A reader sent me a letter. Yes, one of those things that is printed on paper.
In this letter the reader says they worked for Rescue One Financial and wanted to share information. The allegations made by the reader are disturbing. And if true, in my opinion, would paint a picture of premeditated deception on part of the debt relief companies.
The reader even included copies of what appears to be a marketing piece allegedly used.
See a response from Rescue One Financial, below.
The reader says:
“I am writing this letter to stop deceptive bait & switch tactics used by these companies. Enclosing advertisements targeting over extended consumers in credit, using offers for a preselected loan and then switch into a debt settlement program.
I worked briefly in [xxxxxxx] for this organization, feel it is so deceptive & immoral & unethical. As a religious & devout Christian I cannot stand by & watch consumers mislead into this program, my children & spouse convinced me to write this letter.
The company Rescue One Financial sends out mailers (information released from credit bureaus), market to over extended consumers, promising a unsecured loan from Rescue One Financial to take care of the credit card debts.
Then 24 to 48 hours called back & told by Rescue One they were rejected by over a dozen banks, received consumers file back after they obtain their social security, etc. information.
This company never submits to any underwriting department or bank, information is based from their credit report. After consumer is told bad news, then the good news is they are approved for the only federally mandated debt settlement program & approved by the AFCC in the country. (Freedom Debt Relief located in Arizona)
They market to many states, the bottom line is to enroll as many customers into the debt settlement program even if they cannot afford it. Or even if bankruptcy or credit counseling is a better option. Customers personal information is compromised and discarded in unsecured trash cans.
If you are marketing debt settlement then stop misleading consumers by pretending to represent many banks offer unsecured loans. This is a lie and misleading and taking advantage of consumers who are in financial hardship.
Time to clean up this industry, get rid of these blood sucking vultures who prey on unsuspecting consumers. I have done my duty, now please do your part.”
Debt Relief Mailer
This first mailer appears to be designed by a company, Logan Ad Group.
You are not alone. I'm here to help. There is no need to suffer in silence. We can get through this. Tomorrow can be better than today. Don't give up.
Do you have a question you'd like to ask me for free? Go ahead and click here.
Update 8-17-2012
I received the following statement from a Bradley Smith who is identified as a Rescue One Financial Branch Manager out of what appears to be California.
I’d like to clarify several items that appeared in your blog post on August 14 where you published a letter from someone claiming to have worked for Rescue One Financial who offered some unkind and untrue remarks about our business practices.
It is unclear whether this really was a former employee and if it was, they surely were not employed here long, because they do not have a firm understanding of how we work and furthermore if they used the kind of sales tactics they describe in their letter to you, they would have been caught in our quality assurance program and appropriate corrective action would have been taken. We do not mislead consumers and we do not tolerate dishonesty.
A simple review of our website will show that we have several tools we use to help people get out of debt, including an unsecured consolidation loan program and debt settlement programs.
Consumers responding to a mailer like the one on your blog page would have their financial profile reviewed to determine if they qualify for our loan program. Should they qualify for this program, we refer them to our licensed lending partner. Through this partnership, we help consumers gain access to millions of dollars each month to consolidate their debts.
Our debt settlement operation is a member of the AFCC, you can verify that here: http://www.americanfaircreditcouncil.org/members.html. We take great pride in helping consumers while complying with all applicable federal and state regulations.
Best Regards,
Bradley Smith
Branch Manager
As you can see, Rescue One does not deny that this or a similar mailer was used. I have asked repeatedly for proof they hold a California Lenders License and a license for lending in the states this mailer was sent.
I also asked for helping obtaining this information from Freedom Debt Relief. As of the time this update, no information has been provided that either shows Rescue One Financial is exempt from licensing or holds a lenders license.
Update April 5, 2013
See Is Rescue One Financial Hiring People to Lie to Google? regarding attempts to bury this story.
