American telephone number area code 718, lady called Lisa wanting to buy my deseased father's shares.
Oct 09, 2024 Rating
BT by: Anonymous
Contacted by a Micheal Liddell of Dean-Baron Corporate Group offering to buy my shares in BT to enable a hostile takeover of BT. As experienced by others on this site a request was made for money to finance a guarantee bond.Thankfully the posts on this site has alerted me to this scam and I hope others will benefit from this too
Oct 07, 2024 Rating
hostile take over. by: Anonymous
Just had aa very similar call to many of the comments below. A foreign sounding lady calling herself Alec Lang offering to buy my wife's script shares (which we dandy know we owned) in K communications PLC. for a hostile takeover bid. No such company, the correct name is K-Comm LLC. my wife sold her shares in this company many years ago.
Sep 10, 2024 Rating
Had me going for a while. by: Anonymous
Same modus operandi. Add Encore Oil to your list.
Aug 28, 2024 Rating
aviva centrica M and S and LLOYDS by: Anonymous
Ive been receiving calls from new york about buying my shares with ladies who sounds Asian accent. hostile take over for the company. asking for email and sending NDA form before i receive formal offer. and indicated that there will be a upfront bond requirements fo me to receive the proceeds. Nice try scammer's lol
Aug 21, 2024 Rating
Acquisition Of My Iberdola Shares For A Client Take Over by: Anonymous
Called on landline to ask me to sell my Iberdola shares, formerly Scottish Power. Phone call in evening from a Asian sounding woman (Natalie Jenkins) She stated her company was working for a client who already had acquired 43% of Iberdola shares and needed another 8% to take over company. I was caught on the hop and had temporarily forgotten I'd sold these shares in 2017. She didn't know how many I supposed to hold but said they were being sold for a very high price £18 per share. Asked for my email address which I gave her to send me a non disclosure attachment. Asked if I had a printer and scanner or fax machine to return signed as soon as possible. They needed to move quickly to secure this client's take over! They would be advising their legal dept to underwrite the transaction but all I was required to do currently was an "assertion of interest" It was a formal offer, highly sensitive and mustn't be discussed with anyone. Red flags were beginning to rise up before I got off phone. Her name was incongruous to her accent. She mentioned faxing my details (odd) mentioned when I completed the attachment I just needed to add my name,Iberdola and didn't matter if I didn't know how many shares I held as they would check, just to leave section 3 blank or add a ? mark. Time of cold call after 8.20pm was odd. Checked my paperwork after call and yes I'd sold these shares. Checked this site and confirmed it was a definite scam. She phoned yesterday so no doubt I will hear from her today to push for me to return non disclosure attachment. LEAVE WELL ALONE.
Aug 17, 2024 Rating
Madison capital partners by: Anonymous
Call from 'New York' out of the blue about hostile takeover for BAE. NDA then shares were being 10 new for each old share. They would pay at least £8 a share. So the total would be far above the current value. Latest call mentioned insurance bond. As they say if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.
Aug 16, 2024 Rating
Santander shares by: Anonymous
Just had a phone call similar to all others mentioned. This time it was my Santander shares which were originally Alliance and Leicester shares that they wanted to buy. Wanted to send me form to complete and asked for email or address. Sounded plausible but I was suspicious about them wanting to buy shares for at least double their price. After reading these examples on this website, now know suspicions were well founded. However my concern is how they are getting the information about the people they are trying to scam. Knew the shares I had and that they had been transferred from Alliance and Leicester. Glad I found this site and that I said no to sending email or address.
Aug 07, 2024 Rating
Whitbread shares buy-out by: Anonymous
Asian lady called Jody gave me a lengthy monologue about trying to get 51% of Whitbread Shares for a takeover. Offered me £45-£55 per share. When I refused to give her my email address so said" You're a bitch, d'you know that?" My question; how did she get all my information???? Who is selling on Names, Addresses and stock holding of shares?
Aug 05, 2024 Rating
centrica sacm by: Anonymous
same scenario for everyone please be aware of cold calls from new york using VOIP their not actually from new york. calling to buy shares are totally scam, please block those numbers and call the company were you have your share and no not provide your email and other personal details. Please spread this website for the awareness of all of us here in UK about buying shares. than you.
Jul 18, 2024 Rating
Aviva share scam by: Anonymous
Good thing i found this site. My father just received a call from Amanda that sounds like my asian girlfriend accent from the Philippines. Telling that my father still have scrip shares. When i verify it in Aviva i found out that it's a scam. So im waiting for her call back so i can record and report.
Jul 10, 2024 Rating
Yes it's a scam by: Anonymous
You won't need to ask your question if you read some of the entries on this page. Yes, it is a scam. Please ignore all further contact with the.
Jul 09, 2024 Rating
Tandem group plc shares via madison capital partners by: Anonymous
Hi taken several calls from Madison Captial Partners plc regarding my mothers shares in tandem group plc. Similar stories Non disclosure Now a call regarding a bond Can I assume it's all a fake scam. Thanks Any advice helpful
Jul 03, 2024 Rating
Scottish Power Iberdrola SA aggressive takeover by: Anonymous
"Paula Baker" of Equiedge Securities would like me to sell my interest shares at somewhere between £18 and £35, and sent me a NDA (.jpg file). Phoned several times today but I eventually picked-up and asked her to get off the line. She was quite insistent I needed to sell the shares. I'm not sure what the .jpg file attachment would be hiding but with a warning from email and the download killed off, I deleted it. The Equiedge website is professional-looking and possibly is a bona-fide company which is being piggybacked but I'm not hedging any bets. I got rid of all my shares years ago. This looks like a scam again where access to a register is being abused.
May 23, 2024 Rating
Scottish Power scrip dividend/ Iberdrola SA takeover by: Anonymous
Just taken a call from a Rex Yan of Rosen & Stevenson Business Associates regarding a hostile bid for Iberdrola SA which took over Scottish Power in 2007. I sold my Scottish Power shares a long while ago but according to Rex, as an ex shareholder in Scottish Power, I was entitled to a scrip dividend of 90 shares that I missed out on because of the timing of my sale. The 90 shares (now in Iberdrola SA) are apparently still registered in my name, and Rex's client would like to buy them at a price of between £18 to £27 to progress its takeover of Iberdrola. Rex has just sent me an NDA and will no doubt be calling to chase its completion and return to him!! Clearly a scam, but very convincing script so please beware!
May 15, 2024 Rating
They don't give up! by: Anonymous
I reported here on 23 December 2020 about being contacted about an offer to buy my IAG shares (which I have since given to charity). This afternoon I was called by 'Jennifer' who started on exactly the same story. Her number was 00 17196268021. I stopped her and said that I knew this was a scam, and that it would be better if she got an honest job so she could be proud of herself and face herself in the mirror at the end of a day's work (rather pious, I know, but I've had a long time to think about it!) At that point she turned very nasty and called me (many times!) an f***ing bitch and told me that I was the oldest prostitute in town. At that point I put the phone down. I'm glad that I had had the previous experience so I recognised it for what it was.
May 14, 2024 Rating
requested to sell my shares by: Anonymous
just received a call from someone saying there would be a takeover of AVIVa shares and would i be willing to sell my shares at a good price i asked if they would send me a hard copy of the details ???
May 03, 2024 Rating
National grid scam by: KarenAnonymous
On 30th April 2024 I received a call on my landline from a lady in New York claiming to be from Handler Management Incorporated who was involved in a hostile takeover of National Grid and wanted to acquire my shares.She was offering £22.50 per share which seemed to be a highly inflated price.On May 1st I was sent a non disclosure form which I signed and returned. The next day she phoned again to say that she had good news-the takeover had been successful and I could sell my shares if I sent a £5,953 bond and a copy of my passport.By this time I was very suspicious and made some enquiries.I am so grateful that I found this website as it prevented me from losing money and possibly more had I sent a copy of my passport to scammers.
Apr 28, 2024 Rating
Sportech Plc Takeover by: Anonymous
So glad I seen this website...lol
I have been called a few times over the last week by an American woman supposedly from NY working for APEX Acquisitions Advisors re: a hostile takeover bid for Sportech Plc.
As mentioned in other comments... 1. A non-disclosure form to be signed and submitted 2. An legal check and lo and behold, I have 3500 Scrip shares awarded to me...lol 3. Insurance bond to be set up to protect me / buyer They had not got round to asking me for bond money as yet. 4. I only have 150 shares worth a total of £9 and as they were offering between £7 - £15 a share, it's an inviting offer 5. to be fair...There's no way I would be sending £thousands in bond money if asked!
They're phoning me tomorrow, looking forward to it now..hahaha
Apr 26, 2024 Rating
American caller James Olsen by: Mousy42
Gentleman rang me trying to buy my BAA shares which I don’t have or they said did I have Halifax or Lloyds etc , had I ever bought these share they new how many I had , offered to buy them for between £7 to £15 , would I fill in a form with information where I bought them and who from , many many phone calls from them , luckily the number shows on my phone and I also have a phone blocker so they have to give a name for me to accept x
Feb 21, 2024 Rating
Feldman and Roth law Sacramento by: Anonymous
Slick call from an American female, had my name email , phone number etc with usual company trying to acquire shares for hostile takeover etc, they sent NDA several back up calls. I emailed real acquisition lawyers in Sacramento asking for verification of Feldman etc, no response from any!! Pity it wasn’t real because £137,000 would be very handy!
But old adage if it’s too good to be true… it isn’t Be careful out there
Feb 20, 2024 Rating
national grid by: Anonymous
same M.O. had 41 % would pay £12 + for my wife,s shares. Said I could not confirm he said he would phone back Some Chance.
Feb 13, 2024 Rating
Lloyds scam by: Anonymous
Had a couple of calls from ladies purporting to be from Chatsworth Advisors LLC, saying they were involved in a hostile takeover of Lloyds Bank. Highly inflated prices were offered my mums shares, thought it could be legit until they started talking about the need to lodge part of a bond upfront.
Feb 02, 2024 Rating
National Grid buyer for shares by: Anonymous
Just had a similar call to others wanting me to sign a form as an expression of interest. Need my email address that I did not provide but told them to send it to my home address that they said they had but did not reveal. Clearly a scam looking at your past readers posts.
Dec 12, 2023 Rating
CENTRICA Share Scam by: Anonymous
Had a call from an American sounding woman stating she was representing Hertz & Wagner Consulting Group wanting to buy my CENTRICA shares on behalf of a third party offering to give 8 times the shares I hold and at £11.25/share if I payed an upfront bond of over £4000.00. Sounded very convincing and also the e-mails that followed but a SCAM beware!!!
Dec 05, 2023 Rating
LLOYDS SHARE SCAM by: Anonymous
Had telephone call from an american sounding lady from a company called Scott-Elliot Consulting Group in New York regarding my wifes Lloyds bank shares. Similar to other scams reported here, offered to purchase the shares at inflated price to achieve over 51% holding in takeover. Some concern that she knew my wife held Lloyds shares. They emailed non disclosure form for completion and followed up a couple of hours later to check it had been received and pushed to have it returned. Were very persistent even when I informed them I knew it was a scam. Had long conversation and told them I was glad I had been able to waste lots of their time.
Nov 22, 2023 Rating
National Grid Takeover by: Anonymous
Think it was Amelia who just called to say they wanted to buy my National Grid Shares, or something along those lines. Said they had 49% and just needed 51%. Managaed to google this while they were on the phone and saw there was something about a National Grid but making a takeover of someone else. Had my name and number but not my email address. Anyway, I don't have any National Grid Shares, so I said thanks but no thanks and they hung up.
Nov 16, 2023 Rating
National Grid - Hostile takeover by: Anonymous
Received a call from a New York number stating to purchase my National Grid part of a hostile takeover. The company call Chatsworth Advisors. If I was interested in selling to sign a Non-disclousre Agreemnent and the potential buyer was willing to pay £15 to £20 per share. I went to check this companies website and it displayed a NONSECURE website. However I proceeded to see what the catch was - they than send you a statement/Agrement of how much your shares worth (£50000) in the potential takeover however the catch is you have to pay £5000 as an insurance bond to an offshore Escrow account before you receive £50000 - SCAM
Nov 08, 2023 Rating
National grid takeover? by: Anonymous
Just had a phone call on my land line by a company wanting to purchase my shares. They knew my name and phone no and said Nat Grid had asked them to contact me. I was suspicious and said I was not interested. They hung up
Nov 06, 2023 Rating
National grid by: Be aware
I have just had a call from a company saying they were willing to offer me £16-21 for national grid shares and they wanted my e mail address. I did not give them this and told them l wasn’t interested. I take it that this was a scam
Oct 17, 2023 Rating
Hostile takeover of BT Share Scam by: Anonymous
17/10/2023 - just had the same experience that others have had. I did not give them my email address. They have my landline number and obvously expected me to confirm I had BT shares before they would move onto the next step in the scam. I said I wasn't interested and hung up.
Oct 16, 2023 Rating
Oxis Assoc LLC by: EMM
I just had a call from Sally Ford who wants my Centrica shares. She emailed me a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Offered minimum £6 per share to reach 51% ownership.
Oct 06, 2023 Rating
Similar call about Banco Santander by: Anonymous
Call similar to others saying that their client was looking to buy Santander and needed to purchase extra shares at at least £7. I said I would not do anything without seeing it in writing - expect ty will be calling me back !
Oct 06, 2023 Rating
Santander scrip shares by: Anonymous
Same pattern as previous, charming Latin lady excellent English extensive scrip which ended with need to email me a form. Quickly lost interest when I asked that she mail it to me and I would pursue with Santander as I had no idea who I was talking to.
Sep 21, 2023 Rating
Sme Deal with BT by: Anonymous
Just received an unsolicited call from Georgia US in reference to selling BT shares at a large mark up to a New York Consulting Group. Good to read how the scam works. I will not fill in the form they sent me.
Sep 20, 2023 Rating
Lloyds bank by: Anonymous
A lady telephoned me twice this week from the USA to say they were preparing a hostile bit for a client of theirs who was prepared pay between £7 to £15 per share, I declined, only after foolishly giving her my email address. I wish I had seen this web site sooner
Sep 01, 2023 Rating
BAA/ADI/Ferrovial by: Anonymous
Received a call out of the blue (US number) from someone telling me I still owned script dividend shares from BAA shares that I owned up until the point that BAA was bought by Ferrovial and that a company was attempting to carry out an aggressive takeover and required a further 8% ownership of shares so were interested in mine amongst a large number of shares. All sounded somewhat suspicious so was glad to find this site as I realised that it was probably the same people or a similar scam to those listed on here. For information, the telephone number that I received the call from was: 0017702838084 in case this is helpful for anyone else. There were 2 calls: the second was from a supervisor. They had my name, address and telephone number and were requesting my email address to send me a form. They initially indicated they would send the form in the post and then started asking me for my email details so that it could be "turned around" in 24/48 hours. Fortunately, I told them I did not believe them and did not give my email address. I can now see from the other comments on here how it might have played out next, had I given my email out.
Aug 28, 2023 Rating
Aviva share scam by: Anonymous
Similar story. Client has 41% (this seems to be a common number) of shares and willing to pay £8 each to gain majority share holding. I let her deliver her script for a while then said I would need to consult my financial advisor. She hung up.
Aug 18, 2023 Rating
Hostile takeover scam by: Anonymous
I had a call from a New York based woman claiming to represent Silveredge an acuisitions consultant (there is a fancy website, genuine or not I don't know)seeking my "Escrit shares" in AIG owner of British Airways and Iberia.
Sent me a non disclosure agreement, which I will bin.
Aug 06, 2023 Rating
Centrica Share Scam by: Anonymous
I have been scammed and lost quite a lot of money but could have lost a lot more. I wish I had found this Website earlier. As with others, I received an unsolicited phone call from a lady in the USA working for Omnicom International Group, acting for a client who wished to acquire my 486 Centrica Shares at a premium because they were in the process of making a hostile take-over bid. I had to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. They then found that I had a large number of Script Dividend Shares that I didn't know I had. They were offering £11.85 per share compared to the prevailing market value of £1.14. But, like others, I first had to pay an Indemnity Bond of over £4,500 which, as I know now, stupidly I did. I was then passed over to their lawyers at Popplewell Capital Group LLC. They found that that I had 3 warrants attached to each of my shares which meant that I could buy them for £3.50 and they would pay me £11.85 giving me a total return of over £187,000 for an outlay of around £40,000. By this time I had found this Website and declined the offer but strung along with them to see what happened. They next said that I would have to pay US tax of over £13,000 (which would be returnable) before I could receive my proceeds. I declined, and have not heard from them since. Had I agreed to buy the warrants and paid the tax I could have ended up sending them over £100,000!
Aug 01, 2023 Rating
Sainsbury’s by: Anonymous
As with most other posts promising inflated share price in a bid to control 51% of Sainsbury’s, had some relevant personal details but not an email address of mine. The caller then asked for my email address but when told I didn’t have one he changed tack and said I would lose the offer as by the time postal verification arrived the offer would not be valid. Very convincing if someone is not vigilant in giving details to this scam company.
Jul 13, 2023 Rating
National Grid by: Anonymous
Much the same as reported elsewhere. Contacted to buy my shares in NG (I have a couple of hundred!) Confidentiality agreement needed! Eventually told that because of scrip issues I actually own 1600 shares more than I do and that there is an offer price of about £12 per share over the trading price, but the beal must be insured. They would place a bond with an insurer and would meet 90% of the bond price leaving me to fund 10% (a little over £4000!) SCAM!!
Jul 12, 2023 Rating
Centica by: Anonymous
As with other comments they phoned out of the blue and told that they (Silvergrove capital group) were acting on behalf of a consortium trying to buy up centrica shares. Convincingly told that this was all in the early stages and that as I'm aware that it is critical for the sale to go through that I sign a non disclosure. Second phone call telling me that there's good news and that my shares have increased and they will give a minimum of £7 a share but I would have to pay a bond before a sale could be completed. Gutted could have paid off my mortgage. Lol
Jul 11, 2023 Rating
New york hostile takeover offer for Morrison shares by: Anonymous
Had a number of calls saying I had bonus shares owned by me according to their research. Would I sign a Non-disclosure agreement before they could purchase at an inflated price? Another phone call requiring participation in an insurance bond before the sale could happen! No way am I giving out any money it has to be a scam, told them no money going into anything. So beware
Jun 29, 2023 Rating
Northern Rock share offer by: Anonymous
Had phone call yesterday following same line as all these other calls. I refused to give my email address and was told by the time they have posted out NDA etc the buyer will have purchased the required number of shares so I will lose out. I said fine, so be it. I'm sure I will not receive anything through the post and it is a scam.
Jun 29, 2023 Rating
National Grid takeover by: Anonymous
As you will see from earlier posts all these supposedly great offers are Scams. Next thing they want from you is money for deposit/insurance and that's it. They disappear with your money.
Jun 28, 2023 Rating
National Grid takeover by: Anonymous
Received a call from a lady supposedly from Acquisition Dept atAlpha Capital and Equity Partners LLC stating they had a client who was looking to purchase 51% of National Grid shares at which point once they had acquired all other shares would be worthless. She was offering anywhere between £15 to £25 per share. I have received an email and the address looks legitimate, albeit the number she was calling from was not the New York number. So is something going on or not. She rang again last night but I ignored the call, if she rings again I will not be signing the NDA.
May 25, 2023 Rating
Pelagic Technologies - been there and almost did it by: Anonymous
Many red flags (did my own research on companies, their websites and contact persons), but everyone involved, especially the escrow agent made it look very convincing. When I saw the same pattern with so many other cases here, I backed out a few days ago.
I have an offer to sell shares in Palagic Technologies that I didn't know I had. Got and NDA and offer from Churchill Enterprises and then instructions how to post a bond through a Hong Kong Escrow company Transfer Co Ltd.
Ring any bells??
May 11, 2023 Rating
Vodafone takeover scam by: Anonymous
Exactly same approach as those set out below but this time on Vodafone. Followed same pattern Non Disclosure agreement, ridiculous per share offer, higher number of shares than I ever owned, mystery purchaser and requirement to contribute to performance bond insurance cost. Bells ringing all over the place. It’s all very clever and persuasive but clearly too good to be true. Avoid at all costs
May 03, 2023 Rating
EDF takeover scam call by: Anonymous
Just had an EFT takeover scam call too.. Exactly the same speil . I suggested this was a scam call as I too sold mine many years ago… and then she was abusive!
Apr 19, 2023 Rating
National Grid Takeover by: Anonymous
Phoned by Premier Equity Management LLV New York wanting to buy my National Grid shares today 19 April. Long talk about a takeover using an Insurance company and sending me a non disclosure agreement. Price to be £15 to £25. Received a PDF by email I don’t intend to open the PDF
I sold my shares soon after buying them many years ago. Bill
Apr 14, 2023 Rating
Scottish Power by: Mary
Thank you anonymous from 10/4. I too have been asked to provide email address for NDI linked to Scottish Poer takeover...No intention of getting involved but fail to understand what it is all about
Apr 10, 2023 Rating
Scottish power scam by: Anonymous
Lady phoned from New York asking for my husband who is deceased,let her talk on and was asked for my email or text which I never gave offering to buy my shares at Up to £20 each .Pkease hang up on these people definately was a scam .Said sending form and went off when I said post it.Don’t know how these people get your info.More needs to be done to punish these people.
Apr 03, 2023 Rating
National Grid UK share offer by: Ian R.
Just had a call (with no caller id), wanted to offer me £19 a share for my National Grid shares that are currently trading at just over £10. Wanted to send an NDA by fax or email, when I wouldn't give the email they hung up.
Mar 16, 2023 Rating
EDF takeover bid by: Anonymous
Today I received a call from a man acting on behalf of a company wishing to purchase a majority shareholding in EDF and they wanted to purchase my shares for £10 to £20 per share. I thought this must be a scam as I didn’t think I had any shares left, having sold them quite a while ago. He couldn’t tell me who it was making the offer, so I thanked him for his interest but told him I would not be selling anything to someone I didn’t know.
Mar 15, 2023 Rating
IAG and unknown scrip shares by: Anonymous
call from Colorado Springs with the same story - no money offered but they knew I previously had shares and some personal details! chap rang off when I asked him to write to me!
Mar 08, 2023 Rating
IAG/BA Scrip by: Anonymous
As below, 7.3.2023 convincing phone Call from Triumph Capital offering prospective purchase of Scrip, that I'm not aware that I own.Requests to enter into Insurance Indemnity. Sure they tried this a few years ago. No Go !
Mar 07, 2023 Rating
IAG / BA shares by: Anonymous
Last night I was contacted by someone supposedly from triumph capital fund mgt offering to buy my small holding of IAG shares at well above market price. Mention of "take over bid" and "Non disclosure agreement document" rang alarm bells.
Mar 06, 2023 Rating
Recovery Room Scams by: Anonymous
In a Recovery Room fraud, scammers identify a collapsed or worthless company and they obtain a publicly available list of shareholders. They create the appearance of a credible company eg: through the use of a professional looking website. They then contact shareholders with the news that the shares they thought were worthless are sought after by a buyer who is willing to purchase the shares for a high price. In order to capitalise on this the shareholder is told, all they need to do is pay an arrangement fee or insurance deposit. Of course, if they part with the funds they will never see or hear from the buyer again.
Feb 16, 2023 Rating
IAG BA Shares by: Anonymous
Contacted by Jordan Ross and Mike Banks from Crestmont Capital Management LLC in New York a number of times. Very long and persuasive phone calls telling me my (37) shares were worth between £10 & £15 AND I was due a dividend of an extra 2,500 shares! Was sent a Non Disclosure Form and advised about a hostile takeover. Blocked the caller on mobile and landline - beware they are very convincing…!!
Feb 01, 2023 Rating
Cable and Wireless by: Anonymous
Phone call from USA I was told. Number seemed to be Ohio but not genuine. Apparently African guy said C&W was taken over by Liberty a few years ago but I might be due dividends. I said I wasn't interested. Disturbing that the guy knew my name,address and telephone number.
Jan 21, 2023 Rating
Vero Ridge Associates IAG takeover by: Anonymous
Received two phone calls from two women with south Asian accents but apparently calling from Buffalo, NY. First from Lian Wilson asking if I was interested in selling IAG shares with a current face value of c. £1.40 for £7-£15 each to prevent a hostile takeover of IAG. Asked to fill in a non-disclosure agreement. Second call from a Catherine Davies revealing that I actually had 20x more shares than I thought I had. She also mentioned insurance indemnity but that is as far it went. Possibly due to me mentioning that I thought the whole thing sounded too good to be true.
They claimed to be working for Vero Ridge Associates based in New York State. Whois revealed that the very convincing Vero Ridge Associates website had been set up on 05/01/2023. Two weeks earlier. I couldn’t find any evidence of the firm existing before that date.
Dec 15, 2022 Rating
Centrica by: Anonymous
Do not take it any further it is a scam and will cost you thousands of pounds this is a full scale scan
Dec 15, 2022 Rating
Centrica & DWG Acquisition Group USA by: Anonymous
Had two phone calls so far from DWG USA ?? (Indian accent) ref a hostile takeover of Centrica plus a Non Disclosure document by email which maybe foolishly I completed and returned.
The 2nd phone call detailed a final share price, some 11 times their published value plus an inflated quantity made up by additional SCRIP shares, this was news to me? Then 4 lots of figures ranging from the final agreed share price total value down to a figure that is calculated after putting up a Bond of several thousand pounds for one of 4 different insurance companies based in 4 different countries, one yet to be selected, now waiting for the next stage.
Dec 05, 2022 Rating
Hostile takeover or scam? by: Anonymous
I had something similar last week. I'm glad I found this page of comments, mirroring my experience. It begins with a non-disclosure agreement. I didn't send it back, although I thought I would. They weren't asking for any information that they didn't already confirm they had. I hadn't heard of it as a scam, and I'm still not 100% sure it is. Somehow, they had my contact details, and they knew I had bonus shares in a certain company, that I sold years ago. I probably didn't sell the bonus shares. How did they know these things? Somehow, they have access to the share accounts of a company they are helping to facilitate the hostile takeover of. That doesn't add up. My best advice for you is: hostile takeovers target specific shareholders with big holdings. It's too risky to contact thousands of individuals and expecting none of them to expose the takeover. Also, I did a WHOIS look up for the website address of the email account they sent the NDA from. It was registered very recently.
Nov 19, 2022 Rating
National grid takeover scam by: Ek
Called yesterday 18/11/2022. Caller wanted to buy my shares in national grid offering a minimum of £15 per share. Wouldn't post the non disclosure form!had to have email or fax. Too good to be true and very convincing. I have so few shares that are unlikely to get them majority shareholder status!!
Sep 26, 2022 Rating
National Grid takeover by: Anonymous
I have received a series of calls from a company (Dawsons) supposedly retained by investors trying to takeover National Grid plc. They knew I was a former shareholder and said they believed I was entitled to undisclosed shares. They want details and an NDA signed before their solicitors will checkout my position.
Aug 24, 2022 Rating
IAG share scam by: Anonymous
I was called by a company called Silver Leaf Capital group as I own IAG shares. Similar story to others here. They are trying to surreptitiously buy up IAG shares to give their client a majority shareholding in the company and following that, an uncontested take over!! IAG are trading around 106p per share but the offer to buy would be in the region of £7 to £14 per share. They have emailed me a non disclosure agreement to sign and return to them and I received a follow up call today chasing the form, which I don't intend to return. Some googling revealed that SLCG is not authorised by the FCA and and that it is targeting people in the UK. If that isn't enough to put people off dealing with them, the adage 'if it looks too good to be true, it probably is' should be born in mind.
Aug 18, 2022 Rating
Centrica share purchase scam by: Anonymous
Similar to some mentioned below. Hostile take over of Centrica, need final 8% of shares from small investors. Prepared to pay £7-17. Will send NDA and further details. Have not (yet) asked for any payment....
Jul 27, 2022 Rating
Whitbread scam by: Anonymous
Nice bloke from America, knew details about my Dad, deceased, and missing share certificate which made my Mum believe details were plausible. Red flag when they asked her to pay a big some of money upfront for an insurance bond. Despite being told not to tell anyone, thankfully she told me and we stopped her losing any money.
May 23, 2022 Rating
National Grid by: Anonymous
Just had a call from a 00 191 number wanting to buy my National Grid shares for a takeover bid. Asked whether I wanted info via email or fax, I insisted first class post which would would get to me within 2 days, and I would contact them if I liked what I read. I stated if they had my phone number they knew my address so this wouldn’t be difficult. At that point they hung up.
May 12, 2022 Rating
Centrica by: Anonymous
Just received call from supposedly UK number 019146766202 regarding take over of centrica by company needing the last 8% of privately owned shares offering between £8 & £17 per share. Gave them an unused email address but after reading online during the call I suspect this is a scam. I hung up
2 phone calls so far. Over 20 minutes each.New York to London. stage one sign a non disclosure agreement NDA. Stage two pay a 5% contribution to an indemnity bond. Anything that requires a prepayment to promote your getting an unforeseen pay out is a SCAM. American accents and claiming to be based in New York. I will let them call me again and I hope they will run up their phone bill and waste their time which might otherwise be spent trying to trick another greedy gullible victim. Or maybe they will read this warning and realise its a waste of time trying to scam me. Well done you who maintain this website. It has confirmed my suspicions in a timely way. I had a similar experience a couple of years ago involving IAG (parent of BA aand Iberia)….. good for a laugh.
Jan 25, 2022 Rating
Is it a scam by: Anonymous
Been approached by "New York company. acting for a company offering to purchase my shares in Fortune Dynasty OIl. THey havent asked about a share certificate and are offering a very good price, but I recall selling my shares in Fortune Oil to Fortune Dynasty 6 years ago. Telling me my holding has increased four fold, but expecting me to pay Indenity insurance of 10% 0f sale value. Too good to be true? It must be a scam.
Jan 20, 2022 Rating
Looks like another scam by: Steve R (UK)
Had a phone call from Kelton Consultants LLC re Prudential pref shares . (WE sold our Pru ord shares about 20 years ago). Thet sent an NDA to sign but thanks to this site I'll bin it & block them but I expect they'll phone back now they think I'm interested!
Dec 08, 2021 Rating
Just another scam by: Anonymous
I received a phone this afternoon along the same lines as the other posts i e. Someone out of the blue calls to say that I had some shares in a company that was subject to a hostile take over. It appeared that the acquiring company had 41% of the shares and was looking to buy the extra 10% to get 51% ownership. As my "shares" was part of that 10%, I could get a good price for them I gave them my junk email address to send their Non Disclosure Agreement.
The email was sent from clarkston Corporate Partners (CCP) based at 1431 Broadway, NYC. I searched the Financial Conduct Authority website where I found that CCP was not regulated by them and could not be deemed a reliable source as a financial services provider.
My wife had a call last night, though I didn’t catch the company name. If the number was real it was Vietnamese. "A hostile bidder wants BP shares, has agreement for 42% held by corporations, wants the further 8% from privately held equity. Could be £5-15 per share!" (Currently £3.50). The caller has some share registry or similar as she knew my name and that I also hold BP. Three mistakes: (1) Do you have the actual share certificates? No one does in U.K. because you can’t easily deal actual certificates any more. (2) NO WAY is £15 realistic. (3) If this was real, the press would know long before I did, and there’s nothing at all about any rumour of a BP takeover.
Nov 05, 2021 Rating
East Coast Holdings shares by: Anonymous
I have been contacted today by a firm of solicitors Morrison and Pittman law about shares I had in East Coast Holdings. Never heard of them so think this is a scam they give you 14 days to sign an agreement but I am waiting for the sting when they ask for some cash up front.
Sep 21, 2021 Rating
Is this a scam? by: Anonymous
I have been contacted by Sharpe Consultancy group LLC about a hostile takeover of and they want to offer me a good price on my shares. The american woman keeps phoning asking me to fill out a form asking for all the details and receipts for the shares. Looking at the other comments I am beginning to think that this is just one of a whole series of scams involving shares. Can someone just confirm this for me please as I do actually have shares in the company they phoned about, so I don't know how they found out about them if it is a scam.
Sep 07, 2021 Rating
scams by: john barlow
Lewis & SHAW CONTACTED ME ABOUT MY SHARES IN A COMPANY CALLED EAST COAST HOLDINGS ( NEVER HAD SHARES IN MY LIFE ) TOTAL WAS $132456 AND I COULD CLAIM THE MONEY IF I PAID $75000 UP FRONT ATLANIC ESCROW WERE INVOLED AND A PERSON CALLED BRIAN HULL A SO CALLED REGULATER OVERSEEING THE DEAL, ONE BIG SCAM THEY EVEN SENT ME A SHARE NO TO TRY AND CONVINCE ME TO PAY UP. LEWIS & SHAW MIGHT BE REAL BUT THEE WERE NOT BEWARE DO PAY ANY MONIES
Aug 19, 2021 Rating
Standard Life Takeover by: Aledwo
Had a call from McMill International asking to buy my Standard Life shares, they said I had some bonus shares which I would not know anything about and I need to sign a confidentiallity document and send it back to them before I could continue with the sale. I new this was some sort of scam as I Know I do not have any shares with Standard Life. The scammers have been calling twice a day for days now but have sent then strainght to answerphone, no messages being left.
Aug 18, 2021 Rating
Lewis & Shaw Law, East Coast Holdings Group by: Andreas
Thanks Anonymous, for your comment Aug 12. You helped me a lot as these guys targeted me, too. They were highly professional sounding and, to me, like you, the red flag was that the four websites they pointed me to all looked the same. As if they were drawn by the same designer.
Aug 16, 2021 Rating
Prudential Shares by: Anonymous
Just had a call (Indian accent) about Prudential shares they want to buy ahead of a hostile take over. I don't have any Prudential shares, so knew it was a scam. They kept asking for my email address so they could send through the 'confidential' paperwork to buy my shares for an amazing price. I told them to post it to me as I wasn't going to give my email address. They knew my postal address without me giving it, but said it would be late by then. Nice try suckers!
Aug 12, 2021 Rating
East Coast Holdings by: Anonymous
Similar story had a call from California stating I had numerous shares in East Coast Holdings and that I could sell them before a hostile takeover occurs. Had my details but has not asked for any money or bank details, but this is surely a scam as I do not remember ever buying shares in this company. Not sure if I will follow the process until Bank details or having to purchase insurance etc is started to be suggested. The clue for me is the very poor website , surely a company " Corporate Acquisitions" like this would have more than just a single page, with very little information on. They are supposed to contact me today, even though I did say I would be paying no money.
Aug 09, 2021 Rating
Rolls Royce by: Anonymous
Today I received a very professional phone call from a lady supposedly from Patterson Wealth Management of New York warning me of a pending hostile takeover of RR shares. She had my correct details. They are apparently offering me higher rate for my shares, but I mustn’t disclose the amount to anyone! She wanted my email address to send full details, and most likely a form I should sign. I refused to give her my email address and hung up as I correctly believed it was a scam.
Aug 05, 2021 Rating
Prudential/Egg. by: Anonymous
Got a polite but typical New York accent on the phone from a spoofed phone number starting 00...... asking to spek with my wife, but happy to talk pseudo professional twaddle about being within a few percentage points of getting a majority shareholding.
[Some how he must have got this hands on an out of date share register]
Funny thing is he refused to give me his contact details so that my wife could call him back.
Aug 03, 2021 Rating
Almost scammed by: SM M THOMAS
I was contacted today by the same MCMILL INTERNATIONAL about a hostile takeover concerning Rolls-Royce .Very plausible fortunately I spoke to my financial adviser who said it is a scam. I have binned their email without opening it and will not hold any further communication with thm
Jul 30, 2021 Rating
And another by: Anonymous
Calling themselves McMill International Securities LLC this time, same hostile takeover nonsense - SSE this time.
Jul 29, 2021 Rating
Cable and Wireless Shares by: Anonymous
Angela Park from New York called me earlier regarding my cable and wireless shares which is already settled years ago and she's insisting that i have script shares in liberty global plc that need to verify and offering me 20gbp or even more per share.
she send me a non disclosure that i need to sign to start the verification.
This is so suspicious.
Jul 20, 2021 Rating
Prudential plc takeover scam by: Anonymous
I wasn't sceptical enough. So pleased to have a scam confirmed by this web-site. Tony Chavis of Eichmann-Bernfeld & Partners LLC rang me from New York. Same story. They sent me a confidentiality agreement from Eichmann-Bernfeld & Partners LLC , which I will now not return.
Please note that I first tried to enter my comments using Firefox but they would not post. I am now using Microsoft Edge.
Jul 15, 2021 Rating
Lewis & Shaw Law by: Anonymous
Contacted by phone about fictitious shares in a company East Coast Holdings Group. Email then sent by them with a Private Contract of Exchange to purchase the shares at around $140,000. Although, apart from reporting this phishing attempt to report@phishing.gov.uk and Hostinger, I have taken no further action. It would undoubtedly have followed the same pattern as other posts here: a demand for substantial insurance/indemnity etc. to release the funds - of course, never be seen again.
There must be a reasonable return from this kind of thing because, albeit small, there are costs in setting up these type of 'Stings':
. Prestigious company address (possibly fake if all online) . Web design . Hosting ...
Jul 09, 2021 Rating
Pattison Asset Management by: Anonymous
I have been contacted by the above company about selling shares in Corus Group - I sold my holding in 2007. Apparently these are scrip shares from this holding that I didn't know about and I will be paid really good money but I must first sign an NDA. This really feels like a scam but I have not yet been asked to part with any confidential details - other than my email address - or money. I think that I might play along a little longer to see - but with my eyes wide open!!!!
Jun 25, 2021 Rating
Centerview Consulting - Scam by: Anonymous
My parents received a phone call from an 'Aubrey Lane' of Centerview Consulting Group LLC last night. The call followed the same process and has resulted in an NDA being received.
Obviously a scam, their website was only set up a month ago and somehow they have managed to misspell USA - impressive. Parents have been warned and emails/calls will be ignored
Jun 21, 2021 Rating
BT/Centerview Scam by: Keith
I was recently cold-called by Brian Gonzales, an apparent employee of Centerview Consulting in New York City. He explained that an offer of more than £50,000 had been made for 250 BT shares owned by my mother, who died in 2006. He followed up by sending me authentic-looking paperwork with the company logo, bearing the correct address, phone number, fax number and email address. I decided to see where this would lead by completing forms sent to me, such as a non-disclosure agreement and sending proof of my identity. I was expecting a "sting." That came several days later, when I was asked to transfer almost £6,000 as a sign of commitment – I would then receive the sale price and refund of the upfront payment. That's when I stopped answering the phone. I contacted Centerview and they confirmed that they do not have an employee called Brian Gonzales. I contacted a partner of Centerview based in London and was told the same. Observations: Two female "employees" also contacted me, one with the surname Gonzales.
All three had AmericanoSpanish/Hispanic accents
My contribution was to go a bank account in the Philippines.
Jun 14, 2021 Rating
Centerview pru shares by: Anonymous
Laura from Centerview consulting based in new York phoned about my presidential shares. Give email so she can send the non disclosure etc. I asked for her name and email rather than giving mine. Laura info@centerviewconsulting.com. I'm pretty sure a professional world have given me a surname too. Anyway won't be emailing them but very happy to have my suspicions confirmed on this site. Thanks!
Jun 14, 2021 Rating
Beale and Adams .Europe. by: Anonymous
Just had phone call from "Beale and Adams" to buy my BAE shares ?? ( which i have some ). for £20+ Thank you Mr Annon on the &th June giving me the heads up that its a scam. Sounded to good to be true YES it is . as the saying goes. ???
Jun 12, 2021 Rating
Securities Best by: Malcolm
Different name, same M.O. Look back at any of the maybe 500 posts on here, going back for a decade, and you'll find the same story. Once they've eventually suckered you in they'll want a 10% insurance bond, which you'll never see again.
Jun 12, 2021 Rating
Contacted by a company called Securities Best by: Anonymous
I have been contacted by a company in New York called Securities Best about shares I know I don't have. They say I have 35,000. They want to buy them from me as the firm is being taken over. They have sent me a purchase agreement, NDA plus some other stuff. Nowhere has asking me for money been mentioned but I don't want to sign anything that puts me in problems. Anyone else had this?
Jun 11, 2021 Rating
Same Scam by: Anonymous
Just received a similar phone call from Wheeler Ford International regarding selling shares in Avis which we don't have I asked them to send details via e-mail and realized it was a scam but sounded very plausible Be warned Wonder who it can be reported to
Jun 07, 2021 Rating
Same story - Beale and Adams Group by: Anonymous
A heads up for anyone else out there, my 75 and 80 year old parents were called by someone from "Beale and Adams" with the same MO, we want to buy your shares, sign this NDA please blah blah blah. Luckily they couldn't figure out how to attach a file to an email (!!!) and rang me for help.
I found this website which helped confirmed my suspicions so wanted to put this post up to let folks know that if you hear from "Beale and Adams" then it's a scam
Jun 03, 2021 Rating
Coffee Heaven shares @ £40-50 each by: Anonymous
Another one in the 'too good to be true' category, although I did once own shares in Coffee Heaven which gave some credibility to the call. Coffee Heaven was bought by Whitbreads in 2009.
In this case the deal came from Wheeler-Ford International Securities LLC.
A quick google after the call led me here.
Jun 03, 2021 Rating
Pru/EGG Scam by: Anonymous
My wife had phone calls from New York Wainrightcapitalpartners .Ref Prudential/egg bank shares that they had someone who needed them. They then sent her a None- Disclosure form.Before they would supply further details.I checked the firms details and if the contact names worked for them together with other details and comments on line.I stopped further transactions/calls ITS A SCAM
Jun 02, 2021 Rating
Prudential by: Anonymous
I got a call today about shares in Prudential plc which their lawyers said I owned. Has anyone else had calls about shares they don't own? Something to do with a take over, the woman's accent was very difficult to understand. She didn't even know my surname - asked for Mrs [my Christian name]. No doubt it was a scam, but if I had shares in the company I might have been convinced it was genuine.
Jun 02, 2021 Rating
Tesco share scam by: Anonymous
Been contacted two nights running around 7pm from American sounding lady about Tesco shares. Shares are around £2.25 at the moment, she was offering up to £18 a share to buy mine. Usual "BS" spiel!!
May 27, 2021 Rating
Offers to buy shares in Prudential plc by: Chris of Cambridge
"Henrik Carlson" calls at about 20:40 this evening, very polite wanting to speak to my wife about her Pru shareholding. He's in a firm acting for a rich buyer who wants to acquire Pru shares, to get a majority. I conclude immediately that this is an elaborate scam, I say she's not available, but tell me more. "Henrik" says he is with CenterView Consulting and gives a phone number. This is not the number he's calling from but I look up CenterView while he tells me about the offer, and it exists - its a law firm - I can't see a phone number on their site but the fax number is in the same area code. Anyhow I let him go on and eventually I need to get on mowing the lawn so I say look, you call someone in England late in the evening, with an incredible tale, its a scam and I shall report all the details. "Oh sir, there is no need to talk like that, this is a genuine offer..." I put the phone down. Subsequently find this site - well done!
May 27, 2021 Rating
Centerview consulting group llc by: Anonymous
Have been contacted by Ms Emma LOPEZ from above group re buying BT shares which I sold years ago. Same patter re non disclosure agreement etc. Total scam and I note the name Lopez has been mentioned in previous comments although not this particular company. Will report them, just be aware that although company names change the scam stays the same! Thank you to everyone who has commented on this page.
May 25, 2021 Rating
WAINRIGHT CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD SCAM ! by: Anonymous
Please please do not fall for this very convincing scam claiming to offer £7.50 for a 11p share making me £30,000 only sussed it out when website wasn’t secure and finding comments on here they wanted a £4500 bond which I found very strange but someone will fall for this it’s disgusting.
May 24, 2021 Rating
Wainright Capital Partners LTD by: Anonymous
Received a phone call from ANTHONY GUTIERREZ purporting to be from Wainright Capital Partners LTD. They were wanting to purchase my late husband's shares in Costain. A client of theirs is trying to acquire 51% of the shares in a bid for a hostile takeover. Non-Disclosure agreement to be signed before they would confirm purchase price. They were initially offering between £3 and £12 per share and would confirm details once they receive my signed agreement. Current share price is around £0.58p per share.
Too Good To Be True, You Bet!
May 24, 2021 Rating
Astra Zenica by: Anonymous
We have received many calls from Wheeler-Ford Internatinal Securities based in New York ( woman sounds Asian, same woman every time)trying to purchase shares held in Astra Zenica at an inflated price. Wants us to sign an DNA . Website looks realistic Not interested in putting any requests in writing
They seem to be interested in companies which are current right now where there is talk of takeovers (Pfizer were rumoured to be interested in a takeover of Astra Zenica) in order to throw you off the fact that they are attempting to scam you
Please ignore them, thankfully we found a few sites which eventually referred us here
May 21, 2021 Rating
J Sainsbury hostile takeover by: Anonymous
3 very long phone calls from a Debbie Morgan and a James Edwards supposedly from Vandenbroucke-Becker & Assocs of New York. Their client apparently wishes to acquire J Sainsbury shares for hostile takeover. My very small residual share holding has apparently been augmented by 2500 bonus shares with total value up to £37k. Non disclosure agreement sent. Possible (highly probable!) request for indemnity bond for insurance purposes of £2k to £5k. Insurers apparently include Lloyds and Prudential. Documents being sent to me setting out offer - I await their arrival with great anticipation.
May 21, 2021 Rating
Sounds like another scam by: Anonymous
I received a phone call from Angela Griffin of Wheeler-Ford Securities in New York about a hostile takeover of National Grid, offering £10 to £18 per share. It sounded a bit dodgy and looking at this site confirms that !
May 20, 2021 Rating
Vodafone by: Anonymous
It's another scam. Just wait until they ask you for a deposit of $1000+ and you will realise they just want your money, then, if you pay them, you'll never hear from them again.
May 20, 2021 Rating
Euro Tinnel Shares by: Anonymous
Same basic story. Bullion International Partners LLC, New York, were trying to get from 41% to 51% of shares, and offered up to £40/share for worthless shares. Wanted a NDA signed. Didn't get as far as the indemnity insurance, but they did mention it. Checked website - no SSL security, web domain address taken out in April 2021! Checked on New York company registry, no sign of them. If it sounds too good to be true ......
May 20, 2021 Rating
Company take-over. by: Bon
Have been approached by Wheeler-Ford International Securities LLC New York about buying a small amount of shares in Vodafone Group PLC ref a takeover and requesting me to sign a CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM OF NON-DISCLOSURE. Has anyone else been approached.
May 20, 2021 Rating
Prudential Shares Scam by: Anonymous
A call suppoosedly from Daniel Young at K C Partners, New York offering to buy shares to make up an 8% shortfall within a proposed hostile takeover bid.
He offered to send odcuments but I insisted he gave me a contact number and email address so I could check if I had any shares, knowing I had sold them several years ago! I challenged with what i found on this website and he cut me off...
