Young Couple Loses Their Last $600 In Internet Scam And Nearly Destroys Their Lives, Then A Stranger Saves Them
It’s not easy to start a family, but this young couple managed to live a decent life for the past years, even if things seemed to be against them. Unfortunately, things got worse since 2010, and the two somehow survived only with social assistance.
They needed help to raise their children, so Nathan and Madison Donovan wanted to apply for a loan. You won’t believe all the things they had to go through!
How did it all happen? Here’s what the couple has to say about their misfortune and how their lives were saved by a complete stranger!
20. THE NIGHT SHIFT
Madison thought of buying a car to get to work on her night shifts, so they decided to do this step, thinking it would make their lives easier. But then things got even worse!
They got scammed, and the two were utterly hopeless… Was it too late for them to fix this mess?
19. WORKING THEIR ENTIRE LIVES
Nathan and Madison have been working ever since they became adults. Unfortunately, in 2010, Nathan got into a car accident and had a back injury that left him disabled for a very long time. He thought he’d never work again.
The couple has two young children, but Madison had to return to work… However, there is one problem…
18. THE NIGHT SHIFT
Madison started working the night shift at a call center downtown. Unfortunately, busses didn’t run in that area during the night, so she needed a car to get to and from work safely and fast so that she can also spend time with the children.
They had no money to buy a car, so they thought of applying for a loan.
17. A LOAN ONLINE
The couple began Googling for loans and see what results would come up. Nathan chose as a co-sign person his mother who lives in Nova Scotia.
As she couldn’t come to sign the documents to Moncton, where the couple lives, they decided to use an intermediary company. They had no idea that it was a scam!
16. ON THE FIRST PAGE
The weirdest thing was that Nathan and Madison found a company called EastLiberty Finance Group, which appeared to be based in New York, on the first page, high in the list of results.
Nathan explains in an interview with the CBC:
“It wasn’t, like, on the 14th page and it’s getting kind of sketchy. It was on the first page.”
15. HIGH INTEREST
He knew that he would have to pay high interest, but he had to do something for the family… Nathan explained that he checked the website and it all looked “very legit”:
“They had licensing numbers, their tax numbers … they sent us their loan papers, and we were able to sign them online, like digitally sign them.”
14. THE WAIT…
“Everything looked on the up and up,” he said. Until it didn’t!
Nathan received the confirmation that his loan was approved and was informed that they would get their money in four-six hours. Hours passed, and they didn’t get anything.
So, they called to see what was wrong…
13. PROVIDE “FURTHER COLLATERAL”
The Donovans called back to see why they didn’t get the money in the said timeframe and they were told that they had to provide a total of $600 as “further collateral” and also purchase loan insurance.
It sounded so simple at the beginning, but things started to get complicated. What did Nathan do?
12. MAKE THE TRANSFER
Call it an honest mistake, but the Donovans are not the only people who got scammed like this. Nathan thought it strange because he had to transfer the money to Ontario, Canada through Western Union, but he was also hurried to make the loan possible:
“It would get us up out of the hole we’re in,” Nathan said.
11. A SPECIFIC PROTOCOL?
“They said it needed to be sent to Ontario to be able to transfer the money to the United States because the company was based out of New York,” explained Nathan in the interview.
He said that he fell for it, thinking that there was a protocol he didn’t know about it, so he bought it…
10. IT’S A NIGHTMARE!
As soon as he sent the money, Nathan emailed and called the loan company to demand his money back because he then realized he had been scammed. You see, nobody answered the phone and the website was mysteriously down!
Nathan felt like he was in a nightmare, his money was gone and he didn’t get the loan!
9. CALLING THE POLICE
With nothing else to do than be very embarrassed, Nathan reported the company to the Better Business Bureau, RCMP and the fraud division at Western Union.
He didn’t hope that his money would be returned, but at least thought that justice would be made and other people won’t fall in the same trap.
He had no idea that his story would travel the world and even help him – #2!
8. AN INVESTIGATION WAS OPENED
Unfortunately, according to RCMP Cpl. Laurent Lemieux from New Brunswick, many similar websites scam countless people, and it’s hard to follow these sites. When funds are transferred to another country, it’s impossible to get them back.
How do these scammers get away with it? This is unbelievable!
7. THE MIDDLEMAN, ALSO A VICTIM
Cpl. Lemieux added that there is always a middle man that picks up the money sent to Western Union in Canada.
However, that person is also a victim that has no idea what the money is for:
“They’re just in a love relationship, and they’re being told, ‘I need help to get $4,000 over here. I’ve got a friend that’s going to wire it to you, can you forward.
’”
And that’s not all!
6. BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
Nathan had no idea that advance fees are illegal in Canada. Peter Moorhouse, the CEO and president of the Better Business Bureau in Atlantic Canada said that usually, the online lenders that ask for advance fees are scammers: “the fact that that was the structure of this arrangement, that’s what distinguishes it as a scam.”
5. EVIL PEOPLE
Moorhouse said that it’s so unfortunate these scammers target the poor: “I think you have to be a special sort of evil to target people who can’t really afford to be scammed in the first place.”
The reporters talked with the CEO of Beauceron Security who is a certified cybersecurity expert, David Shipley.
What he said hit home with the Donovans…
4. A TERRIBLE SITUATION
He said that the problem starts with poor couples, and we should help them not end up in a similar situation… It’s heartbreaking that they cannot afford to live a normal life and even buy a couple of loaves: “I almost walked out of Sobeys the other day with two loaves of bread, and I turned around and went back.” He didn’t have the money to buy two!
3. HEARTBROKEN FOR HIS FAMILY
Nathan’s hopes were dashed, and he ended up losing his last money, having no car and not even enough to buy two loaves of bread: “I can’t walk away with two loaves of bread — you know what I mean?
But other people can just take everything you have.”
But the Donovans’ story was heard by a local and kind couple who had a car for sale…
2. A GIFT
When Denis LeBlanc of Dieppe and his wife heard the story on the local radio show, they thought of their 2007 Volkswagen Jetta that have been trying to sell for $3,700.
They only got low offers, so the couple thought that for that money, they might as well give it away for free! And that’s when they heard the gut-wrenching story!
1. “EVERYTHING IS GOING AWESOME!”
Mr. LeBlanc said that he discussed with the wife and said that they could do it without the money they would have gotten for the car.
Now, Nathan said that their hope has been rekindled:
“Everything is going awesome. The car is great. Madison is working full time, and we are no longer on assistance, which was our goal.
We have a renewed sense of hope not only in our financial future but in our fellow man.”