“Dear Steve,
About 3 yrs ago I was having a difficult time keeping up with my high interest credit card bills and overheard on the local radio station about WFS Debt Relief.
At that point I was still making all payments and on time. I was new to the whole “debt consolidation” industry and was simply looking for some help. I reached out to WFS and that’s when everything went down the hill. Mike Cipriani, my “guardian angel” assured me that he will make my life stress and debt free without any negative consequences. He’s told me to suspend any future payments to creditors and once again reassured me that he will take care of everything.
I can go on and on but to make it short, WFS Debt Relief & Financial Services scammed me for $1500, lied to me about not taking money out my account and did exactly that, put me in the worst situation possible financially and then disappeared from the face of the earth disconnection all phone numbers.
I found a posting online where you were helping someone with their scam situation dealing with the same company and I was wondering if you have any information for me. Thank you.
Wes”
Dear Wes,
Let me get my shocked face on.
I’m sorry you were taken for a ride. This has been a problem with the majority of advance fee debt settlement companies over the past five years.
I would challenge anyone to show me an example of such a company that worked out well for the consumer. Where are they?
WFS Debt Relief also went by whitelightfinancial.org. Whitelight Financial is said to have closed up sho and gone out of business according to the BBB.
The BBB says they were located at:
2175 Kingsley Avenue
Orange Park, FL 32073
877-378-3593
The domain name whitelightfinancial.org is available for sale if anyone wants to buy it.
I took a look on the State of Florida records and the only entry I could find for Whitelight Financial Services was a fictitious name application filed that says it belongs to State Farms Financial, Inc at 7855-204 Argyle Forest Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32244. The application is signed by a Barbara Crager.
According to State of Florida records State Farms Fiinancial, Inc went in acctive on September 24, 2010.
Barbara M. Crager was listed as the president of State Farms Financial previously.
Do You Have a Question You'd Like Help With? Contact Debt Coach Damon Day. Click here to reach Damon.
She listed her address at what appears to be the same private mailbox the company used.
A Barbara M. Crager was also associated with Wishes Youth Foundation and Dream Girls Entertainment. Both companies are closed as well.
A search of the mailing address in Jacksonville found another company using the same address, US Certified Debt Relief.
Honestly, probably the best shot of having any hope of a refund is going to be if you follow all the steps I lay out in this guide.
Please post your responses and follow-up messages to me on this in the comments section below.
I also was taken for 3000.00 in the 2008 2009 time frame..using WFS . Ive only recently dug myself out of that mess..
I am looking to get out of debt from the payday loans I have accrued. Do you help with those. I have talked to a couple of Debt Consolidation companies but just not really sure if I can trust them to do what they claim they will do. Can you helo?
Susan
I’d suggest you first read How to Get Out of Debt. The Honest and Unvarnished Truth, How Do I Get Out of Debt Quickly? Change Your Mindset, and The Truth About The Success Rates, Failure Rates and Completion Rates of Credit Counseling, Debt Settlement, and Bankruptcy. They will give you a great overview of what we need to deal with to get you moving in the right direction.
Then use the free How to Get Out of Debt Calculator to review your options.
Once you’ve identified a company you want to work with, then follow my step-by-step guide on what you should look for and expect from a good debt relief company.