Only one-third of Scottish payday lenders are checking people's financial background before giving them a loan, according to a study which found some lenders are not adhering to their voluntary code of conduct.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) has issued a "report card" on the industry a year on from the publication of a code setting out minimum standards for UK lenders.
CAS claimed the code is "being ignored repeatedly" by some payday lenders.
Its advisers currently see more than 100 cases every week in Scotland of people who are in "crisis debt" to such lenders, it was claimed.
The CAS research was based on a survey of 190 Scots who had used the services of payday lenders.
According to CAS, 65% of respondents applied for their payday loan by text message and 21% did so online. More than one-third, 36%, were using their loan for essentials like food, fuel and rent.
The study found less than half of such lenders in Scotland, or 44%, are telling people loans should not be used for long-term financial problems. Only 31% checked that borrowers could afford to pay back the loan.
Just 14% of customers felt the lender was sympathetic when they got into difficulties with repaying the loan and only about one-third of lenders are warning their customers about the dangers of roll-over loans, CAS said.
CAS chief executive Margaret Lynch said: "When the payday lenders published this voluntary code last year we made clear we would be watching them like a hawk to make sure they kept to their word. There's no point making promises if you don't live up to them."
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