May 19, 2021 Rating
Wainrighcapitalpartnersltd by: Anonymous
I was approached in early May to sell my shares in Baronsmead VCT 5. The initial call was by telephone from the above based in New York. I asked for details of the proposal and was sent a NDA as they claimed it was a hostile acquisition. They then offered £11.20 for each of my 4500 share currently selling @ £0.72p promising a return of £54,168 on their sale. This offer was conditional on the purchase of an insurance policy being purchased through an account @ Bank Rakyat Indonesia @ £5,062.The whole scam looked very professional and every thing was confirmed in email docs. Beware of this Scam which seems to be very convincing.
May 10, 2021 Rating
Not the man from the Pru by: Anonymous
I got home from work to be told that Bob Cortez (I see he's also mentioned below on 3rd May) would be calling back at around 730 pm.
He said that he was acting for a client who was wanting to buy my Prudential shares, and claimed that they'd already got 41% but needed 51% to succeed.
I've heard nothing from the Pru about a hostile takeover, nor have I seen anything in the news.
Didn't ask for more details - if it sounds to good to be true, it's probably a scam so I was interested to see the other comments.
May 10, 2021 Rating
Whitbread Hostile Takeover by: Anonymous
I've been called numerous times about a hostile takeover of Whitbread and I AM a Whitbread Shareholder - although I doubt the the few shares I hold would be of much interest. I did listen this time to hear a bit more about what they have to say ..... I didn't get the company name but their client is not interested in the Whitbread Management Team just the companies assets and licences. They already have a commitment from institutional investors to get them to 43% of the 51% they need and are prepared to offer between £30 & £40 per share. I stopped the call when they wanted my email address. Hopefully I won't hear from them again.
May 08, 2021 Rating
JOINT GAP!!!!!!!! by: JAY
There's 2 people out there named Mr. Richard and Johnny. They came to my boyfriend and I like they were certified stock brokers on a stock type chat. They said that they trade on stocks, crypto, and options. You'll make an account on a site called Jointgap and you'll send your money to the website. Mr. Richard will tell you that you'll see 160 to 370% profit in a weekly trade. With all the income you've made " ", he'll take about 20%. Sounds Great, Right? WRONG! When my $1,000 flip turned into $15,000 on my profile, I wanted to my a withdraw. It wouldn't let me. I was notified by Mr. Richard and the 24/7 support team on the website that I need to add $3000 more to take out anything from my account. FISHYYYYYY They came off super professional and not as scammers! I guess when something sounds too good to be true, it is! Be Careful
May 07, 2021 Rating
Milwall by: Anonymous
Been contacted today by Greengate Wealth Management LLC which is situated in New York telling me that Millwall FC is trying to fend off a hostile takeover and they want to buy my shares for up to £10 a share. I know that basically these shares are worthless so why would someone want to pay £10 a share. Haven’t asked me for any money yet but told me not to talk about this to anyone.
May 07, 2021 Rating
wainright capital partners ltd by: Anonymous
my in-laws had a call from these scammers. proportion to have the inside track on a take over of VCT.LSE they wanted a £4,000 bond to make them £36,000 my elderly in-laws nearly fell for it! initially a phone call followed by lots of legit-looking paperwork. a Ms Mary Cortez did the cold calling
May 03, 2021 Rating
WAINWRIGHT CAPITAL PARTNERS by: Anon
Another so called New York based company offering to buy M&S shares at inflated price if (1) everything was kept secret with NDA and (2) seller deposited £4K bond ahead of receiving proceeds. Clever approach to a recently widowed 80 year old but she was scam savvy.
May 03, 2021 Rating
Miles Capital Corporation by: Anonymous
I have just had a call from Bob Cortez at Miles Capital Corporation based in New York. The spiel was exactly the same as mentioned below - a client is preparing a hostile takeover of Prudential plc and wants to attain a majority share holding so I need to act swiftly and sign an NDA. I don't hold any Prudential shares, but that didn't stop him! Very smooth operator.
May 03, 2021 Rating
City of London Inv Trust for sale? by: M B
Another one, today. Allegedly Wainwright Capital Holdings (an American lady, again) acting for City of London Investment Trust, offering hugely inflated price "in order for a tax advantageous take over to proceed". I may or may not bother reading their documents they have sent me by email. I didn't get as far as the request for money ....
Apr 29, 2021 Rating
Scotty / Motion Media takeover. by: Anonymous
Nearly caught me TBH, but if I'd have got to the asking for money stage I'd have twigged.
Dissolved companies that I had old shares in, bonus shares mentioned, NDA etc - that's as far as it got
Apr 27, 2021 Rating
Prudential Hostile Takeover by: DMFB
Call from Bob Cortez in New York, working for Miles Capital Corporation.
His company is acting on behalf of clients preparing a secret takeover of Prudential.
They were prepared to pay 50% over market value for my shares.
He quickly skimmed over a 'bond which protects both parties', but I thought it sounded fishy.
He explained I'd need to sign an NDA, which he sent to me today.
I Googled them and found this site - thanks, for confirming my suspicions.
Apr 23, 2021 Rating
Take over scam by: Anonymous
Have now received two calls about shares my dad owns, one claiming 800 shares now all of a sudden he owns 3889 shares. They are offering well above the market value and say it doesn’t matter about a share certificate, which I find strange. Last call mentioned a insurance bond of 12% which would be refundable on completion of sale. I’m very sceptical and am now digging through paperwork to find the exact number of shares.
Apr 20, 2021 Rating
Stratten by: Anonymous
Very charming American lady, trying to make me believe my Prudential shares were needed to complete a takeover. Offered good price for my shares, but wanted £5600 wired to Indonesion Bank All to be done quickly & secretively.
Apr 13, 2021 Rating
British Airways /IAG takeover by: Anonymous
We’ve had at least 4 calls purporting to want to buy shares in connection with a takeover bid. Let them carry on until they started talking about the need for a bond. They would probably have asked for bank details next so we did the sensible thing and put the phone down
Apr 12, 2021 Rating
Netcall plc by: Michael
Call from Wainwright who are working for a client to place a hostile secretive bid in for Netcall plc. American sounding person on call.
As per other comments NDA required, holding account etc, but why bother chasing my handful of shares when they could buy loads on the market, or I could wait and sell once their offer is through?
Also wonder if these are people trying to hype up the market similar to reddit forums. Talk on forums of a genuine takeover as well by Microsoft.
They have done their work, I owned these 20 years ago so now off to check with registra, did I actually sell these or have they uncovered something I have never sold. If so thank you scammers.
Apr 08, 2021 Rating
Crown Place VCT by: PG
Phone call from "Jennifer Lau/wrence from allegedly New York wanting to buy my allegedly unsold "bonus shares" in Crown Place VCT on behalf of an undisclosed English buyer. When I asked her to spell for me the full name of her company she mysteriously rang off.
Apr 08, 2021 Rating
Avesco by: Anonymous
Call from Clifton Consultancy Group LLC of New York. Saying I had undisclosed shares in Avesco and an undisclosed buyer wanted to purchase at an inflated price. Sent a non disclosure form and had 2 follow up calls which I have ignored. Why would a company allot secret shares? Sound too good to be true and probably is.
Apr 06, 2021 Rating
Hostile takeover Sibir by: Anonymous
Same scam as reported in November 2019. Forgotten shares in Sibir from years ago. Offer to buy at highly generous price. Phone number looks like India. NDA and insurance mentioned.
Had a call from a Mr. James Iverson / Acquisition Department, from a compamy calling itself Miles Capital Corporation LLC of New York. Mr Iverson didn't sound American and proceeded into his well rehearsed spiel, supposed hostile takeover of Morrisons Supermarket,offering £10 - £15 per share etc. etc. Same o/p as others have highlighted, Non Disclosure Clause, Insurance Bond etc. Website is slick but ficticious with lifted text from other sites and clipart pictures. Blocked their number immediately.
Mar 26, 2021 Rating
Scammers are from outside UK by: Anonymous
All those committing these scams are from outside of the UK, so our police and authorities have no power to do anything to stop them.
Mar 26, 2021 Rating
Take over shares scam by: Anonymous
Having read so many comments about this type of scam why has the authorities not taken action against these people they publish an address give an email and phone number but nothing is ever done it looks like the authorities are not bothered at arresting criminals.
Mar 11, 2021 Rating
Redrow and John Ryan by: Anonymous
A man called said his name was John Ryan and wanted to talk about the Redrow shares that we held. Said he was from the USA and sounded most unlike an American more like Spanish or Mexican. Obviously an attempted scam and we hung up on him.
Mar 10, 2021 Rating
One more identity for the record by: Anonymous
My mother received a similar call. Fortunately she noticed enough red flags in the initial call for her to be suspicious. So they have her email address but nothing else they didn't already know.
I dare say it's the same crew with some different names. In this case the company is Grayson-Williams International Consultancy LLC and the people are Mike Lopes and Alicia Morrison. The names Lopez/Lopes and Alicia have already been mentioned below. Reuse of names doesn't seem surprising to me.
Also if I compare "their" web site with those of some of the other companies mentioned previously, I get the same vibe... All domains are registered with the same registrar. Could be a coincidence, but I think probably not.
Feb 23, 2021 Rating
No calls these days! by: Anonymous
NO NEWS HERE! THEY ARE ALL BULLS..T PEOPLE! For me the good news is I haven't had calls of this kind for about a year, so maybe they're getting the idea that I'm wise to them. Mind I do recall the last one saying something like "But you said you were interested in recovering your funds, are you intentionally wasting our time!" I replied, "Of course I am!" :-)
Feb 23, 2021 Rating
Tip off by: Anonymous
Also had a call from Greenberg Securities - gave my email and had a reply, from seemingly a member of staff, alerting me to the fact it was a scam! Interesting! There was a link to the documents they said they were going to send but i didn't open it. Im expecting a call back from them tonight but will be telling them where to go!
Feb 22, 2021 Rating
Eurotunnel now! by: Anonymous
Phone call from Greenberg Securities. I have not got as far as the insurance bit yet, but same pattern. Have notified Eurotunnel as have not signed the non-disclosure agreement!!!
Feb 17, 2021 Rating
Sainsbury's Takeover Scam by: Anne
I have been contacted over the last few days from Steele Capital Consultancy, New York concerning my late husband's shares in J Sainsbury's, which I had sold. I have been told that my shares are worth £32,000 + because of extra bonus shares and that if I pay an insurance bond of nearly £5,000 I will receive £32,000 in a number of days!! Do they think I am stupid or what!! As soon as they asked for money it was obviously a con. They should be ashamed of themselves. Just sent me paperwork to sign and keep ringing to ask when I can get it back to them!! The answer is NEVER! Want to know how they got our details???
Feb 10, 2021 Rating
complete scam by: Anonymous
i have just found this site after engaging in numerous calls with Steel Capital Consulting over the past weeks. i actually believed it until today when the first mention of me having to put up 11% bond monies was first mentioned as a cost of circa £5K. this aroused my suspicion and got my looking into them a little closer. website looked a little suspect and the office address appears to be a permanently closed former Bank of America outlet. im please i have seen this now before parting with any money! the story i am reading on here mirror my experience almost exactly. the top secret takeover, the NDA etc and the £30K+ payout but then the upfront payment!! Avoid
Jan 28, 2021 Rating
Share buying scam: CORPORATE FINANCE SOLUTIONS, INC. by: David
I was phoned out of the blue by 'Paul', claiming to work for CORPORATE FINANCE SOLUTIONS, INC. in Colorado, USA. Their phone number was withheld. Paul told me that I was the holder of some 'bonus' shares in a company (Cable and Wireless/Liberty) in USA and that a corporate buyer wanted to purchase my shares with a view to becoming a majority shareholder in the company. I used to have shares in Liberty but I sold them all several years ago and I told 'Paul'. He was insistent that I am still the registered holder of the bonus shares which Liberty had not told me about! In order to sell these shares, I would first have to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, which was emailed to me, and then I would be required to buy an indemnity as protection against either party withdrawing from the agreement. After they sent the email, they phoned again for the next 2 days but I didn't answer and they left no message in my voicemail. Although they have a very slick website, a quick internet search showed that a company of the same name previously existed at the same address in Colorado but it was dissolved in July 2003 and is no longer in business. Needless to say, I did not return the Non-Disclosure Agreement; instead I replied to their email to tell them that I believed this to be a scam, and not to contact me again. I also gave them several URL's of websites about similar scams and including the one showing that their company was dissolved. Since then, I've had no more phone calls and no reply to the email.
Jan 27, 2021 Rating
Sainsburys scrip shares scam by: Anonymous
Contacted yesterday by Steele consultancy Company LLC who are said to be in New York. Very legit looking website full of unintelligible information ! They wanted to speak to my mother ( d.2008) about her shares in Sainsburys. Seemed odd but they had a lot of info so gave our email - sent an NDA to sign. Looking further into it I will not have any other dealings. It is a SCAM.
Jan 19, 2021 Rating
Sainsburys aquisition by: Anonymous
My mother was recently contacted by Ms. Emma Vasquez / Acquisition Department from Steele Catital Consultancy LLC offering to purchase her Sainsburys shares currently worth less than £3 for between £7-£15 per share. My mother put her on to me as I deal with her affairs. Ms Vasquez sounded initially very plausible and said she would send an NDA for her to sign. Within hours I received several other calls to ask if the NDA had been received and when it would be returned as there is 'urgency' for the deal to be completed. I can see how vulnerale people could easily be drawn into this scam so be aware. If anyone genuinely wants to give her £15 per share let me know immediately!!
Jan 19, 2021 Rating
J. Sainsbury 'Bonus Shares' by: Anonymous
My partner has been getting calls from 'Rebecca' of Lincoln International LLP telling her that she has about 300 Bonus shares in J Sainsbury. My partner actually worked at Sainsbury's years ago and took part in their Shares scheme although she sold said shares a few years after leaving the company. Lincoln Int'l is an actual company that is based in the USA and has a London office. Rebecca also talked about None Disclosure etc: but in her latest call said that my partner's shares had increased to about 1500 and then started to talk about an AAA guaranteed refundable insurance policy. So far Rebecca has been very persistent in phoning my partner and has actually called back as soon as my partner simply put down the phone without entering into a conversation. We are now going to check with phone provider if that call line can be blocked. I must say that Rebecca sounds very plausible and I could see how people may easily fall for the scam.
Dec 23, 2020 Rating
IAG takeover - lucky escape by: Anonymous
On 14th December I had a call from Joe Miranda of Bluerock Financial Services. He said that his company was representing a buyer wishing to make a top secret hostile takeover of IAG, formerly BA; the buyer already had 43% of the shares and would be willing to pay me well over the market rate for my (86) shares. I asked how he had my details and he said they were available on the Share Register. I asked why they were interested in such a small number of shares as mine and he said that it was not shares but shareholders that counted. IAG shares are trading for about £1.60 at the moment, but he said that the buyer would offer a premium rate of between £8 and £15 a share. He asked that I complete a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), and I did so, after he had assured me that this did not commit me to anything further. Over the next three days I had follow-up calls from Jean Andersen and Alicia Ridge, who were now saying that the buyer had 41% not 43%. Their legal department had discovered that I actually had 2860 bonus/incentive shares, which had no market value, and for which I have no paperwork, but which would be included in the purchase offer. The transaction would be underwritten by an insurance company, with 70–90% covered by the buyer, and the remaining 10–30% covered by me, in a refundable upfront payment.
I looked at the Bluerock website which seems very convincing and well put together, but then started searching for information about scams and am very happy that I came across this site, where what I have experienced is replicated in almost every detail. When Alicia Ridge rang back to finalise matters, I told her that I had done my due diligence and was certain that this was a scam. She put up a spirited defence, saying that there are many lies on the internet, that huge numbers of people had accepted this offer, including members of the IAG board, that people often could not believe that they could be entitled to such a large amount of money, and that she was very resilient and used to being cursed and sworn at. She asked that I honour the NDA, but I said that, as far as I was concerned, it was null and void, that I would report them and that they should not contact me again. They have not been in touch again since.
Dec 01, 2020 Rating
Ms. Victoria Sparks / ALANTRA by: Anonymous
Currently in negotiations with Ms Sparks about selling my J.SAINSBURY shares in a hostile takeover. Very hush hush, so don't tell anyone will you?
Current offer is 7 x Stock market value AND it's only going to COST ME £5000+.
I'm now givingg odds on how long I can keep going - got to borrow funds, sell other stocks etc.
If you wish to place a few £/$ please contact Ms Sparks who will probably be offering better odds!
If you like the sound of her odds, put your house on it!
Nov 25, 2020 Rating
Rollce Royce Yes it is a scam by: Anonymous
Just reading a few of the comments on this site reveals that they were trying to scam you. The scammers all sound very convincing but when people check out the scammer's website and google their office address it usually turns out to be (as an example) a cafe downtown.
Also, just ask yourself why they want 5,000 from you for insurance? That's the scam - you'll never see that money again and they will never contact you again. If you try to contact them you'll get met with a blank wall.
Thanks to this site many people have been saved from throwing their money away. Remember the old adage If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is
In the last couple of days, we were receiving a few telephone calls apparently from a legitimate company in New York offering us a large amount of money for our shares in Rollce Royce. As other people, we had to sign a Non-Disclosure document and as it transpired, we were to put forward a deposit of about £5000.00 as insurance. All the paperwork and the people I spoke to seemed to be very professional and authentic. However, we smelled the rat and declined to proceed. Is it possible that it was a legitimate offer?
Nov 19, 2020 Rating
Kelda/Yorkshire Water scam by: Anonymous
Phone call from a Montreal code asking for my son (who no longer lives at home) concerning shares he used to own in Kelda/Yorkshire Water (he did when YW privatised many years ago). Hung up when invited to talk to me. Would have gone on to claim owed dividends or similar. Obvious scam. Beware.
Nov 18, 2020 Rating
IAG Scam by: Anonymous
Received a call from a firm called Alanta Consultancy talking about a take over of IAG. Asking about share holding and NDA. Offering between £8 And £14 per share. There Email went to trash before it was opened
Sep 25, 2020 Rating
Liberty Consultancy Services LLC IAG Takeover scam by: Anonymous
Liberty Consultancy Services LLC (New York)
Similar story to the others here - called on two occasions to 'sell shares' in IAG, alarm bells rang straight away as they asked for someone in the family who had long since left this world and 'would they like to sell their shares' as well as asking that they sign an NDA. No data confidentiality issues talking to someone who is not the supposed shareholder it seems! Lol.
Sep 21, 2020 Rating
Pathfinder Minerals by: Anonymous
I fell for the Buckminster Securities scam on this company's almost worthless shares which I hold and it cost me in my naivety a few thousand pounds. I have to admit it was brilliantly done, with complex documentation and regular "update" contacts, just disappearing days before the expected payment to me. Everything sounded and looked so professional that it even took me a while to believe it was a scam. It won't happen again but was an expensive lesson! I just wonder, as it is a vast illegal sector, don't the authorities ever investigate, don't they find perpetrators and don't they ever get to hold them to account?
Aug 26, 2020 Rating
Global Asset Management LLC scamming Petards Group and Screen plc by: Anonymous
I have been taking call from yet another Scam operation via a company called Global Asset Management LLC based in the US about a very old shareholding I have in Screen Plc which was taken over buy Petards Group. Having smelt a rat at the outset I thought i would go along with it and see what transpired. They also requested an NDA at the outset and have a very professional approach but game is to sucker you into to pay 5/6K into and escrow account.
Aug 13, 2020 Rating
Gladstone long gone plc by: john G
My wife just had the second call in two days to tell her the good news that she is the owner of numerous "bonus" shares in Gladstone PLC....a very long dead investment. I always explain to these people that my hearing isn't very good and would they kindly put the offer in writing. This time the excuse was that they could not because of Covid.
We didn't get as far as the bit where we were told how much we would have to pay but I am intigued to see that it isn't just long dead companies like Gladstone or NXT but includes big very much alive ones too. Deafness can be very helpful!
Aug 13, 2020 Rating
Hunters and Jacobs Capital Partners - Cali Mayer by: Anonymous
My father and I were recently contacted about his Eurotunnel shares by a company called Hunters and Jacobs Capital Partners. They are based in the USA.
They offered him a sum of money in return for purchasing his shares. They made him sign an NDA. Spoke frequently to a woman with an American accent, 'Cali Mayer'.
Cali asked my father to transfer around £5000.00 to an escrow account in the Philippines last week. She repeatedly told us not to mention anything to anyone.
Cali called me on Monday and suggested that my father pay £5000.00 over the bank counter. She called me three times yesterday (11/8/2020), as well as my father and the house landline. I did some research. Searched for Cali online. Couldn't find her. Further scrutiny of their website, documents and telephone number revealed that this was a scam. Others have reported similar experiences.
Aug 12, 2020 Rating
Kelda Shares by: Anonymous
My parents received a call asking for me from a Raymond Chua regarding Kelda Shares. The call was from New York. It makes you wonder where they get your number from and how they know what shares you have held in the past.
Aug 12, 2020 Rating
Shares have grown by stock dividends!!! by: Anonymous
Call purporting to be from Global Asset Management LLC. They want to buy a very small shareholding I have (57 shares worth circa. £200) in a UK listed company. Miraculously, the 57 shares have grown to 1,758 because of stock dividends despite the fact I have received all dividends into my bank account. I would of course need to pay them money up-front. End of call.
Aug 05, 2020 Rating
YES it is a scam - it's always a scam! by: Anonymous
The last commentator should read a few of the remarks on this site to see that these are all scams. The old saying 'If it's too good to be true...'
Over the years I, like many people on this site, have had numerous calls from the scammers. They are always in the USA and have a script to read, but sound so convincing.
They always want you to buy your long dead shares as long as you send an insurance payment of large amounts. They'll even email you a letter for you to sign stating you will not discuss the deal to anyone else as it's terribly confidential.
Keep safe and don't be scammed!
Aug 04, 2020 Rating
Yorkshire water/Kelda/Crown-Thompson Global Wealth Management by: Barry
I purchased one share in a company called Yorkshire water about 30 years ago. This company was taken over by Kelda PLC. I had forgotten about my share but I have now been approached by someone claiming to be from Crown Thompson Global wealth management. They are offering me a very large sum of money to buy one share plus the scrip shares that they say have been issued to me during the intervening years but on condition that I pay them £4000 first. this feels like a scam but has anyone else had a similar experience?
Jul 30, 2020 Rating
White Stone New York by: Ray A
Just had a call from above company about Legal and General shares I sold in 2006 seems to be same old story am not proceeding
Jul 06, 2020 Rating
Share scam by: Ged P
Just been offered £16.50 each for 3000 "script" shares issued by dragon oil. Only problem they needed me to pay upfront for a transfer agent Mint Global International. I told them they wouldn’t be getting any money from me but I’d be happy to receive a check for the £49k they said I was going to get if the sale went through. They hung up fairly promptly
Jul 06, 2020 Rating
Dana petroleum share scam by: Anonymous
Pretty identical to the previous contributor re dragon oil shares American sounding guy claiming to be from Hunter’s wanting to buy my non-existent shares and warnings of strict confidentiality etc. Very persistent obvious scam .
Jun 29, 2020 Rating
Dragon Oil Shares scam by: Anonymous
This afternoon I had a call from a Dianne Miller allegedly from a company called Hunters and Jacob based in New York offering to by my Dragon Oil shares as another company wanted to aquire 51% of the Dragon Oil shares. They offered me £12 per share and sent me a confidentiality form to sign. She wanted this to be completed as soon as possible and informed me that the details must not be discussed with anyone. On checking my records, I realised that I sold the shares back in July 2015 and Dragon Oil had in fact ceased trading on 4th September 2015. I did not give any bank details to her. On checking the web site for the Hunters and Jacobs company, it appears to be genuine and the scammer m ay have copied their website. Be aware if you get a call like this – it is most definitely a scam.
Jun 10, 2020 Rating
Cleeton Corporate Partners by: Anonymous
Last June I had a series of communications with this firm which followed the usual path of a non-disclosure agreement to buy shares which they claimed I held. I pushed them for evidence of ownership and they produced a 'Share Verification' certificate purporting to be issued by Euroclear but which proved to be a forgery. Beware!
May 25, 2020 Rating
IAG takeover scam by: Tobiasd
Just had a call re takeover of IAG offering £6 to £11 per share. The usual - they have agreements for 40% and nee 10% more. When I asked about upfront payment he got evasive and then said there might be an insurance payment if they wanted my shares. When I asked would they want a payment or not he got abusive and rang off. Just kept him going to waste his time. Lol
May 22, 2020 Rating
Genmark shares by: Anonymous
take over bid, company already has 41%. £12 a share offered. once they had 51% remaining shares would be worthless (LOL) Confidentiality agreement sent to me to sign. Call made from Peru, by Mark Hill, company HMG
Feb 20, 2020 Rating
Cable and wireless by: Anonymous
I had a call from Currie Consultancy LLC concerning shares which my husband held. He had an American accent and as said very plausible and charming. As my husband has been dead for 6 years and the shares sold at the time it was quite a surprise. I did get the verification form but as he did not seem concerned that I prove who I was - not interested in a death certificate or that I may not be the executor came rapidly to the conclusion that it was a scam. The form and details look genuine so I can see how people are taken in by these scams. I have informed the holding company who sold the shares but should I inform anyone else.
Jan 23, 2020 Rating
Identical in all respects by: DC
My call was from exactly the same male (dodgy US accent) as noted in several comments below, with the same request and details.. Knew it must be a scam but needed to prove it (a magical friend found this site for me). Have sent onto several authorities, hoping they get caught. DC
Jan 23, 2020 Rating
Corporate Consultancy by: Anonymous
I’ve had maybe 6 calls from these people regarding some shares I don’t believe I own. They said I should have received them as a result of a demerger. Anyway, the sting came today, in order to proceed with an attempt to amass a 51% holding by purchasing shares from private shareholders the mystery buyer of the shares I don’t believe I have wants me to pay £12,000 up front, which will (ha ha) be refunded when the share sale goes through.
Jan 10, 2020 Rating
Pathfinders by: Anonymous
It started back in July 2019 with James & Jenkins, then Weppler international and ended in tears with Buckminster securities January 2020 Pathfinder Minerals hostile takeover with inflated share price. Be very very aware, they are low life scammers. Very friendly and persuasive, lots of good answers lots of contact very polished. Stay well away.
Dec 31, 2019 Rating
Brandt-Benson LLC by: Philip
My wife was targeted with a convincing telephone call.I took the next call, and laughed them off. Website also convincing at a quick look, but quite a few errors (and florid OTT stuff) really. "News" never changes! Trump etc. Always the same.
Dec 18, 2019 Rating
Corporate Consultancy Group Inc by: Anonymous
Phone calls over the last 2 days saying about acquisition of company I haven't worked for saying about shares I had and sent a non disclosure agreement. I said to the lady on the phone I had no shares and all she kept doing was going hmm hmm and carrying on. I then googled this site and saw it was a scam.. If it looks too good it probably is.
Dec 05, 2019 Rating
Brandt-Benson Consultancy LLC, Share scam by: Dave L
Recently had a call to my UK home number from Brandt-Benson Consultancy LLC in New York. They are offering me a $17 price for some old worthless stock in Blacks Leisure which i had forgotten about, stating its for a hostile takover of JD Sports who took over Blacks. They sent me an NDA to be signed, stating that the sale documents would follow.
I was suspicious but did sign and return the NDA after checking out their very professional looking website.
They have since been calling regularly which made me more suspicious. I called their main contact number and got through immediately to the agent who has been calling me..another weird thing for a large financial company.
Looking on Google Street view shows their address is a 2 bedroom appt between a couple of Thai restaurants! Needless to say i'll be reporting them the the FCA and blocking them.
Nov 28, 2019 Rating
Elementis Hostlile Takeover by: Anonymous
Very similar to the last comment. I have just received an unsolicited call from the USA (caller was heavily accented and did not sound American).
Exactly as before I was offered 10 times the market price for my very small shareholding. He refused toi send me the documents by post as they were in a hurry to clinch a deal.
Beware.
Nov 20, 2019 Rating
Siber Energy by: Siber Energy
Just received call from an American accent lady, (suspect Phillipines probably) offering £6-12 each for shares long forgotten as worthless, said will email me an NDA and subsequent details to arrange payment for said shares. I need to make an urgent decision as they currently have 43% and only need 51% to do takeover
Do not fall for this scam
Nov 07, 2019 Rating
Cable and Wireless<>Liberty sale by: Richard
I have just had a call using what purported to be a USA telephone number wishing to discuss my wife's holding of share. These were sold in 2016, I checked the paperwork. I did not record the callers alleged trading name, they were polite but I felt overly keen to pursue the matter when told my wife of nearly 45 years was 'unavailable'.
Very similar experience to others. Contacted by ‘Linda Adams’ from ‘Greiner-Higgins Associates llc.’ In New York. Wanted to purchase shares (NXT/Hiwave) for client acquisition needing over 50% of shares. Only ever bought a few shares in a couple of companies years ago so had forgotten all about them. Found their website, called the number on it to speak to ‘Linda Adams’ in New York - seemed genuine. I was totally taken in to begin with, sent back completed non-disclosure agreement and a ‘David Bale’, Senior Partner, was due to phone, when I discovered the info about boiler room scams on FCA website and then this website with experiences so similar to mine. Thank you to all those who have shared their experiences. Anyway have reported scam to FCA and action fraud. And hope this may help others like all of you have helped me.
Oct 22, 2019 Rating
Tucker and Ross Advisors by: Terri
Received a call from the above company stating they had a client who wanted to buy my shares in Metalrax, who dissolved in Oct 2018. Be very careful, they appear to be yet another scam !
Oct 17, 2019 Rating
m&a scam by: simon - england
About 1 month ago I received a call from Mary Brella Walton. Some shares that I had bought a few years ago, had become worthless. However I found that they had quite a large % stake in another company. My shares were of a company called CYC, and another company was interested in acquiring them and a very nice price was being offered, and so I have started to buy them - I've putdown a vendor bond of £4k. - My return would be £40kish. I have also been offered 35,000 warrants; no I haven't! I have never acted so stupidly and I feel incredibly embarassed, but I think that it is important that it be known, so that others don't do the same as me. They are very good at what they do, so be careful! That company was Tucker and Ross Greenpoint Intnl Transfers Buckminster Securities
Oct 17, 2019 Rating
Don't let them bully you by: Anonymous
They will no doubt threaten you with legal action etc but don't take any notice, this is a scam and they will not expose themselves to legal scrutiny. Good luck, so pleased you found this site before you parted with any money.
Oct 16, 2019 Rating
Silver grove llc adela johnson by: Anonymous
My dad was approached by this company over the phone. Everything looked legit and he signed a contract saying he will pay into the escrow account of a transfer agent for insurance bonds! Only now we found this website after searching around and will ignore their future calls. However, we are worried that we signed a contract... I will contact FCA. hopefully if we ignore the company that contract won’t mean anything as we have not paid anything yet!
Oct 15, 2019 Rating
Shares scam by: Anonymous
Today received a phone call from a Tom Mayer from Tucker & Ross of New York requesting to buy my shares in Capital Management and was going to offer me between £7 and £13 for shares that are practically worthless, sent me an email with a non disclosure form to sign. The other name on this communication was a Ms Mary Bralla Walton, after investigating this name brought me to this site telling me it is a scam , just shows you that you simply don’t get unbelievable offers for nothing, if it feels like a scam generally it is a scam.
Oct 09, 2019 Rating
Scam- share offer by: Chris
I received call from woman called Adela Johnson from Silvergrove consultancy in New York asking for me to sign and return a NDA. She offered large sums for my shares in a company that she said her company of lawyers were acting for clients to undertake the acquisition. My shares are almost worthless so it didn't add up. After reading these posts, she rung again and when I challenged her on this being a scam she hung up. STAY CLEAR!
Oct 09, 2019 Rating
Tucker and Ross Advisors LLC, Tata Steel by: Anonymous
Contacted by a Gregory Miller from regarding my shares with TATA steel. even though i had thought the shares were sold years ago gave some plausible reason why I had still got some even though i had not got paperwork. His client was attempting a hostile takeover of TATA steel and need to get 51% of shares. Client was prepared to pay about £7.10 per share which are currently trading at £3 to £4 per share in on the Indian market.Gave my email address and received an Non disclosure agreement which I signed and sent back.
However highly suspicious and annoyed with myself for responding with signature I started to look deeper. Web address on the paperwork linked to a perfectly plausible web site, however putting same address into a search engine revealed no such site existed. Further research into company domain name revealed that the domain was only set up less that two weeks ago. Company based in New York but could not find any such company at that address But did find a hole host of non existant companies associated with the sky scraper building at that. name of person who signed the NDA for "Tucker and Ross" is Ms Mary Bralla Walton. Having found this site via a colleague i am now convinced this is a Scam. Others PLEASE BE AWARE. I have not and Will not part with money when the inevitable request arrives.
Thank you for this site it helped me immensely, I hope my Comments are also a help to others not to get sucked in.
Oct 08, 2019 Rating
silvergrove consulting scam by: Anonymous
2 calls now and one email from 2 american callers Silvergrove consultancy are at it again, offering fantastic money for shares that I don't have, asking me to sign NDA on hostile takeovers. These shares miraculously were increased 72 fold so that I would need pay 15% for an insurance transaction ...... I checked with the company and I don't have shares any more in this company.
Oct 06, 2019 Rating
C.O.E. by: Seventy Someting
When you think about it logically Malcolm why would a company want to contact me by phone when they could send a letter explaining what had happened to the company. Also I must be one of tens of thousands of COE share holders,so why me? They must rely on catching you unawares. But NOT this one!!
Oct 06, 2019 Rating
Seventy Something - Be Careful! by: Malcolm
Hi Seventy Something. Please be very careful and read through some of the other posts on here. They will likely offer you a very tempting price for your, probably worthless, shares. Then they'll ask you to make an up-front deposit into an escrow account to guarantee the transaction. That's the last you'll ever hear of them.
Oct 04, 2019 Rating
C.O.E./Timeload by: Seventy something
Had a call from a well spoken American last night about my c.o.e. shares. Had to think om my feet as these were suspended in 2006 and were actually passed onto me by my late husband. I said I no longer have them as I sold them, not true, as I later remembered. Was this a scam? It's been pestering me since as I got rid of a lot of paper work, but still have the share cert no. for some of them. When I googled COE I found a company called thruvision who are supposed to be the caretakers, but when I rang they knew nothing.
Oct 02, 2019 Rating
C & W /Silvergrove by: Anonymous
Also had a call and email on 27 Sept 2019 and a follow-up phone call on 2 Oct about C&W shares, from Margarita Hahn of Silvergrove Consultancy LLC,New York. Fab prices, but I don't have any. Shame about that. I wont be signing the NDA.
Sep 28, 2019 Rating
C&W/Liberty Global/Silvergrove by: Anonymous
Had call yesterday purporting to be from one Margarita Hahn / Acquisition Department of Silvergrove Consultancy LLC, address 120 Broadway St., New York, NY 10271 telling me that I had some C&W shares (I don't); was sent a NDA to sign (not going to happen)...
Sep 20, 2019 Rating
RCH Liberty Global by: Anonymous
Very similar to other posts here, contacted re Liberty Global /Cable and Wireless shares . All very current re takeover/share buy back issues currently going on. Company has SEC number NYC address NYC phone numbers
Please sign NDA so we can proceed, which we did but while indicative price reasonable, a little high but reasonable , the suggestion that our small number of shares had through splits incentives had multiplied to a much larger and unrealistic number moved it into the too good too be true category made me suspicious as did mention of a transfer agent who held documents and monies from both parties . However this is first site that specifically identifies the parties involved and has clearly validated my suspicions and therefore most helpful as this is very professionally constructed and far far too plausible until they get to the share multiplication.
Sep 13, 2019 Rating
Brown and Bullock by: Anonymous
I was approached by a person from Brown and Bullock in June offering me a price for JP Morgan Chinese INV trust which was unbelievable subject to signing a non disclosure agreement and paying a bond of £ 4500. When I tried to get some answers from the company which were unanswered and I decided the whole thing was suspicious. Although the company did look real obviously it has been set up as a Scam vehicle. It’s good to see the FCA have now warned about this organisation.
Sep 12, 2019 Rating
Bristol Mayers by: Anonymous
Not to be confused with the legitimate Bristol Myers!! Same experiences as previously listed here, but sceptical from outset so done our own research - even though we'd signed the Non disclosure! Aren't we naughty!!! Some guy called Richard Hahn - not to be confused again with a real Richard Han from Bristol Myers - clever!! Checked web address, only been running 2 months or so and not secure. Strung him along a bit and when asked for copy of passport, Sent a copy of Mickey Mouse's and a REALLY polite message😅 Beware!!!
Sep 12, 2019 Rating
Mitchell and Butler by: Anonymous
I was contacted my a very polite man asking about my wives shares in Mitchell and Butler, 5 shares went to 648 shares through some extra share added unknown to us. Amount went from £13 a share to £75.00 a share and would send documents over. Total amount would be £48,000, a small commission for transfer with a bond of 30% as a retainer until transaction completed. Assured international transfers company was to deal with it, Total scam.
Sep 03, 2019 Rating
Cainsfield International Group by: Anonymous
My experience is very similar to others, contacted out of the blue by a well spoken and plausible Ella, and told of my good fortune of some my shares that had been de-listed some time ago and was going through a hostile take over. I was being offered between £8-17 per share. Signed the NDA and "waited" for the offer to be accepted... Started to do some research and sadly found this page but fortunately saved my self 5k. Never mind, Im just hoping that my Nigerian 5th cousin twice removed will come through for me with his now found $60mil USD.. Just needs may bank details.... We all love opportunist and this one was very convincing...
Aug 31, 2019 Rating
Take over scams by: Anonymous
Bottom line: If they ask you to pay money up front ie. Escrow fees etc. regardless of the connotation - forget it! They sound very plausible and work on your greed which is how most of us got here in the first place... Do an IP location check on their email, it's rarely where they say it is.
Aug 28, 2019 Rating
Cainsfield international by: Anonymous
Having read the other comment regarding hostile take over scam they seem very like the communications I have had with the above New York based company regarding Elementis shares. And having read the tip about checking website age found that it was only 5 months old and although the phone the young lady gave me to call come up as a New York number I have just googled the O2222 number they ring from and that comes up as a fake number you can buy that's not traceable. It sounded and look legit until they asked for a 5 grand bond for insurance.
Aug 27, 2019 Rating
Hostile bid for Tottenham Hotspur Shares by: Anonymous
Just had Peter Yeung from McBride Partners in NYK advising me that my shares in Tottenham Hotspur still had value. According to them 'I have some Scrip Shares and their current value is between £43 - £49 per share. They are going to send me Share Verification Form together with other documents that I am to complete, sign and return.......
Aug 23, 2019 Rating
RCHSECURITIES LLC SCAM ARTISTS by: Anonymous
RCHSECURITIES LLC contacted me from New York to buy my wifes Firestone Diamond shares at an elevated price of £7.50p, and yes there was the obligatory insurance bond of 10% (£4020), I contacted the FCA and Action Fraud who are investigating this. this company appears to be a regular scammer, why are they not shut down. BEWARE OF 1ST STEP SIGNING NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT. then finally SALE AGREEMENT.
Aug 21, 2019 Rating
similar scam by: Anonymous
Had a call about Fortune Oil shares bought in 1998, offering to buy them for between 3 & 14 pounds. VERY convincing
Katty Yang Administration Department Cainsfield International Group
Aug 12, 2019 Rating
Nearly scammed by: Kevin C
Had a call from RCH Securities, this time mounting a hostile take over bid for Liberty Global/Liberty Latin America. Usual MO, sign confidentiality agreement with need to urgently return contract. Offering to buy shares at £29 a pop. Such a shame it wasn't legit, could've done with the windfall!!
Aug 09, 2019 Rating
Ladbrokes scam by: Anonymous
Just had a call apparently from RCH Securities LLC regarding a takeover of Ladbrokes offering me £10 or maybe as much as £20 for my Ladbrokes shares priced today at £1.05. I would have to sign an NDA and buy and insurance bond. Have blocked the telephone number and reported to the FCA.
Aug 06, 2019 Rating
Hostile takeover scam by: Anonymous
Been contacted by McBride corporate partners acting on behalf of hostile bidder for Elementis. My holding had mysteriously been increased by 8 and they could be offering up to £12 a share. Thanks for sharing your experiences. This will go no further, although I'm disappointed to give up the 75k windfall!
Jul 30, 2019 Rating
Cable & Wireless by: AC
Just been contacted by Andrew Wilson apparently based in NY. Very similar story, corporate buyer interested in buying bonus shares in Cable and Wireless £5-£15 each - looking to acquire those shares needed to get to 51%. Apparently C&W held IP that's what's attracting the interest. I didn;t want to share an email address. I took name and number, but having read this will ignore.
Jul 23, 2019 Rating
Another Brown and Bullock Scam by: Anonymous
Similar to many others. Chinese sounding woman Bettina Chen, shares in Company mysteriously multiplied 5 x, their client wants to buy same urgently for takeover bid paying guaranteed inflated price. So far so good, but then when contract finally sent they want. A refundable bond has to be paid by me to guarantee the transaction. They have phoned ,any times and witter on for ages, but although website looks genuine there are spelling errors and google finds no other mentions apart from their own site. How and to whom do I report this scam?
Jul 23, 2019 Rating
BrownandBullock by: Anonymous
Been contacted by this firm in what is clearly a scam.They referred to shares which I once owned with all kinds of possible ‘rewards’.Got rid before they asked me to send money..Beware this firm!!
Jul 22, 2019 Rating
Eleminis plc Shares by: Anonymous
I have been contacted by Brown & Bullock Capital Partners,regarding selling my shares in Elementis PLC in a hostile takeover bid. The shares in question were verified and I filled in a Non Disclosure form. I received several phone calls saying the price of each share would be between £5-£15 and that I had bonus shares for long term investment. Also, my share holding was now 4,400 shares due to a 45:1 share change. I became suspicious when they started asking for me to be willing to put money into a bond to ensure I did not pull out of the deal. I will not be continuing with this deal and warn everyone else to be vigilant as they were very convincing and the website looks legitimate.
Jul 22, 2019 Rating
Brown and Bullock scam by: Anonymous
Looks to be the same as all of the others. Concerned with shares in HiWave Technologies. Contacted twice via a female, possibly S American accent. So far I’ve received the NDA, checked on Google and realised that this is a scam. If she phones again, I’ll provide her with some choice words, and presumably that will be the end of the matter.
Jul 19, 2019 Rating
Brown and Bulloch by: LionStevieG
As with everybody else, I received a call from an unknown number telling me that Redcentric, a company in which I held one share was the subject of a takeover and that they represented the company which wished to purchased my shares of which I now had a holding of 7,840 due to various rights issues of which I had not been informed! I was emailed a NDA form which I duly signed and returned and after that there were several phone calls advising that everything was progressing and that the potential share value was now around £7 – not a bad return for my single share! I had more calls which I did not answer and eventually received by email, an agreement for the sale and purchase of my shares which indicated that I would be expected to deposit a "fully refundable" bond of £5,582.08 in order to guarantee a payment to me of £59,728.26 on the sale of my shares. As yet, I have not been told where to deposit the bond and I have no intention of doing do but, looking through the other comments, some people have done so in the hope of a considerable return which is very sad because that money is now lost for ever. I have advised Action Fraud in the UK, the company itself and their registrars so as to make sure that nobody gets their grubby hands on my ONE share!
Jul 16, 2019 Rating
SUNBURST CONSULTING GROUP NEW YORK SCAM by: Anonymous
I've been contacted by VICTORIA SPARKS purporting to be from sunburst consulting group offering to buy my shares for a high price.I was required to put money upfront she doesn't sound american to me infact she sounded like from the philippines.very poor english!
details are as follows 088 park avenue s,new york,NY 10003,USA
Jul 16, 2019 Rating
Still at it by: Anonymous
Been contacted by Brown and Bullock Capital Partners regarding purchase of some shares in a takeover. These had been sold in a previous takeover, but NO they said, there had been some incentive shares also offered at the time so I still owned these. Even if successful they would have been chasing £100 but I only got to the NDA stage.
Jul 10, 2019 Rating
These are all scams by: Anonymous
You don't need to read many of the comments on this site to realise that scammers are very much at large.
Oh, so they haven't asked you for an insurance bond - yet!!! But they will eventually as they reel you into their web promised riches from shares you know are worthless or no longer existent.
Jul 10, 2019 Rating
GENMARK SCAM by: Anonymous
I was contacted by phone by a heavily American/Mexican accent? about the above company that went bust many years ago. The gist of the message was that an unknown buyer was making a secret takeover and wanted all existing shares. He was proposing to pay up to $50 a share for the defunct shares I hold. THESE SHARES ARE WORTHLESS. I played along a little until the punch line of a small premium of $5000 would need to be paid upfront. I laughed and she became abusive and rung off. Looks like I will never be a rich man. LOL
Jul 09, 2019 Rating
Brown and Bullock Capital Partners by: Nigel M
Received phone call just like the others. NDA form sent to my email and I am now waiting for the next call telling me I will need to pay for an insurance bond ,,, website and email address all appear legit at first sight so a bit of effort has been put in by the scammers.
Jul 03, 2019 Rating
Thomas and Ward Advisors LLC by: Anonymous
I have received a number of phone calls from this organisation regarding shares I owned in a UK company which suspended trading in 2012 and believed to be now no longer trading and dissolved. Have received a Non Disclosure Agreement document which I completed and returned via email. Subsequently informed that their client wishes to purchase shares that could be worth between £7 and £15!! Thought it too good to be true and will not proceed further unless anyone thinks otherwise. Would appreciate feedback.
Jun 24, 2019 Rating
Devro Plc by: Anonymous
Anyone else had suspicious call re devro plc. Sounds very like some of the below but I haven't been asked for any upfront yet.
Jun 21, 2019 Rating
Brown and Bullock by: Anonymous
Same scam, but very professional. Had my ITV shares for a long time and lived at the same address/telephone number for 25 years, so contact perhaps quite easy. Have a small number of shares which miraculously, became 3 times the number due to rights issue that ITV had kept secret. In the end offered £13.10 per share, for shares that are currently trading at £1.08. Offer was circa £52k they wanted an insurance bond for 10% of the value, which I was assured would only be used if I backed out of the deal. Whether the sale went through or not as long as I did not back out I would get the £5K back. Perhaps if they had made the gain somewhat smaller I would have been sucked in - but if it sounds to good to be true it usually is. Have reported to the FCA and Action Fraud
Jun 18, 2019 Rating
same scam by: Anonymous Scotland
'Victoria' from Cansfield International Group NY. Hostile takeover, non disclosure, guarantee bond to be held by Escrow agent. Very convincing. Thanks to Royal Bank for preventing me from losing £5000.
