Texas Reopens their Investigation Against CORE Advisory Group

Texas Initiate NEW investigation against CORE.

 

*DO NOT CONTACT THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF SAVINGS & MORTGAGE LENDING UNLESS YOU ARE A VICTIM FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS

The State of Texas sends a warning to a consumer that CORE Advisory Group has violated the "Cease & Desist" order and they will be initiating a new investigation for ignoring the order to cease operations in the state of Texas. 

Back in November 2015, the first investigation determined that CORE Advisory Group was not properly licensed to provide loan modification services to Texas consumers. A "Cease & Desist" issued and order to cease operations immediately. CORE continuance to engage in unlicensed activity is a violation of the Texas Finance Code Chapters 156 &157. 

Cease and Desist Letter - TX by Core Evidence 

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Is My Articles About CORE Advisory Group Based on Personal Vendetta or Protection?

Hi everyone, my name is Mike Luong and I am the original creator and founder of "CORE Advisory Group" (CORE).

I formed CORE Advisory Group a month prior to entering to a nightmarish business relationship with the owner of  "Colleagues in Law" (CIL), Devin Benter, back in April of 2015. Prior to the creation of CORE Advisory Group, I met with Devin Benter at his office, which was located at 151 Kalmus Drive, in the city of Costa Mesa, California and this was back in March of 2015. 

Our initial meeting together, was intended to discuss with Devin to explain about my tax business and to see whether or not, if he would benefit from my tax services. It was a great way to increase my tax business by providing work for his existing client base while at the same time, prepare to launch CORE Advisory Group and I heard he was doing his own mail marketing advertisement campaign so that also drew my interest in wanting to work with him, and learn more on how I can benefit from him to help me generate sales calls from his marketing techniques.  

Prior to my meeting with him, I had very little knowledge of the type of business he was running but knew it was related to helping people with their mortgage problems and the goal to start CORE Advisory Group was for the same purpose. 

Upon my arrival at his Costa Mesa office, I was welcomed by his receptionist and at that point waited for Devin in the hallway of the reception area to meet with him. I have to admit, I was impressed, seeing his office was lively and fully functional, with 15+ staff/employees present, gave me a sense of assurance that I was meeting up with an established businessman. 

Our meeting ended, with additional over phone conversations and as time went on, the prospect of acquiring new tax business from him seemed long stretch, so I geared my focus towards the newly formed business that I had just created, CORE, and decided to go ahead and utilize his marketing company "Deevo, LLC" to handle all my mail advertisement needs as well as using his exact business model. 

The sole function of my newly formed company CORE, would act as a telemarketing company to acquire new businesses and once acquired, would send these clients over to his company CIL to process as a back end provider to perform the Advocacy & Dispute Resolution Program (A&DR), which was known at the time before changing to Lender Dispute Resolution Program (LDR) at a later time. 

My first business transaction with Devin was when I had first purchase a list of 10,000 mail pieces from him, which he had told me should generate anywhere from 1.5% to 2% response rate, meaning out of 10,000 mailers, expect anywhere from 150 to 200 telephone calls from potential prospects calling to inquire about the program. 

After the 3rd week of running a mail campaign through Devin, he had reached out to me to inform me that one of his affiliate partner JD United owned by Denny Lake was under heavy FTC investigation and his company Colleagues in Law was caught in the middle of this heat so he expressed concerns it might affect our operations. 

At this point, I had already paid Devin well over $16,000 for three weeks worth of mail marketing campaign and this kind of news was nerve wracking and unsettling since I have relied on him solely to not only generate sales calls for me but also, once these prospects became clients, I would need him to provide the services and if anything were to happen, game over at that point. 

While I awaited for more information from Devin to see what turn of events should I be expecting, I can't fathom the thought of disgrace & embarrassment to have to tell my investors, staff/employees at the time, that I just set everyone up for a failure and the affiliate group I decided to do business with, was on a verge of an FTC crackdown. 

We are now in the fourth week, and another mail marketing campaign had just been executed and no word from Devin so I had no choice but to inform my investors of the pending issues but held back from informing my staff, not wanting to alarm them. 

The Bait
Finally the call arrived from Devin and this time he asked to meet me in person so we met up and he had explained to me that the good news is that, the FTC reviewed his company and claim he is not in the wrong however he wanted to play safe and lay low and gave me a proposal stating that what he is about to offer me is a gold mine, and the only reason why I am getting this offer is the fact that I am already offering the same program to my clients that he has created, so it only make sense to offer me this partnership to combine our companies and merge as one but under my company brand until the investigation is over is when he can be on the books again just to be safe. 

He assured me that FTC cleared him from any wrong doings, but he doesn't feel comfortable continuing on as Colleagues in Law because it was linked to JD United and if news gets out that they are linked, it will be hard to obtain new businesses in the future. 

Before he finished making his proposal, he had explained to me that he was already netting over $100,000 each month, so by me coming on board with this merger, I would acquire 20% net right out of the gate, on one contingent, I would allow him full control of the company as if it was his. He would provide all of the financial aspect of the operations and all he ask for is my help with the small tasks around the office and build a strong team for him. 

In my mind, this offer wasn't bad at all and plus, if he was already netting $100,000 each month, that means my income would be $20,000 right out of the gate, on top of that, I can spare the shame of having to face my staff to tell them that the business isn't working out and we will have to close shop, so I accepted his offer and immediately began moving my staff over to his office in Costa Mesa. Thankfully for my investors, they were understandable and agreed for me to repay back the investments over time and wish me the best of luck with my venture together with Devin.

May 5th, 2015, CORE Advisory Group, LLC was established in the state of Utah and formed as a Limited Liability Company as me the sole member/officer and Devin Benter will remain off records until the JD United investigation was over.

Now, I am not going to get into the details of the problems and issues between me and Devin. Just know, my business relationship ended and I separated from the company CORE Advisory Group, LLC. on March 31st, 2016.

I am sure everyone would agree with me, that any disputes, disagreements between business partners should be dealt with privately and if things can't be resolved in a civilized matter, than seeking the help of a mediator would be a better choice to help isolate the unnecessary tensions that was already brewing.

