If you have been scammed, please post here and share your experience; it may help others avoid the same situation!
by Jen37 Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:10 pm
This report has been generated as the result of a financial fraud that was committed against me by Avenue Financial Group (AFG) which actually does not exist but the address they provide on their letterhead is 595 Stewart Avenue, Garden City, NY 11530. The telephone number that was used during all communications is 866.403.6662 and the fax number that was used is 516.977.1030. Their website is www.avenuefinancial.net. The names of the two people that I spoke with are Brenda Olsen (x384) and Dennis Crown (x0).

On December 5, 2008 I conducted an online search for a long term personal loan. I immediately recognized that name Lending Tree, LLC at www.lendingtree.com and decided to check further into the process required to obtain a loan. All that was required was that I fill out an application consisting of personal information such as my social security number and address. On December 9, 2008 I was contacted by Brenda Olsen who stated that I had been approved for a $5,000 loan through Avenue Financial Group based out of New York. After searching for the company name online, I found multiple companies throughout the United States and Canada with the same name, checked the BBB which didn’t have any positive or negative information, and researched their website @ www.avenuefinancial.net.

Brenda explained that because this was a secured loan that I would need to provide collateral for insurance purposes as stated in the faxed agreement. The collateral required consisted of and was equal to 5 monthly payments totaling $1,107.20 and since I was making such a large payment upfront that I would not need to begin repaying the loan until June of 2009 for two years at $221.00 per month for 2 years. I reviewed the documents numerous times. Everything appeared to be completely legitimate. I borrowed money against my 401K account in order to pay for the collateral. On December 15, 2008 I contacted Brenda Olsen to inform her that I had the collateral payment required to secure the loan. Brenda explained that the lender was located in Canada and that I needed to wire the funds directly to them. I asked Brenda how to wire the money since I had never wired money before. She told me to go to Walmart and ask for a red and white form called a Money Gram. I was to send the monies to Christine Osborne in Thompson, MB, Canada. Because the fee was going to be $22.00 Brenda told me to simply send $1,100 and the remaining monies would be credited to my loan. I followed all of these instructions and contacted Brenda to provide her with the reference number. Brenda stated that the $5,000 loan would be directly deposited into my account on December 16, 2008.

On the morning of December 16, 2009 I received a phone message from Dennis Crown who identified himself as the customer service manager of AFG. Dennis stated in this message that there had been a slight problem with my loan and needed to contact him immediately. Upon contacting Dennis, I learned that the lender after reassessing my loan needed to purchase an additional $1,100 in insurance to secure the loan. My other option was to receive a full refund but that I would not be able to receive this refund until January 5, 2009. I contacted Brenda Olsen who appeared to be completely unaware of the situation and stated that Dennis was a good man and would take good care of me. Brenda also stated that Dennis needed to speak with me again. I contacted Dennis once again who stated that he had spoken with the lender and that they would work something out with me for an additional $800 instead of the original $1,100 to secure the loan. I wired an additional $800 to Christine Osborne in Thompson, MB, Canada through a Money Gram at Walmart. Because the amount wired was less than $800, I was only required to pay $14.16 for the Money Gram fee.

I shared this information with a friend who began to research the company online. She found reports posted by others on www.ripoffreport.com that were identical to my experience with the same exact company. These individuals stated that their loans were never deposited into their checking accounts after making two collateral payments. I knew at that point that I had been deceived. I contacted my local police department who filed a report with Financial Crimes. The following day I closed my checking account because they had my checking account number in order to transfer the loan. I also contacted all three credit bureaus to prevent identity theft since these criminals had all of person information such as my social security number had a copy of my passport that I provided for their request of a government ID. The reason I provided this document as opposed to my drivers license is because I was in my office and it was quicker than getting my wallet out of my purse.

Dennis Crown had the nerve to contact me a third time. This time he stated that they would provide me with a $10,000 loan but that I needed to pay an additional 10 monthly payments. I told him no and demanded a refund in the amount of $1,900. I pretended that I wasn’t aware that they had deceived me. Dennis informed me that a refund would be made on January 5, 2009 but since the company doesn’t exist I know that I will never see this money again unless someone finds these criminals and prosecutes them to the fullest extent possible. This experience has been completely and utterly devastating. I have been severely violated, am in complete distress, lost weight, and have no idea how I will function emotionally or financially in the next coming weeks and months.

