# Secure Financial Fraud?



## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

Anyone have any experience with Secure Financial? They are in Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks.

I got a phone call soliciting the sale of precious metals and mailed a check for $200 for 10 one ounce rounds including shipping. Two months later no metal and a lot of double talk of customer information sheet, etc.

I mailed and emailed the customer info sheet and still no response from Secure Financial. The L.A. DA office says I have to contact the PD before I can file a criminal complaint of fraud. 

Don't buy from these people, I think they are a scam outfit.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

man that sucks! thanks for the warning and hope you get your silver or your money back.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Thanks for the warning.

FYI, the last time I ordered from Provident Metals I paid the credit card surcharge. I ordered on a Monday and got my coins the following Saturday.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

I have purchased from Provident, APMEX and Discount Gold & Silver, never a problem. 
Purchased from bubba on ABS (Art's Book Store) American's Bulletin Medford, OR. Never a problem.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

You got a cold call selling something. 
You had absolutely no information on the "company". 
You immediately sent them money without any research or background check. 

At least it wasn't a real expensive lesson to learn. I wonder who was the person, at one of these other companies with whom you do business, that gave or sold your information to these miscreants. For that, I would be mightily pissed.

File a police report. Be aware you are going to get a lot more of these calls because you were an easy mark.

You're not going to do this again, are you?


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

All of the precious metals companies I have used came from recommendations. Secure Financial does have a website and two other brokers in the L.A. area share customer info. Those others are legit so I was not suspicious.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

Secure Financial is also advertised on radio and endorsed by certain celebrities. There was no reason to suspect them.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

One Alison Razza cashed the check days after I mailed it. I am on official business in the Los Angeles area so I detoured to 4735 Sepulveda and it is an apartment building on the Galleria Mall Complex. Locked doors, upscale lobby, etc. The apartment is on the left side of the elevator and the sequence of numbered apartments goes to the right. 

I emailed secure financial website again, the official one on the internet search patterns. 

Scammed for sure.


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## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

VT, that's a hard lesson to learn...good thing it wasn't a lot more coin than it was, but it's still fraud no matter the amount.

I've never trusted unsolicited callers, emails and mail, unless it's from an already established/trusted source)...to the point where I nearly hung-up on a call from a financial assistant who was attempting to verify my personal info over the phone for an auto loan (because his meddle-eastern accent sounded exactly like the guy calling for a scam earlier that week)...that spooked the crap out of me when he knew a lot of personal info. I've instructed my wife and kids to never give out any personal info over the phone, or in person, including account/card info for anything/anyone, unless they talk to me about it first so I can understand the situation and analyze it first. If it doesn't make sense, or you can't piece together the puzzle, it's bogus.

We've had scammers try to tell us that we've written checks on closed bank accounts from callers who are half way across the country (when in reality, the caller would have been from my home area for it to be an active investigation), or that we have outstanding debt from the use of questionable websites and need a credit card number to keep it hush-hush (so the spouse doesn't find out about it)...they'll try anything to get money.

Calling about investment offers is getting pretty brave, but really is no different than posing as an investigator and threatening you with prosecution for supposedly being a criminal (writing bad checks) when you know it never happened. There is always a risk of someone stealing your identity and bank info, then producing counterfeit checks that bounce off your name, and if you can't prove it wasn't actually you, may will be held accountable. But that's why I decided to do online banking with only one checking account so I can monitor account activity at will. Anything happens that I don't know about and I'm talking to the spouse to find out if it was her purchase or not...the bank has very solid fraud monitoring as well. We use our local credit union only for a savings account now...small bank system that is way behind the times, so I don't be trust them for much else, as their fraud monitoring is basically non-existant.

Trust is everything, and especially when someone starts talking about my money or personal info. The scare tactics scammers are using are the easiest to fall prey to, so watch out for those. If I don't trust them or what they are telling me, they get nothing from me.

Make sure you give any and all info you have about this to authorities so they can find the scum-bag. The longer you wait the harder is is to pick up the trail. Once they have the individual, they'll have your case linked with possibly hundreds of other complaints as well, so there won't be an easy out for him/her (usually it's a solitary person doing it, but could be more organized with any number of people involved). Unfortunately, getting your money back may not happen any time soon, if at all, but at least one more scammer will be staying at the crow-bar motel.

Hope it all works out for you.

EDIT: one last thought...the bank should have more info on the payee for the check you you wrote, and possibly video of them entering the bank, maybe a vehicle and plate of them in the drive-thru or parking lot. There's video almost everywhere now days, right or wrong, but in a situation like this, could break the case.