So why almost 6 months after my separation from the company, I am now bringing this to a public forum with full of venom and negative spew about my former partner and CORE Advisory Group? What am I expecting out of this, by sharing all these personal details of our dysfunctional business relationship and why not just handle this offline and in the court room instead?

Having a business relationship with another partner(s) is very similar to a married couple. When a married couple ends up having issues and gets to a point where the relationship is just not salvageable and a divorce is imminent, prior to filing for a divorce, is it okay for one of the spouses to do the following;

1.  The unhappy spouse, change locks on the house, and threatens the other spouse to not lay foot on the property or that spouse will call the police? (this is reasonable if your life is at risk) 
2. Your spouse, empties your bank account and opens up a separate account diverting all funds that was earned together into the new account?

Now let's circle back to the final week of March of 2016. In the midst of a dispute, I had asked Devin to provide me with all the profit & loss statement so I can verify the discrepancies that triggered our disputes.

Now remember, CORE Advisory Group, LLC, is solely under my name ONLY, which means, the CORE name, bank accounts etc... is also under my name. The only thing that was not under CORE Advisory Group, LLC was the office space which was leased under Devin Benter and Colleagues in Law.

On March 30th, 2016, Devin went to the Orange County Clerk Recorders Office and created a new fictitious business name of Core Advisory Group Svcs. Just one day prior to me attempting to tell everyone at the office, I am suspending CORE so I can work towards a dissolution with Devin Benter but instead, he had already planned ahead to continue the business by creating a replica of CORE. He then tells me that I am no longer welcome to the office and if I lay foot, he will contact the police.

Click to Enlarge

If this doesn't sound like a shady maneuver, I don't know what is, but this is the least of my worries at this point. There are bigger problems at stake ahead of me, since my name is on the company and I have a former business partner that has gone rogue.

Read About My Attempt to Suspend CORE on March 31st, 2016

Unveiling the Mask of Devin Benter

Read Part II

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CORE Advisory Group owner Devin Benter post his lies on GetOutofDebt.org

There was a complaint open by a client of CORE Advisory Group on GetOutofDebt.org website just a few days ago, and guess who decided to chime in? The Fabricator himself Devin Benter. I am just speechless so just read the stuff that comes out of his mouth and you be the judge of this one. I honestly think this guy has lost it. As a consumer, these kinds of behaviors from an owner of a company should give you a clear indication that maybe it is wise to steer clear from that individual(s) or company(s) and to do business elsewhere with a reputable and stable company. 

Wouldn't you agree, protecting your home holds more value to just, gamble it on someone who has no morals or principles. 

The article below that was published on GetOutOfDebt.org  , Devin Benter goes on there in an attempt to preserve his reputation by posting a series of false allegations about me. But fails to address the complaints that was published by these clients on GetOutOfDebt.org.

You may perceive yourself as an intelligent business owner, but your actions and behaviors has deceived you.

Here below is the full article published on "GetOutofDebt.org" on October 25th, 2016

My name is Devin Benter and I am responding to you regarding complaints filed against Core Advisory Group. Core Advisory Group is a company that was owned by Trung ‘Mike’ Luong aka Mike Lee, aka Travis Anglar (consumer-protection@activist.com) aka mluong@activist.com, Jason Rigor (consumer-help@activist.com) aka Trung Luong, Core Evidence (core-evidence@casedocsonline.com), casedocsonline.com & coreadvisory.blogspot.com

Contracts were signed by him and funds paid by clients went to his bank account. I worked with Mike as a consultant and shared office space with him where I operated other business ventures. Mike became disgruntled about the business and essentially abandoned the files in April/May of 2016. The team in place as well as myself have tried to finish out these files that were abandoned. Things recently came to a head after Trung ‘Mike’ Luong began text blasting and email blasting his former clients telling them that Core Advisory Group (the company he owns in his name) is a scam and that there is a “consumer alert” issued against the company. He and his associates (former general manager of Core Advisory Group) (redacted) have advised clients to file complaints against me and my company and he has created a website where he has posted information in order to defame me and my family, my co-workers and this business. Additionally, they are then trying to convert these people into new clients for their new ventures, there are a few and more we are unaware of but a few of them are (redacted), and there are more that are hidden so that no one can find their information. They direct people to the website (redacted) in order to lead them to believe they are receiving free advice but ultimately when they ask to learn more they are solicited for modification services and to pay for their services (See attachment).

We have reached out to the Pompeo’s and explained the situation and provided them with a copy of the contract signed by Mike Luong and the Utah Secretary of State Paperwork showing he was the owner of the company when they signed up. We have also issued them a refund though funds were paid to Luong. There is an open investigation into Trung ‘Mike’ Luong for identity theft and data breach and a temporary restraining order has been granted against him due to his threatening text messages he has been sending to one of our co-workers and my wife. Bottom line is this is a private matter and it is unfortunate that it is being litigated online with no filter. We are trying to do the right thing and close out these files.

Colleagues in Law was a former business that I owned, which for a time utilized a third party processing center JD United/Advocacy Department to handle our files. This company also accepted files from a company called HOPE and as a result of MARS rule violations, HOPE as well as JD United/Advocacy Department were shut down. We never shared an office with this company, and were only linked to them as an affiliate who sent them files. At the time of the shutdown there was correspondence between Colleagues in Law and the FTC who decided to not include Colleagues in Law in this case and in fact, in court documents the FTC mentioned that Colleagues in Law had ran an ethical business.

Going forward, we are trying to close out these files and cases and to be there to assist consumers. We are only offering services to help develop and draft content in order to assist consumers in their disputes across various verticals and businesses.

Allow me to debunk these ridiculous allegations once again.

“I worked with Mike as a consultant and shared office space with him where I operated other business ventures. Mike became disgruntled about the business and essentially abandoned the files in April/May of 2016." - March 31st, 2016 Email from Devin

So he claimed that he was just my consultant and shared office space with me, when the truth is that, the office space we did share together was leased by Devin Benter under his company Colleagues in Law at the time and the office that I'd moved into with my staff, was at his current office in Costa Mesa, CA at 151 Kalmus Drive Bldg A, Costa Mesa, CA. 92626 and later we moved to a new location at 4590 MacArthur Blvd Suite 125, Newport Beach, CA. 92660. The new location was also leased by Devin Benter of Colleagues in Law. I guess I was very fortunate enough to have found a consultant who is generous enough to lease a 6600+ sq. ft. office space for me to work out of. 