The website of Avenue Financial was created on 11.05.08 through SiteTiki.com which is a company based out of Singapore. This information can be obtained through the WHOIS database which I discovered on the BBB website. According to http://www.ripoffreport.com/default.asp, there are a series of companies that are potentially being operated by the same people. This inference was derived as a result of the reports filed by other individuals indicating the exact same scam and strategies utilized. I have documented these and am happy to share them with anyone who can help. In addition, Jason from LA who also went through Lending Tree, LLC (see http://www.ripoffreport.com/default.asp) has contacted an attorney in LA as he was scammed out of more than $5,000 and is seeking to file a civil lawsuit

I pray that there is someone out there that can and is willing to assist me and other victims in finding these individuals who are hacking into Lending Tree’s website before they violate and take advantage of other innocent people. Please contact me if you have any information as to what I can do to seek justice and to put an end to their criminal practices.
Other Fraudulent and Fake Companies all being Operated by the Same Individuals:

Trenton Financial Group
Stanford Financial Group
Watson Financial Group
Beacon Financial Group
Fairway Financial Group
Bellwood Financial Group
National Trust Financial Group
Winchester Lending Group
Metro Lending Group
Charter Lending Group
Prevathon Lending Group
Moneta Lending Group
Invesco Lending Group
Oakdale Lending Group
Winfield Lending Group
Vision Lending Corporation
Capital Lending
Clearview Lending
Birchcliff Lending
Sutherland Lending
Parkway Lending
Superior Lending
First Universal Lending
Avalon Lending Services

If you have been a victim please contact your local authorities immediately. In addition, contact all three credit bureaus to protect your identity. You may also need to close your checking account.

Moreover, make sure to file reports with http://www.ftc.gov/index.shtml, http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx, and all other government agencies such as the BBB, attorney general, and FBI as well as any media groups. Please share your story with Fraud Watchers as well.
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by B. A. Ware Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:24 pm
Jen,

Welcome here.

I'm sorry to hear this. This group has had special attention by one of my partners. I'm sure he will be along any time now to ask you some questions.

Rest assured that we are doing everything we can to take these guys down. You're information will help us to do that. Thank you for sharing, and please be patient with us while we "circle the wagons"

B. A. Ware
by full auto Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:08 am
:roll: ... and here's the partner. :D No need for information collection here B.A.Ware. Jen has been in contact.

Welcome Jen, it's good to see you getting the word out. Chevy has told me a lot about you and everything you are doing is helping to warn future victims of these scammers. Please rest assure this is being worked on, it's a huge task but we are doing our best to get these scammers slammed.

I do have something for the victims coming in the door though with these scammers as they DO deal in identity theft. If you have already been scammed by these people and given them bank account information, go to your bank and let your banker know exactly what happened ASAP to take protective measures. If you have given them your ID/drivers license/social security number see point 4 on the offline section here, you will basically have to get a new ID or get that form of ID fraud flagged by the issuing agency if they won't issue a new form of identification:

http://www.fraudaid.org/ID_theft.htm

Also of interest, if you are contacted by ANY law enforcement personnel saying they need "processing or investigation" funds, do not send it. This group of scammers has been known to do a second reach out by playing law enforcement and giving victims the hope that they may get their money back if they pay the "processing fees." Unfortunately your funds are gone, do not send anymore money to anyone dealing with this group of scammers. Law enforcement does not need these funds, and will never never ask for such.

"Art is resistence." Trent Reznor's Year Zero
by Jillian Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:19 am
Hi Jen. Welcome and thanks for posting. This will help others.