Jun 18, 2019 Rating
Whitbread via Brown and Bullock by: Anonymous
Have been contacted many times by this company about Whitbread shares. I once held around 20 of them after working for them 20 years ago, i sold them 10 years ago but apparently i have 980 shares valued at £52-60 each. Would be a big bonus to get this money but can i just pay 10-20% of the forecasted amount? thats not happening!! Website looks genuine but caller has strong accent maybe Indian/mexican? Will be telling them where to go!!
Jun 17, 2019 Rating
Stepsworth by: Anonymous
I too have been approached. Asking for £6000+. and i will receive over £60k.
Jun 16, 2019 Rating
No need to consult lawyers by: Anonymous
No need to consult costly lawyers when it is plainly a scam. Save your money, time and patience - put the phone down on the scammers
Jun 16, 2019 Rating
Hill Law Associates LLC/American Investment Holdings by: Jack
Unsolicited contact from a Mr David Roth of Hill Law Associates LLC S. Wacker Drive Chicago. He stated I had 20,000 shares of the issued and outstanding capital stock of American Investment Holdings. He contacted my cell phone and after a conversation forwarded an email and attached BPA document.
Best advice I can give is PUT THESE MATTERS IN THE HANDS OF YOUR LAWYER which I did. My lawyer did investigation and a search on the ARDC Illinois website found Mr David I Roth had been a lawyer at one time but due to disciplinary grounds was no longer authorised to practice.
The BPA stated I was a resident of United Kingdom which is incorrect, I live elsewhere in Oceania. The BPA was signed by Mr David Swann, Acquisitions Supervisor who has never been a lawyer who represents Hill Law Associates LLC. 20,000 shares were offered at (USD)$5.74 totalling $114,800.
If something appears too good to be true then it is just that. The email and BPA from Hill Law Associates LLC in respect to American Investment Holdings is a SCAM and my lawyer advised me not to reply to the email in taking it to the next level. I have taken his advice, I will not be proceeding!
Jun 13, 2019 Rating
Murdoch Consulting Group by: Anonymous
Phone call from a Lance Thomas Morgan (Dodgy Accent) purporting to be from above company offering big money for NXT / Hiwave Technologies PLC shares. None disclosure doc to sign followed by 4 page Agreement to be signed and returned, together with a 10% bond to secure sale.
Following checks can safely say this is a very elaborate scam, DO NOT be taken in.
Jun 05, 2019 Rating
Brown and Bullock capital partners by: Anonymous
Hostile takeover, sent email, website impressive. Google only returns links to their own website. Google street maps shows a museum at their address, other tenants listed do not include them. Hard to believe they are interested in a relatively small number of shares.
May 31, 2019 Rating
stepworth consulting by: Anonymous
we too have just had an offer from stepworth. A few phone calls and email with disclosure details told us our shares , in a company who's value fell drastically recently,were worth to us £20,000. The latest call which finally mentioned a bond to be paid first of £5000, and shares now worth £40,000, made us very suspicious. They have sent full details for signatures. We have contacted police. Beware, even if you want to risk sending bond money it's still too good to be true.
May 27, 2019 Rating
Stepsworth Consulting Group by: Anonymous
This Group is still at it at the end of May. I was called with exactly the same script as others asking to buy my shares in Vernalis valued at 6.8p for £5 per share and they were delighted to tell me that I had accrued 8000 bonus shares that I had never heard about making me qualifying for a pay-out of 45K+.The sting however was a demand for an up-front payment for a so called insurance bond of 10%. In addition their fee of 3% (£1378.20)would be deducted from the proceeds bringing my potential loss to almost £6000. A very plausible scam but they didn't react very well when told they had been rumbled
Similar to other comments below. 'Oliver Gonzalez' from 'Cleeton Corporate Partners' telephoned out of the blue offering stupid money for worthless shares if Non Discloure form signed. Good professional looking website BUT simple Google maps search of address given revealed that, rather than big corporate offices, it is in fact a residential block on Madison avenue. Remember there is no such thing as free money!!
May 21, 2019 Rating
Scam by: Susan
I too have been scammed by a company - j and j consultancies from New York - offering to buy my late fathers shares at a very advantageous price . I did supply my email address bit deleted the email unopened. Sounds very convincing - BEWARE
May 20, 2019 Rating
Derrickson Capital Partners by: Gerry Rogers
Same scam as that described below, this time re Pearson PLC, courtesy of Ms Laura Price/Victoria Sparks/Charlie Fernandez, all sounding Filipino. Also mentioned Datafield Transfer Internatonal, neither of whom are accredited with the SED or Mergers & Acquisitions people...
May 20, 2019 Rating
Sanford Capital Group by: Anonymous
Have had calls from Carlos Escobar and Keith Maxwell wanting me to sign an NDA in relation to shares that I held in Applied Optical Technologies. Sounded too good to be true, which usually means that it is! No request for money yet....
May 15, 2019 Rating
Stepsworth Consulting Group by: Anonymous
I had a telephone call from Daniel Smith wanted my AEA Technology Shares which were declared worthless in 2012 for a hostile takeover. Wanted to sign a NDA and mention an insurance bond would be required to protect me incase the takeover didn't go through. Foolishly I gave him my email address and then got an email which looked completely legit. Google this company/ involvement in fraud and now realise this is a scam. Beware !
May 11, 2019 Rating
Derrickson Capital Partners Scam by: Nigel Harris
They contacted me by phone yesterday. English name but a heavy Indian accent, so I was immediately suspicious. The target company they named is one that I do hold shares in, but it had changed its name a few years back and they used the original name. The price they offered was ludicrously high. But otherwise, this is a quite convincing scam and I can see how people could be fooled.
May 09, 2019 Rating
Derrickson Capital Partners by: Anonymous
A 'David Brown" with a very strong asian accent claiming to be calling from New York has been ringing my mums house asking for me for weeks, I had moved out some time ago but happened to be in when the latest call came through. They were asking about Whitbread Shares they said I had bought. I have never bought shares, I had free shares when working for them 22 years ago and sold every single one 15 years ago. I asked him to send all the info to an email address but all they sent was a non-disclosure form, and only did that so they stop rining my mum. Whitbread have had all kinds of mergers and whatnot over the years, it's all a scam.
May 09, 2019 Rating
Derrickson Scam by: Kevin
Received an email, checked out the site, and knew right off it was a crock of s***. Although the site was done fairly well, there were several mistakes someone in a rush would make, such as sloppy sentence structure, repetitive statements, and many vague statements. Oh how far they'll go...
May 09, 2019 Rating
Another scam by: Anonymous
Like a lot of others I have received several phone calls from Sophia? following contact from Laura Price and Matthew Barnes at Derrickson capital. Supposedly shares owned had now multiplied by 45 so now worth a lot of money!! Next phone call required payment to them for a bond and requesting payment of 5% of the total which I said no way was I paying anything as I had no paperwork except the non-disclosure document. Now realised this was a scam and told them so and they hung up.
May 09, 2019 Rating
Derrickson Capital Partners by: Steve
I was rung today by David Brown ostensibly of the firm above in New York but his accent sounded as if he was from the Indian sub-continent and was masquerading. He quoted my share ownership and that he had a client who wished to purchase these at a very favourable price to me. He went on to say documents would be forwarded to me (I gave him my email address so he could do this as I was intrigued, but not fooled) and he instructed that I should sign and return these in the next 24 hours (!). No pressure then. He also said the money and my shares would be deposited into an insurance indemnity fund/bond to protect both me and the buyer and then both holdings would be passed on. Bear in mind I have no idea who this clown was apart from his assurance over the phone! His email has just arrived and is entitled "Non-Disclosure Agreement" and has a pdf attachment. At this point I am backing off without downloading or even previewing the attachment. If you have similar calls, I suggest you do something similar, as this is a pretty obvious variant on the phone call scam to separate you from your cash that is so often perpetrated. What is a little disturbing is there is an email address and phone numbers attached to the email I received and a website that seems to mirror these. So quite a bit more time gone into the 'sell'. The website presents as an all singing/dancing affair to allow for multiple scams I guess but is remarkably empty of any real evidence of their true existence, just an image from a company brochure (maybe) and vacuous verbiage. It could have been put together by a 10th grader who has learnt how to create web pages but has little idea of financial or consulting markets. Again note, this is the first and only contact I have had with this caller and he wants my shares! I have since blocked his 'withheld INTERNATIONAL number' on my phone and will be labelling him as a phishing email and hopefully that will be the end of the affair.
May 07, 2019 Rating
Fidelity Japan Values by: Lusher
I have been approached by a company called Derrickson Capital Partners who have somehow become aware that I sold some shares many years ago in Fidelity Japanese Values Investment Trust.
I was told that a number of bonus shares were subsequently issued, for which I had received no documentation, and that somehow they were now worth an incredible £49,279. (My original investment was only £1,500).
Having signed a so-called non-disclosure agreement, I am now being asked to sign more documentation, and I suspect I will be asked for my bank details (which I have not supplied).
Some mention was made that I might be required to pay some 'insurance' to guarantee payment to the Company taking ove my bonus shares.
May 06, 2019 Rating
Derrickson by: Anonymous
I have been contacted by a Ms. Sandra Taylor. A very British name but spoke with an Indian accent. Wanted to ask me about shares that I sold many years ago. Said that I would have some skrip shares that they would want to buy. Sent me an email asking for non disclosure agreement to be signed and returned.
May 06, 2019 Rating
Sanford Capital Group by: Anonymous
I have recently received calls from a lady called Monica Silver from Sanford Capital Group in New York about shares in a company I held years ago, the patter is just the same as everyone else has mentioned below, they even have a web site which looked very convincing but I thought it sounded to good to be true and as soon as they mentioned paying a 20% insurance premium I knew it was a scam and typed in scrip share scam on Google and found this site which confirmed my suspicions.
May 02, 2019 Rating
Derrickson Capital Partners by: Brian.W
I said I would update this scam from Derrickson Capital Partners 32, 6th Avenue New York, USA 12th April 2019.After sending off their "confidential" Non disclosure form. I have received nothing via email except many emails from "dubious ladies". Also I have received about nine International phone calls which I have recognised as originating from the Scammers and I have blocked all (international out of area calls) temporarily . Interestingly the scammers never reached the point of asking me for any payments.Please keep up the good work on this forum site to expose these scams onto a wider audience.
May 01, 2019 Rating
Murdoch Consulting Group buying Logica shares by: Anonymous
I've had a few calls just recently, last two from Raymond Gracy of Murdoch Consulting Group, New York. +1914 336 4330. Offering to buy my Logica shares for between £7 and £15. Sent me a non disclosure agreement. Then told me maybe nearly 5000 shares owed to me. So maybe some £35000 to £75000. Handy, eh! And then phoned to say I might need to pay an insurance premium into a ESCROW account, as the ultimate buyer does not want to take all the risk. Now sounding particularly suspicious. They haven't told me how much yet. But I guess this won't be far away. As they say - if it sounds too good to be true, ...
Apr 28, 2019 Rating
Beware IS Pharma Shares by: Anonymous
Calls and email contact from two staff members at Stepsworth Consulting Group re hostile takeover, everything confidential.
My previous share holdings has script dividends accrued which has resulted in multiple share held in my name. A company wishes to purchase these shares for an attractive price.
To sell shares, need to pay a proportion of the insurance bond (10%) guaranteeing full payout to your bank account within 7 working days.
They sounds very convincing, they use the correct terminology but on further discussion they were unable to support detailed questioning.
Beware, this is a very "professional" SCAM.
Apr 15, 2019 Rating
NXT PLC by: Virgo me UK
I have been contacted by TaylorMaison, New York re my small holding of shares, I did. Move on to the next step in the process and surprise surprise I now need to pay some money for an insurance bond in order to secure my interest needless to say I will not e taking up this option watch out this is a scam, but I can see they can convince folks to part with cash. This call lasted 24 minutes of rubbish and ended with mild threats of me losing out on a potential figure of £100,000.00 all this for a holding of 200 shares !
Apr 12, 2019 Rating
Derrickson Capital Partners by: Brian.W
Having searched the web for information on Derrickson Capital Partners and came across this site. I have been given no idea of any gains and about any payments but this lady Ms Laura Price has phoned me twice regarding shares in the defunct Voyager IT .com and then Mercury which was a downgrade . I still have the share certificates and she has indicated that after verifying my holdings will be in touch about a possible buy up of my shares by a company that holds 48 % and requires to boost their holdings. all sounds very convincing and Derrickson's business address in the states looks very convincing. I won't be giving any more details to them but will update this site with any developments
Apr 12, 2019 Rating
Waterfield Group - Vector Capital/Trafficmaster by: Anonymous
I have been contacted by Waterfield Group - Katty Yang was the name given. Multiple long-winded phone calls based around a hostile takeover which their client is allegedly making. Offered to buy our few shares (which they increased in number by 100x) at a figure way above market value. Pressure sell comes when they say the deal is oversubscribed - so need to return paperwork fast to be within the first 51% of shareholdings they need! Then comes the spiel about a security bond.... Their website is convincing enough but the ongoing phone calls arising from a cold call make you suspicious. As it goes on the alarms start to ring. It's a scam - AVOID.
Received a cold call yesterday(9/4/19).Asian sounding woman, quite difficult to understand actually, calling herself Kelly Jackson of the acquisition department of Stepworth consulting group.
To cut a (Very) long story short, I was given the opportunity to sell my Stagecoach shares (er.. Which I actually sold about 10 years ago) for a much higher price than their current market value. They sent a 'non-disclosure' agreement to my spam email address for me to fill In, and I understand that the next part of the scam would have required me to send them a fee, but was told not to worry as it was fully refundable.!!! I was told that after the takeover bid, my remaining shares would be worthless. The address supplied on my email from them was Stepworth Consulting Group, 72,Spring Street New York NY10012 USA.
Apr 10, 2019 Rating
RELX Plc by: Anonymous
Avoid Bellsouth of the USA who offer a similar deal to the last one in this list. Up front fee of £5000 for Insurance Bond in RELX which is subject to an aggressive take over.The fee returned at the end of the deal! Then offer of share options at a very reduced price. Finally Sommerville step in to take care of the supposedly large but returnable bill to the IRS. Huge scam which cost me thousands but avoided the final Summerville drop. The clue is to check your share holding with the registrar of the company you supposedly own shares in.
Apr 02, 2019 Rating
Derrickson Capital New York by: Anonymous
Beware! I am in London and I’ve just had a call from someone calling herself Jackie Wright, she had an Asian accent and sounded as though she was talking from a script. Telling me I could earn top rates for my ICAP shares ( the company has already recently been taken over!) The same things everyone else is saying....Sending me a disclosure form and I will have to pay a fee which I will get back when the deal goes through. Derrickson Capital have set up a reasonably credible looking website. I’m going to delete the email and after giving them a piece of my mind when they call back, I will block the number!
Mar 29, 2019 Rating
Walton Securities LLC by: Anonymous
Keep getting called by this company, Walton Securities LLC of New York, regarding selling my Cable & Wireless shares. A company that went under a few years ago and the few shares I did hold I sold in 2007. I think this is a scam!? I wonder if Vodafone know?
Mar 26, 2019 Rating
Tandem Group hostile takeover by: Anonymous
Same details as others have reported here, this time Derrickson Capital partners, New York want to buy my shares in Tandem, for hostile takeover at hugely inflated price. Usual letter from the admin dept with a non disclosure agreement to sign.
Mar 19, 2019 Rating
NXT scam by: Anonymous
Cold call from New York, strong accents, Mexican/Phillipino.They wanted 51% shareholders, sign a non disclosure agreement,said they would treble my 1200 NXT shares and buy back at £12..wow, I thought, too good to be true...scam...scam. NXT/ Hiwaves, hostile takeover etc, pay insurance bond...blah blah blah.Told them where to go and to stop stealing from the innocent and naive.
Mar 19, 2019 Rating
Waterfield Consulting Group by: Anonymous
Had the same phone calls from Steve Burnham about hostile takeover and needing to purchase 51% of the shareholding. Offering £4 - £12 per share for £0.28 p shares. Sounded very convincing but as soon as he said 5-15% bond to be placed got suspicious and fortunately found this site to confirm my thoughts. As others have said, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The name Katherine Bullock also came into play as in the Administration Department. Avoid definitely a scam.
Mar 18, 2019 Rating
Waterfield Consulting Group by: Anonymous
Phoned by Mike Banner regarding shares that I once held in Skypharma.He stated that he worked with a New York Consultancy Firm by the name of Waterfield Consultancy Group, address of which is No 1 Carlisle St. New York NY 10006 USA. Skypharma merged with Ventura Group some years ago and Mike Banner wanted me so sell some Skypharma bonus shares in order to eventually assist Ventura to achieve a 51% stake in Skypharma. How could I sell shares that I had already sold? Also, genuine firms who deal with take overs and acquisitions never make cold calls would be clients. DO NOT DEAL WITH THIS COMPANY. ITS A SCAM
Mar 18, 2019 Rating
Waterfield Consulting Group again! by: Anonymous
I too have received phone calls from this firm wanting to acquire my shares in London Asia Capital. It's exactly the same story as others have mentioned. I was called by someone called Steve Burnham. With a name like that I didn't expect him to sound Asian! albeit he was very well spoken. It's the same old adage. If it seems too good to be true, it most probably is!
Mar 14, 2019 Rating
Waterfield Consulting Group Scam by: Anonymous
Phone call and email from "Waterfield Consulting Group" purporting to be at 1 Carlisle St, New York, NY. Names attached were Katherine Bullock and Jake Smith. Phone given was 914-343-1728. Claimed to be about shares in London Asia Capital plc. Sent a Non Disclosure Agreement over. Haven't got to the bit where they ask for payment, needless to say won't be sending money, but hope by posting these exact details I will help someone else googling them like I did. AVOID AVOID AVOID!
Mar 12, 2019 Rating
TOROTRAK by: Anonymous
£7 - £15 each share offered.. hostile takeover.... 5% insurance bond required... non disclosure document to be signed and returned.
Many phone calls.
Torotrak worth nothing!
SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM.
Beware!!!!!
Mar 08, 2019 Rating
Call about Logica shares by: Anonymous
I had two calls in succession from different people saying they had a client wanting to buy Logica shares. No idea what they were trying to achieve since Logica hasn't existed since 2012, so if this happens again I'm tempted to tell them that there 'client' isn't just a scammer but also incompetent.
Mar 06, 2019 Rating
All the same by: Anonymous
Cooper-Newton Management Group is another "Company" up to this scam. Names I have gleaned so far are Shaun Morgan (Senior Partner), Julia Brooks (Admin) and Manuel Martinez. They have a web site but ... No of the Social Media links work! If you search for blocks of text you find these repeated on other site (Murdoch Consulting Group, Goldman-Fischer Management Group) to name a few. Checked the Office address and, guess what, no tennets by that name. NDA sent.
Mar 06, 2019 Rating
Long Running Aquisition by: Anonymous
Hi Yes I have been getting calls on and off now for at least 7 to 10 years urging me to cash in my shares in EuroCom (long,long defunct) all with similar sad stories of great wealth awaiting me..If only
Mar 05, 2019 Rating
Waterfield Consulting Share scam by: Anonymous
My parents also had a call from Mike Banner of the Waterfield Consulting Group based in New York. Same story about a hostile takeover of a large firm my mum owns shares in. As mentioned below, Mike sounded fairly credible in the content of his conversation though the background noise sounded like he was in a call centre and this, combined with the fact that he had an asian accent (forgive me judging but it does create an image in addition to the call centre environment he was calling from). It just didn't feel right to me and again, the website didn't appear credible enough. Happy to be reassured from these posts that we need to steer clear!
Mar 04, 2019 Rating
Murdoch Consulting - Millwall shares by: Anti Scam Man
These people never give up. This is our latest call offering £7 to £15 for shares that are virtually worthless. They calls themselves Murdoch Consulting (murdochconsultinggrp.com) and 'Justin Green' is the person who called. Their website was set up at the beginning of February and they claim to be based in New York.
The non-disclosure agreement should be with us shortly and then the pestering phone calls will follow.
At least he warned me that their will be an 'insurance' premium payable to guarantee the transaction.
He wasn't as convincing as the last one but I hope this is seen by some of the potential victims.
I was contacted three time over the last week by someone calling themselves James Adkins, and later by another who's name I did not write down. Similar to other postings where this company is acting for a client wishing to make a hostile bid for a company in UK. The did not even get the name of the company right so it was a bit suspicious after the first 10secs. So far no further contact. Their address as given of 1, Carlisle Street, NYC 10006 exists but Google shows it as an empty property. Not heard back from building agents yet, but have asked them to report matter in NYC as well. They do no exist on White or Yellow pages or any business directory in the whole of USA. Have not even bothered to look up the web site. 'Spokeo' seem to find the number but I do not want to enter into a contract. They state call seems to originate from Yonkers, NY and the carrier is T-Mobile. Freephonetracer.com also find the number but report it as coming from Westchester Zone 1. NY 10701, but cannot reveal name to a UK user. Peoplebyname.com also find the number as address in Mount Vernon, Yonkers, NY, but again I am not going to sign up to anything. Anyone with accounts on these can look them up.
Mar 01, 2019 Rating
Waterfield Group New York contacted me by: Anonymous
I was contacted yesterday, 28th Feb, by someone called Chris Gardener, purporting to be from Waterfield Group New York, similar to others comments, hostile take over of a company I have penny shares in, offering £7-15 for shares trading at 3pence! When he said they would need some sort of funds lodged I went on high alert and did my research this morning, finding this site, and also not finding the group reviewed on glassdoor. They have a website but it looks unprofessional. They have sent me a registration/non disclosure but I'm going to ignore them from here. Thanks to everyone for their comments.
Feb 28, 2019 Rating
how can they do this by: Anonymous
Nearly got sucked in. Mike Banner very convincing. I'm just concerned that he has my e.mail address. When he wanted £5289.06 for insurance that when I thought it could be a scam. I even asked him at the beginning I'm concerned because there is a lot of scams out there, and he said I understand your concern but this is not a scam. These people have no morals.
Feb 21, 2019 Rating
Lonmin shares by: Anonymous
Receiving several calls and an e mail from a company called Waterfield group, spoke to 'Mike Banner' Indian sounding claiming my father who died in 2012 had bonus shares in Lonmin. That these could be transferred to me and sent an e mail. I became suspicious when he wanted no more details about me than an e-mail address.
Said it was a 'hostile takeover' and not to discuss with anyone as their client had 51% shareholding and trying to obtain more. Have sent a non-disclosure form through.
Have a plausable web site. Thanks to this site I did my homework well!
Feb 08, 2019 Rating
stagecoach shares by: Anonymous
my husband has been inundated with phone calls to the house phone and e,mails for over a week trying to buy his Stagecoach Shares at inflated amount they want him to pay a bond of £4,375.00 the Amin of the company is named as Mrs Catherine Hall there Lawyer is down as Mr Richard William Harris there is a gap for my husband to sign as the vendor I just felt I had to look into it so glad I Did big thanks to this site
Feb 06, 2019 Rating
Wexner by: Anonymous
Similar scheme running under Wexner Consultancy Group. Inflated value for shares, urgency to respond, "insurance bond" required, secrecy of Non Disclosure. All the warning signs, and not listed in the tenants of the NY address.
Jan 22, 2019 Rating
pedersonlawfirm by: Anonymous
I have been chased by this company for more than a year now to sell my osmotech shares that do not exist
Jan 09, 2019 Rating
I've lost everything by: Frances
I was called in August initially by Bernstein securities who asked me to fill in a non disclosure form which I did and then asked for an insurance payment which was to a bank in indonesia (bank rakyat). I then dealt with a company called Stansfield associates. I got completely sucked in and have lost 100s of thousands of pounds. PLEASE AVOID THESE PEOPLE AT ALL COSTS I have now have nothing and no way of getting this back.
Dec 01, 2018 Rating
It's a scam. by: Anonymous
Never send money upfront ... end of. It's a scam, just a variation on the plethora of others reported on this site.
Nov 21, 2018 Rating
Lonmin Takeover by: Anonymous
Had a phone call from an Asian sounding man representing a client interested in acquiring 51% of Lonmin. He was offering a massive premium on the current share price to acquire my small holding in the company. I told him that what he was offering was a scam and that I would be informing the appropriate authorities in the UK. He became very irate and told me to go ahead. I then put the phone down. Be warned, this is not how companies acquire share-holdings and launch takeovers.
Nov 19, 2018 Rating
Same issue but about Laura Ashley Bonus Shares by: Anonymous
Just had a call out of the blue, from a man who sounded like he had a broad Indian accent. He requested that I provide him with an email address, or fax number, so that he could send out the NDA and details of the following conversation.
The offer was to purchase bonus shares I had been allocated by Laura Ashley years ago, which through maladministration had not been notified to me. The price offer today was 'between £8 and £12 per share'. He is working on behalf of a client who has acquired promises of 43% of Laura Ashley shares from corporate investors and are now looking to acquire 8% more from private shareholders to reach the 51% needed for the takeover.
I've not held Laura Ashley shares for many years so kept my details to myself and closed the conversation.
Watch out though, this is well-rehearsed, well structured, sounds plausible and they are very persistent!
Nov 12, 2018 Rating
Take over scam by: Penny
Just had the same call but from clarksdale Partners, New York. Same story - RELX hostile take over and need 51% of the shares. Are offering well over current market price. Was just going to sign the non-disclosure form which, according to the foreign lady who made the call, would merely enable their legal department to verify my shareholding. Thanks to this site, I now know it to be a scam. How I hate these people, stealing from the innocent and naive.
Oct 28, 2018 Rating
They just don't give up by: Dennis
Some years ago I was offered vast amounts for some Gladstone penny shares which I no longer held.
Usual speil about wanting to buy 51% of shares to take over the firm.
Then, thank goodness, I found this site and read how the fraudsters take our money for no return.
Today I had a call from an oriental sounding lady in New York wanting to buy the same shares as before.
Told her to stop scamming people and then we both hung up on each other.
They just don't give up. Sadly, they must successfully fool quite a few people to keep themselves in the business of fraud.
Oct 27, 2018 Rating
Relx Shares by: Anonymous
I have also received several phone calls and an e-mail from Ms. Kelly Marshall / Mergers & Acquisition Department Symmons Advisors offering to buy my Relx Group plc shares. However I am required to sign a bond for over £5k which I am not prepared to do. I assume that this is a scam hence the reason for not taking the matter further.
Oct 18, 2018 Rating
Clarskdalecorporate.com by: Anonymous
The latest scam. They tried this with my mum who wisely gave them my phone number. Reed Elsevier (now RELX) shares, hostile takeover to get 51% of shares etc. Company website created at end of Sep-2018. Names they are using this time are Georgia Taylor, Mark Durbin and Margaret Griffin. Heavy Asian accent. Stay clear of these utter fools and stay safe!
Oct 16, 2018 Rating
Company takeover by: Anti Scam Man
You have scammed. Contact your bank as soon as possible to try to reverse the payment. It is probably to a philippines bank so may not be possible.
Oct 16, 2018 Rating
Hostile takeover telephone scam by: Anonymous
I believe I have been the victim of a hostile takeover scam. I was contacted by phone by Blairford Consultancy in New York claiming they had clients who were conducting a hostile takeover of Relx plc and offered me a substantial premiun per share for my holding . I stupidly paid an insurance bond of over £4k, signed a NDA and provided personal ID's. I have had various conversations with supposed individuals at Blairford and their Insurance Advisers Easterbrook estates. They have a credible web site, kept me "warm" on a daily basis , updating me with progress and sending a series of emails confirming the details of the transaction,and confirmation that sufficient shares had been acquired for their client to get 51% of the company and that I would be receiving the proceeds of the sale in the next 10 days . My suspicions were finally confirmed when I tried to get on the Blairford web site tonight and was unable to access it . On further checking I established that their web site had only existed since June 2018 and that of Easterbrook Advisers had only been in existence for 3 days . What a bloody idiot. What can I do ??
Sep 24, 2018 Rating
Another example by: Anonymous
Just had call from "Samantha" in New York. Also Johnston Press scam. Very persistent. I've asked her to email the documents.
Sep 07, 2018 Rating
Cooper Consultancy Ltd by: Bill
Have had various calls from above company in last few days, claiming to be based in New York and wanting to buy my Friends Provident/Resolution Ltd shares (which I cashed in back in 2009). Same MO as others have reported, e-mailed me an NDA and won't give me any more information until I return it. All callers had strong Chinese or Asian accents, the main man called himself "Elliot Santos" - but I doubt that's what his mother calls him. Suggested that even though I had sold the shares there may be scrip issues that I was unaware of. Address on the NDA was 370 Lexington Ave, NYC. Beware!
Jun 20, 2018 Rating
Everritt Capital Partners by: Anonymous
They all say you will not have to part with any money - then later they will ask you to pay for an insurance bond
Jun 19, 2018 Rating
Everrett Capital Partners by: Anonymous
Similar deal but they are saying, at no point do I need to part with money for escrow etc. The most intriguing yet. Just concerned I may be liable for some reason following agreement to contract. They are asking for bank details to pay in the amount which should be no problem as they can't take money.. There is a cheque option but I'm aware of that potential scam..
Jun 19, 2018 Rating
Stubblefield advisors by: Anonymous
just received a call, from a Mike Banner of stubblefield advisors , telling me of a hostile bid for Johnson mattey all looks very efficient web site letter head etc, told them i don't recall holding shares in the company , they have just confirmed that i have a holding and am in line for a payment of just over 3k. lets seen the con unfold !!!!!
Apr 24, 2018 Rating
Tata Takeover by: Anonymous
I have also had the same type of phone contact. The name of the contact has changed but each time sounded to be the same person. Also talks about 3800 shares to be purchased at $5/$17 each depending on outcome. Last call also mentioned an insorance bond and excro a/c. No bank details given.
Apr 12, 2018 Rating
Landonfinriversfinnrivers by: Anonymous
These are a sofisticated criminal gang. Targeting people who have unknowingly made bogus investments, where the companies have gone into receivership and the investor is bombarded by various commodity, trading and investment companies (All bogus). They tell you what you want to hear about your investment then get a buyer and offer marvellous returns. However you have to cough up x amount of pounds to do so. Don't trust anyone that cold calls. Don't part with any cash.
Apr 11, 2018 Rating
Landon Finn Rivers Scam by: Anonymous
This is a sophisticated scam. They contacted my 81 yo father in law and fleeced him of 60 thousand GBP. The number of people involved (all sounding English) is staggering. The scam started by them representing themselves as a different company and ran over many months. Then he was contacted by Landon Finn Rivers saying his 'investment' was subject to a fraud and they had held his money in trust. Then the scam kept taking turns. His trust had been assigned a property and now a property developer was offering him 1.2 million. The scam continues as they try and fleece him of more and more money and contact him from different fake companies trying to get more of his money. The details are far to much for this sadly....
Apr 11, 2018 Rating
Tata steel takeover by: Anonymous
I've just had Belinda Mayer on the phone and she's just introduced into the conversation that I am liable for 30% of the insurance liability for the sale of the non real shares that I don't/do own?? She has told me I now own 3815 shares that the mystery purchaser wants. I'm prepared to have a little entertainment from her continued phone messages as yet no mention of money has been made. As soon as a bond payment is mentioned I shall cease all communication. My reason for doing this is, if she is talking to me then she is not trying to con anyone else.
Apr 10, 2018 Rating
Tata Steel takeover by: Anonymous
You guessed it, these are all scams and the methods they use are always the same. Do not tell anyone or the sale might fall through...It will not cost you anything...you will have to send us money for an insurance bond etc. We have all heard it over and over again.
Apr 10, 2018 Rating
re: Tata Steel takeover by: Anti Scam Man
This is just a repeat of the previous scam under the name of Clarion Global. Now they are calling themselves RBCP International. The person making the initial contact is still Belinda Mayer which makes one wonder if this might actually be her real name? A new domain and website were set up under the name of RBCPintl.com for the purpose of convincing people that worthless shares they may have owned at some point are now miraculously worth a fortune. The named registrant on the domain is a 'Jenny Hue' The address they show in Third Avenue, New York is a 'virtual' office space. When it was run under the name of Clarion all the details were passed to Action Fraud and the FBI. These details included the bank account numbers being used in the Philippines to take payment of the 'insurance money' from those that were convinced by this scam. It would be worth reporting this because the more reports there are the more likely it will be that the authorities take action and avoid future scams.
Apr 09, 2018 Rating
Anti scam man by: Anonymous
Belinda Mayer was one of the team from an earlier scam in the UK and US for shares in a defunct company. Surprising that the name hasn't changed. I'll follow this up in the morning.
Apr 09, 2018 Rating
Tata steel takeover by: Anonymous
I have received two calls from a company called RBCP international asking if I owned shares in Corus (ex British steel). I said I no longer owned them as they were sold on the Tata steel takeover. A lady called Belinda Mayer (she claims) has found that I still own 3800 shares (I don't) which they wish to buy from me. I'm assuming it is a scam as how can I sell anything that I no longer own. I must tell no one about this bid or it may not go ahead. I'm awaiting further communication because as yet they are still refusing to send any evidence that these mysterious shares actually exist. Let alone the fact that I apparently own several thousand of them.
Mar 12, 2018 Rating
Landon finn rivers by: Susan
This company contacted me about my Chinese cryptocurrency. They only had a free phone contact number and their call were always on a withheld number. No information on internet about this company. They got me a buyer and significantly good offer for my cryptocurrency however i was to purchase a Chinese trade licence in order to proceed with the deal. I was given numbers for the buyer and two previous clients. I spoke to all three who appeared very genuine. I asked for and received a bank statement from one client showing a large amount of money deposited into the account. On close inspection this statement had been digitally altered. I discontinued all future calls. Scammers
Mar 02, 2018 Rating
Landon Finn Rivers by: Anonymous
Had an offer from these people to purchase my useless store pod investment. I told them I had received offers but was not paying the scam "insurance". They said that they would send a cheque but they would need certain details re money laundering. There was a choice of things to send including copy of NI card, which was phased out in 2011 and also a travel document??. Maybe a train ticket would do. It seems that the 12 digit international trading code associated with the investment is what they really want. Their website was 4 weeks old but they said they gad been about 35 years.When they were questioned about their address and po box belonging to someone else they said they owned the whole building and when asked if they were speaking from their london office they said yes but could not tell me which building was across the road, the Royal Court of Justice. Strangely they then hung up. Scammers
Feb 22, 2018 Rating
Eurotunnel shares by: Anonymous
I have had 3 calls from a company in New York wanting me to sign an emailed document. The person told me once signed to prove they were my shares I would be made an offer for them to buy my shares. He said it was confidential if it was made public then the deal might not go ahead, so I needed to act fast. The phone rang the 4th evening I ignored the call when I called 1471the number had been withheld!
Feb 16, 2018 Rating
Re 'Recent Scams' by: Anonymous
Perhaps you should send each one the other's phone numbers and let them waste each other's time!
Feb 16, 2018 Rating
Recent scams by: Anonymous
I've been contacted this month by two different people from Cabbot Law Firm to buy my non-existent shares in a company called Global Commodities. Each mentioned a different number of shares and offered a different price for them!
Similarly someone from Mitchell Bloch Law Firm offered to buy my shares in Sen Yu International, also a company I've never heard of, and, following my refusal, I've even been shown an default notice for my shares ostensibly printed in the Washington Post.
Finally, I've received an offer from Landon Finn Rivers to sell my carbon credits for a large sum, using Global Legal Escrow for the purchase price, provided I take out a licence at a significant up-front cost.
It's been quite a month! - but I've refused them all.
Feb 13, 2018 Rating
Eurotunne/ and back to work! by: Anonymous
Yes 'they' are indeed 'back to work' in all spheres. General rule of thumb, 'If it seems too good to be true - it probably is) 2nd rule, If there's an indemnity of any sort up front then it isn't gonna happen! That's no matter how attractive it looks! Keep your money!
Feb 12, 2018 Rating
Eurotunnel Shares by: Anonymous
Ive had a woman calling me from RBCP International in New York enquiringly to buy my Eurotunnel shares which I bought many years back now reduced to low level. 25 shares. But she has come through tonight. Apparently due to consolidation and some kind of Scrip dividend, there are now 4285 shares!! They want to buy them and will send me details in writing later. Too good??? She then laid out insurance indemnity cover which will ensure that they and I do not lose our shares. I see this as the possible initial ‘sting’. I was hoping that my 25 shares might net a bit of money but I became convinced about the scam, when the 4285 shares appeared which would net be a large sum. Too good to be true!!!
Jan 19, 2018 Rating
Ehrotunnel share scam Phoenix by: Anonymous
Eurotunnel share scam Looks as if they are back to work! 18 January 2018 landline call (number withheld) from Sarah, wanting to buy my (actual) Etunnel shares. Aksed her to wait while I went to Study, but she rang off, See below for earlier reports.
Dec 11, 2017 Rating
Howland Law by: Marie
My 80+ father has been targeted by Gary Coleman/Chris J Howland/Nicholas Ceyrac or whatever his name is. This chap has been operating from several addresses since God knows when so previous comments are correct, IT'S A SCAM!! He is obviously a professional criminal and is assisted by the authorities if they don’t go after him. Previously registered through A1 Companies of North Finchley as Vanora Capital and Howland Capital. Lauren Bradrick and Monika Klis of A1 companies of Company Services Ltd; who registered them with their ‘company’s services’. Thank you to all who have posted here, lets keep this going till they are not!!
Dec 04, 2017 Rating
Prime Time Group Howland Law by: Anonymous
I recently received this email from a Mr Don Hammer of Howland Law.
He is very convincing and as you will see he is using virtually the same script as seen on previous postings. He has come up with a valuation of $5 - 6 per share for stock that is worthless.
I will not be sending him any documents. As others have said 'If it seems to good to be true, it usually is' and you should avoid it like the plague. Has anyone else been contacted by Don Hammer? I notice other names for the same firm Daniel Brown David Fischer Gary Coleman
With reference to our recent conversation regarding your current shareholdings in Prime Time Group, Inc., I can once again confirm that the company is indeed currently undergoing a hostile takeover bid.
As discussed the company you are shareholder in Prime Time Group, Inc. is being taken over by a Hong Kong based Investment syndicate who wish to liquidate the corporation with the intent of selling off the existing assets for profit.
To make you aware in the United States, regulatory legislation states that in the case of a voluntary liquidation the acquirer must employ a company to contact all existing shareholders globally, inform them of the liquidation and assist them in claiming compensation.
The purpose of the valuation is to establish the value of the shares in relation to the total assets the company owns. From there the majority shareholder must then make an offer to the remaining shareholder that reflects this valuation.
In this instance the majority shareholder does not have to have consent from the remaining shareholders as they own the 51% controlling interest in the company.
However, what is required is as a shareholder in the company you need to accept the given offer, which takes into consideration the value of company’s total assets.
The first step in this procedure is for you to agree to the offer, in order to do this, we have to formally present the offer to you in the form of a legal document, known as a Stock Redemption Agreement, which is drawn up by ourselves and clearly states the amount the acquirer is prepared to pay you per share.
Please find attached a copy of your Stock Redemption Agreement and in preparation for our next scheduled call on November 22, 2017 at 5:00pm GMT, please print a copy of your Stock Redemption Agreement and also make a note of any questions you may have regarding the offer.
Once again we are here to help and guide you through a step by step process in order for you to claim the offer for your shares in Prime Time Group, Inc. and ensure the process goes smoothly and without delay.
I look forward to our next conversation on November 22, 2017 at 5:00pm GMT, In the instance you need to reschedule our meeting, then please reply to this email or alternatively give me a call on my direct number below.
Kind regards,
Don Hammer Howland Law 60 State Street, Boston, MA, United States, 02109
Nov 24, 2017 Rating
Howland Law Scam by: Anonymous
This is a scam And he didn't call me back.
With reference to our recent conversation regarding your current shareholdings in Apollo Resources International, Inc., I can once again confirm that the company is indeed currently undergoing a hostile takeover bid.
As discussed the company you are shareholder in Apollo Resources International, Inc. is being taken over by a Hong Kong based Investment syndicate who wish to liquidate the corporation with the intent of selling off the existing assets for profit.
To make you aware in the United States, regulatory legislation states that in the case of a voluntary liquidation the acquirer must employ a company to contact all existing shareholders globally, inform them of the liquidation and assist them in claiming compensation.
The purpose of the valuation is to establish the value of the shares in relation to the total assets the company owns. From there the majority shareholder must then make an offer to the remaining shareholder that reflects this valuation.
In this instance the majority shareholder does not have to have consent from the remaining shareholders as they own the 51% controlling interest in the company.
However, what is required is as a shareholder in the company you need to accept the given offer, which takes into consideration the value of company’s total assets.
The first step in this procedure is for you to agree to the offer, in order to do this, we have to formally present the offer to you in the form of a legal document, known as a Stock Redemption Agreement, which is drawn up by ourselves and clearly states the amount the acquirer is prepared to pay you per share.
Please find attached a copy of your Stock Redemption Agreement and in preparation for our next scheduled call on November 24, 2017 at 4:00pm GMT, please print a copy of your Stock Redemption Agreement and also make a note of any questions you may have regarding the offer.
Once again we are here to help and guide you through a step by step process in order for you to claim the offer for your shares in Apollo Resources International, Inc. and ensure the process goes smoothly and without delay.
I look forward to our next conversation on November 24, 2017 at 4:00pm GMT, In the instance you need to reschedule our meeting, then please reply to this email or alternatively give me a call on my direct number below.
Kind regards,
Daniel Brown Howland Law
Nov 08, 2017 Rating
Reply to Claire by: Anti Scam Man
We strung our scammers along as long as we could and obtained their bank details which were passed to the authorities in UK and US. Obviously we got no feedback regarding action taken by them but at least we tried. The information they had about us was on the public record and the signatures on the paperwork bore no resemblance to ours.
Nov 08, 2017 Rating
Risks by: Claire
So if these scammers get you as far as signing a stock redemption agreement and then you come to your senses and proceed no further with their games what can they potentially do ?..... they have your signature and address
Nov 07, 2017 Rating
Cartwright law specialists in boston by: Anonymous
2 calls out of the blue. Based in U.K. And told I have shares in a company International Commodities Management. Said it must have been another company that invested in it so I was unaware. Silly money being offered. Email sent with a contract for me to sign. The address in Boston is on Clarendon St. Bain Capital and EY have their offices there! Can't find anything on Google. As just said it is too good to be true! Life is full of scammers?
Nov 05, 2017 Rating
re Cartright Law by: Anonymous
The scam follows when they will want an insurance premium to guarantee payment. Once they get that they will disappear.
Nov 05, 2017 Rating
Cartwright Law Specialists: Boston by: Bardfly
Cartwright Law Specialists supposedly based in Boston rang me offering to buy my shares in US Hydroelectric Inc. I had no recollection of ever buying.any such shares but they said there had been numerous mergers and acquisitions and I had shares in one of the merged companies. Having had this type of scam before I said I would not be paying any bond or insurance money up front, they said no that their client was paying all costs. They then emailed me the forms for signing, basically buying my shares for $150000 ! If something looks too good to be true it usually is. Neither Cartwright Law Specialists or US Hydroelectric Inc. came up on Google - very suspicious. Cartwrights list their address as 200 Clarendon St. Boston. Google maps revealed that this is the huge skyscraper in Boston. They then rang me again to chase for the signed documents. I said are you in a large building, the guy said no not really just in a building with 2 or 3 other companies - so I said 200 Clarendon St. In Boston? He said "ummm yes". I don’t know what the scam is, maybe they just want my signature, but I will not be sending in the forms.
Oct 27, 2017 Rating
Howland law by: Anonymous
I have been contacted by mr Fischer from Howland Law in Boston (?) who wishes to pay 2.48 dollars per share for a company called Tauriga Sciences. The net value of this company is 0.0 ( Bloomberg)) Many years ago afo a boilerroom sold me those shares and now they found me again. They me that I have to pay nothing, but reading this side I am not so sure. Glad I found this webaite.
From the Netherlands
Oct 25, 2017 Rating
mr Gary Coleman by: Anonymous
Ive been also contacted by howlands law firm in boston USA but by another chap Mr David Fischer ( yes spelt with a C )Stock redemption agreement, I need to sign it twice and initial the other three pages. With my signature and initials these scammers could forge any type of document. Do not send any signed docs of any description received on an email.
Hope this helps anyone in a similar situation.
Oct 21, 2017 Rating
Shares in St. James Capital Holding inc. by: Anonymous
Have been contacted by Mr. Gary Coleman, Howland Law,State Street Boston, USA these shares were purchased 10 years ago.
They have sent a Stock Redemption Agreement, which we think is a scam, and as such do not intend to sign and return it. As we have done nothing they are threatening to issue a new Notice of Default. Think bully boy tactics come to mind.
Sep 26, 2017 Rating
provident-trading by: Anonymous
I have been scammed by provident-trading. Can anyone advise me how to act from now on? Maybe contact a lawyer who is specializing in this field???
Sep 22, 2017 Rating
Re Share scams/boiler rooms by: Anti Scam Man
Sadly they tend to operate out of countries that are not too fussy about how their economies run. For example, the Clarion Global scam was based in the Philippines but they used bogus UK and US addresses along with cloud-based telephone systems which made them appear to be in New York. The bank receiving the money was also out there. They make the deals look so attractive and I'm sure many people end up paying and maybe are too embarrassed to admit it when they realise that they have been conned. I would urge anybody who has been scammed to speak out, this would make the authorities take later reports more seriously. The upside for me is the people that have been in touch to say that, because of reports online they realised it was a scam and saved their money.
Sep 22, 2017 Rating
share scams/boiler rooms by: Anonymous
I am still failing to understand how so many of these companies are able to operate in the current days of KYC (Know your customer) regulations for financial institutions. How do the banks and lawyers that these scamsters use allow them to operate accounts? Surely they should report them to the appropriate authorities! Can anyone shed light on how they do this?
Sep 21, 2017 Rating
Beware Chesterfields by: Anonymous
So relieved to find this website. I had been phoned by Karen Johanssen / Julian Pedersen, of {apparently} Chesterfields in New York. They knew about some dormant shares I have. "Hostile take-over bid, non-disclosure contract, insurance bond, I must pay 10% of the value of my shares..." All plausible. Thankful to be realise it's a scam before I parted with any money.
Sep 12, 2017 Rating
Cpl shares by: Anonymous
chesterfieldintlpartners Karen Johanssen / Mergers & Acquisition Department called my husband looking with offer. Beware a new York cell phone. Maybe keep them on phone at their cost. Could be fun. Avoid giving details as you are giving them more ammunition to sell list on for other scammers
Sep 02, 2017 Rating
share scames by: Anonymous
does anyone know if Osbourne-mulligan new York is still trading and a company you can trust by selling shares on your behalf .
Aug 31, 2017 Rating
Scammed by: Anonymous
Has anyone ever succeeded in getting their money back???
Aug 29, 2017 Rating
Chesterfield Intl Partners, New York by: Anonymous
Phoned by a Karen Johanssen in New York who said my late husband owned shares in company called Scipher plc and they were planning hostile takeover and our shares had increased five times over and they would like to purchase them. I actually found the share certificates so was a bit interested I must confess. These people sound really genuine so beware. Once a share price has been fixed they would send me further documentation and I would then have to pay for an insurance bond to state my claim. So pleased to have found this very helpful site - thank you!
