The Marin County District Attorney's Office said it is looking into complaints from some of more than 100 investors in Pacific Private Money who say that since December they haven't been able to access money invested with the company. The company, which claimed to have funded over $2 billion in property loans over its nearly two-decade history, is now being run by a San Francisco restructuring firm, and the Novato office is closed.
"Awareness campaigns are important, but they only go so far," said Jessica Fraser of Timmins, Ont., who lost $10,000 in a TD bank scam in June. TD Bank, which is listed as a "champion" on the coalition's campaign website, refused her request for a refund. "They're supposed to be the gatekeepers of my money and I trusted them to safeguard me," she said. "Instead, I'm left carrying the burden."