Consumer Alert:
VIP PDL Services, LLC
Possible Payday Loan Scam
The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions is warning consumers to verify the license of any lending professional they are considering doing business with. You can verify a license by calling the Department of Financial Institutions at 1-877-RING DFI (746-4334) or online at www.dfi.wa.gov.
VIP PDL Services, LLC, provides payday loans to consumers. Consumers report that VIP PDL Services, LLC, takes out more money than originally agreed. Additionally, VIP PDL Services, LLC, is reported to have created fraudulent checks to submit to consumers’ bank accounts.
The company is not licensed by the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions. The company is not registered to do business in Washington by either the Department of Revenue or the Washington Secretary of State. VIP PDL Services, LLC is apparently located in the West Indies, outside the United States.
If You Feel You're A Victim
If you feel you have been a victim of a loan scam, please contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC HELP (382-4357), or online at www.ftc.gov. Because the scammers may have access to bank account information and social security numbers, consumers who have used this company to try and obtain a loan should consider themselves victims of identity theft and take appropriate precautions. The Federal Trade Commission has information for victims of identity theft available online on their website.
Payday Loan Collection Laws
Consumers should know that Washington state law prohibits threatening or harassing behavior by individuals attempting to collect a payday loan. Only licensed companies are permitted to make payday loans in Washington.
The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act says debt collectors must send consumers a written notice within five days of their first phone call, showing how much the consumer owes and where the debt is from. The law says collectors can not say or even imply that nonpayment is a crime.
They can't call before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. Collectors are not allowed to speak to a consumer’s employer about their debt. They are prohibited from harassing or abusing consumers and they must stop calling if the consumer asks them to.
