Every time the fuel price goes up, it quietly rewrites the monthly budget. It shows up in ways that are easy to miss at first, such as a slightly more expensive taxi fare, groceries that cost a little more than they did the week before. But over time, those increases compound, and for many SA households, there is very little room left in the budget. Leading them to borrow. With inflation expected to rise this month and financial pressure continuing to build, more consumers are likely to turn to short-term credit, and increasingly, to illegal lenders and social media loan scams. We are in conversation with Nita Morgan, Director of Prime Loans and a consumer credit expert as we unpack how to spot an illegal lender, what red flags to watch for on WhatsApp and Facebook, and how to verify whether a credit provider is legitimate.