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Sounds like you got a crappy sales person on a bad day. When you break the script, some people get not nice, no matter who you are calling. Congratulations on having a plan in place for paying the debt down early. Good job.
Hello, you don’t know me, but I’m a really nice person and just had to warn you about Brad Smith-that was STILL trying to sleep with me(while seeing her)-I’m not mad at either of them, just mad at him for stealing money and property from my roommate(took video games, A Polo shirt, a Plaid shirt(still in the back of his car),
–Still owes me money for cigerattes and TRIED TO STEAL FROM THESE RICH FRIENDS OF MINE I WA HOUSESITTING FOR:WENT THROUGH THEIR DRESSER DRAWERS FOR MONEY-JEWERLRY.-I was hoping he was just stoned but he did it all the time-
I asked him to leave the same weekend he was messing with your girlfriend-cause he asked me to HAVE SEX upstairs with him-AND THE BOY WILL NEVER WEAR A CONDOM-SCARY-WHAT I WASN’T A NICE
Just signed up with Rescue One last night. Got up this morning looking into it a little more, and found a lot of good info. I have since emailed everyone at Rescue One I could think of to cancel this enrollment. Anyone else ever enrolled and had to cancel after the fact? Feel free to email me.
You can send an em canceling program..Cancel any automatic payment with your bank….
Yes Rescue One Financial (bait & switch operation) sent me a flyer similar to the one posted on your website..I needed a loan to pay off some debt..and the agent never mentioned debt settlement at all..It was never even part of the conversation..He took all information & told me he would call back to give an approval for line of credit.. Then told me I was turned down but if interested in debt settlement he could help me..I asked him if company was registered lender in california..he could not answer question…I guess rescue one financial is relying on deceptive advertising to have their phone ring… FTC guidelines etc mean nothing to RESCUE ONE FINANCIAL when you scam & bait & switch consumers..
If you still have the flyer you got, can you send it to me so I can see it. You can get it to me at https://getoutofdebt.org/confidential-tip-form/
Did you get a copy of the letter? I would be MORE than happy to share mine..
I realize this is an older post, feel free to email me..
Please do. See https://getoutofdebt.org//52705/i-buy-junk-mail-sell-me-your-junk-mail
I see this is an old post but I recently had an experience with Rescue one Financial. However the Pre-Selected letter I received was from Simple Path Financial. The email and phone call was from someone from Rescue One.
I have been looking online to find out if its a scam. It goes 50/50. Any advice or info you could share of current situations would be helpful.
I don’t think you can rely on anyone to tell you a company is a scam or not. You need to be an educated and informed consumer and make your own decisions to protect yourself. What other people can do is give you facts and opinions from which you determine what is right for you. If you are on the fence when something is potentially 50-50 something to worry about, I don’t know what to tell you. If you want to check out the company yourself then think about following my guide at
I would recommend that anyone considering using such a company should read the following free guides. https://getoutofdebt.org/44985/the-ultimate-consumer-guide-to-checking-out-a-debt-relief-company-before-you-sign-on-the-line
Rescue one financial nothing but a scam..My dad called number from a mailer he received..The agent was trying to get him signed up with putting his credit cards into a debt relief program.. The problem is thank god I have his poa..handle all the financial issues..My father suffers from dementia.. The agent when I called was extremely rude & my dad thought it was a loan to pay off his credit cards.. Just so sad that these companies are out scamming vulnerable seniors..I saw the mailer deposited into the trash…where it belongs..I am going to file complaint with the FTC.
This is great info to know, got a letter from these guys and thought
about using them for a sec. did a quick search, found you guys when
searching for Rescue One Financial, luckily BBB LA currently doesn’t
have a rating for ROF, so i kept searching. Thanks for the info, keep up
the good fight!
This is great info to know, god a letter from these guys and thought about using them for a sec. did a quick search, found you guys when searching for Rescue One Financial, luckily BBB LA currently doesn’t have a rating for ROF, so i kept searching. Thanks for the info, keep up the good fight!
