Someone calls from the «bank» or «police»: your money is supposedly at risk, and you must urgently take out a loan and transfer the funds to protect it. After the transfer, the caller disappears and the real lender demands payment. You now have to address both the fraud and the debt.
A loan after fraud: what to address first
- End contact with the scammers and use a genuine bank channel to secure compromised access and the payment instrument.
- Keep the agreement, statements, messages and receipts. Inform the lender and the police about what happened.
- Establish whether you took out the loan yourself after being manipulated or it appeared without your consent: the issues to examine differ.
- Do not treat the agreement as cancelled after reporting fraud. If you receive debt recovery documents, separately check how and when to respond.
Did you take out the loan yourself, or was it arranged without your consent?
What you signed or confirmed determines the subject of the dispute and the evidence needed. The phrase «scammers took out a loan in my name» can describe different events. In one scenario, a person tried to «save» their money but ended up facing both a loss and a loan repayment demand.
On 28 April 2026, Moldova’s police described a scheme: fake bank or law enforcement employees persuade someone to take out a loan, then withdraw, transfer or hand over the money. The victim may complete the borrowing process themselves, believing they are helping prevent a crime.
On 14 May, the National Bank of Moldova issued a separate warning: it does not ask people to take out loans or transfer money to «cancel» transactions. An official-looking document or a confident voice does not make such an instruction genuine.
You took out the loan yourself after deceptive instructionsWhat you signed or confirmed, who gave the instructions, where the funds arrived and how they were passed on You did not take out the loan and discovered it in your nameWho submitted the application, how identity and consent were checked, and who received the fundsDo not reduce the second scenario to whether there is a signature on paper: the process may have been electronic. In the first scenario, simply explaining that the money was stolen is insufficient. The agreement, the circumstances of consent and the basis of the particular demand need examination.
The lender’s demand does not itself replace a review of the disputed loan process. First establish the facts and obtain the documents on which the demand is based.
First steps: secure access and collect the documents
If scammers can still use your account or payment instrument, first notify the bank or payment service provider through a genuine contact. Under Law No. 114/2012 on payment services, unauthorised use must be reported immediately after discovery; following notification, the provider must prevent use of the instrument.
Ask for compromised access to be secured and establish which transactions have already been completed. Do not use a phone number or link sent by the supposed «employee». Blocking helps stop new transactions, but does not guarantee cancellation of a transfer already executed.
For the police report, prepare a timeline: when the call came, who the caller claimed to be, what you confirmed and where you sent the money. Keep the correspondence and original files, rather than isolated screenshots alone. Keep a record of the evidence submitted and information about your report.
Ask the lender for:
- a copy of the loan agreement and application;
- available information about identity checks and confirmation of consent;
- documents showing disbursement of the loan and a statement tracing the funds;
- a calculation of the debt claimed, separating principal, interest and other charges;
- copies of communications and replies relating to the dispute.
Also ask for records and technical information concerning the loan process to be preserved. The request does not mean you must immediately receive every internal log: clarify what information can be provided and the reasons for refusing the rest.
Separately collect any documents already received from a court or an enforcement officer, along with proof of when you received them. Reviewing them may require faster action than ordinary correspondence with the lender. Do not wait for every other complaint to be resolved before showing such a document to a lawyer.
Facing a loan repayment demand after fraud?
We will review the loan agreement, information about how it was concluded and the transfers, and the lender’s demands. We will assess possible grounds for a defence and identify the next step. If you have received documents from a court or an enforcement officer, tell us when you received them.
A complaint to the lender: what to write and when to contact CNPF
A written complaint should explain exactly what you dispute and leave proof of submission. Explaining events by phone is useful for urgent notification, but a later dispute requires a retained copy of the complaint and the provider’s response.
This applies to both banks and non-bank lenders. If the dispute concerns a transfer, a separate complaint to the payment service provider may be needed: the recipient should match the subject of the complaint.
