I was called and told that I would receive a loan in the amount of $5,000. After all the details were verified (I had applied for loans online), I was told that I needed to purchase a Vanilla Reload Network card for the amount of $252 for verification that I could afford the loan due to my poor credit. I researched VRN, suspicious that this was a scam, and sure enough, it is.
Whether or not they want you to use Vanilla Reload Network, any lender who demands you make a payment upfront like this is operating illegally and is out to scam you. Advance fee loans are illegal everywhere in the US.