PAYROLL LOANS AND ABUSIVE CONTRACTS: BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC OUTPUT

Abstract

Payroll loans, although offering reduced interest rates because they are deducted directly from salaries, have become a focus of concern due to abusive practices in contracts entered into with consumers, especially the elderly. The lack of transparency, the charging of excessive fees, and the induction of over-indebtedness constitute violations of the Consumer Protection Code and challenge the effectiveness of legal protection in the face of the hyper-vulnerability of this population. Thus, this study aims to map and analyze national scientific production related to the theme of payroll loans and abusive contracts, with special attention to the hypervulnerability of the elderly in consumer relations. To this end, a bibliometric review was conducted in the Google Scholar database considering publications between 2000 and 2024 that had at least one citation.  The results highlight research trends on contractual abuse in payroll loans, point out gaps in legal and interdisciplinary literature, and contribute to strengthening the debate n the protection of the elderly as hypervulnerable consumers.