A former Pakistani beauty queen has been accused of duping scores of Californians in an elaborate loan scam before fleeing the US.
Saman Hasnain, who won the 2008 Mrs Pakistan World beauty pageant, and her husband Jawad, have been accused of duping South Bay, California, homeowners into giving them money for a loan-modification scam which they operated from 2008 until October 2010.
Saman is being described by the American media as a “scam artist” who cheated homeowners after impressing them with her physical appearance, including her “almond-shaped eyes, flawless skin and full beautiful lips”.
The money ripped off from clients was used to buy plastic surgery for Saman, and pay for a Mercedes and the mortgage on their $2.2 million home. The couple charged homeowners at least $4,500 and often more to renegotiate their mortgages with banks. Korina Diaz, a Gilroy waitress who lost her ranch after paying the couple $11,500 to lower her mortgage payments, told Mercury News: “She was really pretty. She wore a skirt suit, high heels, nylons, like a real good-looking professional lady.”
Diaz and her husband were so impressed by what the Hasnains were promising them, they invited 30 friends over to the house to listen to the couple talk about their loan-modification scheme.
Many of them signed up and lost thousands of dollars as well as their homes. Diaz, her husband and their three children now live in a tiny apartment after a Florida bank took their home due to missed mortgage payments.
Prosecutor Victor Chen told the media that it was Saman’s striking appearance that led residents to trust her with their money.