Berkley Lending Group: Loan Scam Alert

Yikes! This is the largest amount we've heard of someone losing to a loan scammer with one transfer (the record for reports we've received is someone who lost $4,400 in five different transfers to two different scam lenders). Here is Jamie's story:

My husband and I were looking for a loan to pay off our high interest credit cards, I found a website loanunion.net and it looked ok.  I talked to my husband about it and everything looked ok.  So he applied.  Last week we got a phone call from Berkley Lending Group in New York telling he was approved for a $15000 loan, which had a monthly payment less than all of our debt put together and it was enough to pay everything off.  The lady, Laura, faxed over the paperwork and told him that we needed to make a payment of $1820.00 for a security deposit. 

Without knowing about any of these scams and talking with his parents, who have used alternative loans other than their bank, we sent the money through Western Union.  They promised that the next day his loan would be in our account.  Then today he received a call from them that in further review he would need to send an additional $1820 and the loan would be in our account.  The loan document did state that a final review would be assessed to determine any additional funds needed. 

Today I googled the website to get some input because my gut feeling has not been that great.  I found your note on this website and wanted to know if this company was a real company or if we just got scammed.  We did go through loanunion.net but another company called us.  Here is the information of the company. 
 
Berkley Lending Group
125 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
888-518-1489 Ext 482
Rep: Laura Miller
Customer Service Rep: David Campbell ext 0
 
When talking with them today they stated that they have been in business for over 10 years.  We did check the Better Business Bureau and found no information.  Their website is www.berkleylending.com which looks official.

At least we helped stop them from sending another $1,820 to this scammer. As always, if you think you might be working with a scam lender, email us before you send any money and we'll help you determine if the offer is legitimate. 

Emily Peters – Credit.com's personal finance expert and former TransUnion credit bureau insider. Emily writes about credit reports, credit cards, loans and personal finance as the CreditBloggers.com editor.

Comments

[frank]

can you tell me about Affiliated Funding Corp. and can you tell me what is a good company to get a loan with if your credit is not so good.

[Sean Berry]

We got scammed by Berkley Lending group also and they had us do the same thing except we were qualified for $5000.00 at a 6% fixed interest rate, we sent them $1200.00 and the next day they stated that after further review that an additional $1200.00 was required well thats when we figured that we had been scammed our gut was telling us it was a scam but we like everyone else was desperate for help. We need to get together to stop companies like these from doing this to good honest hard working American's, in fact they are not even fit to call themselves American's they are scum and deserve to be treated as such.

[melva pollard]

my name is melva and berkley lending group wanted me to send them 886 before i got my money. well, thank goodness i looked up this site and saw for myself that these people were scams. i was about to send of the money monday too, but i am so glad i did some investigating first. thank you!

[Melinda Lamberger]

I almost gave Berkley lending my money but went with my gut and checked out the company first. I found all these scams and decided against it I dealt wiyh a guy named Dean Hunter and he got mad when I told him they were a big scam.

[almost got me!]

Bruce Cameron called me and told me i was approved for a 10,000 loan at a 6% fixed interest rate and that i needed to have some sort of collateral or send $1407.00 to them via email. i faxed my loan documents back to him but i didnt get a chance to send the money by money gram because i googled "Berkley Lending Group" and SCAM AlERT came up. Bruce even asked me what i was going to use the money for and I told him to adopt (I really am seeking a loan to adopt) and he still tried to force me to take the loan. These people are cruel and need to be stopped. The BBB said that their website was just created in frebruary 2009! They claim they have been in business for over 10 years! PLease someone, Lets get these jokers nehind bars like they need to be!

[Terryllee Barabas]

Well these scumbags, cost me my attorney, my money, and possibly now being able to get custody of my grandaughter.

[sulma]

OMG I am so mad I can't belive it they owe me 1400 us dollars how could I be so stupid these people need to be behind bars, dean hunter and David Cambell are seriously the worst people in the world, what can we do to get our money back????

[allen glodo]

I also got scamed by berkley lending for 900.00. I had talked to Jason Walker and David Cambell. They told me I would recieve a complete refund and haven't recieved it yet. What can be done to get my money back?? They won't even answer there phone.

[Tiffany Long]

I got scammed by Berkley also. Laura Miller and David Campbell had me send them almost 900 dollars for a security deposit, and then told me the day my loan was to get funded that I had to send an additional 900, and I told them no, I did not have it, and I wanted refunded... at that point I had a gut feeling I was getting scammed, they told me my money would be direct deposited in my bank within 2 weeks... never made it! These people are complete failures in life. I am LIVID. How do we get our money bacK?

[ken l green]

did they ever reinburst the money into every account

[EmilyPeters]

Nope. Money is never reimbursed and loans are never delivered.

[Amanda]

you can add another to the list. We were going to file a complaint to BBB, hoping this would help.

[kayla]

Omg i filled out an app with these people, I have done nothing more , but something told me when I didnt see a phone number that I should look it up. If I go no further should we be okay???

[anonymous]

I lost money to them too and I am to get my refund but I'm sure that won't happen!!!! I have copies of everything, so does my local authorities who turned it over to the FBI. I have also reported them on 1c3.gov, recol.ca, and filed a complaint with the canadian police....I hope these scum bags get what they deserve!!!

[Eboni]

I am so upset.....i was scammed also by them, Bruce Cameron. The horrible part about mine is that I had to borrow money from all over the place to even get the security deposit together to send to them. Now I owe my family, and friends money that I dont even have and was supposed to get re-imbursed for about a month ago. I knew it was a scam after they told me I needed to send them another security deposit. THIS IS HORRIBLE! I want to know what I can personally do to get them and their little production they are running shut down, and in jail.

[marty]

well talking about getting scammed i got scamed once big time $5000.00 by another company i,ve i,ve been so upset i can't even remember there names so many they use., don't forget victims all these companys have are personal information and they use it to there advantage and there is nothing you or i can do,why because i reported it to the bank my bank.,law enforcement, and federal trade commission(ftc) and all they do is take your complaint and that;s it. thanks pissed offff in texas...................

[Taina]

Go to www.ripoffreport.com and file a claim. That will stop them. After one day...when people google this company it will show up as a scam on the top of the list. It will never go away.

[BRIAN BARLOW]

Hi I've been scammed to by loanunion.net the company who called me was named Abington Solutions out of Abington MA.(Massachusetts)they emailed me loan documents and faxed them as well I was approved of 5,000 with a 6% fixed interest rate and the loan specialist named Samuel Morales they have found a lender for my type of credit and that the lender whose name was Ben Clemons agree to do this loan knowing my credit history and that I had to pay my first 7mths.upfront $106.54 which came to be the amount of $739.00 plus $60 to western union so I called them back which was customer service his name was Greg Myers and they told me 30 days certified check my money would be refunded $804.60 so I'm still waiting but I'm not holding my breathe at one time I had ask to speak to his manager after requesting for my money back $804.60 he told me he was the mgn. and I said oh your mgn.he said yep and I said so theres nobody over he said nope and then I said so your God right he said boastfully yep I am pricks like that just make you want lose it thanks for listening hope stops em cold if God will.