Aug 10, 2017 Rating
Global Legal Escrow claiming that they are part of global legal group its a scam by: Anonymous
I just came aware that a company called Global Legal Escrow is presenting themselves as part of global legal group, its a scam!!! be aware , global legal group is a legal publishing house and not related to any trading of fx or binary options
Jul 27, 2017 Rating
Clarion Global Group by: Anti Scam Man
In response to your request, Bakery Service Share. Clarion Global Group is not a real company. The address they claim to have is that of the Clarion Hotel if you look up their website on who is you will see they registered the domain and launched the site 24 hours before they started calling their victims. All the pictures on it are stock as is the editorial content. One of the companies they are claiming to be taking over is Beaufort plc which was dissolved several years ago with no assets. The last share price was about 2 pence. There are other companies. The scripts they use are well rehearsed. Please do not pay them any money. I don't know if I can put contact details on here but I'll find out. I have other details about them but they would be able to identify me and stop communicating with me if I published them.
Jul 27, 2017 Rating
Do not [pay them by: Anonymous
I see no reason not to give them details because what will happen is they will ask for an indemnity or similar before paying your mother. This is the point at which she will know it is a scam. NB whatever the response DO NOT allow her to pay any money for something she owns, allegedly or in reality. I'm an 'old hand' at this and I have NEVER seen money returned to me regardless how believable these guys are and I've often taken it to the point of 'indemnity' but no further. On carbon credits, I've even signed everything, been asked for no money, been told how much I will get, which Mexican bank is paying me! following which the intermediary disappeared and the bank whilst a real name had fake docs - Go figure? I'll bet if you search them it's a relatively new domain and they will not actually be at the address stated, or it's rented very recently.. Cheers
Jul 27, 2017 Rating
Bakery Service Share by: Anonymous
A company called Clarion Global Group has been ringing my mother in law every night for a week trying to encourage her to provide information about share saying they will buy off her for 2.50 a share, I have advised her not to talk with them but they are so convincing she still thinks its true. Can anybody give us advise as I have read other peoples views and have now printed them off to show my mother in law to stay well clear
Jul 20, 2017 Rating
Johnson and James Consultancy of Dallas by: Hugo First
I was approached by this company, based in Dallas, allegedly acting on behalf of someone wanting to make a hostile takeover of a venture capital trust I invested in about ten years ago. The VCT rolled into a different VCT a couple of years later, and the assets were acquired earlier this year (at a knockdown price) by a different VCT. Bottom line, the original VCT was wound up as a company several years ago and I won shares in the new VCT. J & J's representative stated that their client was interested in patents held by the original VCT, and was prepared to pay well over the odds to acquire them. Was I interested? "Potentially, yes." I was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement and information form so they could verify my holding. No risk at this stage, so I signed and sent the agreement back. Another phone call last night and the rep advised they had confirmed my holding. The proposed offer for my shares would be at least 6 x my original investment. She then explained that the deal would be protected against non-completion by an insurance bond issued by one of Lloyds, Prudential or Axa. To incentivise people in the deal so that nobody "backed out at the last minute", the cost of the insurance bond to participants on the buy and sell sides would be 10 - 15% of the proposed offer, refundable when the deal completed. By now, all the hairs on the back of my neck were upright and my SCAM warning antennae lit up. I have been involved in many internatonal acquisitions during my career and never come across an insurance bond. Any patents held by a company backed by the original VCT would now reside with the VCT that acquired it. And why would a hostile acquirer be bothering with a small private shareholder when they need only 51% of the shares to gain control? They would be targetting the big institutional investors. Did some online research. The address for Johnson and James is a rental office - not a good sign. Their website does not exist. There is no online material covering their role in any genuine acquisitions. And then I found this helpful website. Thanks to everyone who has posted here. I am obviously the target, but have no intention of being the victim, of a scam. I will be reporting the company to the FSA to add to their list of villains. Avoid these crooks.
Jul 19, 2017 Rating
Scam operations by: Anonymous
Can anyone please explain to me how these kind of companies operate in these days of 'Know your customer' policies and regulations of banks? How do these scumbags manage to operate without getting caught? How do the banks and lawyers that they operate through, manage to get away with these kinds of obvious fraud? Surely,they have to be accountable!
Jul 19, 2017 Rating
Silver Pines by: Anonymous
There is no doubt this will be a scam. They always make it so attractive that you are drawn in to send them money. He may well have owned these shares but the will be worthless. Do not pay out any money.
Jul 19, 2017 Rating
Silver pines escrow, courington law by: Claire
Any one know anything about these two? Seem to be working together, Silver Pines is based in Singapore with Courington Law being in Boston
These guys say my dad has £60,000 worth of funds to be received once he has made a payment of about £2k for share certificate, removal of restrictions and fees. surely this is s scam but he vaguely remembers having the shares yet has no proof this end any more
Jul 19, 2017 Rating
Scary by: Anonymous
Thank goodness I found this site, I was already suspicious but couldn't see the sting. According to Genworth consultant Group my 146 shares had suddenly been increased to 2,352 on a 'forward stock option'. Like previous posts, my holding was suddenly worth over £55,000 and all I had to do was to pay £5,000 into blue lake transfer! Have just sent them email to say deal is off.
Jul 13, 2017 Rating
Clarion Global Group share scam by: Anonymous
This company set up a website on 30th May 2017 and is offering highly inflated prices to buy shares in various UK companies which have been dissolved. They insist on a confidentiality agreement and then make it seem so attractive that people are reeled in. Then comes the sting, they need an insurance premium to secure the deal. They claim to be in New York but their bank details for the payment are in The Philippines and the Escrow agent is in Hong Kong (with a website set up on 28th June 2017). It is highly likely that they will shut down the operation mid July once they have scammed enough people and before they are caught.
Jun 29, 2017 Rating
Thomas and Gareth Consulting Group by: Anonymous
Re post dated 26 June about above "company" scam - thanks for your post which persuaded my husband that he was indeed about to be scammed by the above company, by a very plausible gentleman called Julian Pedersen in New York.
Scam involved a company my husband used to have shares in many years ago, which he thought were now worthless. Mr P nearly persuaded him that they did still have value, that a hostile takeover was about to happen, secrecy required,etc. We stood to gain about £50,000. Then we were told we would have to pay £5,000 as a bond to a "reputable" insurance company. Smelt a rat at that stage, and then saw your post. Thanks again. No doubt they will just change their name and try again.
Jun 29, 2017 Rating
Clarion Global Group & Fortune Dynasty Shares by: Anonymous
Beware this scam. Phone call from representative of Clarion Global Group, Diego Garcia, made reference to shares owned by my father in Fortune Oil which were bought out by Fortune Dynasty in 2015.He stated my father still had shares in the company under a scrip issue and his company was representing a client who was attempting a hostile takeover of Fortune Dynasty.They were willing to pay £7 per share but first of all he needed to complete and return (by email) a confidential Non-disclosure agreement.These people are very persistant. Having told him my father received all he was due and had no further claim he tried to convince me otherwise.They have a website giving their address as 425 Park Ave S New York.This address is in fact the Clarion Hotel and the website wording is poorly presented but may fool some.I have not proceeded to the point of being offered the chance to buy the bond so can't comment on that but just hope this blog may save someone from funding these scammers.
Jun 26, 2017 Rating
thomas and gareth consulting group by: Anonymous
My grandad nearly gone done by this scam. A woman called Karen from Thomas And Gareth Consulting Group told my grandad his late wife had shares in a company called U.B.M Plc and that he would make £51,000 if he sold his shares. He sent a signed form and my nans death certificate to them. He was told to tell nobody but luckily I managed to stop him from taking things further. Its scary as the woman (Karen) seemed very genuine when I spoke to her on the phone so I can see how an elderly person could fall for it. Even when I found this forum and told him it was a scam he was not willing to believe me. There were too many red flags. The website is only 3 months old and is pretty bare bones. How do I go about reporting them? These people are scum and one day they will be judged for their actions. If it seems too good to be true then it is.
Jun 24, 2017 Rating
He said I lived in Brazil by: Anonymous
Thought this my lighten the mood. I live in London I have over the last few years had at least 3 calls from abroad wanting to buy some defunct shares from me for astronomical sums as long as I paid them a bond etc. All scams, of course.
Yesterday another call came in from a guy with a thick foreign accent.
As soon as he mentioned my Gladstone shares I guessed what he was up to.
So I said to him 'stop wasting your time and mine as this is a scam'.
'No, no he said, listen to me'. 'Go away' I replied
Then he said: 'you are in Brazil' to which I replied 'no I am in the UK'. We repeated these words to each other about 4 times with him ending up shouting 'you are in Brazil' .
Then he spoke very slowly and deliberately and said ' you are imbecile' and slammed the phone down.
I am one happy imbecile.
Jun 23, 2017 Rating
Tata Steel by: Anonymous
Just had a bloke on the phone, couldn't make out the name of the company he represented but the terms takeover and 51% majority shareholder were mentioned, wanting to pay me between £8 and £17 a share for "700 Bonus shares" that my late husband had as a long term employee of British Steel (Corus and then Tata Steel)according to him. My husband sold his shares years ago. Lost interest when I told him my post code was wrong because we had moved and that he could write to me if he wanted but I was not giving him my e-mail address saying I'll make the offer to someone else then and you will lose out.
Jun 14, 2017 Rating
Dixon Associates Ltd by: Nick Battle
Yes; this is a scam and it is obviously working because these people have been working it for a few years now. They are actually based in Brooklyn how the authorities have not closed them down yet is beyond me.
They specialise in share holdings that you may have held years ago but are now worthless, usually because the company became insolvent. You lost money on them but you still own them.
Suddenly you are told they are worth a lot. Someone wants to buy them from you. But its a secret so you must sign a confidentiality agreement .Next, big news, the shares were multiplied by four so instead of 1000 you actually have 4000 ! You are starting to feel rich ! Just one small item. You need to pay a bond fee to release the money......Do you want to go on ? Don't.
Jun 01, 2017 Rating
Dixon Associates Ltd - scam? by: Anonymous
Re Sibiu 11th May I am in talks with Dixon Ass. Ltd and thought it all seemed ok I even went on line to check them out, until I was told I would need to deposit bond money. They have been contacting me for a few weeks about this. I' m glad I have seen these comments so now know what is going on. Should I report them to someone?
May 15, 2017 Rating
Chicago Law Group by: Anonymous
I was contacted by Peter Mead of Chicago Law Group with a website which shows no names and minimal information. The company name does not come up on a general search for Chicago firms. Offering me $3.50/ share for 45,000 shares in Interstate Pharmaceuticals Corp which I have never heard of. Linking it to some gold mining shares I once had. I could not work out the angle except giving my bank account - but could they really misuse that? So I assume they will ask for a payment in some form before they would release the money. When he rang back, and before I read these reviews, he was a bit tetchy that I had not responded quickly, then was friendly again. I was suspicious from the start when the 'speak' was more salesman like than lawyer like.
May 11, 2017 Rating
Sibir Energy possible scam ....... by: Anonymous
I have had a request to advance funds to Dixon Associates in NYC re a take over of Sibir. Has anyone else been called or emailed re this one ? Obviously I will not be sending any cash ..... these guys have to be given full marks for persistence !
May 11, 2017 Rating
Fraudulent...i presume by: CB
Zachary Duncan, Courington Law, Boston on to Matthew Price, USM&AA now onto Brian Shannon, Silver Pines Escrow
shares we have apparently got from years ago and many splits and takeovers. Not been asked for any money yet but waiting for it...anyone heard of these, presume they are all fake and we should not waste time any more with them?
May 10, 2017 Rating
SCAM ,SCAM,SCAM by: Anonymous
A guy called George Edwards from New York with a contrived pauncy English voice said a company I was scammed 1,550 euro out of sky works solutions had been liquidated and that I was due money back I confronted him and he said the conversation was been recorded and I'd be getting a law suit sent lol , these people are total scum bags dont give them anything you will lose it all..
May 05, 2017 Rating
Don't pay upfront - it's ALWAYS a SCAM by: Anonymous
IT'S A SCAM - repeat after me 100 times IT'S A SCAM
I really cannot believe the comments on this page from people asking if a request for insurance etc to be paid upfront before you get the cash from shares is legit. (Shares that you have previously sold, of never held)
One person even thought they should send £35,000 to the scammers to release the share money.
Please be aware. If anyone, no matter how plausible they sound, wants to give you a small fortune for shares that you have previously sold of never held, SAY NO.
IT'S A SCAM. YET PEOPLE STILL FALL FOR THE GLIB TALK.
Sorry for shouting, but how else can I get you to hear this simple message?
May 05, 2017 Rating
US Gold Mining by: Anonymous
Chicago Law Group's Frank Harper contacted me re shares in the above company. Offered $3.50 for the 45000 shares in my name. Very plausible English guy who laid out how the shares would have ended up in my name via stock swap. Sent for to complete via email and said because of my previous experiences delete Bank details section and request Bankers draft. Still waiting for the request to provide funds to release shares.
May 03, 2017 Rating
selling shares by: Anonymous
has anyone heard of a company called Osbourne-mulligan selling shares in a company called 21 century technology plc for myself but having to send 35000 pounds up front to an insurance company to make sure trade went through
May 01, 2017 Rating
Tandem Plc by: Anonymous
Security Capital Consultants are offering big money for scrip shares Feels somewhat dodgy - any others ?
Apr 25, 2017 Rating
The law firm Anders & Goldfinch "Anders & Goldfinch" does not exist by: Anonymous
Whoever is behind this scam has created a website for a "boutique" law firm in New York that doesn't really exist. (The law firm, not the website!)
The website has been created in the hope it adds weight and realism to the story being touted about, see below.
It's a reasonably well-done effort but fortunately, in April 2017, most people are sophisticated enough to recognise a scam. I wonder how these people look themselves in the mirror every day? Do they have children? Are all other people just marks? I guess so.
I suspect this is a UK based scam and I will be contacting the police (and financial conduct authorities and internet service providers) shortly to report.
Apr 24, 2017 Rating
Obvious scam by: Anonymous
Same thing: Told that I apparently own 40,000 shares in some oil company I have never heard of and if I sign a form they will immediately send me $160,000 if I send them my Bank account details. Wow ! That easy. And I was only born yesterday! Hopefully the Fraud Squad or somebody will take these people down. Some less savvy pensionersor whoever are going to get taken in.
Apr 21, 2017 Rating
US oiltech inc by: Anonymous
As I was scammed a few years back I think I'm on an international mugs list as these low life scammers are a regular hazard for me. James Parker from Anders & Goldfinch want me to send bank details to transfer $160000 for the purchase of 40000 shares I supposedly have in Oiltech! These cold callous liars should be terminated, PERMANENTLY.
Apr 15, 2017 Rating
What's in it for them? by: Anonymous
They will ask for a 'bond' before the funds are released.. Don't pay it because you won't be paid in any event..
Apr 14, 2017 Rating
US OIL TECH INC. by: Anonymous
Same story about Anders & Goldfinch Law Group.
Clause c. below:-
C. $160,000.00 as the total payout have been accepted by xxxx and will be paid by Anders & Goldfinch Law Group to xxxx within 5 (five) business days.
Can anyone explain what is in it for them?
Apr 14, 2017 Rating
US OIL TECH INC. by: MACK3
Mark Lansing today offered to sign off '40000' shares in the above which I have no knowledge of!? He had som half cocked B.S. story about some big investor taking over the company by buying 51% of the company in shares which were held under "Nominee A/C's" and my name had 40,000 shares registered against it for which the big investor was offering to pay out $4/share!? A nice little windfall of $160,000....if only it were true!! The smell of BS was wafting and words like Sailing, Clyde, and Banana Boat crossed my mind! I strung him along and now there is an email in my inbox with forms to complete, scan, and send back!? I agreed to read them but asking for my windfall by cheque seemed to cause a pregnant pause. They obviously want bank a/c details and I'm sure they will catch the unwary with bait like this. Hopefully there are watchdogs checking this site and some action will be taken to CLEAN THEM OUT!!
Apr 13, 2017 Rating
US Oil Tech Inc by: Anonymous
To my surprise I did not receive any follow up calls from Richard Graham of andersgoldfinch in past 2 days urging me to send forms in to compliance dept., otherwise may miss out. Do you think they may read these posts and backed off? Maybe they just think they are flogging a dead horse in trying to get me on board?
Apr 13, 2017 Rating
US Oil Tech Inc by: Anonymous
Same story, I was contacted by a Hannah Mills saying I had 40,000 shares in above company and I was entitled to $4 a share. Would have been nice if it was true, shame people stoop so Low
Apr 12, 2017 Rating
Oil tech share purchase scam by: Anonymous
The company andersgoldfinch that a certain Richard Graham called from has the website created in March 2017...some more alarm bells. I need to register this company with SEC fraud team.
Apr 11, 2017 Rating
Share scams etc... by: Bob
Really.... all these share are scams designed only to instil a real fear of loss. Regardless of the promised sum, send no money! Remember if it seems to good to be true, there's no probably about it, it is too good to be true and therefore false! My looooong hard experience! By all means get them excited, just DON'T PAY ANY MONEY up front!
Apr 11, 2017 Rating
Oil Tech by: Anonymous
I have received several calls from the same number today regarding the same from Anders & Goldfinch +1-646-569-9129 asking when I can send back the forms and asking if I wanted to make money. If they fill the allotted % they need then I may miss out. Do you know who the person was you spoke with?
Apr 10, 2017 Rating
Oil tech by: Anonymous
I received the same call today from Anders and Goldfinch New York I also apparently have 40000 shares that they want to pay me 4 usd a share on The number that called me was +1-646-569-9129. Supposed to email me through some documentation
Apr 10, 2017 Rating
Oil tech share purchase scam by: Anonymous
So have been contacted by a certain Richard Graham (NY based but with English accent). Of course the number comes up as private. Apparently I own 40,00 shares in Oil Tech Inc. and they want to do a private stock purchase at $4/share. Sent me documentation necessary in order to pursue my compensation, saying you are required to sign and send back the copies of both your Payment Settlement Agreement (PSA) and your Private Share Purchase Agreement (PSPA) to a company called Anders & Goldfinch Law Group at address The Chrysler Building 405 Lexington Avenue at 42nd Street,New York, NY 10174, USA. Website looks dodgy with no detail about company management and no phone number. spoke to Richard again on Friday and asked him if after sending agreement what is next step? will I be asked for some kind of release payment. He laughed and when I asked him why he was laughing, he asked if that had happened to me before. The caller seemed to be calling from boiler room office since you could hear a lot of noise (people talking) in background. Have not seen any adverse or scam postings on this company until I came upon this site when typing name Oil tech inc.
Apr 06, 2017 Rating
Sopheon shares by: Anonymous
I was contacted about them buying my 500 Sopheon shares which I have not held for about 8 years. I was told I owned about 3,700 "dividend shares" currently worth about £4 per share. SOunds like a scam to me.
Apr 04, 2017 Rating
Osmetech by: Anonymous
A Karen Davies has contacted me regarding bonus Osmetech shares they would hope to buy. I was unaware I had any of these. Anyone else getting similar calls
Mar 29, 2017 Rating
Previous connections? by: Anonymous
I am writing on behalf of a third party who has been contacted.
They bought Bio Gas shares (supposedly) over 10 years ago. This apparently was a scam also. If the current players mentioned in these comments have knowledge of this first hand or have bought the information from the original perpetrators. Initial contact was from David Roberts from Global Attorney Services, Boston. I have telephoned them and spoke to a very naïve receptionist - Benjamin - who when questioned repeated the phrase - 'I don't know, I just work in reception'. David Roberts never returned my call.
Robert Massey of the International Office of Regulators phoned and emailed. The New York address is not available to rent until the last quarter of 2017 (Winick Reality Group).
Michael Robert Ellick was the next to ring - from the Office Regs.
Further research brought me here and there are other sites listing the companies. It's a scam, definitely. Offered to select own attorney in New York to deal with the transaction - Robert Massey said, 'Can't you do it?' - strange request.
I think they are operating from Australia judging by the embedded email info.
Mar 28, 2017 Rating
Sophisticated Scam by: Anonymous
I have had the same scam. This time an Englishman, William Beaumont made contact. He was incredibly convincing. His address, 53 State Street Boston and company Global Attorney Services were legitimate. I signed two forms, a Private Stock and Escrow Agreement and a Payment Settlement Agreement and Mutual Releases. I requested a bankers draft for payment but no bank details. Along with this sophisticated scam are the accompanying emotions, believing a significant windfall of $175,000 would soon be ours! Fortunately I found this website and read of identical situations. I then rang their number mentioning I was recording the conversation. They rang off and have not called back. How can the authorities be made aware of these grasping and devious criminals?
Mar 22, 2017 Rating
Global Attorneys Services Boston by: Anonymous
These Boys all sporting Irish and English accents have a very detailed Website Some names :Michael Stein ,Nathan Bowen , Christopher Clint all working to sell shares that are mysteriously in my Name? Mind you the Bogus Company that Scammed me of a substantial amount of cash from China is the company that these Shares have been held by the Regulator in NY another set of unregistered folk who are signatories on the Documents they wish me to sign James HANSON is the Head of International Regulators NY ( they somehow had my contact details and Post office Box Number?) I believe that something materializing out of a deregistrating fee from a R _144 restriction is how they make their scam between themselves.
Contacted Martindale _Hubbel as they claim Peer review and high ratings standing on their website. Received a thank you from same who have no knowledge of them and are looking into it...plus the Property Managers of 53 State st the Building they claim their offices are...Yep you guessed it! No one there by that Name as a Tennant. It could be that they are renting some Desk Space in the Building ...its being looked into. Posted on ScamWarners.com these details good Forum there if anyone is interested. As to losing one's Money in China the Federal Police in Australia can do very little and they mention that you have to be Scammed of millions before Interpol will get involved. These are not good experiences and stay with you for many years. Hope this assists someone out there
Mar 22, 2017 Rating
Global attorney services SCAM by: Anonymous
Also contacted regarding shares in bio Gas incorporated. 39000 shares offering us $175000. Claiming no money to be put up front however he has not as yet mentioned the regulation s restriction. Asking us to sign quickly as funds running out.
We have been approached on two other occasions with the same offer.
The caller was English calling himself David Roberts. He's calling back today when I will tell him what he can do with his shares. Unfortunately people do fall for this. I'm not suit who to report this to. Any ideas?
Thanks
Mar 20, 2017 Rating
Company take over share buying scam by: Richard Adams
Much the same experience for me as cases already reported out of Boston. In my case the "Attorney" Firm is Global Attorney Services. Well spoken English chap called James Parker. Their "clients" wish to buy shares I am not aware of owning in Bio Gas Inc at $4 each. Total $156K! Got sent the forms to sign etc. Shares however are Reg S which need derestricting before I can sell. I need to pay $7000 to effect this and there is the scam. If I pay then that's the last I hear from them. Pathetic isn't it?
Mar 16, 2017 Rating
Silverpines again by: Charlie
just had this firm contact me about some odd company called Master Chemicals that I never owned:
Zachary Duncan
Courington Law, Boston
The follow up was Silverpines Escro
Will not send money or give out my bank details.
Mar 08, 2017 Rating
Boston LC, Global Regulators Office by: Anonymous
'Stephen James' originally contacted me claiming to be from Boston Legal Co, informed me that I have 39,000 shares in Bio Technologies, due to escrow agreement they are available for me to sell. Offered 4.5 USD per share, total $175K. I suspected a big fat rat but played along, was then directed to 'Peter Fox' and subsequently Michael Ellick , both of the 'Global Regulators Office' in NY. Requested a fee to de-restrict the shares for sale and funds transfer: approx. £10k for 3 day derestriction, 10 days: £7k, 15 days 4k...of course, the pressure of time was highlighted as first 75% of people get the pay out, remainder do not. All of the guys have a well-spoken English accent, perjaps same guy with 'different hats'. It's a scam for the reasons that have been detailed by previous contributors. Please be aware. I'm writing this as this forum saved me from losing £10k to these crooks!
Mar 08, 2017 Rating
Boston Legal and JohnstoneandJames by: Anonymous
i have had these rogues contacting me offering big money for worthless shares, some of which I do not own ! I can only assume they are after my bank account because I suggested they could send me a cheque for the money, but they refuse. Also, i am concerned that they are offering to buy shares which i do not own. You sign a legal document -- but you cannot produce the share certificate or your entitlement. Where does that leave you if they want to sue you ???
Mar 06, 2017 Rating
The Boston Legal Company by: Anonymous
These guys contacted me to advise me that I had 39000 Shares in a company called Bio Technologies Inc and that they were acting for a third party that was buying them for 4.5 dollars per share.
Documentation looked fine web site was fine. However when I checked their address in boston It turned out to be the Ames Boston Hotel and there was no businesses operating from the building.
At no time was there any money requested. I can only assume they were trying to get my bank account details.
Mar 03, 2017 Rating
FORTUNE OIL SCAM ALIVE AND WELL by: Breeze
Some tosser from USA telephoned re takeover , no doubt I was about to be told about an opportunity to sell my shares , although their database must be way out of date as I had sold them many years ago . If you have time , string them along and see if you can reverse the scam or just generally wind them up.
Mar 01, 2017 Rating
RALSTON NY LADBROKES HOSTILE TAKEOVER by: Anonymous
So, Lena at Ralston New York keeps phoning asking for us to sign their emailed contract and agree to bond money of over £5,000. I asked her to send me written confirmation of the shares we own in Ladbrokes - still waiting - don't think we will be hearing from her again - she seemed confused.... beware out there...
Feb 28, 2017 Rating
Money up front by: Anonymous
If there's money up front, the answer is NO - simples.. There's so many of them it's a joke. Ask them if they mind if you record the conversation, it works great! They last guy said absolutely no problem, do you record all your calls he said? "I replied, most yes".. He replied ok that's fine and hung up! Kinda says it all don't you think? This outfit was apparently in Park Lane, some thing like commodities exchange is the name they went by.. Amazing Brass these people!
Feb 28, 2017 Rating
SCAM by: Anonymous
Has anyone heard of the company Ralston Consultancy Ltd - they say we have shares that are the subject of a hostile takeover - but to obtain any funds we have to pay a Bond up front!
This sounds like a classic scam!!!
Feb 17, 2017 Rating
"Allied Capital Consultants" by: TW
The above 'company' has recently tried (unsuccessfully) to carry out a similar scam on me, the main contact using the name Rachel Green. The 'transfer agents' named were Putnam International Transfers. Beware!
Feb 16, 2017 Rating
Why no action? by: MikeB
These scams have been going on for years, and have consistently been reported to the UK & US authorities with absolutely no effect. Has anyone had any indication of interest or concern?
Feb 15, 2017 Rating
INTERNATIONAL OIL AND GAS by: Anonymous
Exactly the same as other comment here. Mulvey and Hanson and the Regulating Body of Securities and Investments (RBSI) . They Offer Large Figures for the sale of shares that need that deristricted at a cost. Then they find there are warrant shares that need Exercised at 4 warrant shares to 1 ordinary share, at a further cost, promising me $500k plus. Reported this to the SEC and the FCA
Feb 10, 2017 Rating
Fortune Oil/Dynasty Holdings by: Anonymous
been contacted by Olivia Green from Mergers and ACQUISITIONS of Avalon Group New York very plausible I had sold my shares in Fortune oil prior to the takeover by Dynasty but I was informed that I had still 53000 shares and That I wasa going to be offered £1.10 per share got all the paperwork - all looked ok except for the non refundable insurance bond of $4083.00 beware
Feb 02, 2017 Rating
Lawson Consultancy Limited, New York by: Anonymous
Their SCAM was to try to convince small shareholders of GLANBIA that they have 20 times more shares than they have and they make a very generous offer to buy the shares. The deal needs to be kept very secret from Glanbia, etc, etc,
The SCAM is the Insurance Bond - a substantial payment (small compared to the fantasy offer to buy the shares!!) would need to be made first before the deal would close.
BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE
This is quite a sophisticated set-up.
Feb 02, 2017 Rating
boston Law Firm by: Anonymous
They contacted me out of the blue offering to give me $175,000 for 35000 shares? I've not been asked to pay anything yet but I noted below the name Michael Cooper offered the same to somebody else. Sounds exactly the same story line? It just sound all BS.
Jan 25, 2017 Rating
Company take-over scam Gentech by: Anonymous
I also have been contacted by Josh Porter and by Todd Avery, of US Mergers and Acquisitions Authority. Todd Avery today. Luckily I checked up on your site before giving them my money. What rats, I hope that Trump does something about these scams.
Jan 21, 2017 Rating
Boston Private Law Group -OilTech inc- by: Anonymous
A Michael Cooper from Boston Private Law Group is another party in offer to me of $5/share for 35,000 shares in OilTech, which I have no knowledge of, Again need to pay 21c/share to de-restrict. This from another person a Michael Robert Ellick from The Regulatory Department of International Trading and Securities 2233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279, USA. No proofs supplied. A fake Share certificate did not impress. Paper work all looks genuine.Email address correct from online search. These Scams are getting very sophisticated. Spoof Tel numbers and perhaps we have spoof emails now as well
Jan 17, 2017 Rating
johnston and james consultancy by: Anonymous
this Dallas based company has contacted me three times now requesting email address to send me documentation as they have a client offering £15 a share on shares they claim i hold. checked and these shares are currently trading at 12.5p. obviously a scam. hopefully Trump will be able to take action against these scammers provided he actually believes that this kind of thing is going on! come on Don; shut these scammers down and stop this exporting of criminal activity
Jan 13, 2017 Rating
FORTUNE OIL by: k gard
RHINE AND ASSOCIATES Recently got contacted by the above with a 'stock redemption agreement' offering to purchase my 61000 shares in Fortune Oil (which I sold in 2015) for a largely inflated price. Decided to return the forms signed to see the next part of the scam. Next was a call from a Todd Avery of US MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS AUTHORITY He confirmed the amount I would receive and appointed a company called SILVER PINES ESCROW who advised me that I needed to make a payment into an escrow account of $4800 for there work and fx costs to enable the funds to be released. Obviously did nothing but did receive a follow up call from Todd insisting that I would lose out if I missed this 'chance of a lifetime'.. Asked him for a loan as I had no funds and that I would pay back double on receipt of my windfall.. Funny enough he was not up for my deal and following some four letter exchanges he hung up.... Beware of these thieves ....
Jan 12, 2017 Rating
Johnstoneand james consultancy firm by: Anonymous
They called offering large price for Auckett shares. They have suggested that an insurance premium would be required to ensure completion. No doubt they would then disappear . Another scam. Beware
Jan 08, 2017 Rating
Baker & Bradley of Portland Oregon by: Anonymous
Virtually the same story as listed here many times. In my own case I hold some shares in a Peruvian gold mining company which I purchased approx. 5 years ago I was sold the shares on the understanding that the company was about to list on the Frankfurt stock exchange. This did not happen. Thus I assumed I had been scammed and would have to wright my 4,000 euros off to experience. However, in due course, the company was taken over and as far as I can tell was/is being run by some genuine people. I have been contacted by a man going by the name of Benjamin Jacobsen, a very well spoken guy with an English accent. I was just about to fall into the final stages of the con. I have yet to be asked to cough up any money yet but I guess that is the next stage of the con. Once again many thanks for your web site.
Dec 15, 2016 Rating
Defeat these Cold-Callers by: Colin C
I posted in January 2014 when I received a call about Standard Life shares (already sold several years earlier). I never received another call - perhaps my lack of trust shone through!
However, unless you wish to keep getting these calls and continue the sport of kidding them on, the way to stop these calls is to buy a phone that comes with a Call Blocker installed. In May 2015 I bought online a set of 3 BT8500 phones with BT's Advanced Call Blocker for £55, and since then I have not had one unwanted call - from any source. This phone has been superseded by the BT8600 and BT8610 ranges which I'm sure will do the same efficient job. My set was reconditioned and as a result, about half the cost of buying from BT.
I don't use BT as my line provider, nor am I a retailer selling any of these phones. I'm just so delighted with the peace I've had since buying these phones that I felt it was worth sharing this information.
Dec 15, 2016 Rating
Tata Steel scam by: Anonymous
My experience is a mixture of those already reported. Cold call saying I have shares in Tata Steel who are subject to a hostile takeover by parties who are confidential but represented by Stockfield Associates and backed by an insurance company. I don't have Tata shares but the referred back to Corus shares and ultimately to a British Steel shareholding from years ago. I guess they are targeting BS shareholders as there will be many with small holdings from the privatisation and who are more likely to be taken in by the scam. The line is that 43% of the shareholder are institutions and they need 51% to launch the takeover so are contacting individual shareholder. Considering there must be hundreds of thousands of people with a few hundred shares like me this would be a huge exercise which is what first set me thinking it must be a scam. They asked for an e-mail address and I have received a poorly worded non disclosure agreement that doesn't read like anything you would get from a real companies legal department. They start the process without asking for any bank details and quote potential share prices of £5 to £14 pounds which makes it sound attractive and real. However the fact that Tata are in financial trouble and have huge pension liabilities makes it all sound a lot less plausible. It is a little worrying that these guys are playing a longer game and getting more sophisticated. At best it is a waste of time and annoying at worst some small investors will be losing money to these crooks.
Dec 14, 2016 Rating
RHINE & ASSOCIATES by: Anonymous
Just a warning as all these below show how clever these scammers are becoming.. had a call saying they were willing to pay 97,000 dollars for ols shares.. contact was Nathan Stokes (British accent) , great website, but didn't take long to find the building online / FB and see no company signs and just to make sure called the office in Wilmington, Delaware and the block manager had never heard of them... Just be careful .. Rhine and Associates
Dec 12, 2016 Rating
Colbert & Welling Scam by: Anonymous
Many calls over the past few days claiming that I was the legal owner of 35,000 shares in Oil Tech Ltd, and being offered $5 per share.
So called "Distressed Companies" and Nominee accounts.
Calls made to me by a Thomas Hanson.
Dec 08, 2016 Rating
Colbert and Welling scam by: Anonymous
Yep. Me too. I was told over the phone. 35000 shares that I apparently own in Oil Tech Inc. and they want to buy them off me for $175000. Never heard of Oil Tech Inc. I don't have any shares, let alone 35000! and if I do own them and they are worth that much I'm not selling! The person on the phone said if I wanted the documents posted to me I would have to pay for them! Dont give out your bank details to anyone.
Dec 08, 2016 Rating
Formation PLC by: Anonymous
just had 5 phone calls from a Mr Eric Santos working for Lawson Management Group LLC 415 madison ave Newyork acquisition dept offering me £4--£9 per share for 10,000 shares i had in Formation PLC a sports management in england i was sent non disclosure forms to sign - on the form was the name of Racheal Ann Green ADMIN DEPT- last call 1 hour ago-- this is the 4th time over this last 6yrs i ve had similar call over these same shares --- who ever is trying to take over this company is not doing a very good job- SO ERIC IF URE READING THIS GO PISS UP AGAINST SOMEONE ELSE,S DOOR
Dec 06, 2016 Rating
Right Capital Partners Limited - verbal abuse by: Anonymous
Further to my earlier comments about this company and their share sale scam. I received another call from Julian Patterson in their Compliance Department so I asked them to stop calling as my mother would not be responding. He asked why and when I informed him that we believed it to be a scam, he then immediately proceeded in a torrent of abusive and offensive language and threats. Think it's safe to say it was a scam and they weren't a professional company!!!
Dec 06, 2016 Rating
Right Capital Partners Limited - hostile acquisition by: Anonymous
Chloe Morisette and Karen Johansan from Right Capital Partners Limited based in US have been calling my 70+ yr old mother about a hostile acquisition of Gresham House Strategic Plc based in UK. I have taken calls on her behalf the last 2 days, they didn't want her confirmation yet continued to discuss all the details with me at length. Offering 5-1 increased shares and advising the hostile takeover requires sale of shares. They sent emails requesting non-disclosure and power of attorney forms to be completed and stated 10% sellers bond fee of £4,500 (fully refundable!) will need to be provided prior to the sale transaction. Very aggressive sales script and persistence in requesting when forms will be returned fully signed. I have been in contact with Gresham House directly in UK who confirmed this is a scam and requested this is reported to the authorities and regulators.
Dec 02, 2016 Rating
Ladbrokes Hostile Takeover scam still going strong by: Anonymous
in 2016. Ho Hum
Chloe Morrison of right capital partners . con (sorry com) has been pestering us. The small holding of shares belonged to our late father and this happened when we instructed a broker to sell them on behalf of the estate. Interestingly we have a contract order so they aren't even ours any more. - not that I told her that :)
would appear that the poster who suggested they were preying on old folk with small amounts of shares and that someone on the inside was tipping them off was correct. :(
Dec 02, 2016 Rating
Colbert & Welling by: Anonymous
I have had several cold calls from a guy calling himself Joshua. He is apparently working on behalf of a client who wishes to take over Oil Tech Inc. by requesting small shareholders to sell them their holdings. Unbeknown to me, I have acquired 35,000 shares and they are willing to transfer me $175,000 if I sign the wordy documents from Colbert & Welling, a law firm in Boston, and fill in my requested bank details and signature. Happy days! All of the calls came up 'unknown' except for one...... When googling the number, it brought up Mulvey & Hanson. I think this might be a scam.
Dec 01, 2016 Rating
Is this another scam? by: David
Johnston and James Consultancy Firm has repeatedly contacted me frpm Dallas wanting to buy some shares. The contacts have all the hallmarks of a scam - does any one knowmore about this #legal' firm claimong to operate in 16 countries world wide but with no details on their single web site.
Nov 28, 2016 Rating
Wainscott Consulting scam by: Anonymous
I have had a few calls from Wainscott Consulting - offer to buy shares - in Cambrian Mining PLC / Walter Energy Inc Signed an NDA then got a contract referring to the need for a small Vendor Bond (just 5% of the promised proceeds!) Tried calling the supposed Transfer Agents (Goldwell Transfer)and the call was answered by a particularly dodgy character who would not tell me where they were based Clearly a scam
Nov 26, 2016 Rating
Ferrum Holdings PLC by: Anonymous
Over the last few days I've received 3 phone callS, 1 email from A Ms Alex Thompson / Acquisition Dept of Stockfield Associates, New York. Confidentiality agreement was emailed but I smell a rat reading these other posts. Regards
Nov 24, 2016 Rating
Use your common sense by: Anonymous
Do not allow yourself to be taken in by cold callers. Always give them the cold shoulder.
There are hundreds of reports on this site about attempts by cold callers trying to scam people.
Get real. If someone knocked at your front door offering you riches you would laugh in their face. So why is it different if they make the offer over a phone line?
Nov 23, 2016 Rating
Company takeover scam? by: Ray
I have received call on 21 November from Stockfield Associates regarding Sibir Energy. I used to hold shares but sold them 6/7years ago in a company takeover. wanted me to sign Non disclosure memo. Why ? I told them I hold no shares now but they say their legal dept will check / clarify my holdings once I return the memo sent to me by email. Going to seek advice on this as not comfortable. They have chased me by phone this evening. Where did they get my name and phone number from ? How did they know I had Sibir connection. If they know this much then they should know if I have shares ??
Nov 23, 2016 Rating
Stockfield Associates by: Raphael
On 18 November 2016, I received a phone call out of the blue from a Mr Bryan Park of Stockfield Associates Group, a mergers and acquisitions company in New York. How he obtained my phone number raises questions about data protection and confidentiality. He said his firm represented a client (name not disclosed) that was planning a hostile takeover bid against Totally plc, a UK comnpany in which I hold a smaller number of shares. He claimed that the institutional investors who hold 43% of Totally’s shares were going to back such a bid but need smaller investors to register their backing. I asked him what price per share I could expect and he said between £7 and £15 per share. I suspect that is way too good to be true. I said I was not prepared to respond until I had taken proper professional advice.
By this time I was beginning to suspect something not quite right and challenged him on how I could be sure he was who he said he was and was not from, say, the FBI or SEC carrying out some sting operation that could involve insider dealing or other wire fraud that could result in criminal proceedings and extradition, citing the case of 3 NatWest bankers extradited over the collapse of Enron. His reply was that he would send me a non-disclosure agreement to sign. I received several hours later an email with the letter of non-disclosure attached. Reading it leads me to think it is designed to stop insider dealing. I have NOT signed it.
I wrote to the directors of Totally (this submission is an edited version of my letter) and have now received a call back from their professional advisers to say that this is an attempted scam and that other shareholders have been in touch over this. They are aware of these types of calls, which can potentially be a tactic employed by ‘boiler room’ type operations to start a conversation with individuals, with a view to going on to obtain funds from the shareholder, or potentially recommending investments in high risk or even fictitious stocks.
I have reported this to the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
Nov 15, 2016 Rating
Another one - Rhine & Associates by: Anonymous
I was contacted by Mulvey & Hanson with the same numbers as below worth £152,000 but dismissed them as a scam as it was tried before on me several years ago. The operator on that occasion even sent me a share certificate in my name to prove I had the shares to sell that I knew nothing about. He was not so clever as recent operators in wanting cash up front to release the restrictions on the shares,which I did not pay,whereas both recent scammers have denied a cost would be involved. That was bound to follow. Today I have been contacted with the same patter by a so called law firm Rhine & Associates from Wilmington in Delaware. This time the shares are in Rudy Nutrition which their clients wish to buy from me. They have a website for a Delaware address but there is an identical site for a Real Estate office in Toms River, New Jersey, which may or may not be a genuine business. Caution the scammers are very plausible.
Nov 14, 2016 Rating
Mulvey & Hanson by: Anonymous
same here just had phone call from Mulvey & Hanson have 38000 shares @ $4.00 a share worth $152.000 happy days!!!!!! scam scam scam scam, you will be asked to send money to de- restrict your shares before you get your money!!!!! which you will never get!!! so do not send any moneys, they are scum bags
Nov 14, 2016 Rating
International Oil & Gas - Mulvey and Hanson by: Anonymous
Same as below. With the addition that on saying that I never heard of International Oil & Gas. I was told my shares may have come from the earlier acquisition of Material Technology (later known as Matech) - So This guy does have some background info going back about 10 years I reckon.
Nov 12, 2016 Rating
International Ol & Gas - Mulvey and Hanson by: Robert
I have also had the good fortune to discover I have 38000 shares in this Company and have been offered USD4 per share. I looked at the website, which I found after a bit research was actually for another lawyers where the 2 founding partners they claim were at Mulvey and Hanson. I wrote to the company to warn them they were being used and amazingly the Mulvey and Hanson founding members names changed on their website. The 2 offices they state they are registered at are both Virtual Offices where you can rent for an hour or a day. The telephone number is connected with pest calls. I have been hanging off wondering what the scam is but I have read other comments and can see where the sting in this scam is. Ill have some more fun with the scammer who calls me and waste as much of his time as I can.
Nov 11, 2016 Rating
International Oil & Gas by: hawksmoor
My experience regarding an offer to pay me $152,000 for a supposed shareholding of 38000 shares in International Oil & Gas at $4.00 a share exactly replicates the experience listed below. This is clearly a very sophisticated scam and one that includes the issue of copies of "legal" documents, the use of apparently valid headed notepaper and a website purporting to be a law firm in Boston. Interesting to see what happens next as I have not and will not part with any money.
Nov 11, 2016 Rating
oil and gas share scammers by: Anonymous
your not going to believe it but the exact same scam happened again to me this week and thankfully i worked it out that it was a scam. these oil and gas certs are worthless. all they want is your fee for the bogus transfer of shares. they are alive and well and working right now on anyone they can so please please just hang up. dont pay anything or your going to loose our shirt!!!!!!! watch out for: mulvey and hanson the registered body of securites and investments
or any english guys calling from new york or boston. they are total scum bags
Nov 11, 2016 Rating
Re Premiership football club by: Malc R
I remember a year or two ago hearing about a scam which was targeting small share-holders in UK football clubs. These people were regarded has likely to be unsophisticated investors, who bought the shares out of loyalty to their team, and would therefore be easy prey.
Nov 10, 2016 Rating
International Oil & Gas by: mfb4138
All the previous comments are on exactly the same theme and I was also very nearly taken in today. I had a cold call from Nathan Leventhal on my mobile, no phone number dislpayed, who allegedly was working for Mulvey & Hanson in Boston. He informed me I was a shareholder in International Oil & Gas, I had 38,000 shares and this company were about to taken over (hostile). I was informed that I had 2 options sell the shares to the Law Company (M&H) for $4 a share or I could just surrender them for nothing. I obviously opted for the former. Paperwork was sent via email to me to complete and sign which duly did. The transaction was scheduled to be complete within 5 working days. Next day Nathan called me informing me that they had discovered the shares were restricted and I would need to contact the 'Regulator' which he happened to have the tel number for. A female answered the phone and put me through to Mark (also English) and he was "instantly" able to tell me that I held the above number of shares in the company, from 2011 via HSBC in Asia. I naturally checked out IO&G, no trace, Mulvey & Hanson had a very basic website & the so called 'Regulator' also had a basic site, nothing nearly as comprehensive as FCA. The 'Regulator' contacted me informing me that he was able to de-restrict the shares using a trusted Agent and I had 3 options: 1. It would cost me 21c per share & I would have to 4 weeks for the big pay day. 2. 25c with a 3 week wait. 3. 31c with a 2 week wait. It was whilst I was at the bank that the penny dropped, the regulators address ended in .org and my wife noticed this site and another. Luckily no money was transferred, just a complete waste of time and one phone call to New York - phew!!! I now wonder how far the scammers go, would they just disappear after receiving the money transfer or would they want more?
Nov 10, 2016 Rating
Premiership football club by: Anonymous
Has anyone heard of Johnston and James consultancy firm? Address is in Dallas Texas. Saying they act for a private client who wants to make a bid for a premiership football club who I have just a few old shares in. It just does not feel right at all.
Nov 09, 2016 Rating
Ecotech shares scam by: Solomon Kingsley
Beware of cold calls from Mulvey & Hanson Law and Telford and Bernstein. Trying to tell you that your 38000 shares (which you don't even have)are being bought for $4 per share. It's total CRAP! I have forwarded their scam paperwork to Ecotech, so hope they can sort it.
Nov 07, 2016 Rating
Aviva "incentive" shares by: Anonymous
Same story. As I held Friends Provident shares, although sold a long time ago, I have incentive shares worth £7-£15 each! Emailed me "non disclosure" form. Call themselves Stockfield Associates. Polite woman, American accent,talking a load of rubbish!!
Put the phone down!
Nov 03, 2016 Rating
Clarkin Butler, and Mulvey and Hanson by: Rick
Further to my post earlier today, I now realise that the law firm Mulvey and Hanson does not exist. Their website is 11 days old and says that the firm was established in 1996! Similar to the Clarkin Butler setup. In using the name Mulvey and Hanson, the culprit has probably picked out the names of respectable Boston lawyers for his bogus site to give it more credibility.
