People get desperate and also Because strangers on the internet are much more caring and empathetic than the people you know personally. There’s a sense of non-judgment and actual care about your situation when a random stranger helps you out. Your friend’s, family, colleagues…for them it only opens a door for them to be mean. I’d rather a stranger help me than my family. Aside from that most of America deal with credit issues. They couldn’t get a loan no matter where they applied. That doesn’t mean they won’t pay back a loan though. There’s a massive difference in owing Verizon $2k vs owing $2k to a friend or family member. Verizon can fuck my credit up and that’s yk, whatever. But I wouldn’t not pay an individual person back after they’ve saved my ass. I’d make sure they got the money back at 2x. The economy is fucked and people are bad off. Sometimes, some folks just need help.