Buyer be aware

[bodgit]

Sorrry but you cannot just put somebody down as a guarantor without their consent. They would also have to provide the loan company with banking details, proof of income and sign forms. I,ve done it for my kids uni flats etc. Also by becoming a guarantor if you ask for a loan yourself you will be considored as already having an outstanding loan against you.
I cannot post the link to this as it tried to throw loads of trojans at me but windows dealt with it.

[Skye]

In this instance it would appear you are wrong unfortunately...

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/c...days-back.html

http://www.empireclaims.co.uk/blog/i...andom-victims/

It would appear that for some reason companies such as Wonga are not regulated so they can pretty much do what they like.

They may not actually be advocating fraud, but by having such slack processes people are taking advantage.

If you don't believe it then read the above links, google it, or read the comments of our colleagues on here. They aren't all making it up.

[HOTSHOT III]

Wonga are the scum of the earth, they tried to take £1 out of my bank account which led to my account being frozen (even though i've never even been on the site), i've now had to get a new card issued so i'll have to use my credit card for the next 2 weeks.

I hate their adverts on TV and I hate what they represent, lending money to the poorest people in society for astronomical rates of interest.

If you're reading this, don't use payday loans, it's not that hard to budget properly. I just have an A4 pad in which I write down every transaction that comes in and every one that goes out, it's a really simple system.

If enough people budget properly people like Wonga will go out of business and the world will be a better place.

[Skye]

From one of the sites I googled :

The lender allows customers to change their repayment details and these do not need to be in the name of the account holder. When a Wonga customer enters their details into the site they set up something called a 'continuous payment authority', which means if they default from a payment the lender can go into their account - or any bank account linked to their Wonga loan - and take the money owed.

[pro4nut]

Also as you say Skye they are not regulated by the FSA.
Remember guys that online transactions generally require submission of your CV2 security number and in many cases now the registered post code for the card.

Mostly our details get into public domain if we use insecure pay sites, one of the reasons that the company i work for uses sagepay. Also never hand your card to anyone in a shop, always insert the card yourself and most importantly look out for devices stuck to the card entry slot on cash machines.
At home put all your unwanted post in a cross cut shredder.

[bodgit]

The second link says it all. Its fraud and hopefully soon the wonga directors will be done for it.
I stopped all paper statements from my banks years ago so they dont fall into the wrong hands. same for phone bills etc anything that can be used for identity theft no longer comes by post.
As I posted earlier I use the Trustee rapport to encrypt any password I use for more or less anything on the internet up to now I,ve not had any problems.

[wacattack]

Why is anyone using a company like wonga in the first place?? Thieving scumbags with the rates they charge

[Si Coe]

If you don't have a credit card (I don't) or its maxxed out, no significant savings and you suddenly get hit with a big one off bill (say car repairs) then a payday loan is a reasonable enough idea PROVIDED you can pay it all back next payday. The sky high interest won't really matter over such a short term - in fact its probably less than the admin fee a regular bank would charge for the same loan.
BUT in reality any bill you can't meet in full this month you probably can't next month either, so you end up paying a whole lot more than planned.

In other words the concept is reasonably sound except for the fact that situations where it works as planned are rare.

The limited checks performed makes them a magnet for fraud but its also how they can provide money so quickly. If they were more secure, it would take time and therefore you'd be better off with a regular loan.

Incidentally I should point out I have never used, nor do I intend to, one of these companies. But I do understand why the idea at least isn't a terrible as it sounds, and why someone might want to use one. Where money is concerned though concept and real life rarely match.......

[RogerM]

Sad to hear this, hope you get it sorted soon!

Just reinforces my view of NEVER doing any on-line banking, of any nature, at all. Ok I have a paypal account but only use that with small payments and to receive money but it never gets left in there.

[bodgit]

Originally Posted by RogerM

Sad to hear this, hope you get it sorted soon!

Just reinforces my view of NEVER doing any on-line banking, of any nature, at all. Ok I have a paypal account but only use that with small payments and to receive money but it never gets left in there.

I used to think that. Every time there was a que in the bank someone came round and asked if I would think about opening an online account to save my waiting. Always refused but after several long waits I gave in and never looked back.
Its safer than you think and nothing like the wonga,s etc.

[AC199]

Originally Posted by RogerM

Sad to hear this, hope you get it sorted soon!

Just reinforces my view of NEVER doing any on-line banking, of any nature, at all. Ok I have a paypal account but only use that with small payments and to receive money but it never gets left in there.

Thats a very blinkered view to be honest, and while its your choice, online banking is the future, and eventually you'll be dragged kicking and screaming into it, like it or not.

Think of everything online like sex. You wouldnt end up in bed with someone you've just met and not use precautions, same as you wouldnt wander onto a website you've never been on without the appropriate safeguards.

