I received a call from "Andrew Murray" of this company saying they had preapproved me for a loan of $7,000. They just needed to verify SSN and employment. I was then sent loan documents, which included a Loan Protection Insurance policy from Belairdirect of Canada, along with instructions on how to pay the loan — sent $630 to Jessica Watson at the Belairdirect offices in Kingston, ON, by Western Union.
Immediately, this sounded like a scam. I checked on Google Earth for the address of Universal Lending Associates in Evans, CO. No such address. I called the Evans, CO, Police Department and they did not have such an address in Evans, and had never heard of the company.
I called "Andrew" back, and told him my concerns. He swore up and down that's where they were located and couldn't figure out why the Evans Police didn't know of the address.
I then called Belairdirect at their main offices in Canada, and was told they do not office Loan Protection Insurance and do not have an office in Kingston, ON.
I called "Andrew" back and he said they had been dealing with that office in Kingston for at least five years. I asked for an address of the office in Kingston and a direct phone number. He gave me an address of 22 Main St., in Kingston. Checked on Google Earth and there were no buildings there, just a bunch of trees.
I called Belairdirect again and they were very concerned that some ripoff artists were misusing their company name. The insurance policy was signed by "Elizabeth Chambers", the Chairman and CEO of Belairdirect. Belairdirect has nobody by that name employed by them, I was told.
I called "Andrew" back and complained and he said his superviser, "Langston Bailey" would call me back. He didn't, so I called back and asked to speak with "Langston." After a moment or two, "Langston" got on the phone, and he sounded exactly like "Andrew", except with the worst fake Southern accent you've ever heard. Total BS from "Langston" about how their company has been in business for 30 years, etc.
I called Belairdirect and emailed them the phony Loan Protection Insurance documents and they said they would report this to the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police).
I then called the Colorado Attorney General's office and spoke to a woman in the Consumer Protection division. She said any pre-payment to receive a loan is illegal, even if they call it Loan Protection Insurance. She also told me that the only lending company licensed in Colorado with that name is Universal Lending on Evans Ave., in Denver.
I also filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, per her instructions.
The website, www.universallendingassociates.com, is now down, and I called "Andrew" back and asked him about that. He said his name was "Alan" and there was no "Andrew" there (hmmm... Sounded exactly like "Andrew"). He blamed the problem on me calling Universal Lending in Denver. (Which I didn't — who knows? They're probably completely legitimate and have just had their good name slimed by these jerks.)
They're probably putting up a new website with a new fake name. Watch out for these guys...
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