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Good Society > Published by Alex Hern, January 13th 2012 at 8:00 am

Ignore Wonga’s spin; they’re still targeting students

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Following our revelation that payday loan company Wonga was targeting students for its 4000 per cent APR loans, they have taken down the page that we highlighted.

In its place is a message from the company in which they claim:

We have removed the previous material on this page, which was about student finances, the risks of unauthorised overdraft charges and the differences between long and short term loans. We took it down because we do not actively target students as potential customers and we wanted to clear up any confusion about that.

We listen to our customers and public opinion, so it was clear the old article here gave rise to misunderstandings. We would like to clarify that Wonga does not target students.

This is a climbdown for Wonga, which would not have happened were it not for the outrage expressed at their targeting of payday loans at those who don’t even have a payday.

However, as Tim Ireland at Bloggerheads has uncovered, their actions don’t match up to their claims:

Wonga.com are still actively bidding for queries relating to students and student loans in AdWords. This is completely distinct from their SEO efforts/excuses, and it is not something that happens by accident.

Wonga.com are actively pursuing students and trying to flog them loans at a typical APR of up to 4214 per cent while claiming that they never intended to do any such thing:

This is not the only evidence; Ireland has much more on his site. Wonga have accepted that targeting students is beyond the pale, but they’re still trying to get away with it below the radar.

They have a lot of questions left to answer about the extent to which they prey on vulnerable groups, but the first thing they need to do is come completely clean about the fact that that is indeed what they have been doing to date.

See also:

• Wonga target students with friendly advice: Take our 4000% loan - Alex Hern, January 11th 2012

• Need for affordable credit ‘big bang’ to aid low income communities - Kevin Gulliver, June 27th 2011

• 4,214 per cent APR. Interested? - Byron Orme, April 16th 2011

• Payday lenders: the need for urgent action - Damon Gibbons, January 30th 2011

• Time to muzzle the legal loan sharks - Lisa Nandy, December 12th 2010

  • http://twitter.com/patronpress/status/157734083449978880 Patron Press – #P2

    #UK : Ignore Wonga ’s spin; they ’re still targeting students http://t.co/pTKiw45L

  • http://twitter.com/seoupdates12/status/157736357094100992 SEO Updates

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students – Left Foot Forward: Left Foot ForwardIgnore Wonga's spin;… http://t.co/rP2N2AiS

  • http://twitter.com/judgemenot69/status/157736419522125824 Neil Courtman

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/sewelltim/status/157736462547296256 Tim Sewell

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/samtarry/status/157737047736582144 Samuel Tarry

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/jXEJLzbn by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/tlfinleyjr/status/157737641922670592 Tommie Finley

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: Following our revelation that payday loan company Wonga w… http://t.co/2qzcKuGs

  • http://twitter.com/leftlinks/status/157738831158853632 leftlinks

    Left Foot Forward – Ignore Wonga’s spin; they’re still targeting students http://t.co/BvTQ1xZV

  • http://twitter.com/politicalplanet/status/157739225389867008 Political Planet

    Ignore Wonga’s spin; they’re still targeting students: Alex Hern covers the continuing deceit of Wonga over thei… http://t.co/Zfyllwta

  • http://twitter.com/michael_robins/status/157739242406158336 Michael J. Robins

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students http://t.co/Ss9i5059

  • Anonymous

    Have You Been Wonga’d?

    Check out this article. Compared to what we consumers will sometimes do to ourselves when it comes to money, even Wonga can start to look like an angel.

    http://www.unexpectedutility.com/behavioural-living/have-you-been-wongad

  • http://twitter.com/yrotitna/status/157740807418413056 Yrotitna

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/ogden4melton/status/157744669483204609 David Ogden

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/ogden4melton/status/157744669483204609 David Ogden

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/bloggerheads/status/157746139683225600 Tim Ireland

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/bloggerheads/status/157746139683225600 Tim Ireland

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/bevheth/status/157746243345465344 Beverly Hetherington

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/bevheth/status/157746243345465344 Beverly Hetherington

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/jhoward87/status/157746644111212544 John Howard

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/jXEJLzbn by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/jhoward87/status/157746644111212544 John Howard

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/jXEJLzbn by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/stephenmullen/status/157746655200940032 Stephen Mullen

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/stephenmullen/status/157746655200940032 Stephen Mullen

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/thereminwar/status/157747274078879745 Thereminwar

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/thereminwar/status/157747274078879745 Thereminwar

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/royokane/status/157748116882337792 Roy O’Kane

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/royokane/status/157748116882337792 Roy O’Kane

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • Anonymous

    So what’s the problem?

    1. Debt
    2. The interest rate
    3. The charges.

    My view is that its all of them.

    However given that governments are borrowing trillions for the same students, not telling them, and expecting them to pay the debt off, that is equally wrong.

  • http://twitter.com/ronm2222/status/157753319387971584 Ron Milford

    Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: Following our revelation that payday loan company Wonga w… http://t.co/ohw0HXYi

  • http://twitter.com/unitonehifi/status/157754051562450944 chris star

    Ignore Wonga’s spin; they’re still targeting students for its 4000 per cent APR loans..
    http://t.co/K2kxhNQC

  • http://twitter.com/stackee/status/157759792704794624 Stace

    RT for the late risers: Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/pulpark/status/157761896890630144 Pulp Ark

    Ignore Wonga’s spin; they’re still targeting… http://t.co/L9te6LRR #Good_Society #filth #Payday_loan #student_loan #muslim #tcot #sioa

  • http://twitter.com/trouse11/status/157761962103681024 Tom Rouse

    One for the sceptics about blogging out there. Bloggers force Wonga to retract student loan advertising: http://t.co/DizP17ya

  • http://twitter.com/simonskint/status/157763574184423424 Simon Lock

    One for the sceptics about blogging out there. Bloggers force Wonga to retract student loan advertising: http://t.co/DizP17ya

  • http://twitter.com/britishroses1/status/157763815839248384 B Rawsthorn

    RT for the late risers: Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • http://twitter.com/gregalomaniac/status/157766701956603905 Greg

    RT for the late risers: Ignore Wonga's spin; they're still targeting students: http://t.co/ELIN1Vn1 by @alexhern

  • Selohesra

    Interest rates alone can be deceptive – if I leant a mate £20 and he repaid me a week later and bought me a pint – say £3 to say thanks then the annualised rate would be > 1000% – but my mate would not see me as an evil loan shark

  • Richard Thoms

    Did your search in google and I don’t get your results. When was this done?

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/01/look-left-13-01-12/ Look Left – Wonga’s student ‘scam’ comes unstuck | Left Foot Forward

    [...] we got them to stop, they still have much to explain. As we showed in a follow-up, their claim they weren’t actively targeting students is demonstrably false, and the fact remains [...]

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/01/legal-loan-sharks-are-licking-their-lips-as-the-social-fund-is-scrapped/ Legal loan sharks are licking their lips as the social fund scrapped | Left Foot Forward

    [...] Ignore Wonga’s spin; they’re still targeting students – Alex Hern, January 13th [...]

  • http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/02/betting-shops-blighting-high-streets-councils-cannot-take-action/ Betting shops are blighting our high streets, and councils can’t take action | Left Foot Forward

    [...] Ignore Wonga’s spin; they’re still targeting students – Alex Hern, January 13th [...]