The newspaper ad for a Florida-based loan company promised a helping hand, but Kenny Pohlman says the company instead helped itself to $950 from his wallet.

It turns out the company -- First Choice Credit Service of Stuart, Fla. -- may be bogus and Pohlman, who lives in Jackson, fears he'll never see the money that he paid as "insurance" on a high-risk loan he was applying for to buy a new car.

"It seemed legit," said Pohlman, 43, who said he has poor credit. "It was an ad in the newspaper. When I called the number, they were very business-like, and the forms looked official. I had no reason to think they were anything but for real. I guess I was just plain stupid."

Pohlman filed a complaint with the Florida Attorney General's office and plans to do the same thing with the Missouri Attorney General's office.

Meanwhile, the Southeast Missourian says it is changing its advertising policies to ensure something like this doesn't happen again. The paper ran the ad after someone called, claiming to be with First Choice Credit Service, and gave a credit card number to pay for the ad.

Donna Denson, the retail ad manager for the newspaper, said checking every ad is impossible, but the owner of this company was called back on several occasions and confirmed the ad.

The paper will make it a policy that all new out-of-state advertisers using credit cards must sign consent forms and fax a copy of their driver's license. The paper has done this for classified ads for years, but the rule will now apply to all out-of-state ads.

"It's an unfortunate situation," Denson said. "But we're putting some policies in place to better protect our customers."

The paper also could lose the $1,081.92 billed to the credit card number it was given. The person who owns the card is now questioning the purchase, and the credit-card company may end up refusing payment, according to the newspaper's advertising department.

Wanted a car

After continually being denied credit, Pohlman noticed the advertisement in the Southeast Missourian on Sept. 4. He wanted to buy a car, so he called the number and was told he was a good candidate for a $6,900 loan. But there was a catch: He'd either need a co-signer of they'd need $950 sent to them to "insure" the loan, Pohlman said.

"It seemed like a good idea," he said. "I thought if I broke my leg or something, it would be paid for. But I got screwed."

After Pohlman sent the money via Western Union, the loan wasn't deposited into his checking account as he was told it would be. When he called the number, he was given the runaround. Then, a few days later, the number stopped working altogether.

A report on file with the Better Business Bureau of Southeast Florida says the company is using the address of a newspaper, the Stuart News. The bureau, however, contacted that newspaper, which denied that the business is being operated from their offices.

An advertising representative with the Stuart News says a database listing all of its clients does not show that a similar advertisement was run in their newspaper. First Choice Credit Service has never been a client of theirs, she said.

The Better Business Bureau also confirmed that the company isn't licensed locally or with the state of Florida and had declined to give an address to the bureau. The principal owner is listed as Robert Duvell.

Could be in Canada

Pohlman has contacted the Florida Attorney General's office, which is looking into the matter. The phone number listed in the advertisement, which ran in the Southeast Missourian Aug. 14 until Sept. 4, no longer works.

But the company actually may be based in Canada. Pohlman said he sent the money to Canada. A woman calling herself Crystal Waters told him that's where the loan insurance company was.

But Scott Holste, a spokesman for the Missouri Attorney General's office, said they fielded another complaint two weeks ago about First Choice Credit Service. A woman said she got a letter from that company and was told that she had been guaranteed a $5,000 loan if she sent $600 to an address in Canada.

"Wherever the money goes is where they are," Holste said. "They could have a phone number and a drop box in Florida, but it's all run from Canada."

Holste said that for some reason Canada provides a haven for businesses like these and a majority of their complaints stem from there.

'Almost never legitimate'

These sorts of schemes are called "advance fee loan scams," Holste said. They prey on people desperate for a loan who otherwise couldn't get one. They require payment up front, Holste said.

"These people lose hundreds of dollars or more, and they're always the ones who can least afford it," Holste said. "We tell people to look out for these scams that require money up front. They're almost never legitimate."

Holste said they'll be investigating the complaints and trying to track down the business. But it's hard to be optimistic, he said, because these companies constantly change the names of their businesses and even use fake personal names.

"We'll do what we can, but it's usually easier to warn people," he said.

Within the past year, Holste said, they have received more than 3,200 complaints about credit-repair or advance fee loan scams.

"People are vulnerable," he said. "Especially with the economy being in a slump. More people are looking at ways to borrow money."

Pohlman said that he doesn't hold out much hope for getting his money back. He said that he is going to try, though. He also said that he hopes that telling his story will provide a good example to others.

"Before all this, I never thought I was senile," he said. "Now I'm beginning to wonder."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137