The Day I was scammed

Quick Loans! Banks turning you down? NEED MONEY NOW Fast approvals, no fees. That was an ad that I saw in my local newspaper.

On July 11, 2007 I was looking through my local newspaper and saw the ad. So I called the phone number that was provided in the ad. A man took all of my information, and put me on hold. A few minutes later he came back on the line and said congratulations you have been approved for a $5000.00 personal loan. But because of my husbands credit, he was considered a high risk. He explained that if I purchased the high risk insurance which was required that the loan would be released in 24 to 48 hours. So I asked how much is that going to cost? He replied $750.00. He stated as soon as we paid for the insurance with a money gram that our loan would be released. Then he asked if we wanted a check mailed to us or direct deposit into our checking account. He explained we would have the funds faster if we went with the direct deposit option. So we sent him a fax of one of our voided checks. We used our mortgage payment $750.00 to pay for the insurance,thinking we would have the $5000.00 in our account in 24 to 48 hours. We sent it as a money gram as we was told to do.


On July 13, 2007 I called the company back and asked where is our money that they had promised to us. The same guy that I had talked to previously, said the lender chose us randomly to do a extensive background check into my husbands credit and decided that they needed $700.00 more to insure the loan. So I asked for our $750.00 to be returned to us, he said it would take 4 to 6 weeks to process the refund. I told him that we couldn't wait that long that our mortgage payment was already late. He assured me that if we paid the extra $700.00 for the insurance that the loan would be released to us in 24 to 48 hours. So my husband went and borrowed the $700.00 from his brother so we could get the loan released to us.

On July 16, 2007 we sent another money gram in the amount of $700.00. It has already been way past the 24 to 48 hour mark from the first money gram that we sent in the amount of $750.00.

On July 18, 2007 I called back and asked where is our money? The same guy that I had talked to previously transferred me to whom he stated was his supervisor. She informed me that there was a problem with the direct deposit into our account. So the check was mailed out.

On July 22, 2007 I called the same lady and she said to give it a couple more days to arrive by mail. So by now I have had enough, so I called the Better Business Bureau of Milwaukee, Wisconsin where the company was from. I found out that the address the company uses was a bogus one, and that there was no such company.

So we are now out the $1450.00, and one month behind on our mortgage. The only reason I called for a loan was because banks was turning us down. We needed the money to get caught up on some bills, and to get out of some of those payday advance companies, so we could have a fresh start.

We was in a mess all of those cash advance places came due all at once, we were behind in our mortgage. So my husband had to sell everything that he owned and worked so hard for all of his life, just to get us out of those cash advance places. But we was still behind in our mortgage, so we had to borrow from those cash advance places just to get our mortgage current. I just wish these people could be caught so they can't do this to anyone else. Because it sure doesn't feel good to see your husband have to sell his stuff that he was proud of because he worked for it. I feel this is my fault I was the one who fell for the scam.


Because of these people and there lies, and false promises, and hopes of a fresh start. I learned my lesson well, I now investigate everyone and every company that I do business with before I dive in.

The one thing that my husband and I gained out of this was it made our marriage stronger, and I feel we can conquer anything together.


Tammy Sluss