Here's some other great information on combating ID theft by the FTC: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/i ... index.html

Here are the steps to take to defend yourself:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/i ... efend.html

Have you sent a payment to a scammer with Western Union and now realize it's a scam? If the payment has not been picked up, you can cancel it immediately! 1-800-448-1492

Follow ScamWarners on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ScamWarners
by full auto Wed Dec 31, 2008 3:01 pm
@ Jen: If a lawsuit alley is opening up please do post up more details here. You will find more victims of these scammers you encountered here. An attempt was made to contact lawyers that have previously dealt with Lending Tree with class action suits, however none of the lawyers even returned our calls or emails. If Jason has no problem releasing the details of his lawyer, I know there are enough victims for a class action suit at this point. I would suggest releasing the details of this in a private message to either myself here at SW or Chevy10k at FW if Jason is getting the ball rolling. We'll do our best to get more people on his side in court.

"Art is resistence." Trent Reznor's Year Zero
by Jen37 Wed Dec 31, 2008 4:36 pm
Full Auto,

Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck with lawyers either; of course, I've never needed one until now and my lack of experience is hindering my efforts. Jason has not visited ripoffreport.com since his last post over a week ago. His story and comments related to a class action law suit can be found under a search on ripoff if you search Avenue Financial Group.

I will check this site as well as Fraud Watchers and RipOffReport and update everyone here should I learn of anything new. I promise. You have my word.

Jen
by Jen37 Wed Dec 31, 2008 7:32 pm
Full Auto, Jillian, and B.Aware,

Thank you for the time and heart that you are devoting to these financial crimes. I cannot tell you how much it means to me to have a support group and to be exposed to the information that you so selflessly provide.

There are good people in this world and then there are bad people in this world. I was once the most naive person you would ever meet and thought good about every single person but not anymore. I will do everything I can to put the bad where they belong -- BEHIND BARS. Please, please, please let me know what else I can do.

Wishing everyone a very happy, healthy, safe, educated, and prosperous new year.
by B. A. Ware Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:28 pm
Jen wrote:Please, please, please let me know what else I can do.


Jen, there are many things you can do to help. The list is almost endless. It just depends on what you want to do.

For example I spend most of my time finding and taking down scammers websites. However I also spend time "baiting" which is something we do to waste scammers time and resources (this is where most of us got started). I also do some "warning" to victims and potential victims.

Jillian (and other great people) spends huge amounts of time keeping this site going for educational purposes. The goal being to help warn potential victims by having all the information possible should someone research a "fishy" deal they are involved in. She also is highly involved in another site dedicated to fighting advanced fee fraud. She also does victim warning. And she is a very successful fake site killer as well.

Full Auto is also involved deeply in site killing as you are aware. He also is involved in other aspects of fighting scammers while being a full time student and holding a full time job. That's dedication.

Most of the Support team here are also very active on other fraud related sites. We are in the U.S., The U.K., Australia, Africa, Canada, Japan, and EVERYWHERE else imaginable. Everyone works together as a team with one common goal and they are some of the best people you will ever meet.

You don't need any special qualifications except a desire to fight for those that may become victims. Which, as you've learned could be any one of us.

None of us spend as much time as we would like trying to stop these scum, and we could certainly use some help. If you are serious about discussing some of the things you can do to help, feel free to PM me.
by Ralph Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:35 pm
Hi Jen,

Welcome to Scamwarners.

The others have already given you some great advice and your initial post suggests that you have done quite a bit of research on this already so I have little else to add other than to wish you well and hope you can recover from this sooner rather than later.

This is the most sophisticated and successful scam I have ever seen, I do hope the authorities will take an interest and do more to stop it.
by Jen37 Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:03 pm
Updated List of Advanced Loan Fraud Companies

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I am providing an updated list of fraudulent companies all operated by the same individuals using the EXACT same strategies. If you are a victim of any of these companies please report your story IMMEDIATELY to www.badcreditloanwarning.com as well as http://www.canadian-money-advisor.ca/!!!!! In addition, please let us know if you have worked with a fraudulent company that is not listed below. Thanks.

