorted. I quizzed him on how that would work-would he transfer me or would the supervisor give me a ring back? He replied that I would need to call the supervisor myself on-you guessed it-09071149100! When I told Jason I couldn’t make calls to premium numbers on my deal (which is indeed the truth), he appeared quite taken aback. I explained my situation, and he seemed to stumble over his words, obviously unsure of how to respond. Given that he had said I was approved and just needed a supervisory sign-off, I asked him why it couldn’t be managed from the number he called me on or another normal rate line. It’s disheartening to think of how many vulnerable individuals might fall prey to such misleading practices in these trying times, especially those who may be genuinely in need of a short-term loan. A lot of people are in dire straits and, in their desperation, might latch onto any semblance of hope for financial relief. Jason claimed there weren’t any upfront fees, but I already knew better. He skirted around the cost of calling his manager, mumbling something about it being anywhere from 50p to £5 per minute, “but don’t worry; it’ll likely only take 3 to 5 minutes.” Right. The call ended with Jason assuring me he’d speak to his manager and get back to me within 30 minutes. Yet, here we are-three hours have passed, and I’m lying here in bed feeling unwell (hence why I have the time to pen this lengthy account!) clutching my phone, rather reluctant to even step away lest I miss his call-yeah, right! With a bit of spare time on my hands, I decided to look up the company. Turns out there’s nothing substantial online. When I checked the Companies House website, I did unearth a rather new entity registered under that name from April this year, along with several dissolved companies beneath it, seemingly indicating a rebranding. There was scant information about their former operations, and according to what I understood, this new company appears to be a one-man show run by a Polish director, currently listed as “Dormant” for tax purposes. So, it exists but isn’t actually trading at the moment. Regardless, if this isn't the same firm, then the one that contacted me is certainly not a registered business. There are a plethora of people trying to get by right now, and opportunistic characters like this one who prey on the desperate truly infuriate me. I’m planning to explore who I can report this to. As for the inquiry about the premium rate number they were using, I reckon there are mechanisms to block such numbers on mobile devices, but I doubt many would think to do so. Phone providers ought to have a better system in place to automatically block these numbers. I can’t help but wonder why so many of these crooks have now resorted to using ordinary numbers too; perhaps people are beginning to catch on to their tricks and are less likely to pick up calls originating from those telltale code prefixes. Honestly, I'm left feeling quite sorry for those who've bitten the bait-financially they’ll be worse off by the time they cotton on to the scam, perhaps finding out they're not even getting the loan after all. I might just give ‘Jason’ a ring back, purely for curiosity's sake, and see how he explains my lack of follow-up from him-a pleasant reminder of their deceitful ways. I would love to tell you exactly what I think of them, but it’s best to keep that under wraps. Having become invested in this, I intend to dig deeper if I can. If anyone's interested, I can return to share any updates. Apologies for the lengthy message, but I got a tad carried away! I sincerely hope someone spots this before making a call to that number. Best wishes to you all. Nade x Phew! That’s my lot!

I keep receiving messages about loan offers! It's becoming quite overwhelming, to be honest.