Why do I keep getting loan texts, and how do I stop them?
Loan and debt texts you never asked for are marketing, and UK law only allows marketing texts with your consent or an existing customer relationship. Here is what that means and what actually stops them.
Why the texts keep coming
Your number is on someone's marketing list. The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) say organisations may only send marketing texts to people who agreed to receive them, or who have a genuine existing relationship with the sender. Many loan and debt texts meet neither test.
In June 2026 the ICO fined KRA Consultancy £300,000 for sending 5,575,715 unsolicited marketing texts between April 2022 and May 2025, promoting debt solutions to people who had already been turned down for loans. The texts led to more than 60,000 complaints to the ICO and to the 7726 service. Some were fake bailiff threats sent under the sender name "DEMAND", and the firm was not registered with the FCA.
How to make them stop
- Do not reply, not even STOP to a company you do not recognise, and do not click the link. The ICO says responding confirms your number is active and may lead to more messages.
- Forward the text to 7726. It is free, and the ICO uses those reports to investigate. How to forward a text to 7726.
- Report the sender to the ICO. The ICO does not reply to each complaint, but uses them to take action.
- For sales calls as well, register your number with the Telephone Preference Service, free of charge.
If a text offers a loan in return for an upfront fee, it is not marketing but a known fraud: see loan fee fraud. Paste any text into the scam text checker to see its red flags.
Sources
- ICO fine, KRA Consultancy (June 2026): ICO: "We have fined KRA Consultancy Ltd (KRA) £300,000 ... sent 5,575,715 unsolicited direct marketing texts between April 2022 and May 2025, promoting debt solutions to people who had already been turned down for loans. This led to more than 60,000 complaints" — https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2026/06/manchester-firm-fined-300-000-for-bombarding-people-in-debt-with-over-55-million-unlawful-texts/, read on 2026-09-29
- ICO reporting: ICO, Report spam texts and nuisance sales calls: "You can report nuisance calls and spam texts to the ICO here. ... We don't respond to complaints individually." — https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/nuisance-calls-and-messages/spam-texts-and-nuisance-calls/, read on 2026-09-29
- NCSC, forwarding to 7726: NCSC, Report a scam text: "Most phone providers are part of a scheme that allows customers to report suspicious text messages for free by forwarding it to 7726. If you forward a text to 7726, your provider can investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it's found to be malicious." — https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-text-message, read on 2026-09-29
Frequently asked questions
- Is it illegal to send me loan texts I did not ask for?
- Marketing texts need your consent or an existing relationship with the sender under PECR. The ICO enforces this and has fined firms for loan and debt texts.
- Should I reply STOP?
- Not to a sender you do not recognise. The ICO advises not to respond, because replying confirms your number is active.
- Will reporting to 7726 stop them?
- It lets your provider investigate and block the sender, and the ICO uses 7726 reports to find firms breaking the law.
More guides
- How to forward a scam text to 7726 (iPhone and Android)
Step by step for iPhone and Android, from the NCSC: what 7726 does with your report, what it costs, and what to do if 7726 does not work.
- HMRC scam texts: tax refund messages and where to report them
What HMRC says it does and does not send by text, the tax refund pattern, and where to forward a fake: 60599 or phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
- Parcel delivery scam texts: missed delivery and redelivery fees
The missed-delivery texts Royal Mail has published as scams: a small fee, a shortened link, a lookalike site. How to check a parcel safely.
- Texts pretending to be your bank: how to check them
What your bank will never ask by message, the Take Five steps (Stop, Challenge, Protect), and what to do straight away if you replied.
Last updated 2026-09-29. Independent information service. Number data from Ofcom shows the original range holder; numbers can be ported or spoofed. Not affiliated with Ofcom, the FCA, the ICO or any police service.