He also claimed that I became disgruntled about the business and essentially abandoned the files in April/May of 2016. Now if he was just my consultant, what benefits would he have by just inheriting all the abandoned files, staff/employees? Please share with us an example of a consultant that actually inherited a company after the owner just walks off and abandons everything and that consultant just took over with no paperwork of transfer of ownership, nothing, and business as usual at the office the very next day. What a great fictional novel to write about one day.

Although it is true that on March 31st, 2016, I did request to suspend the whole operation and sit down with Devin to figure out a dissolution but according to the Orange County CA. County Clerks, office records, he had already had made his move, by creating an identical dba "CORE Advisory Group Svcs" which he added "Svcs" at the end on March 30th, 2016 a day prior to my attempt to suspend CORE. 

Orange County Clerk Recorder's Office search "Core Advisory Group"

Another note is if I was disgruntle then how come I didn't shutdown the phone system when I am the sole owner on that contract which I had signed with Fonality? Or suspend the Godaddy domain name "coreadvisorygroup.org" & email accounts that is linked to that domain name, which was also under my name? 

When did I authorized these changes if I was the sole owner of CORE Advisory Group as he proclaims on other public blogs & public forums, and if he's just my consultant who authorized those changes? If you are going to stick to this narrative Devin, you might as well just turn yourself in because only a 10 year might believe you. And by the way I separated the final week of March 2016 so his timeline isn’t even accurate.  - March 31st, 2016 Email from Devin

"Things recently came to a head after Trung ‘Mike’ Luong began text blasting and email blasting his former clients telling them that Core Advisory Group (the company he owns in his name) is a scam and that there is a “consumer alert” issued against the company."

He claims I am text blasting my former clients that I am committing a scam on my own company? Scratching my head.

"he advised clients to file complaints against me and my company and he has created a website where he has posted information in order to defame me and my family, my co-workers and this business. Additionally, they are then trying to convert these people into new clients for their new ventures"

Defamation of Character is a term that is used to describe when false statement is written or spoken about an individual with the intent of harming or slandering their reputation. It's too bad that you feel this way but it's my ethical duty to report any illegal activities I believe you have violated. About the "Lender Dispute Resolution" program

His other allegations is that I am telling clients to file complaints against him and his company? Wait, didn’t he just say it was my company? He also claims I am converting these clients to become new clients of mine for my new ventures. I am sure everyone that I've spoken to directly can attest that, not once have I ever mentioned about soliciting, nor have I ever referred them over to anyone so once again his allegations are clearly false. To be clear, I DO NOT refer or recommend anyone to any service. I challenge him to find a physcial person, not a made up person, to say otherwise. Normally people come to see the circus, not join them.

"We have reached out to the Pompeo’s and explained the situation and provided them with a copy of the contract signed by Mike Luong and the Utah Secretary of State Paperwork showing he was the owner of the company when they signed up."

He claimed that he had reached out to the Pompeo’s to explain the situation and provided them a copy of the contract signed by me and the Utah Secretary of State Paperwork showing I am the owner of the company. So I reached out to Mrs. Pompeo today to see if this was true and she replied back stating no such contact has ever been made. Another LIE! However, I'm grateful after our many efforts, they have finally received a full refund, which they clearly deserved. Read Complaint

Mrs. Pompeo emailed me back today 10/28/2016 to confirm, no contact was ever made to them by Devin Benter.

My signature is on every CORE Advisory Group, LLC service agreement prior to March 31^st, 2016 so there’s no secret there, good one! By the way I've written on this site and stated I was the original creator of CORE and sole member/officer of CORE Advisory Group, LLC and if you pay $1 on the UTAH business search website, you can actually get a copy of the Utah Secretary of State paperwork so what is his point again? 

"There is an open investigation into Trung ‘Mike’ Luong for identity theft and data breach and a temporary restraining order has been granted against him due to his threatening text messages."

Identity (ID) theft is a crime where a thief steals your personal information, such as your full name or social security number, to commit fraud. 

If this was true, why isn't the police pursuing to arrest me, after all, "Identify Theft" is a serious crime. And this temporary restraining order that he is referring to, more like a gag order to stop me from exposing the TRUTH! Any one can go to the court-house and file a TRO, it's another way to keep me quiet so they can continue doing their own illegal activities. 

Once, again, no laws has been broken on my part but Devin Benter seems to believe he is abiding by the law and by him posting these false allegations about me with unsubstantiated facts or proof, is a violation in itself for libel, slander and defamation of character.

Word of advice, it's better to stay quiet then go online and publicly fabricate your stories full lies and deceit. 

So once again, Devin Benter, current owner of CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC (I like how you just add the “Svcs”at the end of CORE Advisory Group Mr. Consultant) ignores the problem at hand and there are clients of his that was scammed out of their money and some even lost their homes and all he can think of is himself by publicly appearing online just to post fabricated lies in order to clear himself of any wrong-doings. 

It's obvious he is reading my blogs about him and seeing that there is also client's both from Colleagues in Law and CORE that posted their complaints on here so why not drop in and say hi to everyone and address those clients Devin? But instead chooses to deflect responsibilities and throws in the victim card.

Once again you've shown the public what a scum you are by not addressing these clients' complaint but instead, you use other public forums hoping that, by making up false accusations, full of fabricated lies & rhetoric, would make you look angelic? Get off your high horse and learn what real values, honesty & integrity really means. 

I honestly do not know how you sleep at night and how you face your family each day knowingly that there are victims out there that you just don't give a rats a** about. Justice will prevail. 

Report A Scam

Please post a comment below and share with everyone your thoughts on this one.

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CORE's Website Warning & Text Messages to its Clients Should Be Enough to Steer Clear.

UPDATE: After publication of this post over 50+ people have reached out to me that lost their money and some had lost their home. I want to hear from you so please contact me.