It’s good that I had read this before I sign up, but I already given my SSS#,…What will be the consequences?…I’m afraid that they will use that could ruin more my credit.
Please get me a copy of the mailer they sent you. See https://getoutofdebt.org/confidential-tip-form/
The only consequences are they may have hit your credit report for a loan inquiry which can ding you. Other than that I doubt they’d do anything with it.
Just found out there is a job posted for people to report this post as spam to Google in an attempt to bury it. See https://getoutofdebt.org/51374/is-rescue-one-financial-hiring-people-to-lie-to-google
Rescue one financial & freedom debt relief same bait and switch tactics & no response from Andrew houser or Brad smith on deceptive advertising marketing scams..staying silent because it is a SCAM.. You pitch loans where you have no lenders license & then tell people they qualify for a debt settlement program turned down for a loan.. DISGUSTING …How do you both sleep at night…..
Neither responded to me.
Rescue One Financial is a FRAUD! I got one of these mailers telling me I am preselected for a $40K personal loan only to find out after calling that they are just another fraudulent “debt settlement” company. Can these companies just be wiped out? I thought the FTC took all these guys out in 2010!
I think the best way to understand what is going on with this outfit is to draw on an age old saying from simpler times.
If they look like ducks, walk like a ducks and act like ducks, then they are clearly *#&%ing douchebags.
Jim,
Can you send me the mailer so I can see it? Use https://getoutofdebt.org/confidential-tip-form/
Looks like Rescue One Financial still doing same thing and have not changed tactics..Pitching a loan & switching to debt settlement. I got a call from them about 2 weeks ago…They do call this Bait and Switch see comments of damon…
If anyone thinks this is a bad practice, feel free to exercise your option to file a complaint about it. You can submit your complaint here. http://www.consumerfinance.gov/complaint/
Rescue One Financial sent me a deceptive ad..I fell for it..Now I am waiting for them to call back in regards to obtaining a loan to pay off my $31000 worth of credit card..I lost my job..figured this would help..no interst in debt settlement or ruining my credit..
Thank you for your help..I almost signed up for this program..rescue one financial..glad I found this site..Blaine or Blake..not sure..guy was hammering me to docusign that day…promised me a loan not debt settlement..sales tactics so hardcore…
I just received one of these Advertisements and I live in Alabama. Haven’t contacted them and don’t plan to as it looked suspicious to me!
Can you send me a copy? Please. See https://getoutofdebt.org/confidential-tip-form/
Do not contact them…scam…they will pretend like you are eligible for a loan & then decline you..persuade you into a debt settlement program..even if your income does not qualify..freedom debt relief & rescue one financial..they are together…sometimes you have other options…careful analysis of your situation maybe warranted…
My sister received one of these advertisments back in July 2012. I used to be in the mortgage business, familar with this company. The company used to be a subprime lender back in the days before the mortgage meltdown 2008. Now they are in the debt business, nothing but a front for Freedom debt Relief located in Arizona. They are located in Irvine, switched from subprime mortgages to debt settlement. In the advertisement promises of a loan for up to credit amount owed. Looks like now they are selling debt settlement instead of subprime loans.. wow…desperation.. they are not a licensed lender in ca.. BAIT AND SWITCH FOR SURE..
Getting letters from Rescue One Financial and a Fresh start info.com with no return address. Seems strange and Scam doesn’t it? Who are these weird scam artists? They send you letters without the correct companies of debts owed,not correct. Who are these weirdos ????? Scammers???? With no return address? They need to be reported! Thank you. Deborah
It is deceptive & not american at all. However, if enough contact FTC& etc..Rescue One Financial & Freedom Debt Relief should stop using these type of advertising. No rating with BBB, I am assuming they feel no need for it. It saddens me when in our own country we have these people who go after unsuspecting or uneducated consumers.. Thank god for the internet…
Deb here again. This co. is a scam. Going back 3 years ago my debts were not resolved and they are involved in illegal schemes that are not ethical by sending out mail with no return address.
