This past session, the Virginia General Assembly affirmed the fact that brick and mortar payday and car title lenders are completely legal as long as they're licensed by the state and follow the regulations on how much interest they can charge.

However, that's not the case online.

Many payday lenders are just a click away, but according to Bruce Elder, of the Virginia Municipal League, that click puts them on the wrong side of the law.

"Internet payday loans are illegal, and they are a felony here in Virginia," says Elder.

According to the Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible Lending, that hasn't slowed some lenders down.

The organization says online loans are rampant, and it has received calls from many Virginians who say they're being harassed by online creditors for not paying up in time.

However, because it's illegal, borrowers may not owe the lenders money.

"By them issuing you one, they have committed a felony in the state of Virginia, and they cannot harass you, and they may not be able to collect that money from you," says Elder.

The organization is gathering information from anyone who's taken an online loan and hopes to take action against what it calls predatory lending by taking it to the authorities.

"The Virginia Poverty Law Center wants to know about it. The attorney general wants to know about it," says Elder.

You can reach the Virginia Partnership to Encourage Responsible Lending hot line at 866-830-4501.

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