Answer: -You were smart not to pay money up front. Most of those are scams.However, you will probably need to work on raising your credit score before applying for a loan from a legitimate lender. You didn't say what your score was but if you are under 600, you don't have a very good chance of getting a loan from a legitimate lender. Even with a 600 score, you will pay very high interest rates. Pay all your bills on time. Reduce your debt. That means getting any current credit cards you have paid off. Those two things will raise your score.And quit applying for loans. Every time you apply for one and get turned down, it's putting another ding on your score and just lowering your score further. You need to get your score up to a decent level before you apply again. -You should raise your credit profile, then look for a loan. You are having trouble because banks that are legit don't WANT to hand out loans to people with bad credit. -Today the lenders have started offering nearly all varieties of loans for people with poor credit record.They are also introducing many new loan products meant for this group. Now people with poor credit can get the same choices as those with the good or mediocre credit. Today you can use bad credit personal loans for many purposes like car purchase, vacation or even debt consolidation.But if you have some assets to offer as collateral, your chances brighten. The primary reason why people with poor credit history do not get loans is because the lenders are scared that the borrowers will default again. But if you can offer collateral, your lender is secure in the knowledge that his money is in safe hands. You have to try and meet the repayment schedule, failing which you lose the asset. If you do not have collateral, go for an unsecured personal loan, which is rare for people with bad credit. It is necessary that your credit record should be clean for an unsecured personal loan. However, some lenders can accept your case due to inevitable reasons.