SAN DIEGO -- The 10News I-Team recently paid a visit to Alliance Law Center on B Street in downtown San Diego. Workers scurried around, but nobody wanted to give an on-camera interview.

Five months ago, the I-Team visited other offices of Alliance Law Center in a Rancho Bernardo Office Park. The I-Team had gone to that office looking for a loan modification company called Apollo Funding & Realty.

During that first visit, a representative for Alliance said they were not Apollo, but that Alliance had taken over Apollo's office space. The I-Team was looking to talk to Apollo because it was accused of taking upfront fees from homeowners for loan modifications that didn't happen.

After the original news story aired, the I-Team was contacted by customers and a former employee who said Alliance is connected to Apollo.

"I said, 'Baloney, baloney,'" said the former employee, who asked us not to use his name to protect his reputation. "They're one in the same."

The man, who worked for Alliance pointed out employees, including a man named Neil who used to sell used cars. He also stated that there were thousands of files in a back room that were Apollo files.

"The software on all the computers said Apollo, it was licensed to Apollo," he said.

Louise Halter said she and her son were clients of Apollo. They paid $4,500 upfront for a loan modification.

She also believed Apollo and Alliance are one in the same.

She showed the I-Team letters and e-mails showing that Alliance took over her Apollo file. Alliance was supposed to honor the original fee agreement, which included a 90-day money-back guarantee.

But the loan was never modified, and when they asked Alliance for a refund, Alliance told her that they had earned the flat fee Apollo paid them and so no refund was due.

"They're preying on people," she said.

Alliance also told her in writing that if she wanted a refund, she would have to get it from Apollo. They provided an address. But the I-Team found the address only leads to a post office box at a UPS store in Pacific Beach.

The Halter family did get a loan modification, through Project Hope. They were charged nothing, and they said Alliance has not refunded their $4,500.

Cameron Edwards, supervising attorney for Alliance Law Center, said he does not believe that the two companies are the same. He said Alliance was newly incorporated in November 2008. He was not working for Alliance at the beginning.