Nov 03, 2016 Rating
Clarkin Butler by: Rick
A slightly different approach from "Clarkin Butler" who called me (I am in Australia). The phone caller said he worked with Mulvey and Hanson in Boston but my cell phone traced his call back to a number which is associated with the Clarkin Butler site. He gave his name as Michael Rossi and there is a well known lawyer by that name in Boston. However, the caller had a very clear British accent and could not have been the Boston lawyer who works for another law firm. The caller claimed that I own 38,000 shares in International Oil and Gas Company which was in liquidation and that I would be offered USD4 a share for them. I have no knowledge of those shares and it is obviously far y too good to be true. He did say that the shares could be restricted shares and I guess that the sting will come when I am asked for money to remove the restriction.
Nov 02, 2016 Rating
Beware of Wainscott by: Anonymous
I have just received a second call from this organisation confirming that I had 4500 preferential shares in BG. These had been awarded to be in 2008. Whilst I am a regular share buyer I have not held shares in this company for over 20 years. Went on to be told about an aggressive takeover by an unnamed organisation and that I would be offered between £7.00 and £12.00 per share. All which is backed/underwritten by a reputable insure company. But this was all commercially sensitive and not to disclose to anyone. After some simple checking between the first and second calls it was easy to disprove. BG had already been taken over and the insurance company named did not exist.
During the second call Glen continued to say that the shares were still in my name and that the records were accurate. When challenged with facts he then hung up. Beware this is a scam.
Oct 27, 2016 Rating
Beware of Wainscott by: Anonymous
I also have been contacted by Wainscitt who advised me I had preferential shares in Tata Steel. I had to sign a confidentiality agreement with them. They stated there was to be a hostile takeover. I requested proof of my holding. They requested money for bond of £5214. Monies they would pay me on sale of shares would be £47,514. Documentation emailed claiming to be from Capita registrars showing prof if holding. Contacted Capita and they are not the registrars for Tata Steel. Final conversation I had with Wainscott I told them not to contact me further as I had checked and found their company was not listed in address they gave. A real scam!
Oct 20, 2016 Rating
Clarkin Butler by: Anonymous
I too have been getting about 5 calls a day from a Benjamin Porter from Clarkin Butler with the same story as everyone else. I play along which is probably a bad idea because after a while they might talk you into it. According to my research Clarkin Butler was set up back in 1996 but there is also a Clarkin Butler website set up only a month ago, it's domain is in Malaysia. How do these people sleep at night ?
Oct 19, 2016 Rating
Wainscott Consulting Group & Fortune Dynasty by: Arabian Knight
I have been contacted on a regular basis over the last few weeks by someone calling herself Katty Yang supposedly working for a company called Wainscott Consulting Group. They claim that I had Preference shares of a company called Fortune Dynasty. I used to have shares in Fortune Oil, which were bought back by the company in 2015, and Fortune Dynasty took over the company. Therefore I suspect they got my details from public record.
They claim that my share holding is now 4900, and this was allotted to me without telling me as this was a way for the company to save money. They said that even the company registrar would not have records of my ownership.
They have asked me to sign a non-disclosure agreement and told me that I cannot tell any one about this, as there is about to be an agressive take over bid of Fortune Dynasty, and the buyer would like to buy my shares to achieve a 51% holding. When they started to tell me that I would need to lodge a £5000k bond to get my proceeds from the sale, my alarm bells which were already ringing, shook themselves off the wall.
The website is a very generic website and says nothing about the company or its employees, Directors or Partners. They claim to be based at 1700 Broadway, NY - so I contacted the Buildings owner, and they confirmed that they had no company with that name in the building. Further still the nice lady told me that the area code was not correct for that area of New York and was related to an area outside New York, which I later traced to White Plains, Westchester County. In addition I found out with another search that the domain name wainscottconsulting.com was set up on the 13th September this year and expires next year 2017 on 17th September. The phone number that appears on on my mobile, is uncontacable, and I get a recorded message that it does not exist.
It sounds all so familiar to the other experiences on this site, and there is even one involving Wainscott also. Thanks for everybody who took time to right their experiences as it has just confirmed what I now already suspected and made me rest easy. It was fun investigating at least, and I am waiting for my next phone call from them which should be tomorrow - can't wait !!
Oct 19, 2016 Rating
Global Wine Index by: Sue - Lancs., are
My husband has been contacted by a law firm (Clarkin Butler LLP of Boston, Mas.) offering to buy non-existent shares in Global Wine Index for the 'eye watering' sum of $150,000. As far as he is aware he has never purchased these shares but he did fall foul of an investment in European Fine Wines which subsequently went into liquidation and presumably these people have got hold of the liqidator's list of investors and presumably working on the premise that having fallen for one scam you are prey to another.
Clark in Butler does appear to exist but nothing is displayed when you search for Global Wine Index.
I would be interested to know if other investors in European Fine Wines have been contacted with a ludicrous offer.
We have now been sent a form to complete asking for - guess what!!!? - bank account details so that they can forward the $150,000 .
BEWARE previous investors in EFW these extremely plausible idividuals could be dialling your number right now. Put the phone down unless you want to lead them a merry dance as my husband is doing but without giving them any further information.
Oct 18, 2016 Rating
Ecitech Clarkin Butler by: Anonymous
They have been contacting me on and off for the past few weeks. Same story about shares in Ecotech. At the beginning calls were from a US phone number so stopped taking them. Then they switched to a "private number" which catches me off guard! Very rude when I challenged them and very personal questions about what $150,000 would mean to me. When I told them that was unprofessional there was a lot of abuse!
Oct 18, 2016 Rating
Clarkin Butler by: Anonymous
I have been contacted by a Benjamin Portman from Clarkin Butler telling me I owned 30,000 shares of Ecotech valued at $5 each. He couldn't tell me where the shares came from and asked me did i ever invest in a unregulated company, that this was a hostile takeover. They will send me the $150,000 if i return a signed contract with my bank details. I asked him if I had any legal costs and he said no ( everything was paid ) He has now contacted me again to say there are restrictions on my shares and to lift the restrictions will cost $7,000 to $9,000 Pure scam .
Oct 17, 2016 Rating
Aviva Friends life takeover share scam? by: Anonymous
I've been contacted over the last 2 weeks about a secret hostile takeover of Aviva a UK insurance company by a US investor. Same story as the others on this site. I'm supposed to have some incentive shares that have been increased to over 4000 & promising me a return of 50K. These so called shares are not known to the share registrar according to the caller. The caller has an oriental voice & claims to be from a company called Wainscott who are acting as brokers. However the caller id shows a UK mobile. They also state that 15% would need to be deposited in an escrow account to guarantee that i will commit to sell my shareholding. This will then be returned after the takeover. I have been mysteriously selected even though i don't have any record of these shares.
No evidence is provided as to how they come about these details despite requests for this info. As seen from the others on this site - it follows the same pattern. So I think we all know what this means - SCAM. Thanks to you all for listing your comments. I've been searching around for a few days trying to find out if anyone has had the same type of approach. Your comments show this is nothing new & just the amounts & company name has changed.
Oct 16, 2016 Rating
Echotec / Clarkin Butler by: SA
I was contacted on my home phone by a lady supposedly from Clarkin Butler in Boston, USA. She was very pleasant and convincing and had a midlands accent. Sounded like she was calling from next door not the USA. Apparently I had shares in a company called Ecotech which I owned as a result of some share I bought years ago and some sort of manipulation by brokers. Echotec were now the subject of a hostile takeover and someone wanted to pay me $5 a share for my 30,000 shares. Very good news if true but patently not true. There is no way I would give my bank details to these people. She offered to make payment by cheque but would not accept a signed form returned in the post it had to be scanned and returned by email. Avoid like the plague !
Oct 14, 2016 Rating
Clarkin Butler by: JL
I have also been offered $5 per share for 30,000 shares in Ecotech International which are supposedly registered in my name even though I had never heard of the company. The Clarkin Butler website identifies Ward Stone and Mark Baxter as being founders of the company in 1996. They did form a company in 1996 called Stone & Baxter and the wording on the Clarkin Butler website has been copied word for word from the Stone & Baxter website except for a change of name and location. I have informed Stone & Baxter of the deception and at their request sent them copies of the documents I received from Clarkin Butler.
Oct 14, 2016 Rating
Clarkin Butler by: Anonymous
I was contacted by phone by these people who claim to be a well established firm of lawyers based in Boston, Mas. I spoke to two men who appeared to be English who said that I owned some shares in Eco Tec Inc who were going into liquidation They were offering to buy my 3000 shares at 5$ a share and all I had to do was provide my bank account details and sign the document on the email they sent me. I was not asked to prove my entity or details for them. Their website has only been in existence since September and their office details appear to be incorrect as their email address does not work.
Oct 12, 2016 Rating
A Telecom company by: Anonymous
The adage that if its sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.....is probably right here!! Clayton Fisher Advisors contacted me with initially, a very plausible scenario, eventually offering incredible amount of money, way in excess of the market price for shares that was purported to be "given" to me for holding shares in excess of 5 years and then 'ratioed' up to a ratio of 8 times the amount. Making my holding in excess of 4000 shares..... Then sent contract and told about the bond, some £4500 to be put up as insurance...If its such a good deal... just send me the money. Please take care anyone else!!
Oct 11, 2016 Rating
Ecotech Scam! by: Anonymous
Received a call from Andrew James Walton. Apparently I am registered owner of 30000 shares in Ecotech international. He could not tell me where they came from...it was from some kind of a takeover or a share that failed . Was told I need a to sign a Mutual Release Form to get the shares valued at $15 each. He claims to be working for Clarkin Butler, which appears to be a law firm in USA. The contact sheet for them appears to be broken. I wonder why? I will check with my trusted broker, but I think this is a scam...check it out before =you do anything
Chris P
Oct 11, 2016 Rating
Mr A Green by: Anonymous
Hi I have been contacted by a firm the global regulatory securities comission can you tell me if they are genuine
thanks
Oct 07, 2016 Rating
Clarkin Butler by: AJI
Another scam using Eco trading. Phoned by an English perosn, so was surprised when the documents were from USA.
If it looks too good to be true, it probalbly is too good to be true!!
Oct 06, 2016 Rating
Global Green Agriculture share acquisition scam by: Anonymous
Got called today by someone called Adam Rosen from bakerbradley-ag offering me $105,000 for £3,000 shares I bought in Global Green Agriculture years ago. I have long suspected Global Green Agriculture (aka: Global Green Capacity, Vital Farming, Growth Green, etc.) set up by someone called Andre Rafnsson to be a total scam and written off that loss already. So receiving a call today claiming the company is now registered in the US and going through a hostile takeover to offer existing investor a compensation like the amount stated above is straight-away raising alarms. After I said I’m happy to sell (to play along and see what happens next), the guy sent me 2 forms to sign supposedly to get hold of my signature and bank details. One of the documents also mentioned a phantom US regulator called American Securities Regulatory Commission. A quick search on internet reveals that none of the entities (Baker & Bradley AG, American Securities Regulatory Commission) mentioned exist in the US, and the professional looking website was set up only 3 months ago and hosted in Panama. I’ve already sent them an email ask them to explain all my suspicions but doubt I would ever receive a reply. Hope no one else has fallen for this and please all keep alert to such nasty scams.
Oct 05, 2016 Rating
Clarkin Butler LLP by: Anonymous
Same here, cold call about 30,000 shares I have that resulted from a scam that i did fall prey to. Told the money from the scam was invested by the scammers so I was entitled to my share of the proceeds of the alleged shares in Ecotech International Inc. Again the same price offered as in other posts of $5 per share. Just seems too good to be true.
Sep 29, 2016 Rating
Mwana Africa by: Anonymous
Just had someone from Karen Johannsen from Clayton Fisher offering a huge price for old shares. Once again bond mentioned - end of conversation. This was the third telephone call and very convincing and detailed - beware. Question, does Clayton Fisher exist and is it a bone fide company? are the scammers pretending to be from them?
Sep 21, 2016 Rating
Telford & Bernstein by: Anonymous
Telford & Bernstein have contacted me several times over the past week regarding some shares I own, along the same lines which Rodeo Rider outlines. Previously Dover Law tried the same trick but I pulled out once they started asking for money for the regulators. None of their websites work.
Sep 19, 2016 Rating
Another one by: gdg
Contacted with same scenario. Offered $5 per share for 30000 shares i don't own and have no paperwork for!!!! Law firm this time Clarkin Butler of Boston. Good looking web site but very little info except for founders names who when googled are a law firm in Georgia. Be careful........
Sep 16, 2016 Rating
Global Wine Index Telford & Bernstein LLP in Boston by: Anonymous
Same sort of scam, cold called from Douglas Harris of Telford & Bernstein LLP in Boston. If you do a reverse lookup of the telephone number on their web site it isn't them.
Avoid them unless you want to give them your cash
Sep 08, 2016 Rating
Prudential Consultants by: Rodeo Rider
Yes these are scam merchants. They approached me re Tandem shares claimimg I had a large number of voting shares which the company never told me about. They asked me to sign a non disclosure agreement, then offered me a silly amount of money for them as part of a hostile takeover. I would then have to send an insurance bond to an Escrow agent to guarentee I actually completed the deal once I said I would sell. This would be returned to me about 1 week after I received my payment. This is not my first rodeo, hence the name, & I know that the bond is the scam. They get my money, I get nothing, they disappear. They claim to already have 42% of the necessary 51% to takeover the company.Strangely Watkins Consultancy & now Farnhams Group also make the same claim. That makes over 120% So whose kidding who? Oh yes by the way I sold my Tandem shares in 2007
Hope this helps somebody else. There's no such thing as a free lunch. If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is to good to be true. And other cynical comments!!
Sep 07, 2016 Rating
Fortune Oil by: MalcolmAnonymous
I have also been approached by prudential consultants suggesting I had 12000 bonus shares which their client was desperate to buy in an attempt to take over fortune dynasty. They are very convincing and get you to sign a non disclosure document and then remind you that you can not discuss the transaction with anybody including your solicitor!!😄
It was only when I pushed them for the name of the insurance company allegedly under writing the transaction that they backed off. I feel sorry for anybody that is taken in by this scam but can fully understand those people who finish up being conned.
Sep 02, 2016 Rating
Fortune Oil by: A Knight
Same scam with Fortune Oil, claims of a financial institution from New York by Central Park. It was called Prudential Consultants. They had a false website complete with email address that directed mail to their own address.
Claims of representing a buyer who wanted the shares, very, very convincing, but too much detail. They refused to send out information by email but wanted everything done via email including an insurance bond to cover all parties transactions. OH YEAH!!!!! Like people are as green as they think.
I won't divulge the other obvious giveaways, the voices were far eastern, Philippines, Singapore or similar but I discovered their phone number was in or routed through London. The information is with the Police.
Aug 31, 2016 Rating
Ecotech Intl hostile takeover scam by Telford and Bernstein by: Anonymous
Been contacted by Sebastian Robinson from Telford and Bernstein in Boston to buy my non existent 30000 shares in ecotech Intl at 5 dollars a share. Essex accent, hostile takeover, escrow account, first come first served etc etc. Told him I had no shares n was v sceptical n asked how much. Said cost was zero of course but needed bank account details n signature. Email docs look good too as does the company website. Had my name address home phone n email address. May he rot in hell for the harm he does to those who fall for it.
Aug 30, 2016 Rating
Different name, same scam in Fortune Oil by: Anonymous
I last posted in early September 2015 when my Mother was approached by scumbags calling themselves Campbell & Partners New York, we chased them away after realising the scam. Last week she received a call from a Mr Ryan trying the same scam - the cheek of it! Despite being told that someone else had tried this before, he told us never mind about that, he was genuine! He never came back...shame, all that money we could have had. I'm sick of these parasites, would love to see them get caught & put away.
Aug 25, 2016 Rating
MITIE Group Takeover Scam by: JC
My wife received a call from an Asian sounding female calling herself Stephanie Allen of Clayton & Fisher Advisors of New York.
She said she was representing a company who were looking to takeover MITIE Group and that they already had a 41% holding and needing to acquire another 10% stake and we're offering to buy at a price somewhere between £8 & £17 per share. Current Share Price £2.74!
She said she would send a Non-Disclosure document to sign if we were interested.
My wife sold her share holding years ago!
Aug 19, 2016 Rating
Lynch & Mullin / Winex scam by: Anonymous
Yes, I think I worked out what the scam was. Basically in the legal documentation they mention some bogus govt agency (they set up their site just a few days prior) and tell you that the money will be held with them in escrow.
I'm more than certain that this 'agency' will then ask you for some processing fees before 'releasing' the funds.
Classic advance fee fraud with a twist.
Aug 19, 2016 Rating
Winex / Lynch & Mullin What is the scam? by: Anonymous
Hi Yes I 'Get it' re. to cold calls, I tend to waste as much of their time as possible :-) However, I usually understand the scam... Re. Winex/Lynch Mullin, I had a lawyer friend of mine with USA connections, check it because I couldn't 'see the scam'. First was - no such company, no company reg on docs. in fact, nothing adds. Still the question remains... If all they want is my bank details and ask for no money, WHAT IS THE SCAM!? Anyone worked it out?
Aug 19, 2016 Rating
share purchase by: Anonymous
Ref, Lynch & Mullin LLP. John Stockwell (if that is his name) He offered me $5, per share for my 30000 shares and the paper work did look pretty authentic.
Aug 19, 2016 Rating
If it's too good to be true.............= scam by: Anonymous
If it's too good to be true.............= scam I am still amazed at the number of posts on this site from people hoping that there experience is not a scam. NEVER deal with any cold caller, or do so at your peril.
Aug 18, 2016 Rating
Lynch&Mullin seek to buy EcoCare Global Inc. by: Anonymous
A man calling himself Thomas Moore from Lynch & Mullin LLP has called my father and offered him $5 per share for an imaginary 30,000 shares of a non-existent EcoCare Global inc. He has submitted an impressive looking set of documents and when I called him he babbled about a hostile acquisition and became very defensive when I called him a scammer. I had been wondering how the scam worked and I now think it is based on the idea that the imaginary $150,000 is transferred to an escrow account that my father would then be expected to pay Lynch & Mullin to help extricate by means of paying them a fee to work with the "Securities Board of Regulation of New York" to provide a share certificate without which the sale will not be valid. The scam depends on picking on someone who is suffering from memory loss that can be persuaded that they do own the shares or on finding someone who is greedy enough to chase the money even though they know that they have never owned the shares.
Aug 18, 2016 Rating
Lawson Management Group by: Anonymous
My husband has been contacted by Lawson Management Company in New York regarding his Fortune Oil shares. They have said they have someone who wants to buy them at a ridiculously high value. They have emailed non-disclosure documents for him to complete and return. Does anyone know anything about them?
Aug 17, 2016 Rating
Lynch & Mullin, LLP / Winex scam by: Anonymous
It looks like these guys are quite busy, I got a similar call from a chap named "Mark Schratton" about my "shares" in a company Winex Inc.
I must say that they/ he is quite clever - the story kind of made sense, they have a nice website, the legal documentation, they even send you a share certificate.
Just a few details didn't quite add up: - Lynch & Mullin LLP does not exist (check the Massachusetts commercial registry) - Winex Inc does not exist (check the Nevada trade registry) - All the website they mention (theirs and some bogus regulatory agency) were registered just weeks ago
I must say, these scammers are improving...
Aug 17, 2016 Rating
Lynch & Mullins / Eco Care Global inc? by: Robert
Not unusually, the 2nd this week, a cold call from Andrew Williams of Lynch & Mullin LLP Boston MA. offering to purchase 30,000 shares from me for eco care global inc want to buy at $5 ps. £150,000. He was unspecific as to what the shares were. 1. The Attorneys don't come up in search of Boston MA. 2. A GPS phone search (which I'm unsure of tbh) seemed to show the location near Barking Essex. (he had an east end accent)(Verizon VOIP service I think). 3. IP address routed through Paris France too.. 4. Cannot find Eco Care.. etc. All mega sketchy and obviously dodgy. My question is, if they ask for NO MONEY, just my account details for deposit, what's the scam? What am I missing????
Aug 16, 2016 Rating
Lynch and Mullin boston Scam by: Anonymous
Same as below Got a phone call out of the blue with a good story number was from Boston found the website and all looks like it added up. He rattled of 4 or 5 companies that I could have been invested in and surprisingly mine came up as number 3. Only problem was when I said I wanted to surrender the shares he got aggressive and asked why. When I said sounded to good to be true he hung up.
Watch out
Aug 16, 2016 Rating
Clayton Fisher by: Anonymous
I have had an email and two follow up calls offering to sell some shares i no longer own.
They haven't asked for money yet but have talked about a "bond".
It takes a lot to catch me out but I want other people to be warned.
Paul
Aug 14, 2016 Rating
Still ringing by: Anonymous
Further to our comments 2.5yrs ago - call out of the blue (we'd changed our phone no but still kept our mobile!) saying we'd been conned and they would now try and get our money back - if we follow their normal corrupt instructions! Told them where to go! Watch it folks - we were conned once but now wise to it!
Aug 11, 2016 Rating
Lynch&Mullin by: Anonymous
I too got a phone call out of the blue from this law firm saying there were shares in Eco Care Global which they could sell on my behalf for £150,000. This was followed up by an email with a lot of legal jargon and a form for me to fill in. I didn't bother. I got a follow up phone call trying to persuade me comply. Before giving up he said " Do you not believe there are firms which care about doing good by other people?".
Aug 09, 2016 Rating
birmingham international holdings - prudential group by: Anonymous
same type of comments as below - they have 41% they need 51% - first come first served - £7 a share - for shares I've old - supposedly i have bonus shares!!! awaiting the email... but obviously a scam
Aug 09, 2016 Rating
Clayton and Fisher Advisors by: Anonymous
Beware!! Amanda Sanchez wants to buy my obsolete Pennine Aim V.C.T. shares for £8 -£15 each. Obvious scam so please warn others. These thieving scumbags need stopping.
Aug 08, 2016 Rating
Hostile takeover by: Anonymous
Being 'groomed' by Thomas and Johnson for my Iberdrola shares - very detailed and professional! Anyone else come across them?
Aug 08, 2016 Rating
A new twist by: Malcolm
Hmm, the Cockney accent is a new twist ... always been reported as Asian or Hispanic in the past!
Aug 08, 2016 Rating
Lynch & Mullin LLP by: Anonymous
Same as all the others on this very enlightening forum. Offering to sell 30000 eco care global shares @ $5 each for 3rd party. Name of contact John Stockwell (cockney accent). Googled Lynch & Mullin Boston attorneys and nothing came up for law firm only website info that it had only been set up in the last few weeks. Website, as you'd expect, looks perfectly legitimate. Contemptible scum attempting to leech off vulnerable people.
Aug 05, 2016 Rating
Gaming insight by: Anonymous
Just been contacted by Clayton Fisher advisors about some shares in gaming insight I bought in 1999 who turned into asia capitol plc then went to the wall nice lady said hostile takeover be worth £7 to £15 a share so I googled it and found this Site! Moral is if it looks to good to be true you know the rest....
Aug 02, 2016 Rating
Reported but needs action by: Anonymous
Same story - very clever, very detailed. The most at risk are the older generation who don't have access or don't use the internet to check any of this. A great one for social media to snuff out if we can.
Aug 02, 2016 Rating
confidentiality agreement malware by: Anonymous
Similar Story, but they wanted me to sign a confidentiality agreement which they emailed to me. Of course it was malware.
Aug 02, 2016 Rating
Eurotunnel share scam by: Anonymous
Todays scam was to buy my Eurotunnel shares an investor was prepared to pay for them etc. Yawn yawn nice try!
Jul 29, 2016 Rating
Yeah, me too... by: Anonymous
Same old story, a female (couldn't place the accent but I thought it was more Latino) phoned claiming to be from Grove Capital Advisors Ltd of New York. Apparently, my worthless shares could net me £53,000 if I would just send them £4,500 as a bond of my commitment to sell!
Initially, although I knew that it was a scam, I was intrigued by how, exactly, I was going to be defrauded. It was only when the bond deposit was mentioned that the light came on. I agree she, [Deborah Carlos in my case], sounded very professional and clued-up. I got to even asking her what the weather was like in New York [having first checked before her expected call] and her answers were vague enough to sound plausible.
The website, I agree, looks very convincing, although the picture on the Home Page is, suspiciously 'stretched'. I found a warning about the fraud on www.scamwarners.com which gives links to a site giving details of their Web page set-up. I have tried to contact the ISP but was not able to. I then tried to complain to Google but that, apparently, is a waste of time. If there is someone with the time, inclination and IT savvy that can follow up on this, it might be possible to have the site closed. They'll just set up another one, I know, but 'someone' needs to do something.......
Jul 28, 2016 Rating
SCAM need Reporting by: Anonymous
Scam! Exactly the same thing as you all.
I thought as much and after reading all your comments it has confirmed my thoughts.
These guy's need reporting!
Lucky for me I did not proceed but looked into it further!
Jul 28, 2016 Rating
Costello and rubin by: Anonymous
Exactly the same as other comments, Costello and Rubin. When I called them and told them to rearrange the saying 'stuffed get' they were extremely unpleasant but I've still got my money.
Jul 27, 2016 Rating
Scam by: Anonymous
Thanks for the heads up. Just had a couple of calls about a handful of shares I hold in a company and the pitch mirrors exactly what is detailed below. Interestingly the exceptional price offered was less than the current value! Since I advised that I knew it was a scam, the NDA has not arrived by email and no more calls..
Jul 26, 2016 Rating
SCAM SCAM SCAM by: Anonymous
Just ask yourself: Why would someone you don't know suddenly make you a wonderful offer for shares you know are useless. Answer: SCAM- SCAM- SCAM
Jul 25, 2016 Rating
Share Buying Scam by: Londoner 68
Had thomas and johnson consultancy newyork wanting to by my fortuneoil shares is this a scam
Jul 22, 2016 Rating
claytonfisheradvisors by: Anonymous
beware boiler room scam. all paperwork website looks OK A lady called "Amanda Sanches" from New York but sounded more like the phillipines / Thailand. says I own 1500 shares in a company and they want to buy the at 4X the share value to takeover the company. Beware SCAM SCAM SCAM!!!!!!!!!!
Jul 20, 2016 Rating
Costello and Rubin by: Anonymous
Phoned me and said I had 30000 shares in Eco Care Global and that their "client" would pay me $5 per share for them. Sent me paperwork and P.S.A and P.S.P.A forms to fill in. They then bombarded me with telephone calls urging me to fill in my Bank details into which the $150000 would be paid . Eventually told them where to go!!
Jul 18, 2016 Rating
company incentive shares by: Jupiter999
My pensioner Mother was contacted tonight several times by a foreign sounding lady saying she wanted to buy some none existent shares in Rentokil initial for a crazy price between £7 & £15 wanting my mother to e-mail a consent form immediately to them stating that they wanted to takeover Rentokil. She explained that she no longer had any shares in the company when the person said they were incentive shares and there would be no certificate for them. She was very keen to get the form back ASAP. Beware SCAM!!!
Jul 16, 2016 Rating
Capita scam by: Marilyn
Since posting a few days ago I have learned that there is a red flag against CCMGT Management - do not send any money to them in the Philippines.
Jul 15, 2016 Rating
Costello and Ruben by: Anonymous
Same as below Very convincing at first, paperwork all seems very real. if it's to good to be true, it probably isn't beware!!!!
Jul 14, 2016 Rating
Costelloe and Rubin by: Anonymous
Costello and Rubin Boston
Called to inform of a hostile takeover of Eco Care Global. Told me I had 30000 shares and wanted to buy them for 5 dollars each. Advised there was a restriction on them and could be lifted through a regulator based in New York for 10k. Emailed psa documents and copy of share certificate etc. Very convincing at first ............beware
Jul 14, 2016 Rating
Grove Capital Advisors Ltd by: Anonymous
Clay - yes, see my post of 2 June.
Jul 13, 2016 Rating
Grove Capital Advisors Ltd anyone? by: Clay
I have document from Grove Capital Advisors Ltd, acting for a company who wish to buy some worthless old shares of mine. Value now £48,000 if I pay a bond of £4,851to an escrow agent that I can not identify on the internet. Looks very like a scam. Anyone els heard from them?
Jul 13, 2016 Rating
Beware Capita by: Anonymous
Also been contacted by Capita supposedly of 3rd Av NY to buy penny shares which I had already sold in a company which has since been dissolved
Same story as posts on June 3rd and July 1st.
Jul 13, 2016 Rating
Northern Petroleum scam by: Marilyn
Also had a call for Sean Mackenzie of Capita also ending up with a bond needing to be paid through CCMGT in the Phillipines. The next stage is that warrants are attached to the bonds and if you want to exercise the warrants more money has to be paid through the same bank. Fortunately our bank was on the ball and raised the red flag. Sun ore International was also mentioned as the transfer agent who would hold the money. BEWARE Sean Mackenzie and the paperwork that comes through are very convincing.
Jul 13, 2016 Rating
Out of the blue offer to buy poor UK shares by: Anonymous
Sound helpful comments/advice posted here. UK pensioner contacted 'out of the blue' one evening by phone. Offer to buy my few dormant poor yield shares in Initial Rentokil Plc. Listened to a clever Asian lady's pitch, 'smelt a rat' and replied NO THANKS. Good to have confirmation here of this well documented scam. Do not fall for this or similar scams. Always remain alert, investigate such offers and get advice from trustworthy friends or orgs' if in doubt!
Jul 12, 2016 Rating
Bogus Call !! by: Anonymous
Received a call from Mary Dawson saying my shares would be bought for £4 if I sold within days. She said they needed to get to 51% from the 41% they already had. My shares are worthless, had them for years. You know the saying "if its too good to be true - it probably is" - Am waiting for them to ask for a fee payment up front - I will hold the phone line as long as possible - before dropping the bombshell !!! lol !!
Jul 08, 2016 Rating
Costello and Rubin, Boston by: Anonymous
Found some old shares acquisition vehicle acquired 24% want to get to 51%. Will buy my worthless shares for $5 each, 30,000 shares. I'm rich! Just leave them $5k and they'll sort it. Yes, fantastic deal...... To good to be true! Beware
Jul 01, 2016 Rating
CapitaTeam by: Andy
Got a call from Sean MacKenzie, they also call from a witheld number. The company seems to be based in New York, and there calls are about a documented takeover scam where they say a 3rd party wants to buy your worthless penny shares and need a bond. This is where they ask for money.
I will tell him its a scam when he asks for money, its his phone bill he is wasting not mine.
Jun 17, 2016 Rating
Group Capita by: Anonymous
An operative for Group Capita called Grace Smith offered to buy my valueless shares for a third party if I paid £4500 into a bank in the Phillipines.
Jun 13, 2016 Rating
Cannon Corporate Consultants ripoff by: Anonymous
I have received phone calls from Richard Lee and a woman called Olivia.They purport to work for Cannon Corporate Consultants. They told me their client wishes to purchas my BT shares for a ridiculous proce in order to acquire 51% of the company -a hostile takeover. They have sent me through a non-disclosure form so that the deal can move forward. Very professional sounding phonecall and good-looking website. I recall now having read this site that the whole deal was going to be underwritten -I wondered what that was all about -they haven't yet mentioned me parting with a "bond" but they are calling me back in 30 mins :)
Thank you very much for this website and for alerting me to the scam ...I will have a little fun with them. I hope they go to jail because I am sure they succeed in ripping off a lot of peole including the elderly and vulnerable.
Jun 07, 2016 Rating
Gruber Tayler is the latest name to pop up by: Anonymous
Couldn't find anything about this company online except for their website.
Called with the hostile takeover scam as discussed above. I decided to let them send me an email so I could investigate a little further and have some details. They sent a surprisingly professional and well done PDF as an NDA. Address given was a Regus, which you can never trust.
They're not going to hear from me again and I've reported this to the registrars managing the shares so they can inform the shareholders to be careful. They can also do any required legal work, but it's going to be difficult.
Awful people and, like most scams, is designed to appeal to people's greed. You can see how it works. Do be careful. They do this because it works. Year in, year out. It's like the trademark scams, company registration scams, and so on... they're looking for people not paying much attention, or people who are greedy. And they never seem to get stopped, or there are just so many out there having a go for the easy money that the authorities just end up playing whack-a-mole.
Jun 03, 2016 Rating
Buy useless shares by: Anonymous
A firm called Group Capita of 3rd AVe,New York, a Mr Jackson wanted to buy shares worth nothing for a 3rd party offering fantastic money ,but wanted a bond of £4,900 first .
Jun 02, 2016 Rating
Grove Capital Advisors Ltd by: Anonymous
The lovely Olivia has also contacted me offering to buy shares that I know I don't own in Panmure Gordon for a ridiculous price and an insurance bond is a pre-requisite.
May 16, 2016 Rating
Watters and Partners New York Avoid,Avoid Avoid by: Bertyboy
Recently contacted (April 2016) By Olivia Moss of the above company. She told me that shares I owned in a company named Osmetech that had been taken over by Genmark (USA) was itself going to be subject to a hostile takeover. Her company was handling this for their takeover client. Watters had a very amateurish web site and later I was to discover that many other websites used the same template all of which I believe are scams sites. There address was in Manhatten but not the best part and was probably only an office telephone and desk.
After establishing I owned some shares she informed me that her client was willing to pay between £7 and £17 pounds per share. That to achieve this the whole deal must be kept secret and a non disclosure form would need to be signed. Very clever and very slick. I can feel that money already. I signed the document she told me that there had been a some splits carried out over the time I had owned the shares and that now I had 4400 shares (WOW I AM A LUCKY DUDE) the final price I was told by Olivia was £12.65 not £17 but what the heck 50 odd grand would do. She sent the contract and I looked at it carefully it seemed great. But I did not have 4400 shares I only had proof of 1000 I asked her how could I sign the shares over that I did not own Oh! and by the way who were the company registrars. He brushed over this and went on to tell me that they would only pay this money for the first 51% so I needed to sign and commit to an Insurance Bond some 8% of the total monies I would receive. WHOA that would be around £5600 this is serious. I asked for proof that I owned these shares and that to sign her contract without that proof could be construed as fraudulent. Well guess what she implied I was stupid and missing out on a great deal. She was good very good. I said thanks but no thanks. She put the phone down. Did I miss out on the deal of my life? I don't think so rather saved £5600. I poured myself a scotch (rather large) and congratulated myself on REMEMBERING MY DAD@S ADVICE. IF IT LOOKS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT USUALLY IS. AND IF YOU CAN'T SEE THE MARK... THE MARK IS YOU.
May 13, 2016 Rating
Scam in Luxembourg by: Spinazzo
Balmoral Group International is a scam. Do not invest Professional thieves from Asia
May 10, 2016 Rating
Campbell & Partners by: Charles
"Belinda" called from Campbell & Partners in New York. The shares in question are Perpetual Income and Growth Investment Trust. Crazy offer (£7–15 for a share currently worth less than £4) This firm is already on the FCA's list of bad guys: www.fca.org.uk/news/warnings/campbell-partners-ltd. Thanks to all for alerting me to this kind of scam.
May 04, 2016 Rating
A call from New York by: Anonymous
I've just had a call from "Cannon Corporate Consultants" of new York, offering me £5-10 per share for my 2000 shares in a defunct company, ostensibly because of its intellectual rights.
Poor English, non-disclosure agreement to be emailed, etc.
I guess they got my details from some shares register.
I was just preparing to mash some potatoes, so I let him talk for a while.
May 04, 2016 Rating
renold plc by: Anonymous
American lady, not Asian, but the same message. Wanted to acquire 51% controlling vote of the company. I had, apparently, 3200 incentive shares, which would be bought at a price between £7 and £14 per share (do the maths). As this was an International dealing it would need to be insured and the insurers would need some money from the buyers and sellers (to be returned later) up front. I was wondering where I had to pay. Best forget it all.
May 03, 2016 Rating
TATA STEEL, BRITISH STEEL, CORUS Shares by: Anonymous
Following below. Just had some woman with an Indian accent from NY offering between £7 and £15 for British Steel shares that I sold years ago. Repeatedly told her they were all sold but she insisted on sending me the non disclosure email as mentioned below. She never mentioned anything about sending cash but recon that comes next, so as soon as I got shot of her I googled it and hey presto came across this post. Cant wait till the scamming bitch calls me back asking about the email - will be politely told to go &*^% herself. Hope this helps others
Apr 25, 2016 Rating
Cannon Corp Consultants by: Anonymous
My mother was contacted by Asian sounding Jack Green. As per previous posts, wants a signed confidentiality agreement returned as a matter of urgency to secure 51% share in a company. My mother thinks she had sold these years ago, but in the last month she received a proxy bid form for a merger (coincidence??). Having read the comments on this page, it is obviously a scam, although so far we have not been asked for any money. The address on the confidentiality agreement is the same as mentioned in a previous post … 240 W 35th Street NY I have contacted the registers of the company concerned to see if she does actually have shares, and will sell them for her on the open market, she may be lucky enough to get a little windfall from this, rather than being a scam victim. Thanks to everyone who had bothered to leave comments. What would we do without google!
Apr 19, 2016 Rating
Bogus Share Dealing by: Boggo inc
This company is still trying this scam by pretending to be acquiring shares on behalf of a client, in this case they were supposedly trying to acquire Arris shares. The insistence on confidentially is intended to prevent you from discussing it with anyone else and finding out that it’s a scam. The urgency and pressure to act quickly reduces the possibility of you checking up on the company or running a web search. You are asked to pay for a bond, that is allegedly refundable, before the transaction can go through. Don’t get involved, sign anything or transfer any money you will just lose your money.
Apr 16, 2016 Rating
Cannon Consultants by: Rose
I too received call from an Asian sounding lade from Cannon Consultants offering to purchase my Aviva Shares and I too received their "confidential" document which I sent to Aviva for their comments. The same woman phoned again but my daughter answered the phone and she was subject to a very abusive outburst when she told them that she was not me! Aviva informed me that this company was not entitled to share dealing in this country - they had not received any previous information about them but they would forward my email to the registrar.
Apr 15, 2016 Rating
Beware Cannon corporate consultants by: Anonymous
April 15th got a call from "Jessica Winter" from Cannon corporate consultants offering to buy my Aviva shares for £8 to £15 per share so that their "client" could acquire enough shares for a takeover. Sent me a confidentiality agreement to sign first.They have a glossy website but interestingly there are no names of personnel /CEO etc which should ring alarm bells. Their address is given as 240 W 35th street New York. Both she and another guy (who phoned later to check I had their email) sounded Asian. Having read your posts I now know it's as I suspected - a SCAM. How do these people sleep at night??
Apr 14, 2016 Rating
Reflec scam by: Anonymous
Have had same calls as I used to own shares in Reflec,sounds very convincing until they mention depositing a bond,I wound her up then blocked the number.Please don't part with any money or give any info out.
Apr 14, 2016 Rating
Gladstone shares 2nd scam by: Dennis White
I once owned some Gladstone shares and last year had many, many calls from an oriental sounding lady phoning from New York wanting to buy my then defunct shares for a company who wanted to takeover Gladstone plc.
It sounded very legit until she wanted money from me to pay for some sort of insurance. When I told her I didn't have any money she stopped phoning.
Lo and behold, yesterday 13 April 2016, I had two calls from a Karen Johannson (her name crops up in an earlier report on this page) in New York trying the same scam for my Gladstone shares.
I challenged her about the previous scam which she denied, and said she would never require any money from me.
She said she would send me an email about non-disclosure and call back.
I then Googled Gladstone shares Scam and came across this site.
When she rang back and I told her that I had seen her name on this site she hung up and has not called back.
Apr 11, 2016 Rating
Cannon Corporate Consultants by: Anonymous
I have received a call from the above company in NY wanting to facilitate the purchase of many 'incentive shares' I apparently own in a racing company. In the past I did own ONE ordinary share in the company but now it seems to have become thousands and someone wants to buy them for an amazing price as part of a take over, to achieve 51% of the stock. During the last phone call a fully refundable insurance fee has been mentioned of between 10%-20% which I would have to send them upfront to complete the sale! It sounded very plausible for a while until the fee was mentioned. I am awating a call back from them but will not be parting with any money.
Apr 04, 2016 Rating
olivia by: Anonymous
Contacted on many occasions. Believed everything until they asked for money up front. 10%. Was not keen to part with any money so checked around and found this site and these comments. No thanks Olivia. As they say you don't get anything room nothing.
Apr 01, 2016 Rating
Thedfordadvisors by: Anonymous
An elderly relative has received 14 calls over the last 48 hours pertaining to a large amount of shares in a now defunct company. Large sums of possible profit were mentioned so my relative went along with non-disclosure agreement and emailed a copy to Thedford Advisors. The caller was of possible male Asian origin but called 'herself' Karen Johanssen. Another family member used their own computer to email and is now worried about possible security threats.
I believe my elderly relative was approached due to his age(92)and the fact they understood little of technology and internet etc. I have advised not to take any further calls from 'Karen'
Mar 28, 2016 Rating
Thedford Advisors NY still on the scam by: Anonymous
Contacted on two occasions by this company with a very poor speaking New Yorker? regarding shares in Corus which i sold years ago , thought it sounded to good to be true contacted today 28/03/16 again on land line asked if info had arrived via email it had not , as other people have said big sums of money talked about to good to be true of coarse it is BEWARE IT IS A SCAM . The other letters here back this up.
Mar 16, 2016 Rating
THEDFORD ADVISORS LTD NEW YORK by: Anonymous
My husband was contacted out the blue on our landline from this company. They were offering to buy his shares in Mitie PLC a company he left many years ago...They knew a lot of information on my husband and were very convincing that he had shares he was unaware off.....we went along with it and were sent the document to sign stating non disclosure and agreement to sale etc......The long and short of it was they offered us £59,492.00.....for shares we did not know we had!!! Oh but they wanted us to deposit a bond of £5560.00......I don't think!!!
Mar 10, 2016 Rating
W Parker Consulting LLC/Ravenmount by: Anonymous
My wife had a call about this - someone wanting to acquire a controlling interest on the quiet and pay a lot per share. He knew her phone and email, which is worrying. Non disclosure email arrived soon after, which really rang the warning bells.
Mar 09, 2016 Rating
Beware of Too Good to be True Offer by: Not so Daft
I was contacted 8th March by John Harrison of W.Parker Consulting New York, re a proposed hostile takeover of CEPS a holding company based in Bath. He wanted to know how I got the shares and when I said they were inherited he wanted to know from whom? He said they would offer between £8 and £19 per share and if I didn't agree I would be left with a worthless piece of paper when the takeover goes ahead! The Non-Disclosure Agreement has now arrived! The old addage applies - if it sounds too good to be true it probably is! Seller Beware!
Mar 01, 2016 Rating
W Parker Consulting by: Tony Uk
Had Asian guy trying to buy my scipher shares in an aggressive takeover for W Parker Consulting LLC New York. Scipher ceased to be 10 years ago and this is the 4th time I have had the same scam,couldn't be bothered to play them as long as previous , but he did say I was being recorded and the company could take legal action against my accusations , I told them to take payment from my share money.
Feb 24, 2016 Rating
BAA Scam by: Anonymous
Apparently my 440 BAA shares which were taken over by Heathrow Holdings in 2006 acquired a 45-1 bonus which was overlooked and Edward Collins are acting in a hostile take over. I get £12.11 per share and have to provide 8% for the Security Bond - almost £4000. Lots of phone calls from New York and all very convincing. I can see how one could be taken in and send them the Bond money - which you are guaranteed to get back within 7 days of completion! And it could be 7% oversubscribed so don't delay. But I have no shares to sell ! Too good to be -----
Feb 19, 2016 Rating
Edward Collins Associates opportunity! by: Socrates
I was contacted by a very polite oriental- sounding lady with a view to assisting with an agressive take-over of Emerson Electric, in whom I had a some shares via a company previously taken over. Over a period of about 2 weeks I had several phone calls from New York on behalf of Edward Collins Associates. Their web-site looked very professional. They passed me a non-disclosure agreement, also requesting the number of shares I owned. Their Legal Dept. confirmed my share holding and I was eventually quoted a high value for the shares - with a view to establishing a 51% confirmed stake. Subsequently I was advised that 58% had offered to sell. A contract was passed for me to sign. A bond was being raised to cover both the vendor and the purchaser against one of them pulling out from the deal. 90% of the value of the bond was being underwritten by an insurance company with the remaining 10% to be financed by me, to be returned when the 51% had been fully financed. Their offer was sent to me just before they knew I would be going on holiday, leaving just a couple of hours to send a fund transfer by SWIFT to their bank in the Phillipines. Speed was of the essence because only the first 51% of respondents would gain the benefit of the terms being offered. At this point I discussed the matter with others and looked on google as suggested. Thanks to all previous contributions to this site.
My major concerns were the very high value being offered and the repeated calls (taking their time) for a such a minnow in terms of a total take-over.
Feb 19, 2016 Rating
W.Parker Consulting LLC by: Anonymous
Have been dealing with Simon Belfort on the phone and email from the above company operating from 6 Hanover Square New York NY 10004 that has a very convincing web site who deal in Purchase and Acquisitions. The same old story of not to speak to anyone about it and had a Non-Disclosure document to sign. Shares offered at £12.50 for Woolworths PLC which ceased trading 2015.
Christopher A Lewis (Vise President) East International Transfer operating from 210 East 47th Street New York NY 10017 who has also a very good web site would be the Bond Agent and need my £4964.as an Insurance Bond for the acqusition if the Purchasers did not go through which would mean I still would receive my £65960 plus my Insurance Bond money back.
I did my own scam and played along for 2 weeks backwards and forwards even getting a further reduction on the Insurance Bond to £2481 and a new document from their Legal department as I said I could not afford the Insurance Bond but may be I could sell my car if if the Bond was cheaper. Fair Play to Simon Belfort for sounding and being very professional with his sales talk so beware.
I Googled Earth both companies addresses and was not convinced of the buildings, nor could I confirm any evidence elsewhere on the internet the companies legitimacy on Company Listings and searches. What I did confirm was that the website/domain was only started up last month.
After eventually letting Simon Belfort know it was a scam and hoped he had enjoyed mine....silence.
Feb 16, 2016 Rating
Edward Collins & Associates by: W McIntyre
Just called offering me between £7 and £13 for my Vodafone shares. They knew how many I used to have, so some homework must have been done, but were clearly unaware of the Vodafone/Verizon deal a couple of years back.
The callers name was Anna Wolfe and for a New Yorker her English was extremely poor.
They'll need to try harder to get cash out of this Scotsman's sporran!
Feb 11, 2016 Rating
Scam by: Anonymous
My husband's mother was just contacted by Edward Collins and Associates on the phone with the same thing as you guys have reported. She asked me to check into it and I found this site, thank you so much! When I saw the NonDisclosure agreement they sent her, and also the cheesy website I knew something was up, this confirmed it for me. What was scary was that they knew exactly how many shares we had, how would they know this without hacking into an old website or finding some old files?
