Companies and representatives involved in illegal online lending and collection activity have entered guilty pleas in Alberta cases that produced $70,000 in fines and several five-year restrictions.

The provincial Consumer Investigations Unit began investigating in 2025 after receiving complaints about Quebec-based businesses that offered loans to Albertans.

The Government of Alberta said the businesses presented themselves as legitimate lenders, charged unlawful interest and used intimidation during collection efforts.

Investigators found that some collection activity included telephony denial-of-service attacks. The tactic floods a phone line with calls and can prevent normal use.

The attacks affected borrowers as well as family members, employers and unrelated organizations. The provincial release said phone lines at a seniors residence, an elementary school and hospitals were among those targeted.

The guilty pleas were entered between April and June 2026 under the Criminal Code and Alberta consumer-protection laws.

Gerardo Dominique Nicolo pleaded guilty to charging a criminal rate of interest and was fined $5,000. Groupe Buddy and True Loans, represented by Nicolo, pleaded guilty to harassing communications and were fined $25,000.

Groupe Speedy, represented by Jean-Maxime Nicolo, pleaded guilty to operating without a licence and harassing communications. The company was fined $15,000, while Jean-Maxime Nicolo entered a five-year peace bond that bars involvement in a lending business in Alberta.

Groupe C2G, represented by Mathieu Travieso-Culurides, received a $5,000 fine after guilty pleas involving unlicensed activity and harassing communications. A five-year peace bond was also imposed.

Groupe Buddy, represented in a separate case by Marc Travieso-Culurides, was fined $15,000 for similar offences. He also entered a five-year peace bond.

Liftagram and 9418-9024 Quebec Inc., represented by Jean-Louis Larocque, were fined $5,000 after guilty pleas to two counts of operating an unlicensed collection agency. Larocque entered a five-year peace bond.

Alberta regulates high-cost credit agreements with an annual percentage rate of at least 32 per cent. Lenders offering those loans must hold a provincial licence.

Interest above 35 per cent can constitute a criminal offence under federal law, depending on the agreement and applicable rules.

For payday loans, Alberta caps the borrowing cost at $14 for each $100 advanced. A $300 payday loan can therefore carry no more than $42 in borrowing costs, with a term between 42 and 62 days.

Borrowers can check the provincial online licensing system before providing personal or banking information. A business that cannot be found should be treated as unverified until its status is confirmed.

Albertans can report consumer concerns to Service Alberta's Consumer Contact Centre at 1-877-427-4088.