How to Scare Someone into Paying You Back (15 Powerful Ways)

This article reveals SECRETS to how to scare someone into paying you back – as many as 15 powerful SECRET tips and ways that are effective and really work!

 

Importance

Out of the goodness of your heart, you lent some money to a friend of yours and they promised to repay you within a set amount of time.

That promised time has come and gone and still, you have not received any money back.

In fact, your calls have been ignored.

It’s as if your friend has fallen off the face of the earth.

What options do you have?

Money itself is not powerful but the power given to money is demonstrated by individuals that use or abuse the financial resources that they have.

This is a tough one because you have loaned money to an individual.

They promised full repayment once they got their feet back on the ground.

You have given them long enough and that repayment has not happened.

What can an individual do?

The relationship is already strained and probably cannot be repaired.

The friction is not so much the non-repayment, but the principle of the issue.

Therefore, you can forget about it, continue to wait, or try to use other methods to obtain repayment which could include trying to scare the individual into action.

 

15 Ways & Tips to Scare Someone into Paying You Back

 

1. Evaluate

Before you take any action on trying to get an individual to repay you it is important to realize that once the beginning of any action is taken, there is going to be negative emotional involvement.

The emotions that will be felt will be experienced by you as the borrower but within the person receiving the money as well.

The gamut of emotions could include anger, frustration, disappointment, resentment, etc.

This will be especially true if it was a personal transaction and whether you thought you knew the person or realized that you didn’t after all.

This will be especially the case if it was a family member.

 

2. Being Decisive

With this evaluation being accomplished, you now have two choices.

The first choice is to let it go and count it as a lesson learned.

The reality will be for you is it may lie heavily upon your heart and mind and at least on your part may adversely affect your relationship with that individual.

The second choice is to proceed to make this an issue and try to get repayment of the loan.

If the plan is to move forward, it is important to remember that in all of your conversations and interactions to not allow emotions to get out of control.

With this request for repayment, unless the person totally forgot about the loan, there will be hurt feelings.

 

3. Phone Call

Unless you don’t want to beat around the bush or are a no-nonsense person, the first course of action would be a simple phone call.

A phone call can be made inquiring about how the individual is, however, everybody is doing in their life, etc.?

Additionally, the subject of financial resources could be instigated by you, and you could talk about the specific needs that you had planned for that money that you had loaned them.

Adding on you could say, “Oh, and by the way and when might I expect that money back.”

Gauging their response, hesitancy, or tone of their voice you may be able to ascertain as to where this repayment of the loan is going to go.

 

4. Follow-Up Phone Call

The next possible move would be a follow-up phone call that will be a little bit more direct.

During this call, the purpose is to simply ask if you can expect repayment on that loan and remind them of their commitment to repay that loan.

 

5. Offer Payment Plan

Another possibility as part of the timeframe with no action being taken could be the possibility of a payment plan being set up,

Through a phone call or a face-to-face interaction, you could sympathize with the individual and express your understanding of their situation about budgetary restraints.

Therefore, could they see their way in paying you a small amount of money each month until the loan was fully satisfied?

 

6. Offer a Compromise

If no action has been taken on the individual’s part to repay the loan, then perhaps the next possible option is to strike a compromise.

A possible compromise could be a repayment of the loan reflecting 75%.

This compromise could be the extension of an olive branch and asking the individual if they could repay a percentage of that loan and the remainder simply is a gift for them.

This could be considered a win-win for all individuals involved and would help to defuse the situation and help each of the parties to save face.

As an aside, it is important that you document all of these conversations and interactions with the individual. As part of the documentation, it would include dates and times parties involved and what the purpose of the interaction was, and what was the response of the individual.

 

7. Third Person

Another option if no satisfaction has been reached to this point is to bring in a third person.

This third person should not be a friend or a relative.

This is to make sure that you don’t involve anyone else that you both are acquainted with that would cause a rift in those relationships.

Not using another individual that is both known to you will help mitigate any further destructive relationships that may occur because of the nonpayment of the loan.

A good possibility would be a leader within your church.

This individual would be a professional as it relates to interaction with others and could possibly help to strike a compromise and perhaps bring unity between the two of you and back on a road of friendship.

 

8. Send out Letters 

One action item that can be accomplished prior to legal action is the formulation of a formal letter to the individual outlining the dates and times of all of the important events surrounding the giving of the loan, your understanding, the individual’s agreement to repay the loan, etc.

Any information that is valid regarding the background of this loan is important to capture.

The tone of the letter should be formal, written as matter-of-factly as possible, but certainly making it clear that you anticipated repayment and after subsequent measures taken by you including the phone calls, offers of compromise, repayment, etc. were left unheeded.

This letter should then be sent as a certified letter to the individual.

This means that the individual must sign for receipt of the letter when it is handed to them by the postal carrier.

This will serve as documentation of not only what the letter stated, make sure you keep a copy, and that this letter was sent to the individual in hopes of resolving this matter.

The receipt of the registered letter will be mailed back to you and should be kept on file with the other documentation.

In the letter should also be a timeframe.

Perhaps seven to ten days are stated to satisfy the loan or come to an agreement is given.

