by Michael Mata

Police in Windsor, Ontario, are warning the public of yet another scam after a local resident, Paul Soulliere, was allegedly duped out of $1,250 by an online financial company. Soulliere said he gave a company called Arlington Financial Group the money on July 29 in order to secure a $10,000 loan.

"It was to go to their insurance company in case I hadn't paid them back," said Soulliere, who lives on a disability pension with his girlfriend. Soulliere further alleges that the company kept demanding for more money every time he’d try to gain access to the loan. 

Soulliere says he went along with the company’s request because he has a bad credit rating and had difficulty getting a loan from other lenders.

According to Deborah Brady, the president and chief executive officer of the Better Business Bureau of Southwestern Ontario, it’s against the law for a company to make such financial demands.

"It's a common story," stated Brady. "People are asked to pay upfront for a loan and then once they agree, the scammer realizes they have a real good prospect on the line. They keep raising the amount of fees and insurance until they can't anything more out of that prospect.”

According to Brady, Arlington Financial Group has an “F” rating with the Better Business Bureau. Four complaints have been filed against the company.

Constable Shane Miles of the Windsor police acknowledged that such scams were fairly common. The perpetrators prey upon desperate people Soulliere, as they have limited financial options and are desperate to obtain a loan.

Miles said customers should be suspicious of financial companies that ask for money up front. A Google search should also be conducted to determine the standing of these companies with the general public and the BBB.

Arlington Financial Group’s Kingston address appears to be false, and if the company is operating offshore, this cross-jurisdictional issue would be very difficult to prosecute.