The Lady and the Meatball

Had an experience the other day where I almost got scammed. Here is a brief litany of events.

At 8:00 a.m. Trudged to work. A well-meaning coworker gave me a card for a loan broker she had met at her church but had only known for about six months.

11:00 a.m. Called him, and he rattled off a deal that made my eyes bugger out. With $2,000.00 upfront in one or two easy payments, I could get a 3% refinance on my home loan. Said I'd think about it.

11:01 a.m. Tried staying in the moment.

12:00 Googled the meatball. His name came up as a doctor in Ohio.

12:02 Called the Bank of America. They said that if he was for real, then his name would be all over the Internet. It was not. Called my bank. They said that no one can get an interest rate that low and that loans don't call for money upfront.

12:05 Checked the Better Business Bureau's website. Neither the meatball's name nor company came up. Means nothing as one can open shop on a Monday and close down by Friday.

8:00 a.m. the next morning. Hailed coworker over. Suggested she cancel her deposit with this guy. She said I was going to give her a heart attack by all the commotion and called me cynical.

10:00 a.m. Called the sheriff's department under the meatball's jurisdiction. They thanked me and took the report. Checked the Department of Real Estate's licenses. His name didn't come up. What a surprise. Learned that this is one of the biggest scams around but can't file a report unless I get scammed.

Fin