North Texans strapped for cash are falling for a new, sophisticated scam
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – More and more North Texans in need of loans are instead finding themselves even more strapped for cash after falling victim to a new sophisticated scam.
It wasn't a serious car wreck, but it was bad enough that Christy Conley found herself last month in a financial pinch.
"I needed some extra cash, so I filled out a form online and I did not know it was going to go to a million different people," she said.
The Granbury nurse started the process of applying for a loan online with legitimate lenders.
But she didn't know at the time that scammers quickly got wind of what she was looking for and contacted her claiming to be from the online loan companies.
"It seemed perfectly OK," she said.
One of them told Conley to accept an $1,800 loan, then immediately pay it back to raise her credit score so she could get the full amount she needed.
"So, he would put that in my bank account, and I would go ahead and pay it back and that way it was a quick payback and it would make my credit go up and then I could borrow the amount that I wanted," she said.
But it turned out to be part of scam that's costing North Texans a lot of money according to the Better Business Bureau.
"We're seeing it all over the place," said Amy Rasor, BBB Fort Worth regional director. "We're talking thousands and thousands of dollars. It's becoming a big problem."
In most cases, the fraudster's initial loan is either the result of a fake check or they use the victim's bank account information to dispute legitimate charges on their accounts and make it temporarily look like a deposit.
"They actually called and contested several of my transactions that equaled $1,867," Conley said.
Conley fortunately got suspicious before transferring $1,800.
"I had this voice, and you know God was right there in my ear saying 'Check this out,'" she said.
That voice might have saved her, but experts say doing research on lenders may save you as well by crossing checking contact info and verifying who you are dealing with.
The BBB advises you to be skeptical of social media ads for loans and read reviews.