“They threatened that my daughter would become food for the fish“. This is a story about young people who have barely crossed the threshold of adulthood, and have already found a way to earn money with lies, blackmail, threats and round-the-clock harassment. They presented themselves as credit consultants and charmed people with promises of erasing bad credit scores, providing quick or bank loans, consolidating loans. They even offered protection to defrauded individuals. Their victims are anonymous because they are afraid, reports Nova TV.
Enticing advertising
“In one of the Facebook groups I came across the company in question, which presented itself as a company for offering and consolidating loans. We spoke to them on the phone and they explained to me that in order to sign a contract, they first had to come and do a certificate or address check. A boy came to verify the address, and the condition was to take a photo of the front door and the door of the apartment. This was a requirement according to their standards. He was a boy. A little taller than me, maybe about 180-185 cm tall, 19 years old. A polite, well-mannered young man“, says Petya. That's what we'll call the first victim. Her imaginary credit consultant's name is Martin Popov.
A dubious contract
They send her a contract on which she sees the name of a well-known company. This dubious contract promises her to get her loans consolidated, but on one condition: to pay an upfront fee. We consult with lawyer Emilian Hristov.
„The contract actually states the name of a real company that carries out such activities. However, upon closer inspection, the specified UIC does not correspond to this company, nor does the specified address of the company's management and headquarters.“
She concluded a fictitious contract. Although she did not receive what was promised under it, she receives a call and a message every day - from a young man named Martin Popov or his colleagues - that she has been punished for something again and must send them more money.
Endless fees
The initial agreed fee of 150 euros turns into 10,000 euros. That's how much Petya pays her credit consultant in total. „No fee is the last. Even when I already knew that it was a scam, I couldn't get away because they were threatening me and my family.“
Threats and harassment
„The fear was great because they started sending me pictures of me and the children on social networks with threats. The threats were that one team would come to work, the other team would go home to the home address, the third team would follow my children. Including in front of the schools where they study. They knew at any moment which of the children was in which shift at school, what time they left, what the route was and what time they got home. They sent me their pictures. They threatened that my daughter would become food for the fish. And since I was afraid that their threats would come true, I simply took out new quick loans so that I could transfer money to them at any moment they blackmailed me, so that I could pay for my peace of mind“, says Petya.
Accidentally or not, one day, while walking down the street, Petya was knocked to the ground by a man who passed her with the words: “Pay back the money you owe“. Six months later, the police intervened. The suspect in the fraud, Martin Popov, was arrested.
The names change, the scheme remains
However, the story only changes its name. The scheme is the same, and there are dozens of victims. Another woman stands in front of our camera – Rosi, who tells the same scheme. She believed a “credit consultant“ named Christopher.
„Conned. Terribly conned. With the intellect of a very big fraudster. A hardened liar, a manipulator, who mainly finds women and manipulatively, mentally, spiritually destroys them“, says Rossi.
According to her calculations, Christopher's victims are dozens, and the total amount exceeds 35,000 euros. After promises of financial salvation, he also used threats.
„I will send thugs to come to your house, beat you up. They will find you and your son. And I will crush you. You will not see a loan here“, remembers Rossi.
Although the signals against the “credit consultant“ Christopher is a dozen, our justice system has not yet taken final action against him.
How to recognize fraud
To unravel this scheme, Eleonora Staneva, a real credit consultant, also appears in front of our camera.
“First of all, a real consultant will never give a guaranteed approval. Then comes the moment when the approval is associated with collecting a large upfront fee – this is also a signal light. The transfer of this fee, be it insurance or for settlement, must go through a method other than the standard bank transfer – another trick. It is never through a bank transfer, never to a company… always to an individual. This should clearly indicate that there is no company here“, specifies the credit consultant.