My mother got a mailer with a promise of a loan to pay off her credit cards. She has about $40,000 in credit debt. However, she has health issues so I handle her financial affairs. She gave them all her private information such as her social security. Rescue One Financial is the company located in California somewhere. Now when I went to followup about the loan of around $40,000, some guy names blake told me her loan was denied. Too many credit cards & my mom is maxed out. She was turned down for the loan, however she is eligible for some kind of fund or program AFCC Approved & the only FTC program in the country , I think he said the parent company is Freedom Debt Relief located in Arizona. This is some type of federal program connected with Obama’s help for senior citizens. Now I am thinking this may not be what it is supposed to be! Help.. Alice B in Arizona visiting Mom..
Alice,
I think you are a victim of a bait and switch. In fact, this whole page spells out what looks to me like a bait and switch.
State and federal regulators should be very interested in this thread and I should hope would look into the entire affair.
Call centers record their calls a lot. Reviewing calls and training manuals etc. is all that would be necessary to halt this kind of thing if the way I read what is going on is actually going on.
I would think this would be a show stopper for all companies involved.
Perhaps this will be a good case to pursue substantial assistance liability on the part of Freedom Financial Network/Freedom Debt Relief.
I would encourage you to share what has happened with the CFPB through this link: https://help.consumerfinance.gov/app/tellyourstory
Include a link to this page.
Why is this allowed? I do not understand why companies posing as lenders can get away with this? What about all the people like my mom who sometimes get confused enroll in debt settlement program with freedom debt relief maybe that is not the best solution for them. Rescue one financial got my mother all excited because she was led to believe she would be getting a loan. We can obtain loan on some of her assets or even sell some assets to pay off these credit cards off.. Yes I will report them as well..THANKS FOR THE WARNING… Taking advantage of people is truly disgusting especially our elderly folks…..
Alice,
What I can tell you is that I raised the bait and switch concerns directly with Andrew Houser at Freedom Debt Relief. His responses led me to believe he felt it was not a big deal and his company had no culpability in taking leads from such events.
Basically, companies get away with this type of behavior because people don’t complain about it and raise concerns so regulators take notice and action.
P.S.I also received the mailer you guys were discussing.
I too have received these mailers every few months always the same form letter as shown above. I am in AZ. Am glad I found this site so I do not waste my time and hope if enough people respond a lawyer sees this for a class action case. Everyone needs a little help sometimes and taking advantage of them and making their credit worse is not very American!
Has anyone actually used their services to secure a debt settlement, which includes lower payments and less total debt? I have been in touch about this scenerio, and told the monies I would pay were to be sent to a federal”I think” fund, and not directly to them(Rescue One).
Just wondering if there has been a case of injustice here.
There is no federal fund.
I received a mailer similar to the one above.. I live in Florida.. I called the number on this mailer.. Spoke to a guy named Mike who told me that I was preselected for a loan. However he needed my social security information which I did provide. Then 24 hours later he told me that my request for the loan was denied by over 20 banks because of 697 credit score. I was over extended etc.. I asked him which banks denied & he could not give me that information. But I was approved for a debt consolidation program which was the only one federally mandated & AFCC approved with freedom debt relief. I was very upset because that is not why I called this number so I can ruin my credit score..He never went over my income or expenses (which is kinda of strange if you applying for a loan). I do own a home & can refinance to get extra pay off these credit cards. I am a retired firefighter from 911 NYC, he was very rude & realized I was not interested in moving forward with this this option. This happened to me early part of June. I am a senior citizen pretty sharp, so I hope they are not sending this out to my counterparts. I ended up throwing out the mailer. Otherwise I would send it to you.
What is interesting is that with a 697 credit score you would cross the initial hurdle with peer-to-peer lenders Prosper.com and LendingClub.com yet the company was unable to find anyone for you.
Here is the official response from Andrew Houser at Freedom Debt Relief on this matter.