Does anyone know how to report these scammers? I skyped the number directly and told them in no uncertain terms that I knew it was a scam and they were not to contact me, my husband or my mother in law ever again. It sounded as if they were in a coffee shop or launderette. Scary
Feb 09, 2016 Rating
Yet another Bradley & Rodger by: Andy C
Some guy, sounded British, just called me asking why I hadn't responded to their letters. Said he was a solicitor and they were trying to contact me about compensation for my Tandem shares. I just hung up this time, but as usual, he sounded authoritative, imposing.
These tossers are good, PLEASE don't get sucked in.
Feb 05, 2016 Rating
Edward Collins & Associates by: Noise77
My father-in-Law passed away a few months previous, and they contacted my Mother in Law to say that they had a client who was taking over a company (Caplay)whom my Father in Law had bought some penny shares in years ago, As I was looking after my Father-in-Laws estate they contacted me (Olivia, a very polite and nice sounding lady). The offer was that the interested party wanted to buy my shares off me for between £8 and £15 per share, I was then asked to fill in and send back a Non Disclosure Agreement. I did not state the number of shares that I was holding, a couple of days later I was called again and told that I had a holding of 3000 shares and this was being verified by the Legal department. If you google Edward Collins Associates, you can find a web site, quite convincing but does not contain a lot of detail) They left it a day or so and contacted me again, this time to say that after checking my holding and due to reissue of stock etc. my holding was now 6000 shares and would I like to sell them. I said that I was interested. I was called again a couple of days later and discussed the matter further at this point we discussed details of a bond being raised to cover both the buyer and the seller against one of us pulling out of the deal. At this point I decided enough was enough and dropped them an polite email asking them not to contact me. So beware the pattern is to gradually string you along before the sting, where I presume you will part with some card details to enable them to get hold of your money and ride off into the sunset. Thanks to all previous contributions to this site.
Feb 04, 2016 Rating
Re Sigur Capital by: Malc
Neat idea to use Google Earth and call the coffee shop - lateral thinking, well done!
Feb 03, 2016 Rating
Sigur Capital by: Anonymous
Received a call from a "JOHN" of Sigur Capital in NYC who says I have 14,500 shares in a company Xiaomi Inc which was about to be taken over by Alcatel. He had my email address etc and sent me the "Confidentiality Agreement" to sign which I did and sent it back to him. I also told him my lawyer was checking it out and he said that I had broken the confidentiality agreement, however he would not tell his boss and would still go ahead. Next he sent me a "Share Purchase Agreement" which when signed allowed him to buy my shares on behalf of Alcatel etc etc. Of course John was offering me a payout of thousands of dollars. So I checked out the Sigur Capital address on Google Earth and found the so called building. Just down the street was a coffee shop with a phone nr on the front window. I called them and told them the story, and they were only too happy to check the address - of course it was bogus. SO STAY AWAY FROM SIGUR CAPITAL - Scam Scam Scam
Feb 03, 2016 Rating
Genus plc by: Anonymous
I have had "Olivia" from Edward Collins and Associates calling the past 2 weeks, first to offer to buy my non-existent preference shares (of which I have got 98 registered, unbeknown to me as I sold all my shareholding 10 years ago). When I showed interest then all of a sudden there had also been a bonus share issue of 25:1 and I now have 2450 share! I was asked to complete and return a non-disclosure agreement, which I did and I was waiting for the trump card where I would have to pay a bit up front which came tonight. Until then I was almost starting to believe that my luck had changed!! Their client is offering to pay £20-£30 per share but I will have to make an insurance bond of 5-15%.
Thanks to a quick search I have come upon your excellent comments and am only too happy to add to them!
You don't get owt for nowt except good advice!
Thank you.
Feb 03, 2016 Rating
Corus / Tata steel, Yet again ! by: Anonymous
Much the same as below. Cold call approach from Edward collins and Ass. New York (with a very convincing web page ) saying that I still have a number of shares in Corus and the good news is they have been "consolidated" !! by a factor of 15. Making them worth between £30K and £40K.
I also needed to sign a non disclosure agreement (nice one that !) so couldent discuss with anyone more knowledgeable than myself.
Numerous phone calls later the question of indemnity insurance came up. I would only have to find 15% of the final sale price.
My S/in/ L is a police officer. I ran it past him. His first words were "Boiler room scam"
Call barred their telephone No from now !
Feb 01, 2016 Rating
Latest twist by: Anonymous
Katie, who claimed to be from Collins & Associates in New York rang in conjunction with the takeover of Scottish Power by Ibordrola which happened years ago. Maybe it was my skepticism about her story but as soon as I questioned this as a scam she quickly rang off. I'm in the UK and the CLI number that was displayed was a credible looking number although I believe this is bogus
Jan 29, 2016 Rating
Edward Collins Associates by: Anonymous
Edward Collins Associates have been calling me (regarding my non existent TATA shares) for the past 3 days and tonight I just had to ask the question " If this is a scam, your now going to ask for an up-front payment", the line went quite for a few seconds then the lady politely explained the "Insurance Bond" !!! End of conversation. I just hope people recognize this for the Boiler Room scam it is.
Jan 28, 2016 Rating
Edward Collins Associates by: Anonymous
My 83 year old father was pestered by a Ms Catherine Ford of Edward Collins Associates regarding Centrica shares, offering a high price. He forwarded the email to me and I subsequently googled and found this site. We live in Scotland so they are trying to scam all over. Email will be forwarded to FCA. Thanks for the info.
Jan 27, 2016 Rating
Still at it!!!! by: Anonymous
Pestering my father in law with a too good to be true story!!! Old share holding with missed deals! Pay 3000 get 38000!!!!!! This is going straight to FSA and I may visit the states to have a chat!!!!!! People beware!
Jan 22, 2016 Rating
Recent scam by Edward Collins and Associates by: Anonymous
The scammers continue!
Recently contacted/pestered by 'Olivia' from Edward Collins Associates in New York about 'bonus shares' due to me in relation to a previous share holdings in Hanson (but sold at least a decade ago).
Do they have a website? Yes. Is it genuine? No; it's the sort of thing that would take a day to put together using off the shelf software.
Sorry Olivia, you tried very hard.
If it's too good to be true, ....
Jan 21, 2016 Rating
London by: Anonymous
hi same scam beware malcom consultancy ltd want deposit 5000£ word by word the same as above Administration Department Malcolm Consultancy Ltd.
Jan 20, 2016 Rating
Crown corporate consultants scam by: Peter
Received a call from above firm offering to buy my stock of Gemark/osmetech at a very high price. They are virtually worthless! Checked out firms address and when"Monica" called back I asked who they shared the building with. She said she didn't know but guessed I'd worked out it was a scam. The address given 1016 W Jackson Boulevard Chicago is actually bays English muffin! You live and learn, the old adage of if its too good to be true certainly stands!
Jan 19, 2016 Rating
SCAM IS NOW IN THE UK & IRELAND by: Anonymous
This message is designed as a warning to all Corus / Tata Shareholders in the UK and Ireland. My father purchased shares in British Steel which were transferred to Corus, and I believe subsequently Tata.
A phone call was received from a Mr Lopez allegedly from Pearce Consulting Limited, New York, who appeared to be in possession of this knowledge. He could not wait to make a superb offer of purchasing these shares at an offer price of between £8 and £16 each. 'SCAM' jumped immediately into the frame.
A Non Disclosure Agreement was to be signed. Apparently Pearce's 'Legal Department' would find out exactly how many my father owned and what the exact offer was to be. Next stage was the handover from Mr Lopez to 'Victoria' who come on to say that for each share owned they were trebled in number and would be purchased at £15 each making a total of £46,530.00. However Pearce Consulting would need £1,395.90 commission fee leaving a total of £45,134.10. Great stuff the scam continued, next we would receive Stock Purchase Agreement, Statement of Account and finally and most important 'Insurance'. What is this they were asked - Apparently because we were working UK TO U.S. - this would only cost us £4,187.70 and we would 'get it back' when the share sale went through. Apparently it was all legal and above board with the Security and Exchange Commisioner from America overseeing everything.
Finally the Sale Agreement had to be signed and returned within one hour if we were to be included in the sale. The Insurance was to be provided by either Zurich, Axa, Fidelity or Alliance. We 'could not' consult with our Legal advisor because of the 'Non Disclosure' Agreement.
Eventually after a long call I could take the 'excitement' any longer and had to burst 'Victoria's' bubble - SCAM SCAM SCAM - She was devastated although she had heard of 'such scam's' she could not believe that I had not fallen for 'this great offer'
Please understand if Pearce Consulting Limited was in fact genuine then we may well have waved bye bye to £45,000 British Pounds but I fear not - The telephone numbers and Fax numbers were not genuine New York codes which nobody could explain - I feel these people would convince elderly people to part with large amounts of cash in the hope of gaining a fortune - BE WARNED ! I heard lots of other voices in the background going over the SCAM to other unsuspecting individuals !
Jan 17, 2016 Rating
Pearce Consultancy Limited by: Anonymous
Thankfully I have found this page. Having received numerous calls from PEARCE CONSULTANCY LIMITED regarding shares I owned. Again stating they are NYC based but using 777 area code.
All sounded plausible until the crunch phone call in which they mentioned paying an 'Up-front' bond for in the region of 5,000. and they talked openly of 'a big London based insurance company' covering the take over - but could not or would not tell me who this was.
I could find very little on the Web about the company itself, and luckily have stumbled over your site. - much relief.
Dec 17, 2015 Rating
Samson Capital by: Gary Trickett
Received calls from a Catherine Weiss, legal department acting on behalf of Samson Capital on landline and mobile most evenings during late November early December, relating to shares I'd held in Totalise (310) in the late 90's that had, at some point by way of Madasafish and PlusNet / BT converted into around 4,600 shares ? They were now offering me £ 66,000.00 in return for my voting rights for an upcoming takeover of BT ?? Required to send a vendor bond of £ 5,2300.00.
Although quite impressed by the fact that they went to the trouble of finding out about a share holding I had in company 16 years ago, one giveaway sign was the tel no they were calling from, area code 777, which shows as a US number but is not an area code as such but used mainly for marketing purposes and obviously for fraudulent activity.
Dec 16, 2015 Rating
Samson Capital Group by: Nick C
Exactly the same scam here. I was contacted several times by some people purporting to be from "Samson Capital Group" in New York saying I had shares in a company - DCS - which was taken over in 2006. I did have such shares but I sold them. Very plausible website and quite a convincing spiel about how due to some sort of "irregularity the shares had become mine again. The number of shares increased due to some weird "forward split" then the crunch came when they started talking about me posting an "insurance bond" - ie I had to pay money. At that point I said no way and I was convinced it was a scam and after complaining bitterly they hung up!
Who do I complain to about this? They really should be stopped. Anyone got any ideas?
Dec 10, 2015 Rating
Zeller First Capital group - tata steel shares scam by: Anonymous
New group doing it, Zeller First Capital. also the web site was created in oct 2015 yet the company claims to have 100k associates which rang alarm bells. They contacted my 84 year old father. Fortunately he asks me about any financial decisions. So far all they have asked for is an NDA which is obviously their method of building up credibility. thanks to the previous post as I was wondering what the scam actually was and was just playing them along.
Dec 09, 2015 Rating
Malcolm Consultancy Ltd by: Anonymous
Also just had a phone call from Malcolm Consultancy Ltd, Ms. Athena Mendz / Mergers & Acquisitions department and a follow up e-mail as promised from Ms. Laura Nicholas / Administration Department about signing NDA because going to be a big private and confidential take over that their client was carrying out and was prepared to pay a price of £8 - £17 per share to get a 51% holding. Interesting that the phone number they called from is actually different to the number on the e-mail. Like others I might just play them along. As someone once said when they call just ask them to hold for a second while you do something, leave them waiting and see how long they stay on the line for. Many thanks for a site like this, glad I found it.
Dec 08, 2015 Rating
ATH Resources Shares & "Malcolm Consultancy" by: BigDaveBeekeeper
Just had a call and follow-up email from "Malcolm Consultancy". Told me I had some shares that I was sure I had sold. She (Asian sounding woman) said I hadn't sold the "free" shares that I had been given. There was a big secret take-over going on and their client was willing to pay between £8 and £17 pounds a share (we bought them for pence...) Checked out their website which looked kosher. Thanks to this site I shall take it no further (other than to tell them to go forth and multiply the next time they call.)
Dec 01, 2015 Rating
Tata Steel shares by: Anonymous
Almost taken in by 'Victoria' working for Pearce Consultancy Limited based in 'New York'. Very plausible as we had some share certificates from Corus/Tata which added up to roughly the amount she qouted. However, I was suspicious from the start but decided to play along until I'd checked it out. The company had only been established since October 2015, our certificates were no longer valid and the second phone call from her was on Thanksgiving, a national holiday in America! On the third call from her I told her it was a scam and she had the nerve to tell me I didn't have the right to accuse her of that! Just beware, it's very easy to be taken in by them.
Nov 30, 2015 Rating
Samson Capitol by: Derek
I have just put down the phone on a representative from 'Samson Capitol' relating to Totalise shares. They have been mentioned before but are clearly still calling people from 'New York'. I have no doubt that this is a scam.
Nov 30, 2015 Rating
Malcolm Consultants / Tandem by: Anonymous
Same with me, very plausible until she asked for money up front. I was thinking from the beginning that if a deal looks too good to be true it probably is, now I know it is too good to be true.
Nov 25, 2015 Rating
Malcom Consultants again by: Anonymous
We have just been contacted by Malcom Consultants with exactly the same scenario as posts below.
They claimed we had shares in a Company. We do have some shares that a relative gifted us and have dabbled occasionally in buying and selling but are not serious. Funnily, we had a vague memory of the company Malcom Consultants mentioned but couldn't find our certificate. Malcolm Consultants assured us we had shares but must have lost our certificate. They required us sign a non- disclosure agreement and send it to them, before further discussion. They then talked abut a forward split manoeuvre that meant we could potentially benefit massively, but they needed a couple of thousand of pounds as an insurance up front that meant if the transaction failed we would still benefit.
Thats when I started to get suspicious, also when their web site url led to an NLP and web design website.
Nov 25, 2015 Rating
They dont give up do they. by: Anonymous
Thanks to whoever made this site, it has helped me prove to my father that this too good to be true second offer from a different company is still a scam. Has anyone else been contacted by Crown corporate consultants? This is the 2nd company to tell my father he still has shares in Hanson, even though he sold them years ago. 51% needed for take over as usual. The 1st company was Keystone. Both based seemingly in the usa. Wont let him fall for it as managed to stop him last time, just.
Nov 22, 2015 Rating
Tandem group shares by: Anonymous
Malcolmltd (malcolm consultancy) Ms Laura Nicholas sent me a non disclosure agreement for Tandem takeover story. Suspected it was a scam from the first call. Now ignoring.
Nov 20, 2015 Rating
Malcolm consultancy by: Anonymous
Just read the post on Malcolm Consultancy. I have had the same and claimed they had located shares that I thought I had sold 4 years ago. They then said they had their legal team investigate and lo and behold I have 4000 shares. So good so far until they called back 2 days later to tell me they would make an offer of over £11. Became very suspicious when they then asked me to pit down a £5K indemnity bond and I needed to act quick to ensure I was one of the 51% to sell shares at a high price as part of a hostile takeover. They had me fooled until they asked for 5 K up front. Beware
Nov 15, 2015 Rating
Malcolm Consultancy Ltd by: Andrew D.
Contacted by Ms Amanda Lopez about take over of large company and need to purchase private shares at a high rate which they can afford by tax write offs. Shares are those from my late Father which we had no knowledge of. Faxed through sheet with NDA to fill in and they will clarify my holding being the beneficiary to fathers estate and sale can go forward. A crackly line from New York( they told me) and also a Ms Laura Nicholas was administrator who faxed over the form. This sounds too good to be true - would love to know is this a scam as it sounds.
Nov 09, 2015 Rating
Tata Steel scam by: Anonymous
Asian sounding woman (Julia Forrester?) on a very crackly line, asking if I was (by name) my other half. I know I've a cold but I'm sure I don't sound like a man. I asked why she wanted him and was told she was phoning on behalf of a client who is wanting to take over Tata Steel and she understood he had shares. Well, not any more British Steel shares were sold to Tata on the takeover of Corus (formerly BS). She said he still had 'incentive'(?) shares. Consulted other half and relayed to her that he said he had no more shares. We didn't get round to discussing price or bonds. She said it was their mistake, and rang off. I answer numerous cold calls so am naturally wary. This is a new scam to our phone line. So pleased to have read all the comments on this site, and not fallen for a scam.
Nov 07, 2015 Rating
Whittaker Corporate Partners scam by: Mark Hulbert
I was contacted by "Amanda Lopez" who said Whittaker were launching a hostile takeover bid for Coburg plc. She offered me £89k for these shares - ten times their market price, but "Whittaker needed to secure them quickly". I also signed and emailed back the NDA form. It was only after about 5 phone calls from them that they mentioned the "bond" of £8900 (interestingly exactly the market value of the shares ! - I'm not sure whether that's meaningful) that I'd need to pay to commence the proceedings.
At that point I asked her for convincing proof that this was not a scam; when she asked me why I thought it might be a scam I said that it had all the hallmarks of a scam: 1. they cold-called me 2. they were based abroad 3. they were making a ridiculously high offer 4. they wanted things done quickly, and 5.the final piece of the jigsaw fell into place when they wanted money up-front. At which point she said "but you're the only person who has objected to paying the bond up front" to which I replied "how can I possibly be the only person who has objected to paying £8900-00 up front?! The line went dead and I haven't heard from them since.
Scams are everywhere. This page is excellent for helping us avoid them.
Nov 05, 2015 Rating
STEINBERGE PE. by: Ron
Exactly the same as Dave, time frame the same. This was convincing to me because they had traced me from an old address and email from 15 years ago. There was at that time a hostile attempt to take over my business, and offers of shares were made. Bidder Communications was mentioned at that time. And this Company was the one I am supposed to have shares in.?.The paper work did not make much sense, re dates etc. Interestingly the amount of shares and price was the same as Dave. I am wondering how the scam works. I wondered if this was a scheme to steal existing shares. I have no documentary proof of ownership of such anyway.
Nov 05, 2015 Rating
Samson Capital Group/Sterlings Asset Management by: PJH
Very nearly got scammed out of 6k. As it appears, the usual story. Hostile takeover. Ridiculous amount for the shares I have, 76k worth. Vendor indemnity bond, refundable, 51% acquisition, first come first serve basis. Website looks legit on the surface, but scratch a little deeper and theirs an identical website with different name. Then tried googling some of there claimed acquisitions/takeovers and nothing? Thank god I Googled 'Share scam New York' and this site popped up!
Nov 04, 2015 Rating
Right Capital Services by: Anonymous
I was contacted by an Andy Walker of Right Capital Services. His voice sounded like it was being modified by a device to sound American, but kept repeating my name, as far eastern people often do. Wanted 10 percent bond for 43k's worth of shares in a company that I had sold years ago for 1k!
Website was launched in August 2015 it transpires, very flowery business gobbledygook language, with no substance to it, and a distinctly far eastern feel to the phrasing. Copyright notice not dated on website either. Escrow holding account for bond was going be through a company called Eastern International Transfer.
I signed the NDA that they sent to find out more, but took it no further once I'd found out who they really were. Very convincing scam, but don't get fooled!
Oct 30, 2015 Rating
Sherman consultancy by: Anonymous
Contacted my 87 year old mother in law, told her she owned 4400 shares in fortune oil. She referred them to me and they sent me a non disclosure document which I signed and sent back.
The interesting thing is that this Sherman consultancy looks to have a legitimate website.
Next thing I know I'm driving home when I get a call from a mr Hoffman who starts rambling on and then announces that a reputable triple A rated insurance company needs to bond the deal and guess what he then says, I need to put up 5-10% bond money which of course is refundable once the takeover has gone through. And he started to get very aggressive when I said no way was I sending money.
I asked him to put it all in writing and before I hung up informed him that my name was HUNT NOT C***
Hopefully that's the end of it.
One more thing I am an independent financial adviser with 35 years experience and I was tempted to get taken in by this scam so beware they are clever even down to their websites and email addresses.
Oct 22, 2015 Rating
whitaker corporate by: Anonymous
Just this week have been contacted by this so called company, the usual 51% needed and offering a ridiculous amount of money per share. I'm glad I stumbled on this site as the scammers are quite believable and others have had similar experiences.
Oct 20, 2015 Rating
100% Scam by: Anonymous
Just read any one of the hundreds of posts on this site, going back nearly 5 years, and you will see the same story. Nobody has ever posted 'I got the money I was promised'!
Oct 20, 2015 Rating
Now I know after reading other posts by: Anonymous
OK. I am not sure if this is a scam. Someone phoned me to say that I have (lets say) 2000 shares From that a company that I did work for. The company no longer exists. It was a public limited company. Now a private company after the takeover.
This man asked me if I was Mrs ****** and I said yes. He said I was given 2000 shares (which I don't know about). And he said that he has a buyer who is willing to pay ( wait for it) £10 to £20 a share. I told him I don't have any shares but he insisted that I did. So I thought, what do I have to lose? I said ok what do you want me to do? I had to send him some basic details. And sign a non-disclosure. All very professional and nothing yet where I could lose money or give bank details.
Once he received my details he said that his legal department would contact me, which they did. It was a different guy. And he told me :" good news Karen". You have 2000 shares but it will be multiplied by 3. So you have 6,000 shares. And still the buyer is willing to pay the same price. £10/20 a share. So I am thinking wow ££££. Still nothing for me to worry about. Then the same guy phoned me the next day. He said I have still got 6,000 shares and the share price is still the same. But then he went on to say the the buyer has to pay so much money before the transaction takes place.
And now to the crunch. The seller (me) also has to pay something. Which of course according to this man I get back. May be 5%. of course 5% of 70,000 would be £3,500. This is of course when I am thinking this is a scam. I asked the guy this and he just laughed. I asked him if I could consult my lawyer and he said no because I have signed a non-disclosure and it could jeopardise the deal.
So is this a scam? There is so many scams these days. The company has a website which I chekced out and it seems perfectly normal. Any help/advise would be great.
Oct 19, 2015 Rating
Thomas Royce SCAM by: Anonymous
Report the thomasroyce.com website to abuse @ godaddy.com
The more people who report them, the quicker the site can be taken down.
Oct 18, 2015 Rating
Thomas & Royce by: Anonymous
I wouldn't worry too much about personal documents, this scam is all about getting your bond money, and then, if you've fallen for that, some more 'reclaimable' money on account for up-front US 'tax'.
Oct 18, 2015 Rating
Thomas & Royce by: Anonymous
Approached by Thomas & Royce about buying my shares. Sent disclosure form, then contract which I believed and signed. When I was asked for money for indemnity bond alarm bells started ringing. Bank recognised possible scam so didn't go through with it. Just worried about personal documents I emailed for identification purposes.
Oct 15, 2015 Rating
Thomas Royce SCAM by: Anonymous
Don NOT get caught up in this SCAM. thomasroyce website domain was only registered August 13th 2015 yet they state their business has been running since 2002. Same names & scam as detailed in other posts.
Just been contacted for the second time by supposedly Whitaker Corporate Partners in New York looking for me to sell my 93 Tandem Plc Shares in a hostile takeover. Was suspicious at the first call but more convinced when I received their e-mail and confidentiality agreement which unfortunately I filled in and sent back. Since that initial call I have checked though my paperwork and found that I sold these shares in 2007. This second call today was to tell me that my share holding was still valid and had miraculously increased from 93 to 4650 by some share issue which I did not understand. They are very slick and clever but that was their big mistake....implausible and too good to be true. There will undoubtedly be another call and I will string them along and find out as much as I can before reporting them.
Oct 09, 2015 Rating
De Vere Group take-over Scam by: David
Similar call from Asian guy called Jason Nunez of Thomas Royce in New York wanting to pay a high price for 750 shares which he said his Legal Dept had jumped up to 5250 shares due to strip issues of extra shares given for free!! If I were to pay an insurance bond of approx. £6,400 I would get £60k + my bond money back. Needless to say I didn't return his forms or pay the insurance bond. If it's too good to be true it isn't true!!!
Oct 08, 2015 Rating
Whitaker Corporate Partners by: Dave
Had call yesterday about usual hostile takeover of Screen and my holding could be worth 20/30 times their value if I completed a non-disclosure Had a further call today (supposedly from New York) to see if I had replied and like others below wondered why on earth anyone would be interested in my paltry holding Started searching the net and instantly found this site - plausible Asian/American female, pro website but co only set up 3 months ago! Have blocked any further calls and feel my best plan is to warn others Remember - if it quacks like a duck....
Just had a similar experience to the ones posted. Had a very plausable overseas call from Whitaker Corporate Partners re some Fortune Oil shares which were bought out this year. Apparently I still had 'Voting' shares due to the supposed illegal nature of the takeover and they were worth between £7 - £17 per share. All I needed to do was to sign a non disclosure agreement so they could make an offer. Seemed odd that they would pester me so much for such a small holding but had a complex but plausable explanation for it all. Too good to be true and clearly a scam and would have expected them to ask me for money had I continued with it.
Oct 06, 2015 Rating
Steinberg PE by: Anonymous
Exactly the same as Doug below except the supposed company was called Digs Ltd. Had calls fro both David Anderson and Shaun Steinberg. Their website was setup a couple of months ago - obviously to look legit.
Oct 04, 2015 Rating
Takeover scams by: Anonymous
I have not read your useful pages for some time, but I am not surprised to read that the same old stories are being pedalled by the scammers. It would be helpful to hear if the UK authorities can get a handle on these characters, but beware, they are very smart, and actually monitor what is posted on this site.
Sep 29, 2015 Rating
Steinberg Private Equity by: Doug
Rep (David Anderson) called my mobile (over a period of a few weeks). Steinberg have acquired American Investment Holdings and they are paying out shareholders. Apparently I haver 30,000 shares valued at $168K US. I have never bought shares. Still he sounded very professional & convincing with professional website. They have sent me paperwork that is supposed to show the takeover is legitimate and documents for me to sign (which I won't) so that they can send me the money. Sounds like the rest of the scams. Anyone else dealt with Steiberg Private Equity?
Sep 29, 2015 Rating
Whitaker Corporate Partners by: Tony
Same here as the previous blogger but the shares involved are British Gas; long spin about a hostile takeover and paying 20 to 25 pounds for the shares. They have sent non-disclosure form which I think I am supposed to sign ha ha. I must say a cut above the normal scams from Africa and India. Convincing voice, complex story of intrigue, a bit too complex.
Sep 26, 2015 Rating
Woolworths Shares by: Anonymous
Have received phone calls from an accented lady enquiring about old Woolworths shares we have. Woolworths liquidated some years ago so the shares are worthless. Think we paid 1p each. Some tale of buying as many as they can and offering us £7 each. Sounds too good to be true. The company is Whitaker Corporation Partners. Have received paperwork to complete with the usual non-disclosure to sign. She didn't like it that I called it a scam! Can't think why? Anyone else had this? Needless to say I shall not be proceeding!!
Sep 24, 2015 Rating
Campbell and Partners Ltd by: Ian
I was approached by Campbell and Partners earlier this year about my BT shares. At first, it seemed plausible, but I soon noticed that their Web site was light on content, only very recently registered. Another correspondent here has noted the same, but didn't note that a company with twenty five years of experience in mergers and acquisitions should have some other presence on news and business websites and have present/past staff on LinkedIn. They have none of these.
I did sign and return their NDA before realising what a scam it was. On their next call, I asked them what their company registration number was and in which state. They never called back, which surprised me: I would have thought that at least they should be able to provide this, even if it was phony. Or perhaps they realised I was on to them and didn't want to waste even a second more of their time on me.
tl;dr Campbell and Partners are scammers - string them along but dont ever send any money.
Sep 23, 2015 Rating
WILink by: Anonymous
I have just been contacted by Jennifer Lester Chicago telling me I had 4,000 Incentive shares in WILink (a company that got taken over in 2006, which was when I sold my entire holding). Another company is planning got take over WILink for £4-12 a share and they would like my commitment to the offer. They already have acceptances for 41% of the shares and only intend to go to 51% when those holding the remaining 49% will find their shares worthless.
Needless to say I thought this was a scam and I see its similar to approaches made to others on this site.
Sep 22, 2015 Rating
BG GROUP SHARES by: Anonymous
Same scam as the others, and even had the cheek to deny it when put to him as being heavily featured on the net.
Sep 22, 2015 Rating
Thomas & Royce Capital Partners by: Anonymous
Another name to add to the list with same approach. Offered £8 - £17 for my shares in Octopus Eclipse VCT 2 plc as part of hostile takeover needing 51% - already had 41% institutional support hence approach to smaller shareholders. Website etc as others - looks fine but no detail and certainly no names, past clients etc. Wanting confidentiality agreement and then no doubt insurance bond will follow - unfortunately Mr David Cruz will be disappointed in my decision to turn down his kind offer!!
How are these best reported to authorities?
Sep 18, 2015 Rating
Ladbrokes Scam by: MS
I have had same scam exactly as previous poster. My mother holds small holding of Ladbrokes shares inherited from my deceased father. They are obviously targeting elderly shareholders and preying on their lack of financial knowledge. What concerns me here is that this started immediately after we contacted the holding company for the shares to get them transferred over to my mothers name - I am suspecting a possible leak here from the agent.
Anyhow this lot are scum but i am kind of enjoying playing them along.
Sep 15, 2015 Rating
Whitaker Corporate Partners / Campbell and Partners Ltd by: nice
Got a document with a different company name Googled it and voila! I think they made a terrible mistake here!! Checked the number of the company involved and they are using the same agent handling the fund, I will play along till they give me their bank account number so I can trace it from there. will record the conversation so I can send it to my local news telly
Sep 15, 2015 Rating
Reply to Annonymous - 14th Sept by: Anonymous
Grey Shares??
These people are highly trained at extracting people's money. They are scammers. They use very slick and believable stories BUT it is all fake.
Do not pass any money to them.
Sep 14, 2015 Rating
Grey Shares??? by: Anonymous
Does anyone know anything about BlueField Partners and Grey Shares??? My mother in NZ has parted with a lot of money ( I just found out about this), and now they want $120k in up front tax to release the funds from US!
Sep 11, 2015 Rating
Scam by: Anonymous
We have had the same phone calls from this company mithering to fill a form in. Glad you have confirmed what we were thinking, it's a scam. Can't believe people will do this. They are scum.
Sep 08, 2015 Rating
Still trying it on.... by: Anonymous
Just got a call from a heavily-accented 'George Lucas' from NY. Same spiel as described below. I knew it was going to be a scam, this page confirms it - thanks!
Sep 07, 2015 Rating
Campbell & Partners fake by: Anonymous
A heavily accented Spanish sounding lady contacted my Mother about our holding in Fortune Oil - we sold them in 2011 but she advised us that we still had 'voting' rights which their 'client' was willing to pay anything between £7 - £13 for. They insisted on 'confidentiality' and not to discuss with anyone.
'Kylie' as she called herself claimed to work for Campbell & Partners in New York. The first paperwork came through and to my surprise, the website and email address were correct - spelling and grammar were good and the overall presentation was of reasonable standard. I told my Mother that as long as they don't ask for personal / banking details or worse still, ask for money upfront it seems ok.
Sure enough, after the 'deal-price' of £9.75 had been 'struck' they required an 'indemnity bond' of around £4,600 payable in Dollars to a multi-named beneficiary in Indonesia. Realising the scam, we ended all contact but they tried twice more to contact her to 'make sure payment will arrive' as they needed to get 51% participation on a first-come / first-served basis.
Beware, these people were slick and well versed in this type of thing. Personally, I hope they burn in hell.
Sep 03, 2015 Rating
Boman-Archer by: Anonymous
I have a Mr Archer telling me my few Ladbroke shares have managed to multiply 15 fold and they want to buy them on the QT to facilitate a hostile takeover! I see a Mr Bowman is part of another scam. Bowman.......Archer???????
Sep 02, 2015 Rating
Perkins Consultancy/Rentokil by: Anonymous
Your site has probably saved me £5K! The spiel I have received from 'Perkins Consultancy ' over the past week is identical to that recounted by your earlier correspondents. I am expecting the next long call from a Mr Henry Hoffman tomorrow when I anticipate he will explain the need for the insurance bond to cover the purchase (for a ludicrously large price) of my few share in Rentokil. I suspected a scam when the first email letter pasted the wrong company, and I noticed that the story Perkins are peddling is identical to that I received from 'Macmillan Consulting Group ' 6 months ago. Both companies have identical websites, list no directors, and are not on the NY Registry of Companies. I hope to receive some written material from Perkins before I report this scam to the FCA.
Sep 02, 2015 Rating
Perkins Consultancy Group Ladbrokes Scam by: Anonymous
This lot at it again with same format to their scam,nearly had me with this 'too good to be true' offer to buy my shares which apparently increased tenfold after a meeting but guess what I don't even have any! Paul Lopez was the name he gave.Reporting them to authorities.
Aug 27, 2015 Rating
POLAR CAPITAL by: Tim
Hi, My last post was on 20 Mar 2015. Surprisingly I have been contacted again by a "Justin Stevenson" who wanted me to pay some up front tax in order to release my "proceeds". These people are clearly reluctant to give up. Having seen the amount of posts since my last I will have another go at the Serious Fraud Office but I won't hold my breath waiting for any action. Sadly there appear to be a lot of bad people around and our problems are small beer.
Aug 27, 2015 Rating
51% takeover scam by: Anonymous
Yup - just got the same call, it finished rather quickly when I told him one of his questions was none of his business and he said yes it is my f..ing business - think he guessed he wasn't getting anywhere with me.
Aug 24, 2015 Rating
Campbell and Partners Ltd by: Anonymous
Just had a phone call from Demi Rodriguez. Tried the same scam (hostile takeover 51% needed etc) and mentioned a bond.
Didn't have chance to mention the amount needed for the bond as I soon figured out what they were after!
Glad they spoke to me and not my mother.
Aug 23, 2015 Rating
play along by: L.Allured
Same elaborate scam as written, asking for a bond for me and my fathers stocks. I was contacted by Sarah Cruz at first then passed me to an american lady who is a very good talker. I fell to her and made an arrangement to go through, but i got very suspicious when Sarah called me again and again every opportunity to contact me to return the paperwork. I will string her along to get more details and report her to the police. what a shame!
Aug 19, 2015 Rating
Perkins Consultancy by: Anonymous
been called for 2 days by Chinese American woman with too good to be true offer of £7 per share offer for Seaenergy shares which we sold some time ago , strung them along for a bit but now getting bored and will ask her if her mother knows what's she's up to next time she calls , sorry that people get taken in by this sort of thing.
Aug 17, 2015 Rating
campbell and partners by: Anonymous
My in laws got a call from Campbell and Partners Limited based in New York on Friday 14th Aug 2015. Offering some extra shares apparently owing to a holding sold about 7 years ago. Struggling to convince them that it is a scam. Glad to read comment on here.
Aug 14, 2015 Rating
Offer to buy shares in Metrodome by: Anonymous
I am being rung constantly by Westwood Consultancy based in the USA who are offering to purchase my shareholding in the above company. Anyone else experiencing the same. Would appreciate knowing.
Beware, 'Karen' (mentioned below) is now trying to pull the same scam offering £9.28 per share for shares that are currently trading at 10p trading under the name of Perkins Consultancy Limited of 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NYC. Website initially looks credible but no links to other sites, no testimonials, references or Company Accounts. follows the same pattern below, needing 51% of shares, sign a memorandum of disclosure, repeated telephone calls that last a long time (her knowledge is quite convincing) and then the request for a 10% bond.......hoping that she calls me again to find out why I haven't signed the contract so I can tell her she has been ousted!
Aug 13, 2015 Rating
Lohnro by: Anonymous
I got a call last night from a company calling itself Campbell and Partners Ltd purporting to be based in New York. Same modus operandi as in most of the other cases here. Client trying to acquire a majority shareholding (in Lonmin/Lohnro Africa)...blah blah blah .... non disclosure agreement .. blah blah blah. To be honest I haven't dabbled in shares for over a decade and don't even know how many shares I still have (it's only a handful) and had never heard of this scam but I was immediately suspicious. 1. The offer price was irrationally high 2. With me owning such a small number of shares the client would have to be in pretty desperate need of shares to contact me. 3. Poorly designed Web site that didn't name any present/former clients. 4.Web site used generic/stock photos. 5.Bad/cheap domain name (campbellandpartnersltd) that had been registered less than four months ago. So I replied reminding them of the word karma and wishing them slow, painful deaths. I wonder if they'll reply.
Aug 03, 2015 Rating
Boiler room scam by: Anonymous Colchester UK
John Bowman is still up to his old tricks. He spun us a lovely tale about a take over bid dealing with BioTec. My cousin in USA sent us this web site where his name was mentioned. When he telephoned the next time we let him ramble on for quite a while before I interrupted on an other phone and told him it was a boiler room scam. He had then got to the point of wanting £4000 as an insurance if we didn't go ahead with the deal. We told him take the cash out of the final settlement.....that wasn't possible...how amazing. Guess what we have not heard a " dickie bird " from him since.
Jul 21, 2015 Rating
Aldrich ltd by: Martin
Contacted several times in past couple of weeks regarding my 105 shares in Coburg PLC very good talker Kelly !! told there had been a forward stock split and I now owned 4200 shares valued at £11.71 a share !! Now had to deal with Mr John Bowman who sent me confidential forms to sign and then told me I would have to cough up nearly 5k for a vendors bond !! Alarm bells rang {I dont like parting with my money } luckily my son is a wizard on the internet and found it to be one big scam !!!!
Jul 10, 2015 Rating
Still Trying by: Anonymous
Rang me tonight with a story about a hostile takeover of BAA though midway through that morphed into BA and then back to BAA several times (oops - I guess that's an easy mistake for a scammer from abroad to make).
I remember well selling my shares in BAA to Feruvial many years ago as it all went through the same time my son was born.
I have been taken in by Mcmillan and parted with just over £4,500. Don't be taken in by these con merchants.
I was contacted by Mcmillan and dealt with a Karen Johanssen. She rang every other day whilst I stupidly tried to send the requested bond money for some old shares I had, expecting £44,000 back.
Once the money was paid I was 'handed' over to John Davis from Shelton advisory who amazingly told me I had warrants attached to the shares and that the total income was going to be £230,000+!! I was told that I would have to pay £15,000 to obtain the warrants. Alarm bells started to ring and I discovered this site.
Jun 30, 2015 Rating
Kramer & Associates Management Group LLC by: Geoff Lloyd
Have had 2 calls from a Lisa Chen claiming that my wife's BAA shares are still registered to her (even though they were sold at the time of the Ferrovial takeover). I've been emailed a Non-Disclosure document to sign and I assume that eventually this will lead to me being asked for an "insurance payment" as others have said below. I'll string them along for a bit!
Jun 23, 2015 Rating
MacMillan consulting group by: Anonymous
I've had several phonecalls from a woman representing this group saying they are putting forward a hostile takeover of Home retail Group and would want to buy my shares for anything between £7 - £15. I asked for written info and she emailed me a document which I was to print out, sign, scan, then send back to show my interest although she stressed that it would not oblige me to sell but let them give me an accurate share sale value. All very plausible but when I googled the company and the Home retail group to see if there was any news of a hostile takeover there was no mention of it. Then I found this and it confirms that it is likely a scam. SO will ignore from now on - and report it to the FCA.
Jun 18, 2015 Rating
Robinson Securities LLC by: RC - Dorset
I have had multiple calls ongoing for a couple of months. I had some Corus shares which I sold when they were taken over by Tata Steel. A woman allegedly named Amanda Lopez called to tell me that there were irregularities in the takeover and I had 95 preferential shares in Corus that had not been accounted for. I had to sign a confidentiality agreement to sell them even though I said I didn't own them, I belatedly did this more to stop them pestering me than anything else. After an investigation by their 'legal department' I then found that due to a 'forward tax split' I actually had 4275 shares which they would buy for £13.26 each so suddenly I was in line for £50K+, less their fee. All good so far until they sent me a contract to sign which I had to do immediately, saying I had to pay an 'insurance indemnity' which was about £5K. As I had told them that as far as I was concerned I had nothing to sell and no share certificate, they sent me a letter allegedly from Corus Registrars pretending it was a share certificate. As I told them just to send a certificate and I would keep the shares I have heard nothing for about 10 days, hopefully that is the end and one day they will be locked up!
Jun 17, 2015 Rating
same ol' same ol' by: Anonymous
had a company called Kramer AMG offering to buy shares on behalf of their client as part of a hostile takeover (for which they required 51%). The shares were sold years ago by me... they were in Friends Provident. Slickish website but registered like a month ago
Jun 17, 2015 Rating
Tandem Group Offer by: Anonymous
I have been pestered with these beauties for the last 5 years.Calls from the States even sent confidence forms to fill in.Now today what sounds like calls from Asia.I always insist they must send their fantastic offer in writing by snail mail This seems to halt proceedings as I then put the phone down.Needless to say as of now no firm offer has been made by them.
Jun 17, 2015 Rating
Taken IN by: mrs jarvis
I too have been contacted by Karen at Mcmillon consulting group ? in America New York I was taken in by all the phone calls agreement papers when i got to the bank to pay my bond over to Indoneasia I just made comment to the bank assistant and asked her what she thought. She looked on the net and showed me a page of Scams THANKYOU SANTANDER YOU HAVE SAVED ME £4,000 this really was customer service because I would have paid !!!!
Jun 17, 2015 Rating
Ladbrokes Hostile Bid by: Dave
Yes I have been contacted by Aldrich Mergers and Acquisitions and offered between £8 - £17 for my shares. Currently trading at 1.21 this offer falls into the category - if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. I have now gone public and that SHOULD be the end of the matter!!!!
Jun 16, 2015 Rating
3i Bonus shares Mcmillian by: Anonymous
Just had a phone call about a hostile takeover of the above and valued the shares between £7-£15, they had my name and a few other details. Ringing from New York (apparently) and seemed to have a slight male US/Dutch accent. Wanted to fax or email a document then the line cut off.
Jun 09, 2015 Rating
Macmillan consulting group by: Anonymous
Same scam with corus scrip shares.Apparently I have 347 shares and the quicker I sign my disclaimer they are sending by email the better price I will get . Thanks for this site , they can get stuffed.
Jun 09, 2015 Rating
Coppers and Partner scam by: Tom
Hi
Same is happening to me over the last few weeks. Apparently I have about 25 shares in a company who were bought out by some other company now someone wants to buy the shares as they have some good slots??. Interestingly I have been given some free shares if I recall right about 2500 and they are valued at around £17 a share. After about 5 phone calls they now tell me I have to take an insurance bond at a cost of around 20%. Even though I told them I was recording the message to play back to the police they kept going on and on. Anyway now they will not call me any more as I have broken the letter of confidentiality they had me sign???
How can this keep happening they are very, very plausible I went to their website and very credible but I have been waiting for the sting and now I have it.
Thanks to who ever started this chain.
Jun 07, 2015 Rating
McMillan Consulting Group by: Ian
Thanks for the comments about this company from others. In my case they were pretending to front a hostile takeover bid of Severn Trent. I've had several calls from them and realised these guys were offering something to good to be true that it can't be real. I logged onto the FCA website and completed a SCAM report (see the link below for loads of useful advice)...Please provide as much detail as you can about any type of SCAM and hopefully the FCA can block their websites, bank accounts etc of these bloody parasites...
http://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/scams/report-scam
Jun 04, 2015 Rating
McMillen Consulting by: Andy
very interesting comments below. They called me yesterday and today offering £17 each for 350 Non existent scrip issue shares from Corus that I was apparently entitled to before they were taken over by Tata Steel (but naughty old Corus didn't send me). Even though I told them that I was 99% certain that they were trying to scam me they still persisted in trying to convince me that it was genuine. I can see how some older people may be taken in by them. Please beware!
Jun 03, 2015 Rating
Robinson Securities LLC by: Anonymous
Same... My father subjected to multiple calls.. Promised elevated earnings on Eurotunnel shares, shameful
Jun 01, 2015 Rating
McMillan Consulting Group Strike Again by: Anonymous
Over the last few weeks my mother and I have been bombarded by phone calls, first from an overseas lady called Sabrina then one called Karen, both saying they are from this company who are facilitating the hostile purchase of a company my father once held shares in.
Multiple phone calls and explanations later we finally get to the 'sting': my mother has to pay a 10% insurance bond before the £44,000 she is due for her shares can be released.
BRILLIANT! I have been watching every aspect of this process waiting for the 'sting' and just as Karen dropped in the message about the £44,000 she slipped in the need for the insurance bond and that "the seller has to pay this".
VERY VERY clever and how many people do these fraudsters take in!
The website looks OK, but if you had the money they should have then it just isn't slick enough.
Anyway, hope this stops someone else getting sucked in. M - Taunton, Somerset, England
Jun 01, 2015 Rating
mcmillan consulting group by: Anonymous
Really pleased to find this site it as proven my suspicions, I have been contacted constantly over the past weeks from Mcmillan consulting group wanting to purchase some shares from me offering very tempting figures and requesting me to sign a disclosure. All seemed very professional but the final telephone call came when they requested nearly £5000 bond then alarm bells rang, thank you all folks for putting your experiences on this site, now I know what is going on. These companies need to be stopped from contacting people.
May 31, 2015 Rating
Compensation scam by: Anonymous
Has anyone received an offer from a representative of Lincoln international offering compensation for funds lost as a result of these scams? Is this another version of the same scam?
May 27, 2015 Rating
Robinson Securities LLC by: Anonymous
My 80 year old sister was contacted by this company purporting to act in a hostile takeover of Millwall FC. They said that her late husband had 45 shares in Millwall. They said that they were able to issue bonus shares to bring the shareholding up to 45000. They said their client was willing to pay £11 per share = £53,325. They required an insurance bond for 10% = £5,332.50. This is obviously a scam. How on earth the financial, regulatory bodies in the USA allow these companies to continue to operate is beyond me - especially on a day when the FBI have waded in on FIFA.
May 21, 2015 Rating
McMillan Consulting Group at it again by: Anonymous
Just been offered £7-£15 for my Liquidated holdings in 10 Group-Ashdene Group PLC by the above company and there web site looks so professional. This is the second time they have tried from a few years back and wasn't taken in then. Don't be caught out with this, they want your Bond Money. REMEMBER IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT IS.
May 16, 2015 Rating
Shares Scam by: phil
Robinson Securities offered to buy my shares for a customer of theirs doing a hostile take over.
They were to pay me £45,000, I had to pay £5000 for a bond.
There are many reports about these crooks taking money from the old or geedy.
The authorities have allowed them to keep their web site and they continue to rob the old and stupid, they fooled me; I paid for lunch on the news that I was in the money. I am out of pocket by £3.50, still could have been £5,000.
web site looks OK but is very new and has no links to it.
May 12, 2015 Rating
Lincoln International LP by: Anonymous
Has anyone been contacted by Lincoln International LP from Wall Street, NY?
