Several consumers report being targeted by what appear to be advance fee loan scams. These apparent scams use variations of the name “USA Payday Loans.” One Washington State consumer reports that he received a phone call from a man who claimed to work for USA Payday Loans. The caller offered the consumer a $3,000 loan if he first paid a fee via prepaid card. After the consumer paid the fee, various representatives of USA Payday Loans demanded additional fees. In total, the consumer paid $1,102 in fees and did not receive the loan.

In the consumer’s interaction with USA Payday Loans, he spoke with men who identified themselves as Victor Moore, Terrence O’Neill, and Neil Thomas. The consumer also received an e-mail from USApayday_loans@yahoo.com. The e-mail stated that USA Payday Loans’ license number is 1651 362 983 and the company’s address is 1368 5th Avenue, Seattle, Washington. However, the license number is not one issued by the DFI and the address does not appear to exist.

The following contact information is associated with these apparent scams:

206-855-3055 – USApayday_loans@yahoo.com
209-690-7494 – www.paydayloans-seattle.com
206-971-2831 – 1368 5th Avenue, Seattle, WA

DFI received phone records from the company providing phone service to USA Payday Loans. Those records suggest that the individuals operating USA Payday Loans are in India.

USA Payday Loans is not licensed by DFI to provide loans. It is also not licensed to do any kind of business in Washington State.

For information about how to verify business licenses and report fraud, please visit the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions online.