A starting point for a written complaint
State the recipient, your full name, contact details and agreement information. Then adapt the text to your facts:
Regarding agreement / discovered loan No. [number], I report the following circumstances: [dates, loan process, caller’s instructions, movement of funds]. I [took out the loan myself following the deceptive instructions described / did not take out the loan and dispute the existence of my consent]. Please provide the agreement, application, available information on identification and confirmation of consent, documents showing transfer of the funds and a calculation of the amounts claimed. Please identify the documents on which the payment demand is based, preserve information relating to the events, investigate the circumstances described and provide a reasoned written response using the contact details given. Attachments: [list]. Date, signature.
Choose one truthful option in the square brackets. Do not deny taking out the loan yourself if you did, and do not copy both versions together. For a particular disputed payment, add the date, amount and transaction identifier.
Submit the complaint under your provider’s published procedure. An ordinary email without an electronic signature is not always sufficient: the new regulation sets requirements for electronic complaints, although the provider may allow submissions without a signature. Keep the registration number or another confirmation.
Since 1 October 2026, CNPF Regulation No. 25/6 has applied: as a general rule, the provider’s final response is due within 15 working days of registration of the complaint. An extension is possible only in cases provided for by law. This is a response deadline, not a guarantee that money will be returned or the debt removed within that period.
If the complaint is refused or no response is received, you can contact the National Commission for Financial Markets — CNPF. Under the official procedure, attach the original complaint, proof of submission and the reply, if received. A complaint to the regulator does not replace responding to court documents already received.
A dispute over a transfer: why it is not the same as cancelling the loan
Reviewing the loan and reviewing the payment answer different questions. For the transfer, it is necessary to establish whether the payer consented in the prescribed form; for the agreement, how it was concluded and what demands are made under it.
If you deny authorising the payment, under Article 57 of Law No. 114/2012, the provider must prove authentication and correct execution: present evidence of how the transaction was confirmed and whether it was carried out correctly. A record of use of the payment instrument alone is insufficient to prove consent, fraud by the user or gross negligence.
This does not mean SMS confirmations are never considered. All the information and the particular transaction must be assessed. If someone confirmed a transfer themselves following a scammer’s instructions, it cannot be declared unauthorised without analysis merely because the recipient turned out to be a criminal.
Whether an unauthorised transaction can be reimbursed depends on the established facts and the statutory conditions. In your complaint, separate the two issues for review: the loan process and the disputed movement of money.
The lender demands payment, or debt recovery documents have arrived
First establish who is making the demand, on what basis and at what stage the dispute stands. A call from a lender, a letter from a court and a document from an enforcement officer require different analysis.
Keep the complete document, the envelope or electronic confirmation of receipt. Note the date: it may matter for further action. Ask for a review of whether the demand relates to your agreement, how the amount was calculated and what action is provided for in respect of that particular document.
Do not sign a new agreement simply because it is presented as an «easy solution». First establish which obligations it changes and how it affects your position in the dispute. If you request a temporary pause in recovery or a change to payments, obtain a written response and separately check the terms of any arrangement.
Whether to continue or stop payments is an individual question. A universal instruction in an article cannot resolve it: the agreement, calculation and stage of recovery are needed. Do not assume that charges, court action or time limits have been suspended merely because you filed a complaint.
When a lawyer can help defend against the debt claim
A lawyer is particularly useful when the lender denies a consent issue, refuses a review, demands a substantial amount or is already taking the dispute to court. The task is to identify grounds for a defence and choose action suited to your circumstances.
The work starts with a timeline and documents. A lawyer will compare the loan process, confirmations of consent, disbursement and subsequent payments, and assess the lender’s response and calculation. A specific position can then be prepared for a complaint, a further submission or a court defence. Participation in the fraud investigation and the possibility of seeking compensation are assessed separately.
Prepare the documents listed above for the first consultation. If recovery is already involved, start with the demand received and its receipt date. The more precise the initial information, the more concrete the review can be: what else to request, which evidence to preserve and what next step to consider.
At the consultation, establish exactly what to challenge and what action to take based on your documents. Start with the agreement, the movement of funds and the demand you received.