Information and Alerts
Alert Details
This business has 2 alerts.
Alert
On December 24, 2018, BBB received a report through Scam Tracker from a consumer alleging Shawn Carmody Financial contacted them advertising a location in Seattle, WA, offering an advanced fee loan. The consumer claims the business first asked for an application fee to set up his account, then told the consumer they were required to pay for a TAX Clearance Certificate from the IRS to ensure the loan was being given to an American citizen before releasing the loan payment. The business also set up a fake email address for John Koskinen, IRS Commissioner, to make it appear the IRS was a part of the loan transaction. In addition, the consumer claims the business set up a bank account whereby he could see his loan being deposited but could never access it; the consumer now believes this bank account was located in Nigeria.BBB found the business, Carmody Shawn Financial, is not registered or licensed with the State of Washington Department of Revenue or Washington Secretary of State. Nor does the business have a required license for lending with the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions.
BBB found the Seattle address is only a partial address and does not believe the business is physically located in the State of Washington. The website was registered on June 3, 2018 and the IP address location is in Germany. BBB also discovered the photos of the leadership team on their website were stolen from executives leading other companies.The email address that Carmody Shawn Financial provides for “John Koskinen”, IRS Commissioner, is not a government issued email address. In addition, consumers are not required to pay fees to the IRS in order to receive a loan or confirm their citizenship for a loan. Neither should a consumer have to pay an advanced fee to receive a loan.
If you are a victim of this scam, BBB encourages you to file your report through BBB’s Scam Tracker, https://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/us/ to alert other consumers as well as file your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov, the FBI at www.ic3.gov and the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions at https://dfi.wa.gov/file-complaint.
Licensing
BBB confirmed that Carmody Shawn Financial Services had not obtained a necessary license from Washington Department of Financial Institutions. BBB encourages you to contact the following agency or agencies to confirm this information: - http://www.dfi.wa.gov - 3609028700
Service Area
- Clackamas County, OR
- Multnomah County, OR
BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.
BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles.
When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.
BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.
As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Businesses are under no obligation to seek BBB accreditation, and some businesses are not accredited because they have not sought BBB accreditation. BBB charges a fee for BBB Accreditation. This fee supports BBB's efforts to fulfill its mission of advancing marketplace trust.