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## squerly (Aug 17, 2012)

I can't find their website via Google, can you post it?

Edit: Is this the company?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Contact the better business bureau to make a complaint. Also post some reviews for the company online. The more you trash them online the faster you may see the silver or your money back.

I did contracted work for a producer once on a film. I never got my final check or the check to cover my medical bills from an one the job accident. I tried calling and emailing. I even had my lawyer contact them. It wasn't til after I started posting the issues online on industry boards that I got a reply and 3x the money I was owed.

The squeaky wheel gets greased.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

squerly said:


> I can't find their website via Google, can you post it?
> 
> Edit: Is this the company?


No. Here it is: [email protected]

his email.

310-489-3634

www.securefinancial.webs.com

I thought about contacting Consumer Affairs and having it on public record first, then the internet online exposure.

Thanks all.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

VoorTrekker said:


> No. Here it is: [email protected]
> 
> his email.
> 
> ...


Just so you know that phone number is a cell phone with AT&T registered out of Gardena, CA.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Just looked over their site. 

#1 it is one of those build your own free sites.

#2 I saw this... " Call us to inquire" but no phone number is found on the site.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

I don't know how that thief got my phone number. Probably a coordinated association of scammers with access to private information not published. 

He may have gotten it from a business in his area. He got $200 and a bad reputation. He also denies scamming and claims I signed for the silver, which never happened.


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## squerly (Aug 17, 2012)

VoorTrekker said:


> He also denies scamming and claims I signed for the silver, which never happened.


So you've had communications with him? Via phone or email? Either way, if someone signed for the shipment there is signed paperwork somewhere. Is it possible that UPS delivered the goods to the wrong address and those people now have your silver?

As for celebrity endorsement, that sounds strange given the amateurish website they have. Good websites are easy to have developed and this one isn't. Seems if this "company" has money to pay celebrities they would have an impressive website.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Have you filed a police report? If not, you need to do it quickly before the evidence gets too cold.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

squerly said:


> So you've had communications with him? Via phone or email? Either way, if someone signed for the shipment there is signed paperwork somewhere. Is it possible that UPS delivered the goods to the wrong address and those people now have your silver?


UPS, USPS, FEDEX etc all keep records of delivery. If you have a tracking number you can pull up the delivery info online. If they claim you signed ask for a copy of the signature and tracking info. If they can't provide that they didn't ship it out.


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## bkt (Oct 10, 2008)

You need to call the police, call an attorney, and demand the carrier that ostensibly delivered the package provide all the info they have. The problem is, with a shady operation like this you may never really find out who's behind it or ever see your money again.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

I'll never see the money again, that's for sure.

I received a "cold call" and he called me by name, as if calling from a customer list. 

We have corresponded by email. 

I did file a police report, contacted the DA Los Angeles County and L.A. PD. Referred to the Sacramento PD and got a bad photo copy of the cancelled/cashed check from my credit union.

It looks like his partner cashed it at a check cashing place. He is now accusing me of fraud, so he knows he's toast, or stale anyway. 

I advised him to forward a copy of the delivery signature and that's when his argument fell apart.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

VoorTrekker said:


> I'll never see the money again, that's for sure.
> 
> I received a "cold call" and he called me by name, as if calling from a customer list.
> 
> ...


Keep us posted, please.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I think you should write up a yelp review about this so others will see it.


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

I will Yelp when I have about two hours to sort through the Yelp crap and keep you posted. I'm still going to report this to Consumer Affairs.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Also notify your state's attorney general.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

VoorTrekker said:


> I will Yelp when I have about two hours to sort through the Yelp crap and keep you posted. I'm still going to report this to Consumer Affairs.


If you want I will post your review to yelp if you write up a little blurb about the experience.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Grimm said:


> If you want I will post your review to yelp if you write up a little blurb about the experience.


And this is why we like Grimm so much... :2thumb:


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

Purchased all my silver through apmex..very happy...


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

RevWC said:


> Purchased all my silver through apmex..very happy...


APMEX and Discount Gold and Silver have always come through for me.


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

If you haven't all ready burned the bridge to the Scammer.

Oh man oh man! I just got a $1,000 bonus from work and I want to use it to buy more silver from you! Wife will not let me order again until my $200 order is delivered to me. Can you speed up the order Buddy, before the wife wastes the $1,000 on girly stuff?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

I posted your review to Yelp under an anon user account (John Q).


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## VoorTrekker (Oct 7, 2012)

Grimm said:


> I posted your review to Yelp under an anon user account (John Q).


Thanks, Grimm

LazyL, a scammer can't be scammmed. They can be brutalized and/or incarcerated.


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