Imposter Website is Fraudulently Posing as a California-licensed Deferred Deposit Originator as part of Advanced Fee Scam

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has received information about an advance fee scam. The imposter’s website is not associated with a California-licensed Deferred Deposit Originator “CCFI Funding, LLC, DBA, Cash Central, Insight Capital.” The imposter represents or holds itself out to the public as “Cash Central,” and may be offering consumer loans and/or deferred deposit transactions to the public.

At least one California consumer has been offered a loan conditioned upon payment of an upfront fee, which was to be paid by purchasing gift cards. After loading the funds onto the card, the California consumer was instructed to give the pin number of the card to the entity, which then withdrew all the funds from the card. However, after paying an upfront fee, the California consumer never received any loan funds.

The DFPI urges consumers to exercise extreme caution before responding to any solicitation offering financial services and check the licensing status of companies prior to transacting business. To check whether a financial service provider is licensed in California, or to file a complaint, consumers should go to the DFPI website at www.dfpi.ca.gov or call 1-866-275-2677.