I was speaking to one of the victims of CORE Advisory Group and during our phone conversation, this client receives a text message from CORE warning about me (which by the way, they claim I am a disgruntled employee. about me), that I would be committing a felonious act by sending out text messages/emails/phone calls in an attempt to scare & deceive all of their clients and it's a scam so report this to them immediately. 

They even referenced the California Penal Code Regarding Annoying Phone Calls under Penal Code 653 (m) PC on their website. You can read the CA Penal Code 653 (m) and if you still feel, that I have broken this law, it is your right under the laws to report me to the authorities right away. (This is a misdemeanor by the way.) read about their poor attempt to silence me with a "Cease & Desist" letter

Owner of CORE Devin Benter leaves a voice broadcast warning when you call their toll free # 877-242-5699

Under CORE Advisory Group, Devin Benter uses an alias of David Clarke, Jennifer Delrio of CORE & Colleagues in Law, both using two different emails.

For all "Colleagues in Law" victims, here is proof, Devin Benter (owner) still has his email active for "Colleagues in Law" 08/17/2016 so go get'em FOLKs!!!

View both companies profile | View Latest RipOff Report

If you have been following my blog since day one, you should know by now the truth about Devin Benter who is the same owner of "Colleagues in Law" which he later dissolved once our companies merged under "CORE Advisory Group" name. He methodically masterminded a persuasive proposition in order to convince me to partner up with him and allow him to merge his old company "Colleagues in Law" and his staff with mines, and together we would operate just under my company name "CORE Advisory Group" that I originally started and created last year on April 29th, 2015, and later separated with the company on March 31st, 2016. Thank god. Info on CIL & CORE

Now lets focus on the topic at hand. Devin Benter who is now the sole owner of "CORE Advisory Group Svcs", that operated the same business model under the name of "Colleagues in Law" before dismantling it, tried to outwit me by posting on his website full of terrifying messages to warn the public to be prepare that they will be getting a phone/email/text messages from me that will scare and deceive their clients.

I am going to pause right here and let's review this for a second. "Scare & Deceive" their clients. Scare? Who wouldn't be scared once they find out that the company they have hired is actually breaking the law? Deceive? What benefits would I gain from deceiving anyone at this point by exploiting the ILLEGAL activities that CORE Advisory Group Svcs and its owner Devin Benter is conducting?

According to the Federal Trade Commission, and a few State Regulatory Agencies, even our local Enforcement Division that I have been collaborating & cooperating with can attest to my statement that I am about to make. THE OPERATION IS ILLEGAL!!! 

Now let me ask you this, if a company was legitimate and operating within the legal boundaries;

• A) Is it necessary to change company name THREE times in less than 2 years? (Colleagues in Law, LC dissolved 06/30/2015, CORE Advisory Group & soon Consumer Dispute Group, all owned by Devin Benter all functioning & operating under the same business model as each other.) Read about the name changes
• B) Why did the State of Washington just settled with Devin Benter on 09/30/2016 when he was operating under "Colleagues in Law" for a total of $45,000 in restitution which will be used to pay back to the 12 victims from the State of Washington for mortgage related violation? Feel free to verify this with Washington State Department of Finance Enforcement Division for the State of Washington (360) 902-0517. Or contact the State of Texas that issued the Cease & Desist order against CORE Advisory Group, at (512) 475-1870, just to name a few. Texas Cease & Desist Order or  State of WA Restitution (Awaiting Site Post)
• C) Why didn't Devin Benter reach out to any of his clients (via phone, email, mail) that enrolled prior to March 31st, 2016 that a new LLC has been changed to "CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC" and "CORE Advisory Group, LLC" is no longer active, but instead ignored it and if something went wrong tells either the clients that is unsatisfied/unhappy or the authorities that I was the sole owner and responsible party they should go after and the only reason he is involved is because I had abandoned my clients, my staff, all case files, and ran off with all the money and in good grace Devin was around to save everyone and continue business as usual? (I hope he isn't sticking to this story in front of the jury.) Read about it here
• D) A reputable company at the very least would update all its clients of any new changes to the company. Something as simple as informing them of their new physical address once they have relocated? (Current physical address and ONLY location at 2125 E. Katella Ave. Suite 330, Anaheim, CA. 92806, the other two addresses on their website is just a maildrop.) Read about hiding their real address
• E) Most of you already know, one of CORE's payment option is accepting POST-DATED checks, in order to spread CORE's service fees and have it deposited at a later scheduled date as agreed to the term of the service. Prior to my separation back on March 31st, 2016 a handful of clients had already enrolled and handed us POST-DATED checks to hold for their future payments. There will be some if not more clients will attest to this disturbing revelation that any written checks that were post-dated on or after March 31st, 2016 or beyond April 1st, 2016, those checks were "ALTERED" by adding "Scvs" next to the originally written CORE Advisory Group to reflect the new LLC change of "CORE Advisory Group Svcs" and they made this alteration without the clients knowledge or consent. Not a smart move on Devin's part so this will be interesting to see what the charges will be brought against him on this matter.
• F) A reputable company would have filed all proper business licensing & registration with all the state and local offices. CORE Advisory Group is registered as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in the State of Utah with no physical location or office space in Utah, but their income is derived in the State of California, with their address and physical office space located solely in California only. Here is some business 101, if your company is a Corporation or LLC that is registered outside of California, however the Corporation or LLC is generating income in California and domiciled in California, therefore, you are required to register your Corporation or LLC as a Foreign Business Entity in the State of California with the Secretary of State of California. CA Business Search "CORE Advisory Group" Not Registered
• G) If this business is for profit and is required to comply with the Federal Trade Commission MARS Rule (Mortgage Assistance Relief Services) than why are they collecting fees upfront, which according to the rule, makes it illegal to charge upfront fees until you deliver and the customer agrees to a written offer of mortgage relief from the customer's lender or servicer. The Rule defines "mortgage assistance relief service" as a service, plan, or program that is represented, expressly or by implication, to help homeowners prevent or postpone foreclosure or help them get other kinds of relief, like loan modifications, forbearance agreements, short sales, deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure, or extensions of time to cure defaults or reinstate loans. The Rule applies whether you work directly with consumers' lenders or servicers to get mortgage relief or you offer services to help consumers do it on their own (for example, by conducting a "forensic audit" or other review of consumers' loan documents). How are they breaking the law?