Accommodative Financial Solutions

Altimax Financial
Best West Financial
Brockville Financial
Charles D. Financial
Charter Stone Financial
Marrow and Parke Financial
NFG Financial
New General Financial
Peoples First Financial
Providence Financial
Remax Financial

1st International Financial Group
America Corporate Financial Group
Beacon Financial Group
Bellwood Financial Group
Capital Trust Financial Group
CityCom Financial Group
Credit Direct Financial Group
Equistar Financial Group
Fairway Financial Group
First Delta Financial Group
Glendor Financial Group
Incline Financial Group
National Trust Financial Group
Rivercrest Financial Group
Stanford Financial Group
Trenton Financial Group
Watson Financial Group

Charter Lending Group
Clearview Lending Group
Hudson Lending Group
Invesco Lending Group
Metro Lending Group
Moneta Lending Group
Prevathon Lending Group
Prudential Lending Group
Oakdale Lending Group
Winchester Lending Group
Winfield Lending Group
American Community Lending
Capital Lending
Clearview Lending
Birchcliff Lending
Pioneer Lending
Sutherland Lending
Parkway Lending
Superior Lending
First Universal Lending
York Land Lending

Amcorp Finance Incorporated
Atlantic Capital Resource Center
Avalon Lending Services
Brennans Group
Cadex National
Capital Trust Alternative
Capital Venture Investments
DCM Financial Services
First Business Financial Solutions
Gretchen Fox and Associates
Mason Capital Group
McLean and Forrester
Nationwide Prudential, Inc.
Pioneer Lending Resources
PrimeMax Financing
Standard Lenders
Sterling National Lenders
United Loan Funding
Vision Lending Corporation
Westdale Finance Group
Wittman Capital Services
World Wide Consulting
by cagedbird714 Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:17 pm
Jen, you missed one -- CedarBrook Lending Group. They got me in October 2008.
I have went through all the channels and have hit many roadblocks but I have been working with some people here and they are really amazing.


Jen37 wrote:Updated List of Advanced Loan Fraud Companies

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am providing an updated list of fraudulent companies all operated by the same individuals using the EXACT same strategies. If you are a victim of any of these companies please report your story IMMEDIATELY to http://www.badcreditloanwarning.com as well as http://www.canadian-money-advisor.ca/!!!!! In addition, please let us know if you have worked with a fraudulent company that is not listed below. Thanks.

Accommodative Financial Solutions

Altimax Financial
Best West Financial
Brockville Financial
Charles D. Financial
Charter Stone Financial
Marrow and Parke Financial
NFG Financial
New General Financial
Peoples First Financial
Providence Financial
Remax Financial

1st International Financial Group
America Corporate Financial Group
Beacon Financial Group
Bellwood Financial Group
Capital Trust Financial Group
CityCom Financial Group
Credit Direct Financial Group
Equistar Financial Group
Fairway Financial Group
First Delta Financial Group
Glendor Financial Group
Incline Financial Group
National Trust Financial Group
Rivercrest Financial Group
Stanford Financial Group
Trenton Financial Group
Watson Financial Group

Charter Lending Group
Clearview Lending Group
Hudson Lending Group
Invesco Lending Group
Metro Lending Group
Moneta Lending Group
Prevathon Lending Group
Prudential Lending Group
Oakdale Lending Group
Winchester Lending Group
Winfield Lending Group
American Community Lending
Capital Lending
Clearview Lending
Birchcliff Lending
Pioneer Lending
Sutherland Lending
Parkway Lending
Superior Lending
First Universal Lending
York Land Lending

Amcorp Finance Incorporated
Atlantic Capital Resource Center
Avalon Lending Services
Brennans Group
Cadex National
Capital Trust Alternative
Capital Venture Investments
DCM Financial Services
First Business Financial Solutions
Gretchen Fox and Associates
Mason Capital Group
McLean and Forrester
Nationwide Prudential, Inc.
Pioneer Lending Resources
PrimeMax Financing
Standard Lenders
Sterling National Lenders
United Loan Funding
Vision Lending Corporation
Westdale Finance Group
Wittman Capital Services
World Wide Consulting
by cagedbird714 Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:19 pm
Just one more thing,

If you encounter any website, that has testimonials be leery. No legitimate company has a testimonial page anymore.
by Jen37 Wed Jan 21, 2009 3:48 pm
Thank you Cagedbird. I've updated my list.

In case anyone didn't see or read the newest FRAUDULENT WEBSITE it's www.alphastarloans.com. It's relatively new and I've confirmed that it is another one of their filthy scams.

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