Jackson Hole, Wyo.-A Jackson Hole woman was victim to a loan scam by a shady organization that placed an advertisement in Planet Jackson Hole last month. 

The woman, whose identity was withheld, contacted Invesco Lending, which placed an ad in Planet JH for the week of Dec. 10 to 16. The organization shares the name of, but is not related to Invesco Ltd., the global investment company recognizable in part for its ownership of the corporate naming rights to Invesco Field at Mile High – home to the Denver Broncos football team. 

After wiring more than $1,500 to Invesco Lending, believing it was part of a legitimate “advance fee” loan, the woman approached her local bank, which quickly warned her that the ad appeared to be a loan scam. She may have ignored the red flag and proceeded to send even more money to the organization.

“In times like these, with the economy going into the toilet, people are getting really desperate and doing stupid things,” said a manager of the woman’s bank, who asked that neither she nor the bank be identified because of the bank’s policy to avoid any public association with money scams. “This woman got gouged in exorbitant loan fees and the desperation people can reach in hard times is just really sad.”

Dave Johnson, who heads the Wyoming Bankers Association, said people should be extremely wary of any lending organization that asks for money to be sent on the front end. 

“People that get caught up in these kinds of schemes seem to be looking for a deal that is above and beyond common sense,” Johnson said. “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Johnson said people should always approach their local bank for lending advice first. When dealing with an unknown lending organization, always ask to have information mailed out in writing. Further, people should ask the lending company to supply business references, and also contact the group’s bank of account for more information on the organization’s legitimacy.

“Your readers need to employ all of the due diligence that they would have to use or could use in any kind of transaction,” Johnson said. 

The Internet can also be a useful resource.

Even a cursory Web search for “Invesco Lending” revealed numerous complaints of fraud against the organization. 

Multiple calls to the toll-free number included in the ad went to two different outgoing voicemail messages – one for Invesco Lending, the other for another group, calling itself Rockwell Lending. The company is based out of the New York City area, according to a representative reached for comment last week. 

It was unclear if Invesco Lending actually broke any laws when it fleeced a Jackson Hole woman with an advance fee loan scam, but Johnson said similar ruses often break wire transfer, U.S. Postal and fraud laws. 

A spokesperson for Western Union, which the woman used to send money to Invesco Lending, said the company – the country’s largest money transfer service – goes to lengths to warn its customers about wire transfer schemes.  PJH