So, now that you know what you need to know about CORE Advisory Group and its owner Devin Benter and if you still feel comfortable and safe doing business with them, that is the risk you will have to take, in my opinion, if someone gave me this many warning shots, I be running for the hills no hesitation. Consider this a fair and accurate Warning!

And for those of you whom already fell victim to CORE Advisory Group or Colleagues in Law, go here quick and let's get the enforcement authorities to stop this company and owner Devin Benter from preying on other folks.

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Step by Step Guide to Get Your Money-Back

SCAM: "a dishonest way to make money by deceiving people"

WARNING! Owner of "Colleagues in Law" Devin Benter is still operating under a new assumed name "CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC" Report this to the Authorities, do this before he change company names again and SCAM other people!

If you feel you have been a victim of a loan modification scam, please follow these steps in order to get your money-back. Unfortunately this process will require your undivided attention and dedication in order to complete these steps, which can take up more than an hour of your time, but lets be honest here, is spending a few hours to get back thousands of dollars of your hard earned money not worth your commitment? Of course it is.

Although this method isn't 100% guaranteed that you will get your money-back. There will be uncontrollable events, such as the company you are trying to get your money-back has either, shutdown, disappeared, changed their company name and location which will make it more difficult for you to file your complaints against, or the company just don't have the funds to pay you back. But what I can tell you is that it will definitely draw RED FLAGS to the authorities and alert them about any unethical activities going on and allow them to see who is taking advantage of people by taking their money without providing the services/product as promised, which can also trigger an internal investigation to go after the company or individual(s) that committed the scam and recover the damages caused to you and your family. So don't give up or get discourage and fight for what is rightfully yours.

Before you begin drafting your complaints against a company or an individual(s), keep in mind that some of these regulatory agencies only allow up to 2000 - 4000 words, so you want to minimize the unnecessary rant about how bad you hate them or information that isn't relevant to what you are seeking and you want to just bullet point the important parts and the reason why you are complaining and the goals you want them to achieve for you, like refund your money.

Now let's start with Step One: "Key Information About the Company"
Provide the Full Name of the Company/Corporation (LLC, S-Corp etc...) in this example let's say you are filing a complaint against an existing company and its' owners. Be sure you are listing all entities involved.

Note: If you are a former "Colleagues In Law" customer, be sure to include "CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC", and "Devin Benter" as the same owner for both entities and state in your complaint that it's the same operation just a different name.

If you signed up for services with CORE Advisory Group prior to March 31st, 2016 then most likely you're contracted with  "CORE Advisory Group, LLC" however, if the services you have paid for exceeded beyond March 31st, 2016, your complaint should address both entities involved which is CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC & CORE Advisory Group, LLC (only difference is new LLC ownership but same people behind it.)

Devin Benter thought he could avoid any responsibilities with the original CORE Advisory Group, LLC by just switching to another LLC by adding "SVCS" at the end and if anything happens, like complaints, lawsuits, client files being denied for a loan modification or even worst case, clients ended up losing their home, he would be excluded from the responsibilities post March 31st, 2016 which is after my separation with the company. So by him assuming that, he would divert any fault/wrongdoings and have it directed towards me Mike Luong for CORE Advisory Group, LLC. 

Unfortunately for him, it doesn't work that way. You can't expect just by changing, officers, members or even LLCs names would eliminate you from any prior obligations and responsibilities. As a business owner it is your fiduciary duty to inform all clients of any changes to the LLC and if you decide to continue working on prior cases post the LLC changes, and still continue collecting and receiving their monies than yes you are fully responsible for any ramification that occurs thereafter. Nice try.

So remember to list all parties/entities involved, including current physical address which in this case, CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC, is located at 2125 E. Katella Ave. Suite 330, Anaheim, CA. 92806. (By the way, Devin continues to fail by not updating his existing clients of the new change of address location.).

As a reminder, both addresses on their website www.coreadvisorysvcs.org 519 S. Orem, Orem, UT. 84058 and 4590 MacArthur Blvd, #500-26, Newport Beach, CA. 92660 are just mail drops (virtual mailboxes) and not an actual physical office location.

Step Two: "What to Include in the Complaints"
Any supporting documents if you still have it, such as "Mail Advertisement", "Service Agreement" etc... Also some Key points you want to address are as follows;

• The date you made initial contact with this company? 
• How did you hear about them? (Mail, Radio, TV etc...), 
• What did the advertisement say that enticed you to contact them? (ex: low interest rate, principle reduction, free car, etc...),
• What did the company promised you they can do and would do for you?
• How much was the total cost for their product/service?
• When did you pay for the product/service and how much total upfront?
• Explain why you are dissatisfied with the company/product/service.
• When did you start suspecting that there will be an issue?
• Did you contact the company first and try to resolve the issue on your own? (if you suspect that they are operating illegally, skip this one.)
• What kind of outcome do you want to see happening?

Step Three: "Submitting the Complaints to every Regulatory Agencies"

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
• Federal Trade Commission
• Attorney General's Office (File with your state) 
• Department of Consumer Affairs CalBRE (to report licensed/non-licensed real estate agents)

Final Step: "Write Negative Reviews Online"  

• Better Business Bureau 
• Business Consumer Alliance 
• Rip Off Report 
• GetOutofDebt.org
• Devin's Lavish Wedding

NEED HELP?

If you are a victim of this loan modification scheme and need help preventing from a foreclosure, contact HUD.gov immediately or visit http://hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm

You Have Alternatives

You can contact your lender directly, contact an attorney in your jurisdiction with expertise in mortgage matters, or contact a government-sponsored loan modification provider such as www.hopenow.com or others that are identified on the website of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, www.hud.gov.  

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How CORE Tricks Its' Customers Into Thinking They Would Get A Full Refund

What prompted me to write this article tonight about CORE Advisory Group's refund process is from an email I received earlier this evening from one of CORE's client, expressing her worries that she will never see a dime again, and she feels they are really out to scam her. What bothers me is the fact that she even agreed to their ridiculous refund amount of a mere $450 out of the $2115 that she had already paid them. If she signs a release of liability form, which she did on 09/19/2016 and had it emailed back the same day to CORE Advisory Group, would refund her back $450. 45 days later, where is her refund?

I've warned some of the client's that I've spoken to in the past, to not even bother contacting CORE and make demands for a refund or even ask for one, and I've even shared an example of a client that signed up with CORE within less than two weeks & had already paid $4000 upfront but later, decided to go another route so she called to cancel with CORE.

Now you would think, if you had barely paid someone and no work had commence, then a full refund shouldn't be out of the question right? And a check should be in the mailbox awaiting to be shipped out the very next day? Wrong, according to this client, the conversation with the owner Devin Benter turned into a debacle and CORE insisted that this client, although only less than two weeks old as a newly enrolled client would be required to go through their "Reconciliation Process" which is stated in section 9 of CORE's service agreement. I'm going to circle back to this in a bit and later I'll explain how the reconciliation process works.

But first, meet [redacted], she signed up with CORE back on April 15th, 2016 and paid CORE a total of $2115 and later decided she wasn't satisfied or impressed with the work that CORE has provided to her so far. So on April 28th, 2016 she attempted to back out however, CORE convinced her that everything is going just as planned and all the complaints has been drafted and sent to her for her to sign and mail off. At this point her fear is that her auction/sale date was nearing and set for May 24th, 2016 but yet she still haven't received any complaint drafts from CORE not until later on May 5th, 2016. To fast forward with this story, the complaints were mailed off and on May 9th, 2016 CORE presented her with an unsettling news that new FHA guideline had changed and went into effect May 6th, 2016 that would disqualified her loan for any type of loan modification due to the severity of her default. At this point, her options are slim and her auction/sale date continues to creep closer and closer.

As a last ditch attempt, CORE referred her over to Martha to have her bankruptcy petition prepare in order to file for a bankruptcy chapter 13. This client refused to go that route and felt that she was mislead from the very beginning and it was CORE's responsibilities to be kept up to date with all new changes with guidelines however, that is not the case and unfortunately and sad to say, she ended up losing her house on May 28th, 2016. What is hard to gag is the fact that CORE still with no remorse or sympathy, went ahead and deposited her check of $740 on June 1st, 2016. On July 28th, 2016 [redacted] demanded her money be paid back, since CORE did not provide the services as promised and she still ended up losing her house anyways. That same day, CORE sent her a "Reconciliation Package" (RECON Pk) which is similar to a grievance form explaining to the company why she deserves her money back type of package. She filled out the RECON Pk and awaited for a refund offer by CORE which later came back to be $450. She grew weary with CORE and decided against her own consciousness but still went ahead and signed the release of liability form in exchange for her measly $450 refund which was sent back on September 19th, 2016. Today is October 26th, 2016 and she has yet received the refund that CORE had promised her after she had signed what they wanted her to sign, which is pretty much a hush hush paperwork just keep her from saying a word to anyone publicly.

CORE Advisory Group Service Agreement (Section 9) Dispute Resolution by Binding Arbitration

This is a perfect example of how heartless this SOB of a person Devin Benter is. He allowed his staff to not only take on a case that clearly didn't qualify for any loan modification due to the severity of the default, and wounded up losing her home and still play the delay game and refuse to give her the $450 check which had been offered and she accepted in exchange she won't sue CORE, post negative reviews about CORE etc... Well to all the viewers out there, after reading this and it still doesn't convince you what a slime ball this company and its' owner is, than you definitely deserve to be scammed. 

So once again, as a warning, do not entertain this route and go through their ridiculous "Reconciliation Process", just know that, they have already broken the LAW by collecting your fees upfront. Before you sign up with any company, be familiarize with the Federal Trade Commission MARS Rule, which prohibits any company from receiving any fees in advance until a written offer from the lender has been received and accepted by the client. It is ILLEGAL to charge any one upfront period.

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How does the Lender Dispute Resolution (LDR) program violates the Federal Trade Commissions M.A.R.S Rule?

Let's take a look and review how CORE Advisory Group, LLC now CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC complies with the Federal Trade Commission's Mortgage Assistance Relief Services (MARS)

Rule.

Before you read this, ask yourself what is the purpose of hiring CORE Advisory Group? Just to complain to regulators about your lender? Or is it in hopes your lender will work with you to either get your home loan re-instated or modified? Well the answer is obvious and that's to cure your default with either a reinstatement or new modified loan terms so if that is the case, FTC (MARS) Rule applies and that makes it ILLEGAL to collect any fees UPFRONT. 

CORE Advisory Group (CORE), presents itself as a nationwide advocacy firm. The program offered is it's Lender Dispute Resolution program or (LDR) in which this program is broken down into two phases.

Phase One of CORE's services is filing complaints against the homeowner's lender or loan servicer with Federal or State regulatory agencies. The agencies may include filing an online complaint on behalf of the clients with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as well as filing complaints with an elected government official such as a State Senator or the Governor's office. 

The purpose of getting these complaints filed is to leverage the involvements of these regulatory agencies or government officials in order to get the clients cases heard by the banks high ranking officials at the executive level of the bank. Although this concept does have its' purposes and that's to go around the protocols of the "Loss Mitigation Department" and go straight to the top level of the banks hierarchy charts. Now the question is, how is this method going to achieve a consumer's goal, when they are trying to save their home? So let's recap this, the LDR program is designed for getting complaints open, get regulatory agencies & government officials involved. What happens after that? So no matter how clever the LDR program is designed, the fact of the matter is, the end result is still tied with some form of MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE RELIEF SERVICE. 

FTC MARS Rule Excerpt

The Rule defines "mortgage assistance relief service" as a service, plan, or program that is represented, expressly or by implication, to help homeowners prevent or postpone foreclosure or help them get other kinds of relief, like loan modifications, forbearance agreements, short sales, deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure, or extensions of time to cure defaults or reinstate loans. The Rule applies whether you work directly with consumers' lenders or servicers to get mortgage relief or you offer services to help consumers do it on their own (for example, by conducting a "forensic audit" or other review of consumers' loan documents).

Now let's take a look at Phase Two, after the completion of Phase One, the complaint campaign is successful and a point of contact from someone at the executive level of the bank is now forced to be involved. What happens at this point? Well depending on the lender in question, most will require a financial package (similar to the traditional application process for a loan modification) to be reviewed. For the most part, this is where the negotiation and waiting game begins. The result? It's either a Denial or an Approval for some form of mortgage relief. 

So as you can see, you can dress a duck however you find fitting, but at the end, it still quacks the same so it's still a duck. Same rules apply when you are assisting someone to save their home. 

NO UPFRONT FEE BAN makes it illegal to charge upfront fees until you deliver and the customer agrees to a written offer of mortgage relief from the customer's lender or servicer. That's the bottom line. 

Read About Latest Ohio Lawsuit

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A Closer Look Inside CORE Advisory Group

Please be advised that Core Advisory Group and its owner are still soliciting Mortgage Relief Services to Distressed Homeowners nationwide, under FTC MARS Rule it's ILLEGAL to charge upfront fees.  You can't collect money from any customer unless you deliver - and the customer agrees to - a written offer of mortgage relief from the customer's lender or servicer.

The owner of the company is Devin Benter (aka David Clarke). Devin Benter has owned multiple companies "Mod Shops" that target distressed Homeowners and opens and closes companies to avoid the authorities. Prior company name "Colleagues in Law" for more info click here

View both companies profile | View Latest RipOff Report

FOR ANY CORE VICTIMS
You Have Alternatives

You can contact your lender directly, contact an attorney in your jurisdiction with expertise in mortgage matters, or contact a government-sponsored loan modification provider such as www.hopenow.com or others that are identified on the website of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, www.hud.gov.  

Devin Benter's prior company is "Colleagues in Law LLC", a Nevada Corporation. A simple internet search will reveal multiple complaints on this company. 

UPDATE: I just got off the phone today with Washington State Department of Financial Institutions in the Division of Consumer Services Enforcement. I was updated with a public record information that Devin Benter and Colleagues in Law enter into a settlement agreement to pay restitution to pay 12 victims of Washington State that were preyed in this loan modification scheme. The restitution amount totaled $45,000 is to be paid back to the 12 victims involved. This information will be available online in next few days. here 

Now, Let's take a look deeper into the evolution of CORE Advisory Group. 

Current owner Devin Benter aka David Clarke and his company CORE Advisory Group, LLC & CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC. Please note that this owner also owned "Colleagues in Law" which was forced to shutdown due to FTC investigation that linked to Denny Lake's case and up until today has continued to provide the exact same product/services under a new assumed company name of "CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC" which is a UTAH Limited Liability Company in the State of Utah but physical office is located at 2125 E. Katella Ave. Suite 330, Anaheim, CA. 92806. Prior to the formation of "CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC" Devin Benter was operating in disguise under an entity name "CORE Advisory Group, LLC" which this legal entity sole owner was "Mike" Trung Luong and Devin Benter through mutual agreement with Mr. Luong would allow Mr. Benter to run and operate this company as their President and co-owner off record, and thereafter Mr. Benter went on record and formed a separate LLC under "CORE Advisory Group Svcs, LLC" a Utah Limited Liability Company in the State of Utah on April 1st, 2016, in order to exclude Mr. Luong from any ownership rights. Mr. Benter had continued on with a separate LLC without notifying any client's of "CORE Advisory Group, LLC" that there has been a transfer of ownership or made aware of the new LLC change. I suspect he will deny any responsibilities or hold himself accountable to "CORE Advisory Group, LLC" and his narrative will be that he was just a consultant for "Mike" Trung Luong, but past email communications by Mr. Benter will prove otherwise that indeed Mr. Benter through his email communications to the entire CORE staff members will explain that he has always owned and funded CORE Advisory Group, which you can read here.

Due to an FTC Indictment to Mr. Benter's processing partner/vendor, Denny Lake (JD United) he abruptly moved locations, closed the company and began operating  under "Core Advisory Group, LLC". You can view the details of the Denny Lake case: here

Not wanting anything tied to his name, Devin convinced Trung "Mike" Luong to open Core Advisory Group, LLC (a Utah Corporation) in his name. The agreement was that Devin would unofficially own the company and be 100% in charge and in exchange Mike would receive a portion of the revenue each month. 

In April 2015, Mike Luong created "CORE Advisory Group" dba registered solely under Mike's name only with the Orange County Clerk-Recorder. "Search CORE Advisory Group" here  

In May 2015, Mike Luong of CORE Advisory Group and Devin Benter of Colleagues in Law agreed to combine both entities into one under CORE Advisory Group. 

On May 5th, 2015, CORE Advisory Group formed an LLC in the state of UTAH. here

On March 24th, 2016, Mike Luong and Devin Benter had a fallout and the partnership severed.

In April 2016, Denny Lake's case ended, therefore, Devin no longer had any need for Mike and decided to end the relationship and Devin created "Core Advisory Group Svcs, LLC". 

On 3/30/2016 Devin Benter created the Fictitious Business Name of Core Advisory Group Svcs with the Orange County Clerk-Recorder. You can confirm this information here

On 03/31/2016 Mike Luong sent out an email to every Core members to go home, and that operations will need to be suspended to only be blockade by Brian Boozer a sales closer for CORE Advisory Group, LLC.  You can confirm this information here

On 03/31/2016 An hour after Mike's email to every Core members, Devin Benter aka David Clarke sends a mass email to inform everyone to continue doing business as usual, he owns the branding and have been doing it for 4 years. You can confirm this information here

On 4/1/2016 Devin Benter registered the new company, Core Advisory Group Svcs LLC, as a Utah LLC with himself as the sole member. You can confirm this information here

Core Advisory Group and Core Advisory Group Svcs are both organized in the Utah, but have no physical presence in Utah. here

The Utah address of 519 Orem Boulevard, Orem UT. 84058 will forward any correspondence to the California address: 4590 MacArthur Blvd, STE 125. Newport Beach CA 92660. However, most mails are dropped at another mail box and this one happens to be in the same building on the 5th floor at 4590 MacArthur Blvd, STE 500-26.

Please note that the company has moved to a new location in Anaheim, California at 2125 E. Katella Ave. Suite 330, Anaheim, CA. 92806

It appears, Devin Benter has already made plans to dump the CORE branding and change name ONCE AGAIN! "Consumer Dispute Group" www.consumerdisputegroup.org 

Google search you will find same PR press releases like CORE, with linkedin, facebook page already made in advance. This guy was planning to DUMP everyone, take everyone's money and start FRESH with a new company name. 

Devin Benter's Company name change HISTORY: "Colleagues in Law, CORE Advisory Group, CORE Advisory Group Svcs & soon to Consumer Dispute Group" which of course operate and offer the exact same product & services but just a different name, a much cleaner name. It's like driving a stolen car and changing out the license plate, in the end it's still same car and same piece of shit behind the wheel.

CORE ADVISORY GROUP’S WORKFLOW

Devin Benter also owns the Company "Deevo LLC" which is the company organized as a marketing company that he processes all of his advertising through. 

All of the mailers he sends to distressed Homeowners do not have any company name or address on them, and quote rate, payment and terms that will entice distressed Homeowners to call an 800#. 

When a Homeowner calls, they are greeted by an "opener" who is responsible for taking information so that the caller can be "evaluated" and determined if they are "eligible" for assistance. If the caller agrees, they are scheduled an evaluation call with a "Sr. Case Analyst" who is responsible for "closing" them on services to avoid foreclosure range between $3000 - $5000.

The sales agents (case managers) are trained not to share the company name on the first call and explain how their "2 phases" of work are not loan modification  services.  

Phase 1 is the opening "federal complaints" against a Lender. 

Phase 2, is when a Third Party Authorization all financial information is collected from the Homeowner. An application for a loan modification is prepared on behalf of the Homeowner, and loan modification application is submitted on behalf of the homeowner. 

If there is a foreclosure sale scheduled, then the company advises that the Homeowner needs to file bankruptcy and the Company will facilitate and coordinate a person to call them who will draft all of the court documents and coach them on how to file on their own bankruptcy. 

The purpose of the bankruptcy recommendation is so the Homeowner can stop the foreclosure so that they may engage work with the Company. It is recommended that they do not go through with the bankruptcy and allow it to be dismissed and closed.

KEY PLAYERS

Devin Benter (aka David Clarke)
Business Address: 2125 E. Katella Ave. Suite 330, Anaheim, CA. 92806

Mobile: 949-922-8865
email: dclarke@coreadvisorygroup.org, dbenter@colleaguesinlaw.com, dbenter@coreadvisorygroup.org , devin@deevollc.com

https://www.facebook.com/dbenter?fref=ts

Note: Just got married this year July 3^rd, 2016.

Owner of Colleagues in Law, LLC (Nevada Corp) https://goo.gl/sN4J8F
Deevo LLC (Nevada Corporation) http://deevollc.com/
Core Advisory Group LLC (Utah Corp) https://goo.gl/c1dsy9
Core Advisory Group Svcs LLC (Utah Corp) https://goo.gl/c1dsy9 
Core Advisory Group Svcs (Orange County Fictitious Name)

Dean Miller
Lead Management / Processing Manager / Customer Service
Mobile: 949-678-8702
email: dean@coactioninsight.com / Leadsupport@coreadvisorygroup.org           

Dean manages and supervises all leads and also manages the processing department. 
Also he is just as GUILTY assisting this crook Devin Benter by covering up for him.  

Brian James Boozer
Sales Closer
email: bboozer@coreadvisorygroup.org 
https://www.facebook.com/brian.boozer 
After initial calls with a case manager, Brian Boozer is the main sales closer but recent news of CORE Advisory Group Svcs lack of management only 6 sales agents are left.

VENDORS

All of the information in this email can be validated through the following vendors. 

Leadtrac – CRM System by National Data Systems | http://www.ndssite.com/ | CRM Login Page - https://secure.leadtrac.net

Note: All leads, notes and contracts are input into this CRM system. Dean Miller (Processing Manager & Lead Support) is a close friend of the owner of this company. Therefore, if you contact this company, its likely that they will inform Dean.

Fonality – Phone System | http://fonality.com | ServerID# 27936

Note: The system records every call incoming and outgoing and holds all recordings for a year. The only calls that are not recorded are Devin’s.

Email 
Note: Email service is provided by GoDaddy.

The Notary Pool | http://thenotarypool.com
Note: When a Homeowner wants to hire company, the Closer will schedule a notary to meet with the Homeowner to complete the signing and collect the funds. Every appointment, for every State, is scheduled through this company. (No longer active)

US Signings | http://www.ussignings.com/ | Business Search

Note: Same instrument used as “The Notary Pool” except now, Devin Benter owns this notary services and adds an additional junk fees $160 to gain more profits off consumers. Copycat version of The Notary Pool. 

Kall8 | http://kall8.com
Note: Each advertisement campaign that is mailed will have a unique 800# associated with the mailer. This service provides unique 800#’s that are then forwarded to the primary sales line.

ScheduleOnce | http://scheduleonce.com
Note: When an opener schedules a “closing” call, they use this system to schedule the appointment for the Closer.

The Corporate Place, Inc | http://www.corporateplace.com/
601 E Charleston Blvd, STE 100
Las Vegas, NV 89401
Phone: 877-786-8500

Note: This is the company that provides the registered agent service for Nevada and Utah. The Utah address for the Company is this company’s office Utah office address.

Martha Petterson, Bankruptcy Preparer.

Phone: 949-683-7030
Martha@legaldocprep.co

Note: This is the paralegal that all Bankruptcy files and Eviction Defense cases are sent to. She charges $250 per file and then credits the CORE advisory $100 for each referral.

Wells Fargo

CORE Advisory Group Svcs

Routing #:  122000247

Account #:  8789939504

This is the primary banking account that is used for Customers to deposit funds into.

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