Class arbitration Hearing with disbursement payments?
Bianca Lopez?
May 11, 2015 Rating
Robinson Securities, Seattle, and UK Scam by: Anonymous
First off many commiserations to those of you who have sadly lost money to these horrible scammers. As they become more and more sophisticated and brazen it becomes even more important to be vigilant.
You can now add to your list Robinson Securities LLC, claiming to be in Seattle. They are offering to buy shares in a take over bid of Pearsons, ironically a company that my family helped to build!
They make a number of giveaway mistakes including a website that lists no team members with no credible mentions anywhere online to verify their reputation.
Despite claiming to be in business for 27 years a little research reveals their website was set up in MA last month. Amazingly the deal they were offering was less than market value so they really hadn't done their research too well.
One piece of good news that you will all enjoy is that we are due to go to court at the Old Bailey next month to give evidence against a serial con artist who has used five companies and countless false names to steal millions of pounds from mainly elderly British investors.
Sadly my father was one of them and I can attest to the fact that the scam was convincingly done, although being more experienced with modern online investigation and research it only took me a matter of minutes to pull apart the fraudulent nature of the offers.
Given the evidence we have amassed against the accused the police are confident of a conviction so for a change one of the bad guys will hopefully be going to jail.
As I am sure you are all aware, the more noise we can all make about these frauds and more the names are posted online right away the more protected everyone will be.
Good luck!
May 05, 2015 Rating
Same for me, look out for Chester Harris NY by: Jaci
I've just found this site and thank God for it. My 89 year old DAd was called by a girl with and American Chinese accent from a company called Chester Harris in New York. He didn't follow her so I took the call and she said we had shares in Norbert Dentressangle that a company wanted to buy them for $8-$17 each. I signed the NDA and the paperwork looks professional. CH seems to be a NY law firm per the website. But today the contract appeared and asks for a £4500 vendor bond. I googled Indemnity bond and got here somehow. I am pretty knowledgeable in business so I was shocked to be taken in but it is too good to be true ! Bye bye £60,000.
It's terrible that these companies can cheat people, I'm happy to send details to FSA if anyone thinks that will help. Warn your elderly parents too of these scams. My Mum accidentally agreed to buy $30,000 of carbon credits sold over the phone by a persistent person claiming to be in Switzerland and the FSA told us that was illegal too. I'm going to London this week so maybe I'll pop into the FSA and thump a table ?! We pay their salaries after all.
May 02, 2015 Rating
Aiden Cooper mcmillan consulting by: Anonymous
Yup, same here, contacted by Aiden Cooper, Philippino accent, calling me ma'am, purporting to be from a company called McMillan Consulting, trying to get me to sell non existing scrip dividends in Caledonia Investments I sold years ago. Extremely fast talking, an answer for everything, but when I smelled a rat and told my husband and children not to pass his calls on (he has been insisting on phoning from various strange phone nos ( non traceable on my house and mobile phone), he even has the cheek to tell my vey young daughter that I wanted to speak to him, that I had called HIM..... Sneaky, devious, clever, but they ain't taking me for a mug.
Please pass this SCAM on to all your friends. Don't let another poor person be sucked in. As I tell my ageing grandmother, if you didn't ask a company to call you, NEVER, EVER buy anything over the phone. If you had wanted something from them, you would have contacted them, and got proper quotes from two other companies, as well. If it's too good to be true, then it's too good to be true. Caveat emptor!
Apr 18, 2015 Rating
Well Crafted by: Tone
Well Kitty Yang & John Bowman are still hard at work and I was daft enough to fall for the £5k bond, but when we got to the big money we dug deeper.
They are very professional and very effective so I guess it is a highly profitable scam for them with a low risk of being caught.
Apr 09, 2015 Rating
palmaris share take over by: Anonymous
just like all the others comments.
They are convincing in every way until they asked for money, I said take it out of the funds you are going to send, well things went belly up from there.
I said I would drop of the money when I am in New York on business next week again belly up again.
Do they think we are all idiots?
Apr 08, 2015 Rating
Copper and Partners by: Steve Mc
My elderly parents got a cold call from this 'firm' on the 6th April 2015, during which they claimed my father was the owner of 2500 shares in NASDAQ-listed Genmark Diagnostics. This had a little initial plausibility as he once held a few shares in a company acquired by Genmark, however that was a long time ago and he couldn't remember all the details.
Their story fell apart when I tried to call them back on their New York number - permanently engaged, which is unusual for a switchboard in a 'proper' company. Following this, a quick check on the FCA website and also this forum confirmed that they are scammers.
No real harm done this time, but it just shows how vigilant we all need to me, especially on behalf of older family members.
Apr 06, 2015 Rating
Livingston Financial Partners by: Anonymous
Anyone heard of this company? Anyone had dealings or being contacted recently?
Apr 06, 2015 Rating
Livingston capital partners by: Anonymous
We seem to be receiving the attention of this company who are offering profits on shares that we bought years ago.so far have invested 10k with them asking for a further 10 to pay tax. Does it ring any bells with anyone
Mar 27, 2015 Rating
IMS maxims by: Gullible Gus
Jeffrey Waldren of Wagner Capital NY (see Mike Mar 11) persuaded me to put up an insurance bond of £5800 on the promise of £68000 for the IMS Maxims shares I had sold many years ago. I was then transferred to Whitfield International Consulting Group where they tried to convince me to take up the warrants I did not know I was entitled to. I declined these but was then pressed to pay Tax to the IRS of 30% of the proceeds - which would be refunded within 2 weeks. You can fool me once only. A very very convincing scam - wish I had seen this site earlier!
Mar 26, 2015 Rating
Wattford Capital Partners by: Anonymous
I was contacted by this company saying I had 15,000 shs bought some years ago that became worthless. He told me a private client wanted to acquire these shs. He was going to buy a large percentage of them and the rest would be he would get from a selected few. Me being one. I would get at least £3.00 a share and if it went ahead I was guaranteed a payment of £4,500. To be honest I cannot remember what I paid for them, but I did not get anything back so when I was told I may have to pay if I pulled out and that Wattford and their insurers will guarantee The Vendor's Indemnity bond, which is fully refundable upon completion, I began to realise if something was refundable I must have to pay something for it. Also my fax is a bit dodgy so I asked them to email and that I was warned about opening their letters. BEWARE!
Mar 23, 2015 Rating
Standard Response by: Willie (stupid)
Hi Tim, This is a standard reply from the police, I got this back in December last year which was the last I heard from them despite me sending them additional e-mails. I would have thought if they were that concerned they would have closed down the web site for some of these scams. I also sent the police the link to this web site, as this is the only place I have seen that takes this seriously so please do not hold out for a response from them. I hope that the more people that post details may force them to do more and reply to those who have reported this to them.
Willie
Mar 20, 2015 Rating
Keep on the case by: Tim
Below is a response from Action Fraud which shows that someone is doing something about these scams. The more information they get the better the chance of stopping the fraudsters. Good luck all, and keep up the information flow.
I’m writing to let you know about the current position of your report. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) collects information from reports and puts information it receives to the most effective possible use, either through investigating crime or using the information to disrupt and prevent future criminal activity. Your report has been assessed by the NFIB and the information you have provided has helped the police to begin taking steps to disrupt the activities of suspected criminals. This activity could result in the closure of: • Fraudulent websites, • Telephone numbers, • Bank accounts. Unfortunately we cannot provide further information about this. One of the reasons is due to the sensitive nature of police work which cannot always be made public.
"It can take time for disruption requests to be fully processed, so please be assured this is happening and no further action is required on your part. The NFIB has not closed your report following this. As hundreds of new reports of fraud are gathered every day and added to our systems, any common links with existing reports will be picked up and can lead to new investigative opportunities. The NFIB work closely with other regulators in the UK and abroad, to stop fraudsters. We also use all reports to inform our prevention activity to reduce the number of victims of fraud. Thank you for taking the time to report this matter to us."
Mar 19, 2015 Rating
Share scam by: Rob
I to am going to be the lucky recipient of £54000 for 8000 1p shares purchased years ago and since cosolidated to £ shares
Whilst I would love planning to spend my money, I am relieved that the £4000 insurance bond remains safely in my account.
Where is the best place to send the copy of the contract to, so it may be investigated?
Mar 18, 2015 Rating
ashdene group limited by: Mr G
hi I have been receiving calls the last couple of weeks and signed a non disclosure agreement. Tonight I had a call saying my penny shares could be worth anything between £7-£17 due to a takeover but I would have to lodge bond insurance. I googled it and found this forum. She said she would be getting back in touch later this week. Sounds to good to be true and not a chance I will be lodging money up front
Mar 12, 2015 Rating
GNE Share Purchase by: kev
GNE Takeover.
Same here I have been offered an insane amount for shares that I sold many years ago. The scammers are due to call me back tonight no doubt to ask for some sort of cash to fund the scam they have running... and I am ready for them when they do! :D
Mar 11, 2015 Rating
Wattford Capital NY by: Mike
Just had a call last night from a "Geoffrey Waldren" (with Asian accent)from Wattford Capital Partners NY.Sounded like he was reading off a script with the usual sales approach- client needs 51% to make hostile takeover of 21st Century Technology- in which I hold 5000 shares (yesterday 4.5p) but his client was offering between £7 to £17 a share and would I be interested in selling my holding- who would not be at a minimum premium of £35k!! He insisted on giving me his telephone number. I managed though not easily to google the company and the contact T/number was there. I suspect if I rang they would confirm the name anyway bogus or genuine. Of course when I did 1471 there was no number but this happens with international numbers. I immediately received an e-mail with the Non-Disclosure attachment which I have not opened.
No doubt I will get a follow up call tonight so glad I found this website. I have also informed 21st Century T about this scam. Again the standard warning -if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Mar 10, 2015 Rating
To Good to be TRUE by: Anonymous
Copper & Partners contacted me re Hanson shares I sold a few years ago but surprisingly I still retained 3000! They are now Heidleberg Cement. They have been extremely persistent over the last 2 weeks and the 4 names involved are: Tom Diaz, Fiona Hunter, David Mills and Anna Boyd who said she was the Compliance Partner and was checking that D.Mills had been helpful. Whether these names are false I do not know. I have been in touch with the Financial Conduct Authority who gave me the tel. number for the fraud police. Both extremely helpful and I gave them all information I held in the hope that this "Company", if it exists, can be shut down.
I was also requested to sign a "confidential memorandum of Non Disclosure Agreement" as it was a Hostile Takeover."
Mar 07, 2015 Rating
Update by: Willie (stupid)
Hi All, I have been reading the additional comments added since my entries on Nov 25th and Dec 8th last year. It is beyond belief that these people are still getting away with these scams. For those who have not read my entries, I lost over 18k to these b......s and although I have sent all the details to the authorities they do not seem interested. It does amaze me that the web sites are still operating and that they are being allowed to continue. I would be happy to help in any way I can, in order to bring these people to account but more importantly to ensure that they do not get away with scamming money off anyone else.I still have all the details I sent to the police ie; names, bank account details etc which I would be prepared to handover if this would help anyone else. Regards Willie
Mar 06, 2015 Rating
Reply to Tim by: Anonymous
Hi Tim. I was also contacted, several years ago. Luckily I found this web site before parting with any cash, and posted my story here on 18th Nov 2011. Since then I've been keeping an eye on posts out of interest, and posting the odd (I hope helpful) comment myself. I would dearly like to see these people brought to book. I'm sure what we see here is just the tip of the iceberg and mostly people who, like myself, were fortunate enough realise in time that it's a very clever scam. How many others are there out there that never found this site? If I can be any help, maybe just recounting my experiences in a group approach to the FSA, I'd be very happy to get involved. Something has to be done! Good luck with your fight back, Malcolm.
Mar 06, 2015 Rating
reply to Tim - 6th March by: Anonymous
Tim
I have also been contacted by David King & Samantha Lee of Atlas as well as Frank Stevenson of Keystone Corporate Group fairly recently. This is a highly organised scam. We need to link up to discuss a plan, although not sure how we can get that done. Any ideas? Interested to see how your bank can assist as well.
Mar 05, 2015 Rating
Reply to anonymous of 2 Mar by: Tim
The guys I have had contact with are David Hartland of Keystone Corporate Group, David King of Atlas Consulting and Samantha Lee also of Atlas Consulting. Recently a Frank Stevenson of Keystone Corporate Group rang me up to urge me to pay some up front tax. I believe all these guys (girls) are using pseudonyms and have infiltrated the firms they pretend to represent. I might be wrong, but I am taking steps, as far as I am able, to get their scam busted. Any help anyone can offer would be welcome. The sad fact is that most of the reporting lines are merely there to assemble statistics and keep a record rather than striking back. I don't know how to fight back but my bank is helping.
Mar 05, 2015 Rating
Belmont Capital Holdings by: graham
Belmont Capital New York Inc.
Hi trying to check if these are genuine my father in law sent them money. to exercise warrant signed by a David a Greenfield. have a feeling its a scam
Mar 05, 2015 Rating
Resolution by: Anonymous
I have just received a call from someone purporting to be from Kurche and Partners based in Chicago acting for a client wanting to acquire shares I allegedly hold in Resolution Ltd. I immediately smelt a rat so discontinued the call when they asked for my email.They were unable to tell me the most basic information about Resolution e.g their registered address, so perhaps are not that sophisticated.
Mar 02, 2015 Rating
Message to Tim by: Anonymous
Tim - is that David King calling you from Keystone Corporate Group?
He used to call from Atlas Consultants based in Chicago. Just checking that it is the same person. Please confirm
Have you also been asked to pay 10% release fees?
Mar 01, 2015 Rating
To Anonymous of 28 Feb. by: Tim
Yes, I was first contacted by them in November last year, see my post of 28 Nov. My last contact was a few days ago from Mr King who tried yet again to get me to pay up front advance tax. I declined and I have not heard since. It is all very well reporting these things but what we need is to find someone who can take some action. I asked the owner of this web site and was assured that they just provided a platform for us to report things, there is no way for them to follow up.
Feb 28, 2015 Rating
Question to the board by: Anonymous
Has anyone been contacted by Keystone Corporate Group from Vesey. Street, NY regarding hostile takeovers and share distributions?
Feb 27, 2015 Rating
Question to Peter by: Anonymous
Peter - what were the names of the people calling you?
Think these professional looking websites & companies are all one of the same.
No personal e-mail addresses - just mail @........ Etc etc.
Phone calls with caller ID as Unknown Number
Feb 27, 2015 Rating
Another one by: Peter
I have recently had a similar experience :- call about forgotten shares which magically multiplied, hostile acquisition which bumped up the value and required confidentiality agreement, then need for payment for insurance indemnity bond.
Professional paperwork, slick patter and smart websites but as they say if it is too good to be true, it usually is. I checked around and the share register showed I had long since sold the shares, so no dice.
Avoid Copper & Partners who are probably some of the same people as mentioned by others with different names and web sites.
How can we publicise this information and the warning to a wider audience ?
Feb 22, 2015 Rating
Ongoing by: Tim
In answer to the last post: Both rang last week, (week 16-20 Feb) Samantha Lee rang twice trying hard to get me to pay the tax, when I said I needed more collateral she got frustrated and finally rang off. She tried again the next day, again without success and I rang off. This was followed by a call from David King. All three calls were number unattainable. I have heard nothing since.
Feb 20, 2015 Rating
Message for Tim by: Anonymous
Tim - How recently did Samantha Lee / David King att Atlas Consulting call you?
Feb 20, 2015 Rating
Ongoing by: Tim
See my post of 28 Nov. These guys don't give up easily. I have had persistant attempts by a Ms Samantha Lee (sic) to get me to part with an upfront Tax payment to release the "proceeds" of my share sale. Yesterday David King rang me again despite my efforts to get rid of Ms Lee. Surely we now have sufficient collateral to clobber these people, I rather agree that Action Fraud and the FCA are more interested in compiling statistics rather than doing anything about these frauds. I am perpared to join a team of crime busters who can pool information an attempt to take some action. Does anyone reading this site know anything about tackling fraud, and if so would you join the team?
Feb 18, 2015 Rating
Grey Corporate by: Anonymous
IDEM, persistent phone calls, aggressive take over of a target that my small share holding somehow is viewed as essential. NDA to sign which then is followed up by a sale contract for shares which have multiplied due to some odd explanation. An offer price 4 times the current market value. And a deposit vendor bond to provide. Its been a disconcerting time, so good at talking through a process not wanted but enticing due to the realism exploited.
We stopped in time and no longer answer their calls or mails.
Feb 15, 2015 Rating
Grey's Corporate by: William Hill
Had a number of calls from Greys Corporate informing me that I had 4,652 long lost shares and that their clients were hoping to aqquire 51% of Norbert Dentressangle in a hostile take over. I was guaranteed £59,889.37 if I signed a Non Disclosure of Information.
No mention was made about me paying any money until some 5/6hours of Phone calls later from Ms. Emily Morgan.
I then received a fax with a contract requiring me to pay £4,563.00 Vendor Insurance bond. I told her I had no money or savings and she told me to go to my bank and get a loan. I then took the papers to West Mercia Police and on their advice told Ms Morgan that if there was money belonging to me Greys could take it out of the shares money. she was quite angry at this and told me that if I changed my mind I had 5 days to pay, but because I had been to the police I may be taken to court and have to pay for disclosing the information.
Needless to say I have not heard from them since. Do not fall for this very professional Scam.
Feb 13, 2015 Rating
Acquisitions International LLC by: Anonymous
Watch out for a Mr Davis Wexler and Adam Parmann from Acquisitions Capital International LLC who have phoned my wife numerous times offering an almost identical purchase of her late father's shares in JZ Capital, to which she would be the beneficiary if they actually still existed. I spoke to both these 'gentlemen' last night and asked for the detail behind this so called transaction. Of course they saved the best bit till last; namely that we'd need to deposit £4K with a transfer agent as security. I repeatedly asked why this was necessary and that I'd never heard of such a requirement. Then they hit the 'first come first served' button and said that because they were only instructed to attain 51% of the business this was likely to be over subscribed. He sent a contract anyway which had another signatory on it as the purchaser. This was a Mr Derren Geiger who seems to be working in the financial sector in California. I think we'll contact him next. Thanks for this web site.
Feb 04, 2015 Rating
Grey Corporate Partners by: Ricrae
Like wise had number of calls over last week from a John Mendez of Grey Corporate. All sounded very professional particularly as they knew I held some long forgotten shares. Had been waiting for the scam and it came last night with some nonsense around needing to put money into an insurance bond. Explained I considered it a scam and hung up. They rang back and were very persistent until I was somewhat rude. Gone now. Really feel for anyone caught out as they are very plausible. Def a scam. Avoid!!!
Jan 27, 2015 Rating
British Gas (BG Group) shares by: Heather
Grey Corporate Partners contacted me about the sale of BG Group shares yesterday. Again a hostile bid, aiming to gain 51% share of the business. No payment to them was discussed though I suspect it might come if I send back the NDA!!
Dec 15, 2014 Rating
Aegis Acquisition by: Malcolm
Sean, just ask them to deduct the 'insurance' from the payment they are going to send you, and see how far you get! My advice - drop it like a red hot stone!
Dec 15, 2014 Rating
Aegis Acquisition by: Sean
Anyone been contacted by this company from New York. Asking me for 8,500US for insurance to allow their payment to me of 68,500US for selling my shares. They said it is just like house insurance... I would shop around if I was quoted that much to insure my house! I did a company search and they seem to be registered and the number they are calling me from is on their website... but it just doesn't sound right to me
Dec 10, 2014 Rating
John Smith from 'JP Morgan Chase' NY - supposedly by: Anonymous
I had a call from a John Smith of a well know up bank in NY - supposedly, wanting to buy my non existent shares. He asked to confirm my name and address and wanted my email address to forward a non disclosure form. I told him that I wasn't going to give him any more information than he already had in front of him.
He has a client who wants to have majority shares of a company for a takeover bid and wants to buy my shares at some inflated price..... Yeah Right!
This is the second similar call I have had.
Dec 08, 2014 Rating
Atlas, Deacon, City State update. by: Willie (stupid)
I thought I would give you an update re my entry below on November 25th. Since my entry I have continued to e-mail and call without success, with the exception of Kevin Wu of City State who did answer my e-mail but told me to contact Atlas. He did confirm that his company held the payments but could not release them without Atlas’s say so. (I think not).
I have reported this to Action Fraud and have received a crime number which is not much for £18.5k. They did not appear to be interested to the point they tell you they cannot investigate all reports and they do not normally report back but our help is much appreciated. Well done Action Fraud. I also reported the fraud to the Financial Conduct Authority, again much of the same answer and there is also no payment from them unless they have authorised the company to trade here in the UK.
The people I was talking to all appeared to have American accents so I sent an e-mail to the Chicage Police Department and the precinct next to where Atlas was suppose to have their office. It is obviously not important enough because I have heard nothing in return. Although I told them the story in the e-mail all I asked them to do was to confirm that Atlas did have an office a couple of streets away from them. The web site is still up and running for Atlas and City State however the Deacon web page is no longer available. If you phone the numbers it just tells you that your call has been unsuccessful and you should try again later.More costs.
With regards Tim’s question (Nov 28th) about how we get these people or stop it happening again, I am afraid the chances are non existent for retrieving any money, no one seems interested about the fraud when you report it and I really do believe that this web site is the only one who are prepared to highlight the issue and allow us to comment.So I think we are on our own.
Thanks for the opportunity to have my say again.
Best of Luck all as I am sure we will need it. Unless anyone reading this can point us in the right direction. Willie
Dec 08, 2014 Rating
Too good to be true by: Anonymous
Similar scam and looking so legit by Belmont requiring security deposit before purchasing shares, offering 10 times stock market value in order to mount hostile take over.
Nov 29, 2014 Rating
Me too by: Dee
My contact was Katty Yang from West Capital Partners Inc. Apparently the shares held by my late husband are now wanted as part of the 51% that a company doing the hostile takeover would buy. After several calls she mentioned £5K to be put in an insurance bond. My daughter checked the internet and found this site. Also, although the link to their website goes to professional site, when putting the firm's name in google, it doesn't work and apparently the domain was only registered last month. When Katty rang again yesterday I asked for proof of the shares I had as I would like to sell them elsewhere if this fell through. She wouldn't/couldn't give an answer and when I mentioned google she didn't answer, and haven't heard anything since. It's a shame really, as I'd have liked £50,000 to play with! But so glad of this site.
Nov 28, 2014 Rating
I think that I have joined the club. by: Tim
Over the past 2 weeks I have had telephone and email contact with Messrs David Hartland and David King, both claiming to be from US companies backed up by very professional websites, offering to buy my Polar Capital shares for an over=valued price in support of a takeover. Probably unwisely I have parted with £4000 as an insurance bond. It seems likely that I have been had. If so how do I get at these guys? And how do we protect others?
Nov 27, 2014 Rating
same Wheeler cosultansy scam by: Anonymous
same as previous --hostile takeover requiring insurance bond.Initially sounded very plausible, confidentiality agreement,guarantee from Wheeler and instructions on transfer of bond premium to RMI Trading/ HSBC Hong Kong all sent and numerous pushy phone calls received.fortunately got wise following due diligence and reading this web site.
Nov 26, 2014 Rating
Takeover Scam by: Stanley J
Received telephone call 25 November from a 'Vincent Gilmore' apparently from Wheeler Consultancy Ltd, New York re offer to buy my shares in Derwent London on behalf of their client purportedly involved in a hostile takeover. Was asked for my fax or email to send me documents. Scam was initially very plausible. Fortunately, on my due diligence check, Derwent London kindly sent me the link to your site.
Nov 25, 2014 Rating
Same as all below by: Willie (stupid)
Atlas Capital Consultants (Chicago)David King, Mary Crown.Deacon Corporate Group (New York)Michael Simmons, Samantha Lee. City State Continental Transfers (Hong Kong)Kevin Wue. Web sites are very professional, the people are very professional in what they do. Not being from a business background I was not as much in the know as I should have been. I have been taken lock, stock and barrel. I wish I had found this web site first. Same M.O. as all the rest ie, shares, paid bond followed by US Tax. All of this was supported by what looked like genuine paper work. Filled out US Tax form W-8BEN for Tax return, received attached letters in e-mails with IRS details of the transaction. What convinced me that it was genuine was that I sent money to what I thought was an escrow account in Hong Kong which was returned by the recipient due to the troubles in Hong Kong. If this was a scam why return the money. I was contacted and give another account which I sent the proceeds. I was then sent a release schedule for the proceeds as long as I paid 5K Bank Charges which would be discounted by 70% with this being repaid. I asked them to take it off the money held but was told that this could not be done. After a number of calls to try and convince me to send more the calls stopped some 14 days ago and I have not heard from them since, despite e-mails etc. This has cost me £18.5k so please,please,please be warned. Although I thought it was too good to be true, I was taken in.
Nov 24, 2014 Rating
Parseq takeover by: Graham
Like many before me here, I once held shares, in this case Intelligent Environments, now Parseq, but no longer. However, miraculaously I still had rights to 2580 shares and there was a secret share split, so now have rights over 5160!! A hostile takeover wants 51% having already got 43%, and will pay between £8 & £17 per share. It's taken days of plausible phone calls from this company in New York to finally find out that I need to put up a bond with independent insurers - I am now being badgered by a senior man, one John Bowman (seen the name elsewhere here), into signing lots of confidential paperwork which will explain the method whereby I will pay my share of the bond £4,650. No way Jose!! Glad to have found this website, thank you
Nov 24, 2014 Rating
Wheeler Consultancy Ltd Scam by: Anonymous
Same with the previous comment. Had a persistent call from Wheeler Consultancy Ltd, New York offering a deal regarding buyout of a UK company that I was supposed to have owned shares, quoting ridiculous prices. Dial 1471 and it is a 0501 number! They were very quick to send 'non-disclosure documents' ... etc. Checking out their website reveals website only being set up 3 weeks ago.
Nov 23, 2014 Rating
Wheeler Consultancy by: Anonymous
As with the last two comments we have also received calls from Wheeler Consultancy, New York over the past 10 days or so, with regards to purchasing our non existent United Utility shares.
Last conversation my husband asked for proof that we own these shares, as we know for sure we don't. David from Wheeler Consultancy happily emailed us a copy of our 'Share Verification' issued by Crest & Co in London! When David mentioned that an insurance bond would need to be bought to safeguard our shares he was promptly told that that was the end of our conversation. He did say he would call back once we had chance to read through the share verification, but that was several days ago now so hopefully they have got the message that they are onto a loser trying to scam us!!
Nov 20, 2014 Rating
Take over scams by: Anonymous
Similar calls over the last 10days, sounds very professional and are trading under the name of Wheeler Consultancy of New York. Web site looks genuine and have been very persistent in phone calling and offering double the amount of shares that I hold for a UK National Company with an offer of twice the present value, but also requesting the Vendor Bond. Has anyone else heard of this company - BEWARE
Nov 13, 2014 Rating
similar case by: Anonymous
Same format as all the other cases, American company(New York), 41% they have ,want small investors like me to make up the 10% they need. They said I had 400 shares but I sold them years ago-no matter ,I was/am entitled because I had them for a few years 10 'incentive' shares for every 1 I owned. The great news is I now had 4000 shares and their client would pay me £16.5 for each one= £66000. They sent me via e-mail NDA (non disclosure agreement) which I did sign because at the start it sound very plausible. The crunch comes when they they say the takeover is underwritten by a big american ins company who will fund to 93% leaving small investors like me to put up 7% which in my case was £4650 which I would get back 14 days after takeover. They called this INSURANCE BOND. They did send 5 page contract . They are very persistant. and I was glad to find this page. I have reported them to ACTION FRAUD and now ignore their withheld no's
Nov 08, 2014 Rating
too good to be true offer by: Anonymous
I also received calls from the same company, Suncrest Corporate Services, they contacted me last july, At first I was tempted because of the offer price. I hold 15,000 shares in african eagle resources. I contacted the company and the registrar, They advised me not to accept calls any more as they will do everything to persuade me from doing business with them. They asked for Insurance premium of 5,000 gbp. This people sounds okay, website looks legitimate. I'm wondering how they sleep at night, Be very extra careful guys, a certain Miss Alex Ross is dealing with me. maybe just one of those pretending to be adviser and claiming that she is representing a buyer ...
Nov 06, 2014 Rating
scam by: Anonymous
I was contacted by Suncrest Corporate services, plausible website. But they are asking money upfront, they are very very persuasive , highly trained sales people and sounds very professional. Thanks to this site.
I almost pay a bond, I consulted a solicitor about this and advice us not to proceed with the transaction, The website is still up and running, To the authorities please carefully visit their website and i suggest suspend the website before gullible people will fall to their charm.
cheers,
S. Pinyoun
Nov 05, 2014 Rating
Centrica takeover by: Frankb
Just had a cold call from an Asian or African male, asking about my centrica shares. Claimed to have got my details from company's house,(possible), but given the accent and the fact that it's a cold call, hung up on him. No phone number on 1471.
Oct 27, 2014 Rating
Digital Mergers by: Anonymous
Just got off the phone to some guy form a "Digital Mergers" in New York. I googled their address - doesn't exist. I googled their name - didn't come up. But they have a professional looking Website, and they come across very professional.
They are telling me I own shares I never even bought! I almost did a year ago, but decided not to, because it sounded Dodgy. The shares were "International Medical Ventures". Anyway I was looking at buying $5000 worth at $1.87. Roughly 2700 shares. Glad I didn't. Anyway, now I somehow have 10500 shares! and they want to buy them off me for $8 each! That's a cool $84k.....lol hahaha
I was joking with a guy at work, how funny would it be if they just paid me this money. I've been racking my brain, trying to work out how they were going to scam me, and thanks to this forum, I can see what's coming for me tomorrow or the next day.
Looking forward to playing with them a bit and wasting there time with this one.
Oct 22, 2014 Rating
WEST CAPITAL PARTNERS INC. by: Anonymous
Same thing is on going with me atm. I have had 15 or 20 calls in the past week. Asian lady telling me that my share are needed for a hostile takeover Calls herself Dianne Lopez. Asking me to sign non disclosure agreement, Same story, Scam..... Thanks guys
Oct 21, 2014 Rating
Deacon corporate group by: Anonymous
I too have been approached by these idiots regarding Moss Bross hostile takeover offering me £10 per share if I pay them £4485 as a bond deposit!!!!! I,ll play game with them!
Oct 20, 2014 Rating
Milestone by: Anonymous
There's clearly a very scripted process at work here, and in my case, a ploy to ultimately get me to pay for a bond to release my share holdings to secure the sale of my (worthless) shares as part of a takeover etc.
The calls are maddening, and initially the proposition is faintly plausible until the request to hand over money for the bond. Staying well clear, and grateful for the comments found on this site
Oct 18, 2014 Rating
Hoya Partners by: Anonymous
A Japaneese firm rang unsolicited offering to organise purchase of my shares in Pacific Star Technology Corporation. I bought these many years ago in an American company which appeared briefly on the American stock market. They offfered to buy my 6060 shares for $21 each which would yield me $127,260! Wow! What a fortune. As far as I know the shares are worthless
Usual story, a client needs to obtain 50% of the shares to take over the company which has assets worth millions. Hoys's representatives have tried to persuade me that their company is sound and suggested that I go to the "Financial Securities Administration" at fsa-gov.asia to check. This seems to work and has an entry for the company.
Slight problem, my shares are "restricted" and I would need to pay $6,060 to get them unrestricted. Oh, the good news is that the "Recertification Deposit" of $6060 would be refunded when the sale was completed. For some reason, they did not warm to my suggestion that they pay the "Recertification Deposit" and it could be refunded to them. Now waiting for phone call No5. I've already said twice that I do not intend to take up the offer. It's just too good to be true!
Has anyone had a successful purchase?
Oct 17, 2014 Rating
West Capital Partners Inc by: Anonymous
Cold caller ringing me and offering to buy penny shares. Their company based in New York. Telling me there was a hostile take over of a company I have penny shares in.
They sent and asked my to sign a confidentiality disclosure form. The said I would receive a email detailing what they would pay for my shares £8 to £17.
They said I would first have to give them 10-15% of my expected funds up front as a bond. This was to show my commitment to sell the shares. In short they were expecting me to give them at least £4K so I could receive £40K for shares that were worth at most £700.
They sound very professional, and the website link on the email works and looks professional.
I am still expecting more calls and emails.
Oct 17, 2014 Rating
approach by deacon group by: sara
Have received endless phone calls trying to buy shares at very inflated rates, wish they would leave me alone
Oct 14, 2014 Rating
Gonna have some fun with them! by: Sara
I'm due a call from these guys tomorrow and now I know it's a scam I'm going to play a little game with them and waste their time the same way they've been wasting mine. Let the games begin.....
Oct 14, 2014 Rating
tottenham takeover by: Anonymous
We have also been approached by Aiden Cooper of Benson BPO Chigago. he has given us the same rubbish! bottom line- he is looking for us to deposit £5,000 as a bond. No way Jose!!!
Oct 13, 2014 Rating
Very clever scam by: Anonymous
I too have been targeted , same sort of thing, I signed the non disclosure form . A subsequent phone call today made me question why my three penny shares ( strange I told them I had three! ) had been multiplied by 3000 as I was a long time investor.
They are very clever finding out if you are a regular investor etc. I smelt a rat before, but today it was " high". I await their next move . Pleased I found this site.
Sep 30, 2014 Rating
Be alert, question everything by: Norma
I was contacted this week by a yank with the name Andrew Sparks. Same rigmarole, hostile takeover of some penny shares I have worth 44p, they offered £7! Agreed they could send a NDA then looked this guy up on the web, good picture with all his details (or someone elses).
As I used to work for a stockbroker I rang the company in question (concurrent technology in the morning to confirm no hostile takeover and that things have not changed so much that this sort of thing went on. Confirmed it as a scam and left my husband to pick up the phone in the evening to give Andrew Sparks my message - I was not born yesterday! Heard nothing since. I am 75 but not old! He made a big mistake.
Think about this, even if it were a genuine takeover, the price per share would surely not be more than + 20%.
Sep 26, 2014 Rating
Brewin Dolphin by: Jim - Renfrewshire
Similar pattern as the previous comments. I sold my shares some time ago but was told there had been some mysterious split that I had not been advised about and that I still owned several thousand shares.
Prior to the sale my shares had been in a Nominee Co for several years so they must have been looking at a share register which was several years old. I certainly will not be returning the non disclosure form.
Sep 20, 2014 Rating
Total Scammers - Using Wade and Wiley Company Name by: Anonymous
Be very aware of this outfit. They are using the company name Wade and Wiley Consultancy. Promise that you are owed shares and you have to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement before their "legal department" can confirm how many you own. They will pay over the market value for them.
The callers speak with a foreign accent and repeat your name over and over.
Tell them where to go and DO NOT get sucked in. They are very convincing and it all sounds very plausible.
Sep 15, 2014 Rating
Wade and Wiley by: Paul in Hertfordshire
Similar thing happening to me at the moment, just had the NDA through and have had three or four calls encouraging me to act quickly. I happen to be in the Financial Services business in the UK and wondered if this is sufficient to report them to the FCA...?
I have asked them, by email, to provide authenticity, which I don't expect to see.
Likely I will wait the next phone call, demand more info, hopefully a postal address or office location and then give them a blast.
These people are scumbags.
Sep 04, 2014 Rating
3i share scam by: Chris- wakefield
I'd like to thank everyone for the blogs on this page. I was almost taken in and this blog made me see sense. I have been contacted by Bridget in New York asking if I would sell my shares for £10- £17 per share ( current value £3.50)
She asked me to sign a NDC because it is a hostile takeover and needs not to leak out which I did but then I found this page.
I waited on the subsequent calls which spread over 3 nights until she got to the point where she asked for a bond to be paid of nearly £5000 at which point I asked how she sleeps at night and should be ashamed of herself and the company she is employed by to try to steal money from hard working honest people.
She persisted in the sell to try to convince me it wasn't paid to her company, but an Insurance bond to cover me for the sale.
She also tried to convince me I actually had 10 times my actual share holding due to stock split actions carried out in secret by the directors so my likely benefit from the sale would be around £46,000 less there commission of 3%.
These people are very convincing and persistent, be very very careful when you think it is too good to be true, it usually is.
Aug 20, 2014 Rating
So glad I read these comments by: Anonymous
Thank god that I have researched this Company! I am getting a call tomorrow from Mason Securities and will be giving them some of my thoughts very loudly! I'll give them this, they are pretty desperate, I had lots of calls whilst away abroad for a month, none of which I answered.
Aug 19, 2014 Rating
DeVere Group hostile takeover by: RDA
Two emails and three late night phone calls: usual story of a hostile takeover needing 51% control. My original holding in DeVere was paid out in full when the business was taken over many years ago but it appears I was allotted some non-voting, non-dividend paying shares which now number 3010 in total. These are 'incentive or bonus issue shares' given to me as a long-term investor.
Beware, don't be sucked in. This is a classic scam!
Aug 19, 2014 Rating
ETHAND INVESTMENT PLC by: Anonymous
I had a call from a lady called Helena King saying I have shares if I want to sell them price will be between £3.00 to £7.00. I agreed to sell these shares but I couldn't find certificate for the shares. she mentioned that I have shares in ENITION PLC gone through evolution and are now ETHAND INVESTMENT PLC.
Asked to sign NDF which I did. I was told that legal department says I have 9900 shares of Ethand investment plc. I shall be getting £5.43per share total was over £53,000.00. I have yo pay my bond to confirm 51% of the share from buyer. I was very surprised to get so much money for my shares in a company which has gone bust a few years ago. I must admit paper work and rest seems pretty well.
I did everything thing luckly for me I went for holidays n I kept getting calls from Ms King and asking for my share. I agreed to transfer above amount but I was very reluctant to transfer such s big amount. As a Muslim I prayed if this is a scam please ALLAH avoid me from this and now I just read this and I am posting this to help others.
I was going to transfer funds on my arrival to the UK on 21st and I have sent in my ID and Letter of Intent. Address in CHICAGO and New York.
Aug 18, 2014 Rating
Deacon Group by: Anonymous
One more scam it appears that hostile take over of De Vere Grp and payment of insurance bond. Then told to purchase the warrants for the shares and wanted you to purchase between 25-100% of the warrants. This would mean lining their pockets with £27,000 - disappointed when informed no money to do this - then it ends and you feel awful for being taken for a ride.!!!!!!
Aug 14, 2014 Rating
Deacon Corporate Group yet again by: Anonymous
Fortunately a search on 'Deacon Corporate Group' brought up this site just as my dad was about to part with over 4K for an insurance bond.
This concerns shares in Black Rock Greater Europe Investment trust. Claimed they needed 51% of the shares to complete a takeover etc as in many of the previous comments below.
Would suggest an Hong Kong based outfit called City State Continental Transfers may also be best avoided.
Aug 14, 2014 Rating
Deacon Corporate Group Again by: Anonymous
My 87 Year old father had a call from this outfit this afternoon, a very pushy and talkative lady with an oriental accent. Fortunately he was smart enough to realise immediately that she was a scammer, but we strung her along to see what she wanted.
She wanted him to sell his shares in Youngs Brewery, which were actually sold some years ago. After being told this she insisted that he was entitled incentive shares for being a long term investor!
She asked for an email address to send paperwork to and was given a disused address, as he do without scammers having his email address.
I have no doubt that this was the same takeover scam described in other posts on this thread. The email address given to send correspondence to was (e-mail address removed - no links or email addresses to the scammers websites please) and I am including it in this post as it may help people to find this thread and prevent anyone from being scammed in this way.
Aug 12, 2014 Rating
Royal Dutch Shell takeover, Yeah, Right ??? by: Colj
My ageing mother (now 82) was contacted 3 times by phone in the U.K. from a female caller wanting to purchase Shell shares my mother has (or had). Luckily my mother found their accent hard to understand and told them to speak to me.
I then also got the call from a Samantha Ford saying she represented a company called Wade and Wiley in New York, and on behalf of an un-named client who already held 41% shares in Shell who was now looking to acquire a further 10% mmmmmmmm, righty oh.
Next it was "We will mail you a NDA that you must complete and return a.s.a.p.", she went on to say the shares would be purchased @£32 - £40ea, in the U.K. current price is £20ea.
A follow-up call came from a Noah Isler(?)who sounded Indian/Pakistani by his accent and with a lot of Indian sounding voices and chatter in the background like as though he was in a call centre, he went on to say I had spoken to his colleague and he was dealing with the insurance protection side of the deal, I replied that I would like to speak to our family accountant before reaching a decision to sell, to which he replied I couldn't talk to anyone about this as I had signed the NDA,??? very strange practice as IIRC we cannot deal, or sell, shares in the U.K. with them going through a share dealing company such as Equiniti.
Having looked further into the Shell shares my mother has/had, it appears she may have sold them back in 2007 and no longer has them, although we have a share certificate but haven't received any bonuses or dividends since 2007 which would seem to back up the thought they were sold.
I'm awaiting the next instalment in this scam to find out what they plan to do next, lol
Aug 11, 2014 Rating
Time they were stopped. by: Anonymous
I was contacted by DIANNE LOPEZ, from MASON SECURITIES LLC saying that some more shares of BAKERY SERVICES were required to reach 51% in order to make an hostile bid.
She said a NDA (non disclosure agreement)would be needed to ensure secrecy of info. ANNE McDONALD (Legal Dept) added her comments verifying the validity of the process. A JOHN BOWMAN then took over to further emphasise how lucrative the deal was, and said a 'bond' was required to show our commitment. Another man, DAVID WHITE, a very smooth Englishman, supposedly from HARRISON and STANLEY continued the contact, and then tried to sell 'warrants' to give added benefits to the buyer.
It is very smooth, clever, and believable. DON'T FALL FOR ANY OF IT.
Aug 06, 2014 Rating
Police Involvement? Don't hold your breath! by: Anonymous
Rolly, I wouldn't hold your breath. The earliest posts on this site go back to 2011 and I know from personal experience that the scammers were trying it on before then. Many people have complained to the FSA in the UK and their US counterpart, but it would seem there is little interest in following it up. If we were big businesses then things might be a bit different.
Aug 05, 2014 Rating
I D Data by: Rolly
I am running with a takeover scam... I know it's a scam... Indemnity bond , confidentiality agreement signed so I can't seek advice, so clever
I won't be parting with any cash but do the police want to step in and take over from me? Maybe they can trace their number and storm their office ?!
Aug 05, 2014 Rating
Scan from Mason securities by: Anonymous
Mason securities called last few days being very persistent and impatient about a hostile takeover on First Property, and said they would offer a high value for my shares. Spoke to someone called Megan. I was definately fooled at the beginning (they are very good at this scam) but luckily my dad said it was a scam and then I saw this site.
Please don't fall for this scam....I nearly did!
Aug 05, 2014 Rating
Mason Securities traffic master and danaher by: Anonymous
Have been called several times by American woman asking for my email address, saying there is a hostile takeover for Trafficmaster and Danaher shares and asking me to complete an NDA which has names of Jane Roberts in mergers and acquisitions and Anne McDonald in legal admin dept. I sold my Trafficmaster shares several years ago.
Aug 04, 2014 Rating
It's a scam by: Anonymous
Ocean Securities: It's a scam. Ignore it, or tell them to f$@! off and then ignore it.
My Dad recently fell prey to this type of scam only days ago about a hostile takeover and how his penny shares bought over 15 years ago needed buying back for between $9-15 each. First contacted by an American woman then put through to the 'acquisitions and mergers department'. His main dealing was with an English guy with a Cockney accent under the name David White claiming to work for an American firm, Mason Securities. I only wish he'd have told me about the whole thing sooner before parting with any money :(. He didn't lose too much, but he might have done if I hadn't intervened.
STAY CLEAR OF ANY HOSTILE TAKEOVER SCAMS!!!
Aug 03, 2014 Rating
Ocean Mergers by: Anonymous
Does anybody know anything about Ocean Mergers. They claim to be acting for a client who is making a hostile take over of Northern Petroleum. They are trying to make my father sign an NDA for some worthless shares he was conned into buying a few years ago through a Boiler room scam for Northern Petroleum.
I am suspicious for various reasons. Not least because the NDA seems to prevent him seeking independent financial advice.
Aug 01, 2014 Rating
Deacon Corporate Group New York by: Anonymous
Ms. Victoria Lee(Philipino accent) has been harassing my Mum reference a hostile takeover with Merryl Lynch, total scam, told her she has been reported to the authorites as a scammer...She hung up ! LOL
UK
Jul 31, 2014 Rating
Mason Securities LLC Hostile Takeover First Property Group by: John
Was callecd by Mason Securities LLC and spun the line of a hostile take over etc. £7-£15 per share for First Property online and was sent an NDA too...
2nd time ive been called with same scam when I told the woman it was a scam she asked what company it was and tried to spin it out that it was the companies 2nd attempt to take it over LMAO...
They must think we are stupid...
If it seems to good to be true it usually is :)
Jul 31, 2014 Rating
be careful by: Anonymous
I was approached by phone and the caller would not give in or stop. I was informed that I had scotty shares and that I would be very wealthy due to the shares of 2000 I had they told me they had gone to 4689 by now and unfortunately I only had one share left with this company. The hudson and co would not let up and finally sent me the details that if they sell my shares then I would put £5400 pounds in the bank for them and I would then receive 54000 pounds........DONT TOUCH THEM WITH A BARGE POLE. REASON FOR WRITING THIS IS TO WARN ANYONE ELSE... MANY THANKS
Jul 30, 2014 Rating
The People behind the "Deacon Corporate Group" website have terrible grammar and apparently can't afford a proofreader. by: Anonymous
Just want to add that the grammar on the "Deacon Corporate Group" website is horrible. A dead giveaway that the site is a fake.
Jul 29, 2014 Rating
TD Haynes and Associates New York by: Anonymous
Same here - wanting me to pay £5k to sell my Arriva shares for me which have gone up by 6 times in number and am being offered £13.50 by a hostile takeover bidder. I sold my shares 4 years ago but they insist i have more.
Jul 29, 2014 Rating
Deacon Corporate Group again by: Anonymous
I was called yesterday by Bianca Keene about shares in Securities Trust of Scotland. Same sort of story - hostile takeover, had 41% of the shares and needed 60%, wanted non-disclosure agreement returned immediately, and offer price of £7 ~ £15 per share bandied about. It seems beyond credibility, to say the least, that anyone would pay that much for shares in a company currently trading around 143p! I did not sign the agreement, and when they phoned back declined further negotiations. It's interesting that when you google them, this is almost the only hit except for their own urls. Surely a genuine corporation would have more of a web presence?
Jul 28, 2014 Rating
Citystate Consulting Co by: Anonymous
Has several phone calls from Mr Adam Roberts from CityState Consulting Co claiming they are performing a liquidation merger of American Platinum Holdings. Sends promising documents with links to his website. Sounds very convincing and persistence to have documents signed off with Bank Account information. Double ensured there will be no exchange of money, just documents. Watch OUT????
