Consumer Watch: New Breed of Payday Lender Emerges with So-Called Optional Fee

In a new twist, one amorphous payday loan network known as FastLoan4Me has found another way to grab money off of consumers: Undisclosed “optional” fees that are tacked on to “free” applications. FastLoan4Me.com and its related sites are “free” unless you sign up for their optional $30 assistance program. But, according to their terms and conditions:

“By initialing your acceptance of the Terms and Conditions of this website and selecting the Submit button, you are agreeing to the Fastloan4me.com, Funding Assistance Program enrollment fee of $30.00 (Thirty Dollars and Zero Cents), which will be withdrawn from your bank account via electronic check.”

This $30 fee is not disclosed anywhere on the application page – you have to dig through the terms and conditions to find it. Because the fee is withdrawn from the customer’s bank account, it’s caused numerous people to overdraw and face additional $25-$35 fees from their banks.

FastLoan4Me and its affiliates have racked up 540 complaints to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and nearly 1,500 entires on Scambook.com.

The payday lending industry has already come under scrutiny for providing desperate customers with short-term, high-interest and often renewed loans; this loan network borders on deceptive marketing. And it only gets worse: