What's it about?
The mis-selling of debt advice has been going on too long and has to stop.
We see clone firms stealing
branding and posing as StepChange and other reputable debt advice providers, including our partners at Money Advice Trust and Citizens Advice. Meanwhile, online search and social media channels are rife with organisations making claims that are too good to be true, such as a 'Government-backed scheme to write off your debt'.
Lead generators also call
consumers out of the blue pretending they’re acting in their best interests,
but they’re often selling client details on to third parties for a profit who
try to sell a specific debt solution like an IVA or a Trust Deed when that
solution might not be right for the client or deliver a good customer outcome - a clear risk under the new Consumer Duty.
What can my organisation do?
Refer directly to StepChange
By referring your customers straight to a trusted debt advice provider, either through our digital referral tools or by warm transferring the call, you can help mitigate the risk of them falling victim to scams or misleading debt advice. Our new tool, StepChange Direct, helps make digital referrals easier than ever.
Help us spread the word
This summer we want to raise awareness of debt advice scams and ensure people know how to get free, impartial and trustworthy debt advice. We've put together a short checklist to make it easy for your customers to spot scams and get help from a trusted provider. Use our toolkit below to download resources you can share online or in print.