Created: 12/15/2006 6:28:55 PM 
By Ken Amaro First Coast News
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- Christene Brown is a widow raising two sons.
"Everything I was doing, I was doing right and this happened," says Brown.
Brown fell for a loan offer from Easy Loan Financial. It was an offer that stole the joy of her Christmas.
"I'm very angry. I used to say I have never been scammed. I can't say that now," says Brown.
It started with a fax to her office. It offered low interest mortgage rates. Brown called the company and was told she didn't qualify for the low interest mortgage, but she was eligible for another program.
The other program was a debt consolidation loan. In minutes, Brown was approved $35,000 loan. They e-mailed her a guarantee letter and the terms of the loan -- then came the scam.
To get the loan, Brown had to pay another company $1250 to insure her loan.
She wired the money to Canada and is still waiting on the loan.
"Once they got the money, they wanted me to send them another $700," says Brown.
She didn't. Instead, she contacted the Secret Service and the Canadian Mounted Police.
"I'm not going to just sit back and take it. I'm angry," says Brown. Brown has filed complaints with the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Chicago Police Department.
Easy Loan Financial claims its office is in Chicago on Wacker Avenue, but it is a bogus address.
Bottom line: You should never pay a fee in advance for a loan.
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