For National Consumer Protection Week, we&39;ve solicited stories from our readers who had experiences with fraud in the past. Unfortunately, we&39;ve received many replies. I hope that by posting their stories, we can prevent others from falling victim to these scams. Let&39;s start with stories of advanced-fee loan scams:   

I encountered an advanced-fee loan scam and they got me for $408.00. They called themselves "Prudent Financial Services" and used the phone number 1-800-765-7402. Please warn others. I was in  no position to lose money and consequently lost my place to live.
      - Sheri S. 

We just had the same experience with Matrix Financial or Matrix Finance out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. They said in order to secure our loan that we would have to wire them $1,899.99 three months payments as security when we did this they then said we needed to wire them an additional $799.00 for insurance after this they wanted another $300 and some dollars which we did not send. I don&39;t know who to contact to try to get our money back or if it will be possible to even get it back we thought they were a good loan company but found out the hard way they were not.
      - Deb K.

I am a victim of advanced-fee loan fraud from FairView Financial. I have given them $1,300 dollars. I have filed a complaint with the BBB but to no avail, I have not gotten anything from them. I am so glad to hear that you have found out about this company. I hope they get what they deserved for doing what they have done. As a result of this, I have been in worse financial difficulty.
     - Tanya J.

If you are a victim of advanced-fee loan fraud, it is important to immediately report the incident to the FTC and to PhoneBusters in Canada (because funds are usually sent to Canada).  Victims can also try filing a police report, a claim with the FBI internet crime center and a complaint with the BBB. Letters to your state attorney general, local media and consumer advocacy groups like ConsumerAffairs.com can also help spread the word about this damaging scam.

If you have a fraud or scam story you would like to share, please email us at tidbits@credit.com or post in the comments section below.