Richfield Lending says it's on up-and-up

Steve Hudson swears he and Richfield Lending are for real, even though North Charleston police, Secret Service agents and a horde of angry customers can't seem to track them down.

Investigators are probing several complaints from customers across the country who claim the company bilked them out of thousands of dollars in exchange for loans that never appeared.

Detectives and licensing officials have tried to question Richfield officials, only to find that the company's listed address on North Charleston's Faber Place Drive is a sham, authorities said.

Reached on the company's toll-free number Monday, Hudson said he is Richfield's customer service manager and maintained that the company is on the up-and-up. He said he knew nothing of a police investigation into the company's practices, saying such talk was "strictly hearsay." He also insisted that Richfield is located in an office building on Faber Place Drive, despite police statements to the contrary.

Hudson grew increasingly testy during the conversation:

REPORTER: You say you are located there but the police and city licensing officials can't find any trace of you there or anyone that has ever heard of your company. Why is that?

HUDSON: If you're trying to tell me that I'm not here in an office that doesn't exist ... What is this? Is this a crank call?

REPORTER: Well, look out the window and tell me what you see? Tell me what route you took to work today? Tell me a little about the city of North Charleston.

HUDSON: You're not a customer, and I'm not answering any more of your questions.

At least 10 customers from New York to California have filed formal complaints against Richfield, reporting that they lost cash in a scheme that appears to target people with shaky credit, police said. These customers put up $800 or more as collateral to secure loans through Richfield but received nothing in return after wiring cash to the company's representatives. Some of the lost money appears to have ended up in Canada, a common locale for so-called "advance fee" loan scams, police said.

Among those who have lost money are a father of three from New Jersey who now is in danger of losing his apartment and a mother of five from Ohio who sought a loan so she could move to North Carolina to get cancer treatments.

Frank Crivello of San Diego said he sent $8,800 to Richfield in two payments in hope of securing a $40,000 loan to pay off bills and buy a home. He ended up empty-handed.

"I'd never taken out a loan before," he said. "Most of the money I sent I borrowed from my mom. Now it's gone."

Hudson said suggestions that Richfield is running a scam are "absolutely ridiculous." He maintains that Richfield has been around and providing quality service for 14 years in North Charleston, though the city has no record of the firm. Richfield also lacks a local phone listing or county tax records.

Hudson said the complaints filed by customer are "a matter of opinion" and par for the course in any business enterprise. He suggested dissatisfied customers read their contracts closely to make sure they have legitimate gripes. If anyone is entitled to a refund, Richfield will certainly provide one, he said.

Just how long would that take? Hudson wouldn't say.

"I can't release that information," he said. "That's strictly confidential."

Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postand courier.com.