{Charleston, West Virginia}...Investigators with the state Attorney General's office say they have closed a website run by a group calling itself Norwood Lending Agency that was scamming state residents by promising guaranteed loans. The website claimed to be a Morgantown-based financial institution offering loans regardless of credit history. An investigation by the state Consumer Protection Division revealed the group was actually operating in Canada. The group had apparently asked people to pay $1,000 fee before loans could be dispersed. Once scam victims sent the fee, they would never hear from the business again. Attorney General Darrell McGraw says requests for advanced payment to cover processing, application fees, insurance or requests for a "first month's payment" are often signs of a loan scam.
