Complaint Review: Sunmark Financial Group - Kansas City Missouri

This is a fictitious company engaged in advance fee loans and identity theft. DO NOT SEND THEM MONEY OR DO BUSINESS WITH THEM. You will never see your money again. They stole $2,120 from me and my personal information.

They contacted me in early May 2007 saying that I had filled out a personal loan application on the web, which I probably had. They said that I did not qualify for an unsecured loan due to my credit history, but they could approve me for a $7,500 secured loan. I told them that I do not own a home or car, and had no assets to pledge as security. They said that if I sent them $1,000 via moneygram, then I could obtain the loan, and the $1,000 would serve as collateral, and would be deducted from the principal amount of the loan.

After much skepticism, I sent them the $1,000 and it also cost me $60 in moneygram fees. The contract they sent me looked very legitimate, with company logo and looked very legal, etc. When the $7,500 was supposed to be wired to me, it was not. I called and spoke to Mr. Mark Price, who said that the lender, after further review of my application, required an additional $1,000 to secure the $7500 loan. They sent a revised contract saying they would not ask for additional "collateral', so I sent them the 2nd $1,000 moneygram, costing me another $60 in moneygram fees.

They also sent me a letter on company letterhead signed by the supposed president of Sumark Financial Group, saying that I was guaranteed to receive the loan on a May 9th by 8:00 am PST. When that day came, the funds were not wired. I called Mr. Price at Sumark Fincancial Group who said that the lender had backed out of the loan completely and that they were going to go after the lender and sue the individual.

At this point, Mr. Price said that if I wanted a refund, I had to wait until May 25th, which was about two weeks away at the time, due to the lender's billing cycle. He said I had two other options: 1) he had found another lender who was willing to do the same loan, but I had to wait two more weeks becuase there was no money in his account yet, or 2) another lender who he trusted and done business with before, could do a $15,000 loan right now, but would required an additional $2,000 to be sent to them.

I assured Mr. Price that I would be sending no more money via moneygrams to his company. I knew I was being scammed at this point. I demanded a refund immediately, but he kept saying I had to wait unti May 25th. I was never refunded the money, and called several times, but my calls always went to voice mail and were never returned. As of today, July 1st, 2007, I have not received any of my money back.

I did some more research, and found out that this is clearly a fictitious company, and that they do not reside in Kansas City, MO, as they represented to me and as they do on thier fictitious company website. The moneygrams were directed to be made out to a Sandra Gilford in Brooks, Alberta, Canada. Sunmark first told me that she was a "representative" of the lender. They later said that the lender, when Mr. Price told me the lender had backed out of the loan, was an individual.

There is no Sunmark Financial Group registered with the BBB in Missouri or as any corporation doing business in Missouri. The owners of the building at 7611 State Line Road said there was no tenant doing business under that name. One Sunmark representative told me that they had been doing business there for "10 to 15 years". My guess is that they are in Canada, because of where the moneygrams were sent, and also because one of the representatives slipped and let out an obvious, Canadian, "ehhh" and accent. Their website only allows you to contact them via email message sent via their website. The address and phone/fax numbers were listed on their contracts that they faxed to me.

I filed a complaint with the FTC, and a police report with the Lake Oswego police department in Oregon. I also filed a fraud report with moneygram. I put 90 day credit alerts on my credit reports, and changed my bank account numbers which to which they had access.

My first contact at Sunmark was Tim O'Shea, at Ext 141. I dealt most with Mr. Mark Price in "customer service" at Ext 0. I also dealt with a Peter Gates in customer service as well. Their phone number always asks "who is calling please"? They always picked up before I called them out. After they knew I was on to them and after they had my money, they never pick up and never return my calls. No refund. Nothing. $2,120 out the window, plus my personal ID stolen.

Please somebody, help me put these people behind bars!!! They have no remorse whatsover. Mr. Price told me when the loan fell through "we've done nothing wrong", and that I had "crossed the line" when questioning his integrity and how he lived with himself and looked himself in the mirror.

I am also going to contact Dateline NBC's Chris Hanson, and would encourage other victims of Sunmark Financeal Group to do the same. I have found similar stories on Yahoo message boards regarding SunMark and it's the exact same fact pattern: send them the $1,000 to secure the loan, they come back and require additional money to be sent, the lender backs out of the loan and they say they are going to sue them, and you have to wait until the 25th of the month to get a refund, and the victim never sees his refund.

Please, let's do something to bring these A**H***S to JUSTICE. I know I won't see my money again, but maybe we can prevent other people from being ripped off by these miserable excuses for human beings.

Brian

Lake Oswego, Oregon

U.S.A.