If after that timeframe none of the conditions of the loan or the repayment of the loan has been made, then further action may be required.

 

9. Raise the Option of Legal Action

At this point, it may be necessary to start thinking about taking legal action if you wish to pursue the matter of getting repayment on the loan.

This is a significant action.

There are additional questions that need to be asked at this point.

One of those significant questions is, if pursuing the legal course of action are you ready to incur any associated costs?

Therefore, do the costs associated with taking the individual to small claims court be worth the time and effort involved in pursuing this line of action?

 

10. Demand Letter

The deadline date has come and gone.

Perhaps a demand letter is in order.

A demand letter is simply a letter that is drafted on the letterhead of the law firm and indicates all of the processes and attempts that were attempted by their client, you, in trying to resolve the matter with the process who owes the money.

The demand later will simply demand repayment, or they could possibly face being taken to small claims court.

 

11. Small Claim Courts 

In order to take an individual to small claims court and sue them for money that is owed to you, it is important to know that there are maximum amounts that can be litigated in small claims court proceedings.

For example, in California, the limit is $10,000 but if what is owed to you exceeds that amount you can choose to go through the small claims court process, but you would be limited to the $10,000 amount.

Small Claims Court is ideal in that it is less expensive and less time-consuming and less complicated.

In a Small Claims Court setting, you are not represented by an attorney.

Also, to be placed on a small court claim calendar docket would take anywhere from one to two and half months after the lawsuit is filed.

Hopefully, before the date that the case is decided, the individual owing you the money will make the right arrangements.

Also See: Tips for Financial Independence for Women & Tips for Easily Multiplying Money.

 

12. Hire a Collection Agency

An option for an individual who is owed money is to hire an agency that specializes in collecting outstanding debt.

By handing this over to such an agency, they will take it from there and do their professional best to collect payment.

Often, the charges for collecting a debt can be equal to up to 50% of what is owed.

Therefore, they have a vested interest in getting the amount collected so that they can receive payment

If this is an option, you will need to decide whether you would take a partial payment rather than try to recoup the full amount.

 

13. Limitations 

It is important to know that those who owe money also have rights as well.

Therefore, in your efforts to try to collect what is owed to you there are limitations on what you can and cannot do.

These actions can vary from state to state.

Some of those limitations include not calling at unreasonable hours, adding extra fees, reporting their indebtedness to their employer, making any false accusations about the debt owed, and also making any threats.

 

14. Lessons Learned 

Depending upon where you are at in this entire process, there have been most likely lessons learned along the way.

You are a wise individual if you have learned and remember.

 

15. Don’t Fail to Act

Of course reading all the above is easy but taking action is what will get you what you want.

Don’t be one of those that gets too scared to take action on getting the money that is owed to them.

So, make sure you take action on what you have read here, to get the results you desire.

 

Personal Story

My wife out of the goodness of her heart lent a good friend of hers $100.

They promised to pay it back within a matter of months.

Quite a few months later the payment was not made and when asked when she might expect that repayment, the individual kept putting her off and asking for an extension of time.

Finally, the relationship had suffered so much that they were no longer talking and the attitude of the friend and not being faithful in her promise severed that relationship.

My wife did send out a certified letter that was received by her but fell on deaf ears and had a hard heart.

Unfortunately, the bottom line is that what was once a seemingly solid relationship went by the wayside for a mere $100.

Added to the resulting shattered relationship were broken promises, lying, deceit, etc.

 

FAQs

 

Can I Be Accused of Harassment in Trying to Get the Money Back That I Am Owed?

Harassment by an individual trying to collect a debt can possibly be defined through a variety of actions and conversations.

Harassment is defined as repeated or repetitious phone calls with the intent of annoying or abusing the individual.

Harassment can also be defined as using obvious obscene or foul language.

Also, harassment can be defined as threats of violence if the individual doesn’t make good on the debt that is claimed to be owed.

If an individual is trying to recoup their money from an individual whom they have loaned money, it is important to keep the conversation civil, don’t border on the definition of harassment by continually calling, and certainly don’t threaten the individual.

It is always best to consult with a legal professional if one wishes to receive repayment of a loan for advice on how to best handle the situation.

 

What is the Best Advice to Follow in Regards to Loaning Money and Not Being Repaid?

Answer The best advice to follow is to never loan out money at all.

As the old adage goes, “Never a borrower or a lender be.”

However, if you lend money then it is best to embrace the expectation that the money may or may not be paid back.

In this way, you will not be disappointed if the money is not returned, or you will be pleasantly surprised if the money is repaid.

 

You Can Do It

You value your hard-earned money and you value the friendship that you had with the individual that you loaned the money to.

It is a hard decision to first of all loan money and then what to decide if the individual defaults on the loan.

In either case, there will be damage done either to the friendship because of non-repayment or even if you gift the amount to them, it most likely will weigh upon your mind and heart.

 

Conclusion

Lending money to a friend or family member is a difficult decision to make.

You want to be helpful to your friend, but you understand the potential possibilities if there is no repayment.

Damage will most likely occur between the two individuals due to the fact that money can be a real friction point if there are expectations, and those expectations are not met.

Rather than a loan, perhaps just gift the money to the individual without any anticipated strings attached.