by Structured Settlement Watchdog
Freedom1stFunding.com is a website registered offshore under a private domain registration. The website lists no address, phone number and is a lead generation website for a factoring broker, company, or companies, that wish to remain anonymous. The web page comes up as the result of an illicit scheme to game search results by redirecting internet searches from legitimate businesses through deception.
Two separate lawsuits are ongoing against a structured settlement factoring company and its CEO with allegations stemming from this ongoing industry scheme, although at the time of posting Freedom1st Funding.com has not been tied to the Defendants in the two lawsuits.
Freedom First Funding on the other hand is a legitimate factoring business in Seattle, Washington run by Linda Hughes. Freedom First Funding has no relation to Freedom1st Funding.com or the diabolical search engine manipulation that has been occurring for 10 or so months. Its website is freedomfirstfunding.com.
Consumers who hold structured settlement payment rights who seek liquidity should only deal with companies that have a website that:
- Lists a verifiable address
- Has a verifiable telephone number,without caller ID blocked, or doesn't require you spend time or money to sign up with to Intellius or other similar service to find out who they are.
- Working Better Business Bureau Accredited Business Seal, that clicks through. Some companies merely copy the seal. The legitimate seal has an embedded code that links to the company listing on the BBB servers so you review information about the company, their rating an complaints if any. See if the company has registered to do business in your state with the Secretary of State for your state (i.e. not Hillary Clinton).
If you have the time, you can do a case look up at the State Court in your County or surrounding counties to see if the company has done any transactions. Structured settlement transfers have mandatory court approval process by law. Many States have on-line services that allow you to pull the transfer records of cases for a small copying fee. Others simply identify the case and you have to contact the Court clerk to obtain these records. If you have the time, these records often reveal alot of useful information about company ownership. For example the Orange County, CA Superior Court and Harris County TX Court have a case look up that allows you to pull ALL case documents up for a nominal fee in minutes. On the other hand the State of Connecticut has a way to look up Superior Court cases however, most documents have to be obtained by calling the clerk, who can copy them (for a fee) for you to pick up or have sent to you.
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