“Rescue has been a great partner. We do a detailed underwriting call with every client that gets referred to us and we have never had any issues with their clients. Their reps are very well trained (in part by Mstars I believe!).”
I spoke with Brad Smith, one of the owners of Rescue One last week. MSTARS did in fact provide comprehensive training services to their original company, Debt Free Associates. I do also know Brad Smith, Brian Voytovich and Brandon Millstone , through many hours of phone conversations and consulting. They are the firm’s “senior staffers”. These guys were always very concerned about compliance and they did in fact use MSTARS extensively through personal staff coaching and MSTARS Training System use a couple of years ago. At the time, their agents were better than MOST in the industry with regards to compliance, technique and thoroughness. We have not worked with them recently, which I am certain we will now change, but I have always known them to be a stand up group of guys. That said, IF what the tipster is saying is true, then I would have to stand by my words, of course. If a firm is using a bait and switch tactic and is not in fact providing the services they are advertising, then it truly is a case of “bait and switch”. If the only goal was to lure a client into the debt settlement program through the promise of a loan, with no actual intention of offering that consumer a loan, that is clearly fraud. As far as the boys over there at Option One (FKA Debt Free Associates), they are pretty good guys. As far as the mailer and/or marketing pieces? I would need more information to make an assessment on whether or not this is truly a “bait and switch”. I am also personally aware, however, that a certain “industry attorney” has approved several of the deceptive mailers that has caught the attention of this and other websites. As a matter of fact, the specific mailer frowned upon with prejudice by Allison Brown, was reportedly “approved” by this well known attorney. I think we need to look at leadership in this industry to get to the root of the deceptions. Everything falls way to leadership, however unpleasant it is to accept responsibility for those that follow. If no one will draw the line, then it will only get worse. I have definitely drawn the lines and lit the path, but it only affects the firms that are following us directly or fall into our sphere of influence. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is. We will save those we can and the rest will eventually be caught in the net of the regulators.
You have got to be kidding me. You posted this because they “pay” you for your shitty training. Of course your gonna back up your pay check! I’ve seen you Matt at the debt settlement leadership conference yelling at the girls booking your room. You look like a little dick guito fuck. Trust me… We are coming after these companies that are performing bait and switch marketing. If I were you I would exit training because you suck and tell Stanley to stop spamming the world with your garbage. CONSUMERS!!!! DON’T THINK TWICE ABOUT IT. ALL THESE COMPANIES ARE IN BED TOGETHER AND THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE MONEY OFF OF YOU BY RUINING YOUR CREDIT!
There is no mstars training of agents..it is all about what is best for the company.. not about the customers..I was friends with someone who used to work there in september.. It is making money of the total debt..using high pressure to get them to ruin credit..No income or expense analysis of their situation..BULLSHIT.. Pretending with marketing flyers that they will give you a loan…disgusting…if you are a debt settlement company rescue one..stop pretending you are something else..They had no such training ..Freedom debt relief is their partner…
Wow. You obviously have bigger issues than just this industry. Not sure what you mean by “yelling at the girls booking my room”, or how exactly that would pertain to my expertise and credibility in the space. For the record, these guys don’t pay me at all. They used the training for a year when they were starting out (2008/9). They haven’t paid our firm a dime since then. I only posted what I knew of them based on my experiences with their company. I also seriously doubt that “you” are going after anyone in the industry. Based on your declarations and personal attack above, I would guess you are most likely a failed ex-salesman for one of these companies that has a nice chip on your shoulder. That’s alright, my friend. I don’t need your validation. I hope you find your much needed meds and can find a way to enter into these discussions in an intelligent, calm, educated way. PS. Real good thing you didn’t have the balls to call me that when you “saw” me. Apparently I wasn’t having the best day and that could have lead to unnecessary roughness, haha .. Let’s keep it positive and above the fray. BTW: Take away the “handle” and post as yourself so we know who you are and what credibility you bring to the table…
Rescue One Finanical is engaged under the cloak of Freedom Debt Relief Bait & Switch operation.. They need to stop sending out deceptive mailers & be shut down or be honest on who they are?? They have given plenty of opportunities to respond ..yet they choose to be silent ..why???DOES RESCUE ONE FINANCIAL HAVE A LENDERS LICENSE??? SIMPLE QUESTION WHICH HAS NOT BEEN ANSWERED……
you should be ashamed of yourself for ripping people of you know if it sounds to good to be true it is just another scam we all see right through your BS and this is not are fist time around
Hey I got this same mailer back in May from Rescue One, then they told me my fico score which is over 750, my loan request was turned down because of too many credit cards. Then they try to pitch me debt settlement endorsed by AFFCC,, that they were only federally mandated program in US. The debt settlement company was freedom debt relief.. this was not legit?? confused…
If anyone else had a similar experience, please post it in the comments below.
