On July 15 I got an e-mail from Scotia Financial Services saying I had been approved for a loan of $5,000 which I was grateful for because I had a low credit score and I really needed the money. After calling them and discussing the loan terms and all of that, I was e-mailed a loan agreement and sent it back to them with my bank account information and everything. I also sent via MoneyGram an insurance payment of $500 to a Chantal Robinson in Jamaica plus applicable fees and I was told the money would be deposited in my account within 2 hours. I was told if I lived in New York or Philadelphia, I could bring in the payment personally but I live in Florida. 24 hours went by and no money so I called them back. I was told by my loan officer Mark that his supervisor had looked at my credit and they were requiring 4 months payment in advance of $484 in addition to the $500 I had already sent. Ok sent that via Western Union, once again to Jamaica (because I was told if I sent to their New York or Philadelphia location it would cost more and take longer to get the money), seeing as I really believed I would be getting this money and again was told I would see the deposit in my account within 2 hours. Once again 24 hours goes by and nothing. I call again and was told the money was deposited in the wrong account because the 3 looked like an 8 and other crap. So I asked how am I going to get my money and was told they can Western Union but the fee would be $800 but they would pay half of it or I can wait 7-10 business days until they get the money back from the person. Needless to say I chose to wait 7-10 days because now is when I started to realize I had been duped and refused to spend any more money. After about 2 weeks I called again and they claimed they were taking the person to court because the person had already taken out $2,000 of the $5,000 and would not give the money back so I stated that I just wanted a refund. I was told it would take 10-20 days to receive a check in the mail. It has been 22 days and of course no refund check. I have called and now the number just goes straight to voice mail and have also sent numerous e-mails with no reply. They claim to be connected with Scotia Bank or Bank of America but it's all a big scam. This was money that I didn't have but I took out of 401k plan. I most likely won't see my money that I worked so hard for ever again but I just need to make sure no one else makes the HUGE mistake that I did. You should NEVER have to pay money upfront to get a loan unless it's for a car or a house and only if you see the person you are giving the money to. Not sending it via wire transfer where it can't be traced and once the person collects the money, that's it. You can't get a refund. Lesson learned.
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