AN OXFORD WOMAN SAYS SHE WAS SCAMMED HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS -- WHILE TRYING TO GET A LOAN FROM A CALIFORNIA-BASED COMPANY. SHE SAYS SHE SAW AN AD ONLINE. BONNIE BISHOP SAT DOWN WITH THE WOMAN -- AND REACHED OUT TO THIS COMPANY. SHE JOINS US NOW KATHLEEN, JON, THE WOMAN THAT I SPOKE TO MADE IT CLEAR THAT SHE WANTED TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT THE ALLEGED SCAM THAT SHE FELL FOR, HOPING TO DETER OTHERS FROM MAKING THE SAME MISTAKE THERESA SMART SAYS SHE SAW AN AD ON FACEBOOK FOR A 5,000 DOLLAR LOAN THAT áAPPEARED TO BEá FROM LENDING CLUB. 16:38:51-16:38:54 IT JUST SOUNDED VERY, VERY CONVINCING. IN NEED OF MONEY TO PAY SOME BILLS, THE 71-YEAR-OLD CALLED THE NUMBER ON THE AD... FROM THEN ON, SHE SAYS SHE WAS IN CONTACT WITH A MAN, WHO TOLD HER TO GO A WAL-MART TO PURCHASE A MONEY CARD... AND SEND PICTURES OF THE CARD TO HIM AS A QUOTE 'GOOD FAITH PAYMENT' ONE THING LED TO ANOTHER, AND SHE SAYS SHE ENDED UP BUYING MULTIPLE CARDS. 16:29:42-16:29:54 I CAN'T GET IT BACK. I'VE BEEN TO MY BANK. THERE'S NO PROTECTION THERE BECAUSE I IT WAS A MONEY CARD AND ONCE IT'S TAKEN IT'S GONE AND I WAS THE DUMMY THAT FELL FOR IT. SMART SAYS SHE LOST ROUGHLY 13 HUNDRED DOLLARS. 16:43:19-16:43:27 MAKES ME FEEL PRETTY BAD. PRETTY BAD. YEAH. YEAH. SO I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT MONTH, OCTOBER, TO GET A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY. SHE SAYS SHE REPORTED THE ALLEGED INCIDENT TO LOCAL POLICE... WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET IN CONTACT WITH THE DEPARMENT. MAINE'S TOTAL COVERAGE REACHED OUT TO THE LENDING CLUB FOR COMMENT-- THEY SAY QUOTE-- THIS IS COMMON ACROSS THE INDUSTRY, AND WE'VE DEVELOPED TIPS ON HOW CONSUMERS CAN PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM SCAMS.-- ADDING... IF A CONSUMER BELIEVES THEY ARE A VICTIM OF A SCAM BY SOMEONE POSING AS A LENDINGCLUB EMPLOYEE, PLEASE HAVE THEM REPORT THE SCAM TO LENDINGCLUB MEMBER SUPPORT AT AND NOTIFY THE FBI. 16:43:32-16:43:43 I WAS STUPID. I DID A STUPID THING, AND I WANT ALL THE ELDERLY PEOPLE OUT THERE AND EVEN NOT ELDERLY. MAKE SURE. MAKE SURE IT'S A LEGIT COMPANY. THE OFFICE OF THE MAINE ATTORNEY GENERAL SAYS IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR A LEGIT LOAN -- FEES ARE PAID áAFTERá A LOAN IS APPROVED -- AND NOT BEFOR
'It just sounded very, very convincing': Woman loses roughly $1,300 from alleged loan scam
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Updated: 12:28 AM CDT Sep 6, 2024
A Maine woman said she was scammed out of hundreds of dollars while trying to get a loan from a California-based company. Theresa Smart said she saw an ad on Facebook for a $5,000 loan that appeared to be from LendingClub.“It just sounded very, very convincing,” Smart said.In need of money to pay some bills, the 71-year-old said she called the number on the ad. From then on, she said she was in contact with a man, who she said told her to go to a Walmart to purchase a money card and send pictures of the card to him as a “good faith payment.”One thing led to another, and Smart said she ended up buying multiple cards.“I can't get it back. I've been to my bank, there's no protection there because, I, it was a money card and once it's taken, it's gone,” Smart said.Smart said she lost roughly $1,300.“Makes me feel pretty bad, pretty bad," Smart said. "So I have to wait until next month, October, to get a little bit of money."Smart said she reported the alleged incident to local police. LendingClub issued a statement.“This is common across the industry, and we’ve developed tips on how consumers can protect themselves from scams,” LendingClub’s statement said. “If a consumer believes they are a victim of a scam by someone posing as a LendingClub employee, please have them report the scam to LendingClub Member Support at 888-596-3157 and notify the FBI using this form.”“I want all the elderly people out there and even not elderly, make sure, make sure it's a legit company," Smart said.On their website, the Office of the Maine Attorney General said if you are applying for a legit loan, fees are paid after a loan is approved and not before. Another red flag is being told that you must act right away.
OXFORD, Maine — A Maine woman said she was scammed out of hundreds of dollars while trying to get a loan from a California-based company. Theresa Smart said she saw an ad on Facebook for a $5,000 loan that appeared to be from LendingClub.
“It just sounded very, very convincing,” Smart said.
In need of money to pay some bills, the 71-year-old said she called the number on the ad. From then on, she said she was in contact with a man, who she said told her to go to a Walmart to purchase a money card and send pictures of the card to him as a “good faith payment.”
One thing led to another, and Smart said she ended up buying multiple cards.
“I can't get it back. I've been to my bank, there's no protection there because, I, it was a money card and once it's taken, it's gone,” Smart said.
Smart said she lost roughly $1,300.
“Makes me feel pretty bad, pretty bad," Smart said. "So I have to wait until next month, October, to get a little bit of money."
Smart said she reported the alleged incident to local police.
LendingClub issued a statement.
“This is common across the industry, and we’ve developed tips on how consumers can protect themselves from scams,” LendingClub’s statement said. “If a consumer believes they are a victim of a scam by someone posing as a LendingClub employee, please have them report the scam to LendingClub Member Support at 888-596-3157 and notify the FBI using this form.”
“I want all the elderly people out there and even not elderly, make sure, make sure it's a legit company," Smart said.
On their website, the Office of the Maine Attorney General said if you are applying for a legit loan, fees are paid after a loan is approved and not before. Another red flag is being told that you must act right away.
