At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, a U.S. district court has halted a Tampa, Florida-based operation that promised to help consumers get payday loans.
Sean C. Mulrooney and Odafe Stephen Ogaga and several companies they controlled used consumers’ personal financial information to debit their bank accounts in increments of $30 without their authorization.
Claiming to be affiliated with a network of 120 potential payday lenders, the defendants misrepresented that 80 percent of applicants got loans in as soon as one hour, according to the complaint filed by the FTC.
In all, the defendants victimized tens of thousands of consumers, taking more than $5 million from their bank accounts. Many of the victims were in difficult financial straits to begin with, and as an added insult, often began receiving harassing telemarketing and debt collection calls shortly after the defendants made their unauthorized withdrawals.
Consumers who complained to Defendants’ Philippines-based customer service agents were frequently offered refunds and $100 gasoline vouchers that never materialized.
Mulrooney and Ogaga apparently used proceeds from their illegal scheme to finance a lavish lifestyle. Mulrooney is the registered owner of a 2012 Maserati GranTurismo, while Ogaga owns a 2011 Rolls Royce Ghost and a 2006 Ferrari 430, according to documents filed with the court.
800notes has quite a few phone numbers that, according to the community reports, were used by the defendants in their scam operation.
- 866-740-7066 (names used "Your Loan Funding", "Vantage Funding")
- 216-744-9124 (names used "My Cash Guardian", "Pacific Advances", "Proctor & Associates")
- 866-763-7462 (name used "Pacific Advances")
- 866-678-3482 (name used "FASTLOANFAST.COM")
- 866-789-3108 (name used "Loan Tree Advances")
- 866-765-5097 (names used "Loan Assistance", "Check Process")
- 866-789-3114 (name used "Palm Loan Advances")
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