Using the Internet has its own set of risks, when it comes to taking about a payday loan. One of these risks is fake companies posing as real businesses. This is a real risk, as there are many scams out there who prey on innocent people that are not educated in how to spot if a site is safe or not.

Before you apply for any kind of payday loan online, you are going to want to check a few different things to make sure that the site is legitimate and safe to use.

One of the easily identifiable signs of a company who doesn’t have your best interests at heart, is a company that approaches you without your consent. They may email you out of the blue telling you about a special offer or discount that they may have (without you having previously supplied your contact details). They may also call you at home saying similar things. If this happens, it is a clear way of telling that the company is not safe and secure.

When you do go online to a fast and easy cash loan site, there are certain things that the site should have that will let you know if the company is real, and beyond that, if the company is reputable. The first thing you can check is simple: the contact details should be under a ‘Contact us’ tab, and they should have a phone number and physical address. You can check those details by calling the number and looking up the address. If something doesn’t check out, then it is more than likely a sign that the company is not legitimate.

If you are satisfied that the contact details are all in order, then the next thing you can check is that the website encryption is working on the application page. While this may seem very daunting and out of your depth, it is actually very easy to do. Go to the application page where the company asks you to enter your personal details, and click on the lock sign on the left of the website address, where it says “https”. It will open a window with more information on the website’s security certificate.

Lastly, once you are happy that the site is real, and that no third party will be able to access your private information, you will need to read through the site’s privacy policy. Because a lot of payday advance loan companies run their whole business online, it is vital that they have a comprehensive privacy policy that protects all of your information.

Once all of these criteria have been satisfied by your thorough research, you can go ahead and start the application process for the loan. However, remember that before applying for a loan it is recommended that you go through a budgeting service to see if a loan is actually what is needed.