I think the position of the players is this does not happen but I’ve yet to receive a formal statement back to post.
Mr. Rhode,
I’d like to clarify several items that appeared in your blog
post on August 14 where you published a letter from someone claiming to have
worked for Rescue One Financial who offered some unkind and untrue remarks
about our business practices.
It is unclear whether this really was a former employee and
if it was, they surely were not employed here long, because they do not have a
firm understanding of how we work and furthermore if they used the kind of
sales tactics they describe in their letter to you, they would have been caught
in our quality assurance program and appropriate corrective action would have
been taken. We do not mislead consumers and we do not tolerate
dishonesty.
A simple review of our website will show that we have
several tools we use to help people get out of debt, including an unsecured
consolidation loan program and debt settlement programs.
Consumers responding to a mailer like the one on your blog
page would have their financial profile reviewed to determine if they qualify
for our loan program. Should they qualify for this program, we refer them
to our licensed lending partner. Through this partnership, we help
consumers gain access to millions of dollars each month to consolidate their
debts.
Our debt settlement operation is a member of the AFCC, you
can verify that here: http://www.americanfaircreditcouncil.org/members.html.
We take great pride in helping consumers while complying with all applicable
federal and state regulations.
Thank you for responding.
I understand your claim is that RescueOne does extend loans to consumers but if that is the case can you help explain why you do not appear to hold a California lenders license?
What states did you send this mailer into and do you hold a lenders license in those states?
I think the gist of this is that the claim is that the mailer led to people being enrolled in the Freedom Debt Relief debt settlement program. If the recipients
of this mailer wound up primarily getting loans, what percentage of respondents wound up in the FDR program?
Your answers will help everyone to put the claims made into some context.
If you feel you don’t need to hold a lender or broker license, just let us know what your position is and the argument to support it.
I received several of these letters. What I find interesting is that
no one has offered the little amount of proof & effort needed that would show whether RescueOne was a scam.
1st, if RescueOne did indeed shop your credit to any of their various 3rd party lenders, (their mailer plainly states this and that they also can secure a loan in-house), then you would see the hits on your credit report for each lender that they shopped your credit to. Thus, if you were turned down by 20 lenders, you would see them on your credit report. It’s just like buying a car and having the dealership
shop your credit to 3 different banks, the main difference is that RescueOne also offers on their mailer something similar to a ‘buy here pay here’ line of credit as well.
The 2nd one being that they only have a single complaint in the last three years with the BBB and this complaint appears to be a total non-issue. If someone that actually got scammed by them would just check their credit report and see if there were any hits from these various 3rd party lenders and if they are not there, then that is some decent proof that RescueOne is full of shit. Also, take a minute to go to the BBB and post a bait & switch complaint.
http://www.la.bbb.org/business-reviews/Debt-Relief-Services/Rescue-One-Financial-in-Irvine-CA-100111654
E-mail your State Attorney General and let them know of this shady practice. Contact the Feds (United States Department of
Labor & FDIC ) and let them know that this company is not abiding by the Consumer Credit Protection Act nor the Truth in Lending Act. Contact any Consumer Protection agency like consumerwatchdog or any organization that will listen. A little bit of time here could be well worth it once some attorneys get involved.
