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Southfield Financial Group Advance fee loan scam Southfield Michigan
On June 8th 2006 a Southfield Financial Group representative, John P***, told me I was approved for a personal loan of $5,000.00 and that they had been referred to me because I wasn't approved by my bank.
First they faxed me some documents on the loan and had me sign it and fax it back. Then they told me I would need to make a collateral payment of $900.00 and send it through a money gram to Michelle L*** in Rimbey, Alberta, Canada to secure the loan. After that I was supposed to receive my loan the next day. They told me it would be directly deposited into my bank account.
Then I received another phone call from a customer service representative from Southfield. He told me that the lender had backed out of the loan and an additional collateral payment of $900.00 would be required in a money gram as well. I wanted the loan so I believed him and again sent the money. He informed me that my loan would be deposited within 3 hours to my bank account, but it wasn't.
I called the next day to check on my account and find out what was going on. The original representative I spoke with , John P***, would not answer my calls, so I contacted customer service. Someone from customer service told me that again the lender had backed out but they had found me another loan. However, this loan was for $10,000.00 and they would require and additional collateral payment of $1800.00.
I was very concerned at this point because this was not what I had agreed to. I was offered two options, pay the additional collateral or accept a full refund that wouldn't be sent until July 3rd. I requested some time to think about it. I called the FTC help line to find out more about the company and they told me it was an advance fee loan scam.
I called Southfield financial group and told them it was illegal to request collateral payment before receiving a loan. They told me it wasn't illegal because the money I sent was applied to the principal of the loan.
Since then I have not recieved a refund or any additional information from Southfield Financial Group. I've tried contacting them by phone but there's just an automated message saying my account has been placed on hold.
I'm very upset about this situation. I'm currently looking for legal advice and a lawyer to help me.
Malia
San Francisco, California
U.S.A.
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2 Updates & Rebuttals
Rick
Janesville,Wisconsin,
U.S.A.
Same thing happened to all of us Malia
#3Consumer Comment
Wed, June 13, 2007
They did the same thing to us all. Good luck getting any Lawyers to help. My local police department never got back to us either. I hope someday the bastards get caught. I'll never do that again.
Ashlee
Sioux Fals,South Dakota,
U.S.A.
Same SCAM happend to me
#3Consumer Comment
Wed, February 21, 2007
I am reading your story and it is the exact same thing as to what I am going through right now. I was guranteed the 5,000$, but they wanted a 900$ collateral payment first, the day I was to get my money I was contacted by a different individual saying the lender "re-assessed my account" and wanted another 900$ which I unfortunately sent to them, both by MoneyGram to Canada and a womans personal name. After I sent the 2nd MoneyGram John Mackey advised me he found a different lender for meand this loan would be for 10,000$ but they wanted another 900$ collateral payment, otherwise I could get a refund 3 weeks later and I would have to wait formy refund because it has to "coincide with the lenders pay period" They didn't identify themselves as Southfield though mine was Lincoln Fidelty Group out of Pittsburgh, PA which they don't even exist there. Here is some advice and links I went to to file complaints, I'm sure you have done some of these already. www.fcc.gov, www.fbic3.gov, contact your Attorney Generals Office as well as the one in Michigan, Phonebusters-www.phonebusters.com(800-495-8501), www.togoodtoobetrue.com, Royal Canadian Police-phonebusters.com will give you a link from thier site,and your local media. I actually had an interview with the a news station today, you can see the interview at www.keloland.com under "Internet Loan Scam Hits SD womans wallet". Hopefully this will help, Good Luck and from one to another i'm sorry this happened to you to.