American Funding said I was preapproved for a $41,000 hardship loan

I received a message claiming Cheryl from American Funding had preapproved me for a $41,000 financial hardship loan.

The message was framed like I had already qualified, even though I had not gone through a proper application process with them. It used the kind of amount that would make someone in financial stress respond quickly.

I would treat unsolicited hardship loan approvals like this with caution, especially when they push a phone number instead of a normal verified application channel.