Use an internet condom and everything is fine 99% of the time, but sometimes hackers do things to normal sites which allows information to be stolen. I guess my analogy would progress to the splitting of your internet condom at this point... so even that isnt guaranteed. Nothing in life is 100% safe, so managing the risk is the real skill.

[kaylon]

On Monday someone tried to get a wonga loan on my account. I have changed all my details and I'm now waiting for my new bank card etc.

It seems to be the new scam, the trendy one. I'm not sure where they got my details, could have been many places. I was luck and got a phone call from my bank as I have several security measures in place so I managed to catch it.

Well..I hope I got it all cancelled in time.

I also contacted Wonga directly and told them ignore and stop all new accounts based on my bank details.

J

[metalmickey0]

I have also got Trusteer rapport on my pc. Even this site is protected by it and i will never use anything like wonga. More like loan sharks i reckon what with that stupid interest charges. I also have paperless bills and a cross cut shredder which often gets filled up with mail from junk with my details on it that gets sent in post.

[SlowOne]

I am really sorry to hear so many people have been caught by this scam. Write to people like Polly Toynbee at the Guardian, who has already railed against Wonga and all they stand for, and to your local MP. If enough of us did that this would get more attention.

I know you think it is silly and worthless, well most of you anyway, but your MP is already paid for, and newspapers are often good at making people who can do something take notice. There is a thing called the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 which allows for you to take someone to court if they persist with a course of action that you can show is not valid. For example, if you tell Wonga not to do this and they persist. Action can be taken by you simply in the Small Claims Track of a County Court. A lot of people pursued by parking companies have successfully used this to get wrongful claims off their backs.

Thanks for the warning, it is appreciated. Nonetheless, if we all think this is bad and want something changed, we have to go to a bit of effort. Write to your MP tomorrow - their details are here.

It would take you no longer than a post on here to email your MP and tell them how this is going on, it is wrong, and what are they going to do about it. What's to lose - five minutes of your life at most. If your MP ignores you, then drop an email to your local paper and say so, they'll soon get back to you!

[SlowOne]

I sent mine just now to my MP - I'll let you know what occurs...

[jukeboxman]

I was the victim of a potential fraud with a mail order catalogue I had never even heard of. Using my basic details - name, address and date of birth they set up an account with a different delivery address! My credit card company picked up a £2 transaction and froze my account and contacted me.

Same thing has happened when my card account was seen to be used in the Phillipines for a minor transaction - card frozen and replacements sent overnight.

I tend to use a credit card rather than my debit card, for the extra protection....and you they are good - they once tracked me down to my hotel in Mexico after I used my card to buy the wife a gift whilst on holiday...to ask if it was me that had spent a 'sizable amount'

[Lee24h]

Bit more news today
It seems hypercraig has been up to his old tricks attacking
Rc car websites now hes not allowed to scam on oople
ALL SHOP SITES please get the ip address of jimmy for hyper craig and never let him acess any of your sites
Wonga belive or not has helped me find the culprit

[Maxbashing]

Oh joy of joys I got done too... Exactly the same thing Wonga taking £1 from my account. This was done twice but on the third attempt HSBC spotted it and blocked my card.

HSBC told me that it was just someone trying a sequence of card numbers so not likely that they have got details from anywhere particualr.

I have called Wonga (mmm that was fun.....NOT) and they told me that none of the loans are connected to my details and that I will not be liable for any repayments. They confirmed they had deleted my card details from the system but I guess time will tell and I have to say the young lady I spoke to didn't fill me with confidence.

The only up side is that not having a card for a week or so will save me a fortune as I can't but and shiny bits for my car!!!

[ukbish]

Oh dear, seems to be happening quite often,

WONGA took £700+ from my bank account using my card details that someone had given them - my bank refunded the money and WONGA were very slow in replying to me and were not very helpful. WONGA's checks are very weak. Strangely enough this happened just a few days after I placed a telephone order with well known RC car manufacturer as their web-site ordering system wasn't working.

Two replacement debit cards also never arrived after that (what happened to those?) so I had to have the next one deivered to my bank's kocal branch.

Somone also tried to hack in to my on-line banking but gave up after they realised that they had to speak to someone at the bank to change the passord.

I can't repeat on here what I think of these people.

Richad Bishop

[jo90]

Unfortunately alot of the time this kind of fruad happens due to the very flimsy laws we have over money lending, personal details etc with certain businesses.

I was persuded by a catalogue company as an account was taken out in my name. I've proved it couldnt have been me but it took nearly 2 years to do, loads of phone calls, emails etc and the pain that my credit was marked for all that time.

Wonga et al are just legalised (i use that term very very losely) loansharks. They are simlpy handing money out to people who cannot afford to pay it back. I can imagine Xmas time is a bonus time for them, and they then reap the rewards by taking money left right and centre after, and frmo whoever they can get it from.

It should be illegal that unless you are the proved owner of the loan that you should not pay anything back unless a correctly setout guarantor of the debt. Wonga, your wankers !