RescueOne is clearly marketing a firm offer of credit to consumers in this mailer. In order to do that you have to have a LENDING LICENSE in the states that you market loan offers in. Steve, do you know if Rescue One has lending licenses in any state at all? Also, the tipster mentions that they are accessing credit bureau data. Whomever is providing that credit data to Rescue One is also violating the FCRA if Rescue One is not properly licensed for lending.
It’s funny you mention that. Just yesterday I sent the following message in a discussion with someone named in this article.
“The position that Rescue One Financial is a lender is interesting and certainly has me thinking. On one hand they may claim they are actually a lender and in that case would appear to need to have been licensed and registered in California and other states.
“In general, a “Finance Lender” is defined as any person who is engaged in the business of making consumer loans or commercial loans. These loans may be unsecured, secured by personal property and for loans over $5,000 by real property or a combination of real and personal property. The definition of a “Finance Lender” in its entirety is contained in Financial Code Section 22009.” http://www.corp.ca.gov/Laws/Finance_Lenders/pdf/1422CFLLF.pdf
I’d love to see a copy of their license.
On the other hand, if they are actually an introducer to outside parties and not a lender as portrayed, that certainly would appear to be deceptive since they promote themselves as a a lender to yourself, and consumers.
If you read their borrower credit profile authorization page on their site it certainly appears they claim they are a lender. “Rescue One Financial may use your consumer reports to authenticate your identity, to make credit decisions, to administer the resale of Member Payment Dependent Notes (“MPDNs”) associated with your loan” and “Such Lender Member decisions, in turn, may assist Rescue One Financial in making decisions related to your loan.”
It is also my understanding that if Rescue One Financial is reselling the notes they generate as “Member Payment Dependent Notes” then they would most likely need to have an SEC registration. If so, what’s that registration information?
I’ll publish any statement they want to make on this but I will require copies of their licenses if they go the lender route.”
When a Company markets an offer of credit utilizing data obtained from one of the three credit bureaus, whether they are brokering loans or they are originating them directly, they must be licensed in those states where they are targeting consumers. Does Rescue One Financal have any lending licenses in any states at all, particularly in California where they are located? If not, a simple alert to the credit bureaus might be able to resolve this fraudulent activity.
It would be good to hear an explanation of what is going on here directly from the management of Rescue One Financial or Freedom Debt Relief. I’m puzzled as to why the management of these companies are not responding to this blog, as they must be aware they are treading on very thin ice???
The update is there is no update. I am told Rescue One was supposed to send me a statement yesterday, but I have not received it. When I do I will post it.
Freedom Debt Relief has not many any statement about their position on the matter despite multiple requests and emails back and forth.
I just found the RescueOne response in the spam filter and just released it.
I wouldn’t imagine that Freedom Debt is happy about this tactic, right? Any official word from them on this activity? This is fraud to the letter. This is one of the many reasons that our industry is in such bad shape. The other mailer you posted about using the AFCC logo is still out for response, correct? Any official word from the AFCC on this member? What about the lead generation firm that created this and mailed it. Could it be that they claimed this was “approved” in some way? I have seen many mailers like this that have been “approved” by a certain said “industry attorney”. Insights?
I have been trading emails with Andrew Houser over this and since I never heard back from Robby Birnbaum on the AFCC member mailer I sent that one to Andrew as well.
One thing I do need to commend Houser on is that he does respond. I’m awaiting an official response. I understand there is an AFCC board conference call today where they will discuss the AFCC mailer.
I am confused. Are we pretending that it is inconceivable that a debt settlement company would do something that is in the best interest of their bottom line and not in the best interest of the consumer. Here is my shocked face :-O
I found something that Direct TV and the Debt Settlement industry have in common
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBxLgzQSkVo