10 minutes that changed my life forever!

I am so sorry this happened to you.

I know how happy you felt, I was that happy myself for a day. We had very poor credit and I replied to an ad in our newspaper. So I called the number sent them my info by fax. They sent papers back by fax I signed them and sent them back by fax. But the payment had to be sent by UPS. They the next afternoon when I called them to find out when I would recieve my money the number was disconnected. They were located in Canada. They had all of our personal info. I had a flag on my credit report along with my bank. So I can say I have been there. It sucks when someone take advantage of someone in need.

I would say that you should contact the FL AG and file a complaint. If you can still contact this company I would do that asap. They should be able to help you. I am sure that someone else will be along to further assist you in what you should do.

Also, file with the FTC, and possibly even the FBI.

Is it possible to file a complaint (or something) with your JAG? Don't know much about this at all, just a suggestion.

Have you turned to your JAG for help with your divorce? Perhaps you could consult with a paralegal if you can't afford an attorney...maybe you qual. for legal aid...you might contact a court clerk to see if there are any forms/motions/whatever to ask for a default judgement...IDK...just trying to help by throwing out ideas.

How is it that these companies can get away with the things that they do? I am so sorry that this happened to you...I hope that you take the advice above and file complaints with all the appropriate places! Can't you file a fraud report with the police?

I feel very sad for you. Their are so many scammers to take advantage of the innocent people. I wish you would have done the research from your part and save yourself from these troubles.

You should contact all the legal places you can think about. You should definitely contact the Internet Crime Complaint center because they deal with these types of scam companies. Here is the link http://www.ic3.gov/

just want to say a hearty thank you to all of you for the info that you have given me.. my current financial situation has humbled me in ways that i would have never thought possible.. it has also made to reach out to "means" for help that i would have never even considered before (internet loans, pdls, etc..) my situation has also brought me people who i will gladly my "friends-at-arms" against debt.. all i can say is thank you, thank you, and thank you.. :D

now that i have your interests, if i may steal a quote, "Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears" because I have questions.. as i stated in my initial post, this incident happened on March 1.. i did file a complaint with the BBB in arizona.. received negative results.. is there any chance that i may ever see that money again, since that one incident has cost me so much? this question is specifically for morningstar, can u please help me to understand the difference between a lawyer and a paralegal..? i truly appreciate you picking upon the divorce part as that has been waying me down for over 3 years (separation date).. my wife just wont sign the divorce papers.. once again thank you all for your help and i will dilligently pursue all of the avenues that you all have suggested..

Paralegals do the "behind the scenes" stuff. They can fill out forms, do research...they cannot, however, represent you in a courtroom. If you hire a paralegal, look for one who graduated from a bar certified school. If you need more info concerning paralegals, also ask cajunbulldog, too-he's online a lot more than I am.

I would not begin to make a guess as to whether or not you'll be reimbursed. It's not easy to say goodbye to a large sum of money, but were I you, I'd consider the money lost and live accordingly (as in don't make plans for spending it/putting it to good use). If you do end up getting your money back, I'd then view it as a windfall.

Best of luck to you.

It is awful what people will do. Almost makes me want to set up my own fake company but then I would be affecting how many other people who are in the same position we all are.(in my mind only)
I hope they can catch that crook.
I know it doesn't seem like it now but it is only money. Your life is worth a lot more then $981!

arOd77--

welcome to the forums. I hope we can be ver yhelpful for you!!

Also, thank you for what you do every day. I have been there, and I know what sacrifices are made to put on the uniform. Bravo Zulu...

Anyways, the BBB is not going to be any help at all. The BBB itself is a scam, basically--they rely on the companies you and I file complaints about for their funding. All it takes to become a BBB member is to pay the dues each year, they do not require anything else. I filed a complaint recently against a university that has been a BBB member in Indiana since 1969 or something like that--and if you go on the site and inquire about that company, they dont even include my complaint, or many others, in their report. It is a joke. Try the attorney general, or speak to JAG, seriously, JAG could probably at the very least offer some advice on where to go next.

Do you still have any info on how to get in touch with those loan people? Hopefully you do. I tried a basic search, but didnt find anything. I will try some more searches for you tomorrow, once I get in from work. You are welcome to message me if you have any info that you dont want to post in the thread, or feel free to post it in here if youre cool with that.

Sounds like life has been pretty rotten to you lately, hang in there, hopefully you will get your money back. How long have you been in the military? My first husband played games with me while I was stationed in germany and got deployed to saudi arabia, there were times I thought that man did not think I would return alive, the stuff he did was beyond anything I thought was possible. He was a soldier to. Bottom line is, You are a soldier, be proud of yourself. Never let them bring you down. This is a temporary set back, even if it lasts a little longer than you choose, my saga went on for 4-5 years, the lessons I learned in that time frame can never be taken away. The biggest lesson I learned was how strong I was and the patience that I had that I never knew existed. No Pain, No Gain and god it hurt, emotionally and financially.

So I say to you, "This soon shall pass!" Hang in there, you will be able to breath lighter in the end and you will feel like a new man!

Take care and goodluck!

I am so sorry all of this has happened to you. Being in the military has its own special challenges as we know and the last thing you need is some shyster trying to separate you from your hard-earned money.
Have you considered getting counseling on base? This could possibly help you whether the challenges from the pending divorce. Also, if you need a short-term loan, you might try one from one of the relief societies on base. Trust me, it would be way better than a PDL (as anything would).
Good luck, and please check in again and let us know what happens!

I hate to hear stories like these but am glad that you all are willing to share. How careful it makes the rest of us just starting on this journey!