Borrow safely
Illegal “gota a gota” lenders charge hundreds of percent a year and use threats and violence to collect. Prestas is built to keep them out. Here is how we protect you, and what to do if anyone threatens you.
If you are threatened
Your safety comes first. These are free, official channels:
Warning signs of a loan shark
- They ask for money upfront — a “study fee”, insurance or a deposit — before paying you.
- They want to pay or collect in cash, daily or weekly.
- They ask for access to your phone contacts, photos or social media, or for family references to “guarantee” the loan.
- The rate is above the legal maximum, or they won’t put the rate and total cost in writing.
- They pressure you to decide immediately, or promise approval “without checking anything”.
- Someone contacts you on WhatsApp or social media claiming to be Prestas. We only write from addresses ending in @prestas.co.
How Prestas protects you
- Lenders never see your name, address, phone, employer or plate — only the terms of your request and your city.
- Every lender is identity-checked and background-checked, and signs a code of conduct, before seeing any request.
- Nobody gets your contact details automatically. When you accept a lender, Prestas makes the introduction after a final check.
- We show the legal maximum interest rate for the month. Any rate or fee above it is illegal usury.
- Prestas never holds or collects money, and never asks you for a fee to get a loan.
- One tap reports a lender. Reported lenders are suspended immediately and never learn who reported them.
Need a small amount urgently? Prestas is not the right place. Ask your bank, a cooperative or a supervised microcredit institution, and never borrow from someone offering “easy money” on the street or online.