Getting calls for loans you don’t want or need? How to avoid getting more:

CHARLOTTE — Garrett Kistler doesn’t like spam calls. He says he’s been getting a lot of them saying he’s pre-approved for a loan he didn’t apply for.

“Almost four or five times a day, sometimes even up to 10 times a day,” he said. “I think they would give up after the 200th time.”

A woman who asked not to share her identity spoke with Action 9 attorney Jason Stoogenke. She says she didn’t want or need a loan either. Yet, she says, the calls kept coming in.

“Makes me feel very uncomfortable,” she said.

And, like in Kistler’s case, if you listen closely, some don’t even sound like a real person. They sound AI-generated.

>>CLICK HERE for more Action 9 reports

“What they’re trying to do is get around your natural defenses,” said Patrick Crotty, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. “That data can oftentimes be scraped from public facing websites and used to build these. Lead lists, which can be used for scams.”

He specializes in consumer protection involving anything phone-related.

Stoogenke says no legitimate lender will call you out of the blue and offer you a loan, especially one that’s pre-approved.

He also says it’s hard to prevent spam calls of any kind. But you can avoid getting even more:

If you don’t recognize the caller:

• Ignore the calls. Don’t respond. Block them.
• Don’t share personal information.
• You can report them to 7726 (S-P-A-M). That helps officials keep up with scammers.

After that:

• Personally, Stoogenke deletes texts so he doesn’t accidentally hit something he shouldn’t.
• Certainly don’t click anything, even if it says text “STOP” to end messages. Security analysts say that tells the caller you’re a real person and may invite more spam.
• Make sure your phone has the latest operating system.
• Check your credit report from time to time, see if anyone has taken out a loan in your name. After all, you are entitled to free ones.
• You can sign up for Do Not Call registry, but that really only weeds out legitimate businesses, not scammers.

©2026 Cox Media Group