Jul 22, 2014 Rating
Dana Petroleum by: Anonymous
I have received several 'phone calls from Mason Securities in New York saying I still hold shares in Dana and would be prepared to pay me £25 per share. I sold these shares several years ago. They insisted that I still had 200 left and would be entitled to £50k less 8% insurance fee. They told me I did not need to sign any legal documents, email would suffice.
After letting the callers spin these yarns (just for my amusement) I explained to Megan (legal lawyer) that I worked for 32years in the finance industry, this is true, and find it strange that they were willing to carry out a £50k transaction without legal paper documentation.
PLEASE BE AWARE OF THESE CALLS. DONT BE TAKEN IN. THEY ARE STILL CALLING ME - CHEEK OR WHAT
Jul 11, 2014 Rating
HUDSON COE ASSOCIATES by: Anonymous
Been calling me for quite sometime asking me to sign a contract they provide which they dont understand themselves.. try asking them questions from their on document and see how this company rats...
Jul 11, 2014 Rating
Maji Group share sale by: Anonymous
Hi, I too have been offered £8-£15 for shares in Maji group by Mason Securities of New York. My shares are worthless but I would have stood to gain £60000. They wanted an indemnity guarantee, from me, approx £6000. I was very tempted as they were very believable, but if it sounds to good to be true!!!!!!!!!!!, then it probably is.
Jul 10, 2014 Rating
Deacon Corporate Group by: Anonymous
Approach by this lot followed same pattern; hostile takeover, 41% acquired, looking for the extra 10% and offering £7 to £15 per share for stock currently trading at c.£1,50, NDA sent and a brief mention of an insurance bond. Avoid.
Jul 09, 2014 Rating
Maji Capital by: Anonymous
Hi,
Just been offered mega money for maji capital shares due to hostile takeover via Mason Securities LLC in New York. Has anybody else been approached from Mason Securities?
Jul 07, 2014 Rating
Williamson Advisors Limited by: Anonymous
Current scam is hostile takeover of Costain Group PLC. £15 for shares that trade at £2.60 Come on!!!!
They claimed their Client already owned 41%. The actual biggest shareholder has 13%. They are liars, cheats and scammers. Avoid at all costs.
Jul 02, 2014 Rating
Hudson Coe Associates by: Anonymous
We have another one to be aware off, I have had the same type of calls from a delightful young lady at Hudson Coe Associates of New York.
Again, be careful.
Jun 26, 2014 Rating
Williamsons Advisors Ltd by: Anonymous
I too have been approached by Williamson Advisors Ltd in the last few days. I was told they wished to buy my holding in Hartest Holdings Ltd.
I signed a non disclosure document and was then sent a Agreement for sale.
I had previously told them that I believed I had sold the shares in 2010 but could not find any documented evidence. I said I would check with my broker. I was told there was no need to do this as their lawyer had evidence of my ownership.
The sale agreement included me warranting that I was the beneficial owner and stated that I needed to provide a bond Of £4464 being 10% of the total purchase price.
I told them by email that until I could prove my ownership and receive details of the bond agreement I would not sign the agreement.
I was rang back within 10 minutes of sending my email and during a heated argument they rang off.
Jun 25, 2014 Rating
Williamson Advisors Ltd by: Anonymous
I've had several calls from this firm insisting that I have Laura Ashley shares which I actually sold years ago but they say that bonuses and dividends now amount to over 3,000 shares which they can sell for between £8 and £14 each. I knew it was too good to be true so I checked it out and found your website.
Thank you! You are doing a great service.
Just to add, it was exactly the same story about a secret takeover and I would have to pay insurance bond up front. I will not be giving them any money. I hope this helps someone else. Thanks again.
Jun 21, 2014 Rating
Griffin Advisors Limited by: Anonymous
Griffin Advisors Limited - same story of hostile takeover of company I had shares in. Promised huge payout etc., signed NDA asked to pay bond into an Escrow account. Carried out what I thought were sufficient checks and paid the bond but after confiding with a family member it appears that I have been totally scammed.
I'm usually very wary about this sort of thing and feel more than foolish now but please be aware - THEY ARE VERY CONVINCING!! The other company involved in the latter stages of the process is Harrison & Stanley Associates.
My next step is to report it to the relevant authorities, any advice on whom I should contact?
Jun 20, 2014 Rating
Character Group scam by: Anonymous
Just had a call from a company acting on behalf of their client who wishes to acquire 51% of Character Group. Of course, as this is a hostile takeover, I must sign a non-disclosure agreement. They are willing to pay £8 to £17 per share.
The caller eventually made it clear that I would need to pay a bond - to show my commitment, which would be held by a trusted third party. The other party would also pay a much larger bond.
No sign of an NDA yet, but from the various posts here, this sounds like a typical scam.
I just hope she calls back for round 2.
Jun 18, 2014 Rating
Williamson Advisors Ltd by: Anonymous
For the last 3 weeks+ I have been getting phone calls from Williamson Advisors Ltd, New York saying that they have a client planning to takeover Redrow PLC (House Building Company) and that they would pay £7 to £14 per share, whereas the current official price is around £2.50!
They have sent a 'Non- Disclosure form' to be signed.
Their web-site is very impressive. My family is very against my signing this document and they have brought to my attention this site with similar stories !! Can anyone looking at this site, please comment on my experience, as I have not yet got rid of the caller from New York,USA.
Comment from Kenny
Forget what the website looks like, scammers can throw throw those up in no time at all.
I think all you need to do is to compare your story with the story from others who have posted here and you should know whether it is a genuine offer or not.
What you can do very quickly to be absolutely certain is to check if the company is genuine. If it is, since it is apparently based in New York, then it should be registered with the financial regulatory bodies in the US.
http://www.finra.org/
Bear in mind that just because a website shows and address does not mean that it is genuine.
Jun 11, 2014 Rating
GE Shaw Management Group by: Anonymous
Boilerhouse Scam offering to buy shares in Gladstone Plc, a bad investment that I am sure I no longer own.
Started with a cold call asking if I would sell them, they 'checked' my holding and stated they had been re-issued and I now have a much larger holding - now worth £55K. Now asking for a £5,500 no risk refundable bond to secure the deal.
Very convincing with links to their website etc.
This all started about 2 weeks ago, been playing along with them until now - will tell them to go away next call.
Warning - They are very good..........
Jun 06, 2014 Rating
Griffin Advisors by: Lee Adams
Had numerous phone calls from Griffin Advisors wanting to buy my shares in a company that has gone bust! Offering me £10.14 per share! I wish it was true! Lol bunch of idiots, ignored there calls one evening, 22 missed calls later!! Persistent or what, spoke to a women so called Diane Lopez. Watch out!!
Jun 04, 2014 Rating
Ladbrokes by: Tim
Had a call from Griffin Consulting from NY asking to buy my shares in Ladbrokes as they had a client looking at obtaining 51% of the company.
Wouldn't give any details and wouldn't post anything out 'due to the urgent time scales of the deal' gave him my ladbrokes email address which spooked him.....
Went on FSA website to report this but link to reporting form does not exist :-(
May 28, 2014 Rating
GE Shaw Mangement by: LJC
Have had persistent calls from Michael Sanada and his admin staff, same story of hostile takeover of company I had shares in. Promised huge payout etc and then I find your site! I did sign the NDA & wish I had checked them out earlier! Beware they are very convincing. If it sounds too good to be true it usually is!
May 28, 2014 Rating
National grid shares by: John C
Cold call from "Margaret Williams" Griffin Advisors offering £15 to £20 for National Grid shares requiring insurance bond. Refused to give any further details until confidentiality agreement signed! I kept pressing for details and "Margaret" terminated call. Hopefully she will not call back!
May 27, 2014 Rating
Griffin Advisors of New York - BEWARE by: Anonymous
Glad I found your website after being approached by these people. Same story £10/£15 per share- hostile take over etc, truth in the old saying - if it seams too good to be true it probably isn't.
I would not have parted with any money anyway so they are wasting their time and mine
May 22, 2014 Rating
hostile takeover / bond scam by: Anonymous
Watch out for Griffin Advisors from New York. A woman calling herself Barara Williams is phoning and offering such a scam on worthless shares I own. Offering £7-50 to £15.00 per share on a hostile takeover. Sign a confidentiality clause and watch this space. A scam like all the others on this forum.
May 05, 2014 Rating
Ashdene Group takeover by: Anonymous
Like a previous poster I too just received a call from an organization calling themselves Wilkins Capital Group asking about shares in Ashdene Group I once owned. The company went into Liquidation in 2004.
This too appears to be a scam - they asked me for to sign a non disclosure agreement. I of course didn't.
Apr 15, 2014 Rating
Shares scam by: Anonymous
Just been offered a lot of money for shares in a US company we were not sure we had.
Hooked us in so far, after many phone calls but now we have been asked for a Vendor Bond of £5K. Returnable of course.
We have now told them to go away.
Apr 11, 2014 Rating
Capital Manda by: Linda Ferrell
A couple of days ago I got a phone call from a guy called Vincent from NY (Manhattan apparently), trying to buy from me worthless shares which I still have, offering $14.00 per share where the current value is $0,0020. Same story again -
I checked their website, it was registered but a little suspicious.
I am going to have a bit of play with them, to see where they will make a mistake. These guys are definitely bloody scammers!!
Apr 11, 2014 Rating
Capstone Capital Group by: Anonymous
"Christine" phoned last evening.I asked her how she could sleep at night and how she could work for such a dishonest company.
Told her it was a total scam and that I would not have anything else to do with them...My son was cheering in the background!!
Not heard a thing since. That's the way to do it!!
Feel really good now.
Apr 11, 2014 Rating
Beware by: Anonymous
Just had a call from a William Davis from Pennsylvania purporting to be an attorney representing Cover Capital Partners in a Takeover matter. Advising me that I was able to make a claim for compensation in the amount of US$135,000 relating to 15,000 shares (which I have never owned)currently held in escrow by the US Government.
He sent me an email with a number of files attached which he wanted me to sign and return. On their receipt back in the US the funds would simply be released and I would be US$135,000 better off. Sounds fantastic and I could really use the funds.
Typed a few keywords into Google and surprise, surprise - Ability Holdings is no longer listed so the Takeover must have been a great success after all.
Didn't do anything about it and then received a further phone call again today from William advising me that he assumed I was not interested in the US$135,000. He is going to email me a "Default Notice" and a "Release" preventing me from taking legal action against them for not taking up the offer. Could I please sign the documents and return! A really nice gentleman and ordinarily a pleasure to do business with.
One other concern I have is that once opened, an email can release unwanted viruses and other clandestine invaders into your computer system that can start merrily hacking into your bank accounts and other electronic activities. Be aware that anything that sounds too good to be true usually is.
Apr 10, 2014 Rating
Friends Provident and Resolution scam by: Anonymous
Same scam. Company this time is G E SHAW group of Chicago, offering to buy shares I don't own for very high prices.. Have received a 'non-disclosure' agreement to sign, and eventually they will ask for a security bond or similar from me.
I suppose greed gets some people hooked...Avoid!
Apr 02, 2014 Rating
F & C by: Anonymous
Yet another....This time shares in F & C and a company in New York wanting to arrange a hostile takeover, offering £8-£15 per share to get 51%,sent a non-disclosure agreement etc.
Thank you for this website! I realised what was going on after looking at it.
Mar 31, 2014 Rating
British Gas Baron Group by: Clare
My mother has been receiving calls for weeks from Baron Group Ltd in New York claiming she is owed incentive on shares her and my father had in BG( which were sold years ago
They claimed they were investigating the validity of this and needed a disclaimer signed, so this was signed and returned. They now call on a daily basis claiming once proved valid that we would need to pay 5-15% to their insurers to try and claim this incentive.
I've told them under no circumstances will we be paying any monies and they claimed the shares were now in the region of 3000 shares at an average of £7-£18 per share. They now claim they are sending documentation through and then will require the upfront 5-15% payment to investigate.
I asked do you need this payment? They claimed its required by their insurers, i said no payment will be made, if we are owed money then why not simply send a cheque.
Funny how their insurers are in Hong Kong.
They talk in too much technical language and you may think it's genuine but it's not, I've also found evidence to the fact on Money Saving Expert site too.
Beware total scam.
Mar 31, 2014 Rating
3i Share Scam? by: Paul McKenna
Today I received a call from a company that called itself 'Watt Corporate' saying that as a 3i's shareholder I could sell my shares at a high price in s hostile takeover. I put the phone down.
Mar 31, 2014 Rating
Premier oil by: Anonymous
My husband was also phoned by a company Baron Group Ltd saying a hostile takeover was happening and we need to sell before the years end to realise a price of 3 to 5 times the true value. As someone else has already said If it seems to good to be true it probably is. They pestered us for 48 hours until we made it very clear that we were not going to be taken in.
Mar 25, 2014 Rating
Yet another by: Anonymous
Poly Information, a company I used to have shares in. Apparently got some bonus shares I know nothing about. Hostile takeover, my shares worth £8k, 51% required! insurance bond, NDA emailed to me etc etc.
Mar 24, 2014 Rating
British Aerospace by: Anonymous
Just received call from somewhere in US about hostile takeover of British Aerospace offering me between £7 -£15 per share but I have to sign a non disclosure agreement which will arrive by email and keep quiet. Anyone else had similar call ?
Mar 22, 2014 Rating
You would not be the first by: Anonymous
You won't be the first to refer this scam to the SFO, however, they seem to be either powerless to do anything, or not interested.
Mar 21, 2014 Rating
Premier Oil Scam by: Anonymous
Glad I found this site, phone call this evening from Linda Gomez from Kee Global wanting to buy the rest of my shares for premier oil - £8 - £16 per share, even offering a price for the premier oil shares sold 15 years ago !
She kept emphasising that I had to keep quiet about this because it was an aggressive takeover.
Email enclosing NDA arrived 5 mins after phone call with a Chicago address, no company registration number and no details which I had requested.
Am contemplating reporting this to serious fraud office
Mar 20, 2014 Rating
Key Global Corp by: Anonymous
Cold call 19/3 offering to arrange the sale of my modest holding of Rolls Royce shares which they had multiplied tenfold for almost double current price.
Claim to be based in Chicago, website plausible but newer than tomorrows sunrise and company not registered anywhere that you would normally check. Again confidentiality agreement by email asking for personal details and share certificate copy. Name given as Louise Stan caller ID gave her number (possibly Mauritania) certainly not Chicago. She became very defensive but maintained some composure when I suggested that she was trying to scam me.
If it quacks like a duck etc. etc. etc.
Mar 20, 2014 Rating
RBS Shares by: Anonymous
Walters Capital Group - caller is Margaret Gordon - familiar story - buyer needs 51% of shares,. Err, I sold mine a long time ago. Amazingly, I have some, which have increased from 115 to 4025!!! looks like I'll have to pay a deposit to show good intention to sell this miraculously increased share holding......
Obviously I'm not going to part with any money, or deal with them in any shape or form. Beware!
Mar 18, 2014 Rating
KeeGlobal again by: Anonymous
The same "hostile takeover" story, this time for a company that I happened to know ceased to exist in 2011.
Mar 18, 2014 Rating
hostile take over for Compass group!!! by: Anonymous
Several phone calls, Baron Group based in Madison square NY..Dionne Lopez Jane Roberts and today James Carter...
33 shares now inflated to 3300 at £8-17 per share. Disclosure form signed n faxed back, yesterday asking for 5-15% upfront to have 51% for take over... Told them why should we pay for selling, they weren't happy when I said I'd told my hubby, today New phone call again asking for insurance bond 5k....
Emailed me documents, but have deleted them... Insurance company based in Hong Kong. .... Beware scammers.
Mar 17, 2014 Rating
Smith and Stanley by: Anonymous
I have also been contacted by SMITH AND STANLEY consultants about DOUBLECLICK shares.I was on the verge of sending part of my INSURANCE INDEMNITY BOND to them.But just read GEE's details so they get nothing from me.
Thanks very much for the details you have saved me some £££.Regards
Mar 14, 2014 Rating
NATIONAL GRID NOW by: Anonymous
Hi all,
Thank goodness for this website as I have just received a phone call from Walders about National Grid Shares offering between £12 - 25 but I must keep it all secret as it is a hostile bid.
Be aware anyone with National Grid Shares
Mar 11, 2014 Rating
Barbara Powers by: Anonymous
Well that Barbara Powers gets around (see comment below on August 2 2013 "Cable and Wireless Scam by Anonymous", when she was with Byrd Fleming and Associates.)
She phoned me today from Baron Group, and her price range for my Pacific Horizon shares was exactly the same (£8 - £17 per share). She sent me the non-disclosure forms, but I shan't be going any further!
Mar 11, 2014 Rating
Covedr Capital Partners by: Anonymous
Same old same old, apparently I have shares in Ability Holdings and they sent me all this paperwork to release the shares and they would buy for $150,000 dollars. They have since rang me on quite a number of occasions and the person was Seth Green who you all know is an actor comedian, so do they think I am stupid. I reported the Scam to both the US Fraud Squad and to the Australian Government.
Mar 07, 2014 Rating
Kee Global Corp by: Anonymous
Watch out for this company, just been offered an absurd amount of money for share options in a company "premier oil" that I sold at least 15 years ago.
Mar 05, 2014 Rating
Smith & Stanley by: Gee
Same deal with me. Company claiming to be called Smith & Stanley based in Newyork. Web site looks professional and claims to have been trading for 25 years,but website has only been up for 24 days! Company doesn't exist on the companies register for NY state.
Same story, a management buy-out where they already have 41% and need 51%. My shares are now worth £75,000 despite me paying a few hundred for them years ago. They have been phoning me claiming to be from NewYork, but it someone with a bad accent and a very poor phone line.
Not entertaining them any further now that I have realised it is a scam. I did sign their NDA and send back.
Mar 04, 2014 Rating
Still at it by: Anonymous
Helpful to find this article. You know it's a going to be scam call, but intrigued as to how it works.
Called earlier today (Filipina accent, said to be from New York) regarding a holding of Recognition Systems (which I used to hold, now defunct) and Double-Click (which I've never heard of, let alone held), with story line that "our client" is offering a good price to acquire a 51% majority shareholding.
Call ended when I insisted on written details rather than fax or e-mail.
Feb 28, 2014 Rating
Howell & bradford by: Anonymous
Has anyone here been contacted by Howell & Bradford regarding a take over of parallel media group??
Feb 27, 2014 Rating
same same but different... by: Steve
Same deal, request to sign an NDA and return - sorry but I couldn't be bothered to take the process any farther to prove they want an upfront bond, but it was clear the guy was talking utter s**** (my paltry 98 shares are worth about 80p each, dude was quoting around £15 approx buy out price). The story this time was for "taxation purposes".
keeglobalcorp (website created one month ago, registered in the Gold Coast Australia, the company is from Chicago).
Add these guys to the list... Hopefully they don't steal anyone's money.
Feb 25, 2014 Rating
Call from Baron Group Ltd by: Anonymous
I have had 2 calls in the last few days re a hostile takeover and an offer to buy my National Power shares (which I sold years ago). Today's call was from James Carter in New York representing a company called Baron Group Ltd. He rambled on and said he wanted to email me some documentation. Blah, blah, have a nice day!
Feb 17, 2014 Rating
another call by: Anonymous
Just had a call supposedly from America wanting to buy my Centrica shares. They had a client who wants to purchase 51% of the shares. They only need another 8% (sound familiar). I told her I wasn't interested in selling my shares and asked where they were calling from and what time it was. Well she said I'm calling from New York and its just past 10.00 in the morning.
I wanted some more information about the takeover whether it was legal etc and why I hadn't read or heard anything about it. She told me as it was a hostile takeover it hadn't been made public so I asked if it was insider dealing and if so I thought that was illegal.
I asked the name of the company she was calling from and she said she would send me full details in the prospectus but I said as the callers ID on my phone showed International, I would like to know who I was talking to and she just hung up.
Jan 10, 2014 Rating
Prime Capital re Standard Life by: Colin C
Had a call from Megan of Prime Capital, which she said was based in New York. She sounded either Mexican American or Caribbean American. Once more it was about my wife’s Standard Life Shares (which were sold several years ago). Again, their client was engaged in a hostile takeover of Standard Life and had 43% of shareholders committed. There was the opportunity for my wife’s shareholding to be accepted in the 8% more needed by their client. The client would be offering over the current shares price. The offer would probably be in the region of £7 to £15.
This was a tax related acquisition, she said. The client had had a very profitable year and would be able to offset any premium against tax over the next 5 years.
She was going to send me a Non-Disclosure document, so we wouldn’t be able to say anything about the transaction until it was completed. A payment of some sort would be required up front (of course!). As the line was not too clear I asked her to email me the documents so that I could see what was required. I think the line “dropped” mid-sentence at that point. I await the email with bated breath.
Isn’t it good to waste the time of these people!?
Dec 09, 2013 Rating
ABILITY HOLDINGS & COVER CAPITAL PARTNERS by: Anonymous
Just had a call from a William Davis from Pennsylvania purporting to be an attorney representing Cover Capital Partners in a Takeover matter. Advising me that I was able to make a claim for compensation in the amount of US$135,000 relating to 15,000 shares (which I have never owned)currently held in escrow by the US Government.
He sent me an email with a number of files attached which he wanted me to sign and return. On their receipt back in the US the funds would simply be released and I would be US$135,000 better off. Sounds fantastic and I could really use the funds.
Typed a few keywords into Google and surprise, surprise - Ability Holdings is no longer listed so the Takeover must have been a great success after all.
Didn't do anything about it and then received a further phone call again today from William advising me that he assumed I was not interested in the US$135,000. He is going to email me a "Default Notice" and a "Release" preventing me from taking legal action against them for not taking up the offer. Could I please sign the documents and return! A really nice gentleman and ordinarily a pleasure to do business with.
One other concern I have is that once opened, an email can release unwanted viruses and other clandestine invaders into your computer system that can start merrily hacking into your bank accounts and other electronic activities. Be aware that anything that sounds too good to be true usually is.
Oct 22, 2013 Rating
If it seems too good to be true - it is. by: Anonymous
Just found this website courtesy of my daughter who is a solicitor. My call from Lockport Consultants tonight advised me that my shares in Iberdrola have increased 150 fold. I'm rich, I'm rich !!!!!! Now all I need is someone to buy them from me without my having to part with money beforehand. AS IF.
The most unfortunate thing about this is that some people have actually fallen for these scams. (There but for the grace of God) Be warned.
Oct 18, 2013 Rating
Scottish Power takover by: Anonymous
Have had phone calls from woman with American accent phoning about this acquisition earlier this year, then again a few months later, sent documentation regarding shares held (only a few) not worth bothering about really.
Heard nothing for ages, so sent email asking what had happened. Then have had calls from 'Henry' again American.
He was non stop talking but when he got to the part where I had to put up front almost £5k and said NO - take it out of the money that you are going to give me for my share sale, atmosphere turned a little grey !!!
Told him to send all documentation to me to look over - hahaha will probably wait a long time.
This is a SCAM
Oct 09, 2013 Rating
BT Group shares again ... by: Anonymous
Ryan from LP Consultants(?) rang ... said he's in America. Usual guff about buying BT Shares for hostile takeover. When I asked him for LP web site address he said it would be in the documentation. I said I would read the documentation if he sent it. He hung up.
Oct 08, 2013 Rating
Wanted to buy BT Group shares by: Anonymous
Had call this evening from guy with american accent, said he was in Glasgow, wanting to buy BT Group shares for client who is proposing a hostile takeover.
When I showed no interest he said my shares would be given to charity when the hostile takeover went ahead - yeah, right - and when I told him I know it is a scam he threatened to get his "local lawyer" to sue me for libel ... *sighs*.
He seemed happy to waste his time on the 'phone call!
Oct 07, 2013 Rating
Scottish Power scam by: Anonymous
Received calls from Lockport Consultants, New York, offering me £8 - £18 for my Scottish Power shares, sold years ago. Lockport website is VERY poor, full of spelling mistakes and bad grammer etc.
Oct 07, 2013 Rating
DT Group Business solutions by: Anonymous
You are advised to be careful when dealing with this organisation, DT Group Business solutions.
Received a call from USA regarding Hostile Takeover of shares (which I do not have now)of Scottish Power shares sold years ago.
Asked for Email Address.... which I refused to give..... that gets rid of this scam.
Sep 30, 2013 Rating
DT Group Business Solutions by: Anonymous
Anyone been getting calls recently from this mob about a hostile takeover of a large UK company?
Sep 26, 2013 Rating
ITV Shares scam Hamilton International by: Anonymous
I have also recently had calls from this Company asking to sell my shares in ITV x3 their value!! It is a Con and stay well away from them.
Sep 25, 2013 Rating
Iberdrola by: Anonymous
I too have received repeated phone calls from HAMILTON INTERNATIONAL GROUP and e-mails from Ms. Margaret Austin (Mergers & Acquisition Department) regarding "a client" wishing to stage a takeover of Iberdrola offering to pay me £60,000+ for 3x the number of shares that I own. Similarly the catch was, they wanted £4800+ for an 'insurance bond'.
I'm grateful to Colin and this web site for confirmation of my concerns that this was all a scam.
The Hamilton International website all looks professional and legit but the hard sell and pressure that they give to respond to their e-mails immediately, in addition to the multiplication of my shares, rang alarm bells
Sep 19, 2013 Rating
Hamilton International / Iberdrola by: Colin
I was contacted by Andrew Crawford from Hamilton's offering to pay me £40,000+ for 103 Iberdrola shares! Catch was, they wanted £4400 for an 'insurance bond'.
If they had tried a more realistic figure I might have been tempted. The whole scam was quite elaborate with official looking documents and web site.
Sep 17, 2013 Rating
Byrd and Fleming etc by: Harry G
Byrd and Fleming associates - Share scam - received a call just over a week ago, from a Richard Gomez,regarding what was obviously a share scam. Went a long with it until we got to the punch line then told them where to go.
It is however concerning, a very drawn out affair and some people could easily be duped. Lets highlight these scumbags for what they are.
If you are offered some deal that sounds to good to be true, it more than likely is.
Sep 12, 2013 Rating
These scammers by: Pulltheotherone!
A couple of people posting on here have mentioned being able to check when and where a bogus website was set up. My question - how do you do that?
Thanks.
Sep 11, 2013 Rating
Murray International by: Anonymous
My mother was contacted tonight by a Cindy Tan of DT Group Business Solutions in New York trying to buy shares in Murray International for a takeover. I checked the web address for the company and it was created in July 2013 in the Philippines!!!
Sep 05, 2013 Rating
SCOTTISH POWER SHARES/DTGROUP BUSINESS SOLUTIONS NEW YORK by: Anonymous
I've had the same phone calls from a Tony Galvez from DTG Business Solutions saying I had 109 incentive shares (even though I was pretty sure I had sold my Scottish Power shares many years ago). Luckily my husband got them to send e-mails to his work address.
Became suspicious when we googled DTG and saw that there were a few spelling mistakes on their website. Decided to ignore their requests (but weren't quite sure if this was a scam as couldn't find any mention of scam until now) and then received a phone call today from a Gabby, saying she was Tony Galvez's secretary and that they needed me to sign the non-disclosure.
So glad we found this site!! BEWARE! Another reason we were dubious was they said they couldn't send info by post and also that they were so persistent with their phone calls!
Sep 03, 2013 Rating
Corning & Hudson by: Brian
The same old scam, thy told me I owned 4000+ shares in ICap plc......I did have about 100 shares in Garban who merged with ICap I believe. I sold those shares years ago.
When suggesting after about 10 calls that this was in fact a scam as nobody I had spoken with had an American accent, despite them all having American names, and that no reputable company would withhold their phone number, I was asked if I was accusing their reputable company.....When replying that is exactly what I was doing, the phone unsurprisingly immediately went dead!
BEWARE!
Sep 02, 2013 Rating
Redsyone PLC by: D P Dance
I had another call today wanting to buy my shares with this company. Talks of a hostile taleover, confidentiality etc., etc., etc.
This is probably the sixth call I have had in the last five years I have had from people wishing to give me up to a hundred times their worth. Told the to foxtrot oscar. Strange accent though.
Sep 02, 2013 Rating
Persistent time-wasters by: Sheila
I have been having almost daily phone calls from Tony Galvez from Byrd Fleming saying that I own 4000 shares in Cable and Wireless valued at £7 each, which they want to buy to effect a hostile take-over. I sold all my shares 10 years ago! In spite of telling them I suspected it was a scam and that I had rung Cable and Wireless who confirmed that my share-holding was zero, I'm still getting regular calls from them. As I have caller-ID on my phone, I just don't answer now. It is all very plausible and a total waste of time.
Sep 01, 2013 Rating
Persistent by: Anonymous
Still getting calls from these rogues. When they ask for sir I say he is in New York at mom with the fraud squad investigating some scammers! Then I tell them to do one!
Aug 30, 2013 Rating
Corning Hudson by: A UK lawyer
Beware of their scam. They harassed my 85-year old father for two weeks over some old shares in Paros Plc which is in liquidation. They are a con outfit not registered with any of the authorities, say they are in NYC and all have East European accents and joke names like Mr Elmo and Wade Wilson. Sent us a confidentiality form which no doubt later would lead to a request for money.
Aug 29, 2013 Rating
Byrd Fleming and Associates by: Anonymous
Just had a recent call from this company saying I had shares with friends provident( which I sold years ago). According to them I have shares that friends Provident not telling me I had and that if I gave them a bond of over 4k I would receive over 50k. Glad I went with my gut and told them to get lost. It all looked really good, obviously not. Stay clear all.
Aug 28, 2013 Rating
Iberdrola take over by: June
Jane Thomson from Hamilton Advisors in New York just called to offer me a huge price for my shares as part of a top secret takeover! Some strange Eastern European accent I thought. She gave me a number to call her back on.
She had a lot of my details, and before I thought this doesn't sound right, I had given her my email address. Is there someplace I can forward this to so the IP address or whatever can be investigated? Better still, when I hung up, I then couldn't use the phone as every time I tried to dial out, she was still there withering away. Grrrr.
If I were a little old soul I might have fallen for this besum!
Blimey, persistent! She just called back.....twice.
Aug 27, 2013 Rating
Hamilton international group by: Anonymous
I was contacted by Lena Stanford and Claudia saying my shares had miraculously grown by x50 turning my £100 I own to 80k!!! And after a non disclosure form I needed to send 8k!!!they were persistent!!!!they were apparently from New York but when I Google street mapped it it was apartments!!and I checked when their website was set up and it was made 2 weeks before they contacted me!!!do not part with any cash !!!!!good luck
Aug 27, 2013 Rating
Scottish power shares by: Cant kid a kidder
Cynthia calling ..again, wow this lady has balls, I just cant believe how persistent she is, she want's me to confirm shares I do not have (sold), I told her under no circumstances am I going to open the Email she sent me (deleted), she would not give up.
I asked her if she knew my address, Yep she did, I asked for a share number, yep she gave me one, we parted on good terms (asked her for a date) she laughed. waiting, waiting.
Aug 26, 2013 Rating
Another takeover bid... by: Anonymous
Watch out for calls from DT Group Business Solutions.
Aug 26, 2013 Rating
Scottish Power shares . by: Cant kid a kidder
I guess I may as well join the club , just off the phone talking to the sexy Cynthia (Mexican American) had all my details about previous Scottish Power shares, she would not take the hint about I lived in Scotland ( not Gullible )but it was fun listening to her talk (very polite) , gave her a dummy email to send the info to me . I guessed it was a scam, but googled it to make sure.
Aug 26, 2013 Rating
Byrd Fleming by: Anonymous
If you read the Byrd Fleming website, the English is not quite right. It's neither American- nor English-English.
They tried me several times, even calling back after I had told them to get lost. They must have got details of an old shareholding of a defunct company and gave me exactly the same line that everyone else has heard here.
Fortunately, I came across this site before giving them any details. Having had so many "sales" calls over the years, invariably from people who have English as a second language and who address you by your surname in every sentence, has made me reluctant to give any info to any one who calls from a "withheld" number.
It would be interesting to know how much money they make from this scam; but I guess we never will.
Aug 26, 2013 Rating
What is written here rings true... by: Anonymous
A caller with an indeterminate accent who identified himself as Andrew Walker. He says he is in New York and working for a company that wants to mount a hostile takeover of BT. Undetered by me saying that I wasn't sure if I had any BT shares. Seems they are interested in arranging for my BT shares to be bought at double their value. He will send a non-disclosure agreement to an email address I gave him (the one I use for scammers)...
This world is full of trickery.
Aug 23, 2013 Rating
BYRD FLEMING ASSOCIATES by: Anonymous
JUST RECEIVED MY CONTRACT TONIGHT FOR 3000 SCOTTISH POWER SHARES I'VE NEVER OWNED FROM MONICA AT BYRD FLEMING IN NEW YORK. A BOND OF £3,600 REQUIRED!
FIRST BECAME SUSPICIOUS WHEN I RESEARCHED THAT THEIR WEBSITE WAS ONLY REGISTERED IN CHICAGO ON 12 AUGUST 2013.
ALSO THEIR BUSINESS PREMISES ON 410 MADISON AVENUE IS ACTUALLY THE BANK OF CHINA.
WILL NOW INFORM THE FBI.BEWARE.
Aug 23, 2013 Rating
Standard Life - again! by: Colin C
Had another call today about Standard Life shares that my wife is supposed to hold (sold several years ago), but quality of call was so bad that I couldn't even make out the name of the company calling. Eventually had to end call because of poor quality.
So Standard Life is still a live scam. Almost looking forward to the next call from these oh so earnest people.....!
Aug 19, 2013 Rating
Braun & Brandt by: Anonymous
I wish I had seen this site earlier. I have been scammed for £5700 for an "insurance bond" to secure they payment for my (non existent) shares.
I'm normally ultra cautious and I cannot believe I fell for it. It was such a professional looking outfit good web site, very convincing paperwork sent through etc.
Not happy with that, they are now trying to get more out of me by telling me that there are warrants attached to my shares and I can make even more money by sending them funds for these warrants. I'm stringing them along to see where it goes.
If I can fall for it (I'm a professional engineer used to taking very considered and thought through decisions)then anyone can. Be aware!
Aug 18, 2013 Rating
Byrd Fleming and associates by: Keith Brookfield
Have had phone calls from Monica Cruise and Erin Spencer trying to buy BT shares I no longer have. I thought it was a scam so strung them along, supposed to be a hostile takeover. Had the contract sent to me saying they would pay me £48000, but I would have to buy a bond for £4082. Thanks to this site they were all that I suspected and have also now reported them to the FCA. Feel sorry for people that get scammed in this way.
Aug 18, 2013 Rating
Ferrum/ Base group by: Anonymous
Contacted by Kyle Fleming and Associates name of Aidan Cooper and also a Johnssan about shares in above company that were worth £8 to £!5 a time. As the company was dissolved years ago wonder about their having a client with 41% of shares and need to get 51% to claim tax relief, am glad with all that is disclosed on this site that have only wasted there time with a dozen calls from them and keeping them on for twenty minutes at a time.
Aug 14, 2013 Rating
RIT Capital Partners by: Anonymous
I am enjoying stringing along Byrd Fleming and drawing out the process. My husband signed the nda for me so that I can still discuss the hostile takeover!
I have got the contract and details of the £4.5 k bond they want me to pay before I get my £50k - now waiting to see how they are expecting me to pay it - which needless to say I won't be.
Aug 14, 2013 Rating
Similar Concerns by: Anonymous
Have had the same calls and I have sent back the non disclosure form but it only has my phone number and address details I wish I had read all your comments before I sent back the form but I'm hoping no damage done Can anyone reassure me that if I refuse to speak to them again that this only about trying to get shares?
Kennys Comment: They have no real interest in any shares and they already have that contact information anyway. The form is just to soften you up by getting a dialogue going before asking you to send the cash.
Just hang up and they will eventually get the message and move on.
Aug 13, 2013 Rating
Braun and Brandt - Iberdrola shares by: Anne
About six phone calls in past few weeks, from this company,in New York, about my Iberdrola shares. Don't have any, and then they told me that it was through my Scottish Power shares, which I sold years ago. E-mailed me a Non Disclaimer, kept phoning. Told them that when I see the proof, I'll believe that I'm worth £53,000. Did ask them why they were sitting in New York, phoning 10's of thousands of small investors. Web site does exist though, with same address and phone no. They've went to a lot of trouble.
Aug 09, 2013 Rating
Standard Life by: Colin C
Had a call this evening from Hamilton Advisors in New York wanting to speak to my wife about her Standard Life shares (sold several years ago). Client mounting hostile takeover and talking of £17/18 per share. When I asked for their phone number there was a bit of rattling of the phone and then he hung up.
Aug 08, 2013 Rating
BT by: Gary C
Thanks guys... I just got the same call from Bryd Associates regarding BT shares that I sold many years ago. I also was interested in their sales patter and asked for and received the Non-disclosure but now I'm bored with it so I entered this post and emailed your thread to them. Wonder what will they do now???
All the best Gary
Aug 08, 2013 Rating
Corning & Hudson by: Anonymous
My Aunt has just called me to ask if Corning Hudson were genuine. She is an Iberdrola shareholder and they are asking her to sell her shares - currently trading at 4.21. They say they could get her up to 12.00 for them. Had a look here and see that they appear to be scammers so thanks for this notice board.
Aug 07, 2013 Rating
Hudsons New York by: Anonymous
Just had call from Hudsons (CorningHudson) saying their client was interested in a takeover of BG, they needed 51% acceptances, already have 41% from institutional shareholders. Have received an NCD, was told that if I did not return this and BG was taken over then my shares would be worthless. Needless to say I'm sitting tight!
Thanks for all previous postings!!
Aug 07, 2013 Rating
Braun & Brandt by: Anonymous
I too have been "lucky" enough to be contacted by Claudia Smith at Braun & Brandt about shares in a mixture of Scottish Power and Cable & Wireless. I asked them to send me the Non-disclosure paperwork out of curiosity - to be honest, I could not understand anything that they were saying. Wish I hadn't bothered as they keep phoning me to tell me how near an offer is, of between £8-17 per share for shares that I know I do not have. At least I have parted with no cash, nor do I intend to. Sigh.
Aug 06, 2013 Rating
Byrd Fleming by: Anonymous
Great work folks. I was suspicious through-out but this has sealed it for me.
Just been on to Bruno Powers, Monica Cruise, Allan Galt and Sarah Miller at Byrd Fleming and Associates. I even got down to the Agreement for Sale and Purchase of Securities which mentions a Chase International Transfers Ltd as the Vendors Transfer agent.
They found me through my Scottish Power and Thus shares which I was sure I'd sold.
Also suspicious when all the emails come from the one address.
Disappointing as I'm trying to buy a house at the moment but I'm sure I'll get over it.
Aug 06, 2013 Rating
Byrd Fleming and Associates by: Anonymous
Same story, Resolution shares, 234 shares up to 1400 priced at £7 - £15 a share, I don't even have any......
Aug 06, 2013 Rating
Laura Ashley by: Anonymous
Four calls in two days wanting me to sell a small holding of Laura Ashley shares. Even when I literally screamed down the phone and hung up they still called back to asked why I hung up!!! Very persistent, I have found picking up the phone & just leaving it on the table seems to work - let them talk to fresh air.
Aug 06, 2013 Rating
Byrd Fleming and Associates by: Anonymous
I received a call last evening from Ms.Juliana Samonte/M&A Dept, offering £7.00 - £15.00/Share to support a hostile takeover. Fleeting mention of Insurance Bond on a bad line and a bad accent! I received email confirmation of call along with CND Document!
Thanks to the comments I found this morning on this site, it has saved me a lot of wasted time and hard-earned money!
Well done everyone - let's hear about all of these Scam perpetrators!!
Aug 04, 2013 Rating
White Plains International Securities by: Notwithabargepole
Had a call last night from this outfit apparently based in New York. They have a "client" putting together a hostile bid for EBT Mobile China. I have some worthless shares in the Company - but "client" willing to pay between £6 and £12 per share. Happy days and I'm off to order the new motor!
I'm too cynical to fall for this nonsense but what does strike me is how convincing the website is.
The Non Disclosure Agreement has now arrived and presumably the next step would be for them to try to extract money from me for the insurance bond or similar - as mentioned elsewhere on this very useful site.
Very tempting to string them along for a while!
Aug 02, 2013 Rating
Cable & Wireless scam by: Anonymous
I've been contacted by the charming Barbara Powers, from Byrd Fleming & Associates,who speaks with an American/Far Eastern accent . She told me I had 221 shares in Cable & Wireless, worth between £8 & £17 per share.
Thinking it might be a scam, I emailed Byrd Fleming to ask if this was a genuine proposal or a scam. Barbara phoned me back regarding my email and confirmed that it was all genuine. In a later phone call she said the shares had been 'reversed' and they had been increased by a factor of 20, giving me 4420 shares.
She has just called today to say that the offer price, in this hostile take-over, is £11.25/share, which would mean a sum of £49,725. However, because of problems with the insurance company that is contracted to provide a bond for the shares, I would have to provide a bond with respect to my shares. I don't think so!
I think they found my name via Thus shares, which I sold about 12 years ago for a pittance.
It's a very plausible scam up to the point when they ask for money. Don't be taken in.
Jul 31, 2013 Rating
Braun Brandt Consulting Firm and Alliance Corporate Partners, NY by: Anonymous
Wish I'd found this site much earlier. There's more relevant warnings on this site than anywhere else.
I fell for the hostile acquisition/share scam from Braun Brandt Consulting Firm, signed an NDA and once they had my £5k bond money in an escrow account (in Indonesia!!) OMG what on earth was I thinking? I thought I'd only part with the money if I was prepared to lose it. Guess what?
I was then passed for the next stage of the scam, ahem - share acquisition, to Alliance Corporate Partners. Keep emailing and phoning to get me to fill out a W-8BEN IRS form.
I previously considered myself reasonably savvy but I can't believe the rush I was in to part with my hard earned.
I even checked out these companies on the Financial Conduct Authority website - they still don't appear! However, I found a warning on Youtube of all places where various international authorities issue fraud warnings to the public.
Still can't believe I fell for it. Hope you all steer clear!
Jul 31, 2013 Rating
Cable & Wireless again by: Anonymous
Just been contacted by both "Belinda" and the equally charming "Amanda" re a hostile takeover of C&W.
She started by saying I had Scottish power shares which I had then sold them to Iberdrola, which is correct, and that C&W had bought Iberdrola!
Then she put into the mix that I owned 95 C&W shares (now how did that happen?) and her client wanted to acquire them, to support a hostile takeover of C&W, for berween £7 and £15 each.
She even faxed me a non-disclosure document to sign.
Meanwhile I did some research and found this website, and all became clear.
Many years back I held Thus shares, but sold them for a small amount to C&W as they were only worth a few pence each.
The fax purported to come from a company called Byrd Fleming & Associates.
They later rang me and persisted with this even when I told them that I knew 100% that I did not hold any C&W shares, even ringing again to try to explain how I DID own these shares!
I hung up on them in the end.
Jul 29, 2013 Rating
Stamford Niles Equities LLC by: Anonymous
My father has been contacted by the above company telling him that the shares he owns in various American companies are worth a "fortune" because a couple of them are the subject of a hostile takeover and they have a buyer looking to purchase the whole amount.
Has anybody had any dealings with this company before?
..............................................
Kenny: You just need to read the comments on this page to know how it goes....what ever you do, please just don't send them any money.
Jul 19, 2013 Rating
Thus Shares by: haggy
Just been contacted by a Stephanie alford from apex international consulting group offering me a possible £7-£15 for my Thus shares which I told her were completely worthless. This didn't put her off. I strung her along for a bit but anything that is too good to be true generally is.
Checking the Financial conduct authority website or even putting in Apex International starts ringing alarm bells. Just beware. Don't give out any details.
Jul 16, 2013 Rating
WHITE PLAINS/ALLIANCE CORPORATE PARTNERS, NEW YORK by: Anonymous
I too had a call from a company calling itself White Plains International, which all sounded very plausible. I did once have Cable & Wireless shares and presume that they got info on me from company records.
They said they were worth about £52,000 and that it was a hostile takeover and sent me a non-disclosure doc. I was foolish enough to send money for a bond and was sure that it was legit. Their websites seemed OK, so I proceeded. But when I Googled the addresses, they did not exist. Should have smelt a rat earlier.
Then they a Commitment of Transfer form under the name of Chase International Transfers Ltd in Hong Kong. The bond was sent to Indonesia. Then a company called Alliance Corporate Partners (ACP) contacted me saying all was going well. Then a form supposedly from United States Federal Depository and Treasury.
I looked up the Website for the US Treasury and left a message. They were good enough to ring me back and said that it was most assuredly a scam. They do not send out letters like the one described. And not to send any money, but to contact my solicitor.
I wish I had found this site earlier. Feel such a fool falling for this.
Hope this helps others who may think the phone call was OK.
Jul 16, 2013 Rating
Share Selling Scam by: Anonymous
Received an international call today from female advising me that I had Scottish Power/Iberdrola shares - (NOT TRUE). She told me that they were about to be taken over and her client was wanting to buy my shares for a good price. I let her ramble on and she told me she needed my email address to send me info.
I asked her where she was calling from and her company name which she gave me as Brown Consulting. Not sure when a Kincardine, Fife number started showing as International!
Anyway stopped her in her flow and told her don't call me I'll call you and hung up. Absolute con but something serious needs to be done to stop these scammers who pray on the vulnerable and succeed.
Jul 04, 2013 Rating
Share Scam by: Anonymous
Yes we to have heard from the lovely BELINDA with the same story --- we are just loving stringing her along -- nice to turn the tables for a change.
Jul 03, 2013 Rating
Britiish Smaller Companies by: Jerry
Got a call from the guy in New York saying the usual stuff about a hostile takeover of this company. He's done a bit of research and knew the number of shares I had.This is a step up from previous blogs which indicate they were fisching even if the contacted person had no shares.
Offering £10 per share whilst market price is below £1.00 Emailed me the NDA which I have binned. Very plausable. Scum of the earth...
Jul 01, 2013 Rating
International Performance Bond by: Chris Hall
I had some girlie on the phone telling me I own shares in C&W via THUS... which I told her was a surprise to me since C&W paid me in cash (a trivial quantity thereof) for my THUS shares. This did not seem to bother her, so we had a long conversation about hostile takeovers, and shares which might be worth 10 pounds or more, and the sending of NDA, statement of interest thingie... and so on. I lost interest at the point she started talking about the need for me to purchase some sort of insurance or performance bond... Nice try. No Cigar.
Jun 27, 2013 Rating
Cable & Wireless/Scottish Power by: Anonymous
Continuing to get calls to find out if I've sent off the non disclosure (which I deleted from my system) - until now they've been coming up as 'International' on the phone, but tonight's call was 'unavailable'. My husband re-iterated that we do not have these share and again told them not to continue calling. I too am glad to have found this site.
Jun 24, 2013 Rating
Cold Call by: Anonymous
Just had one of these calls and wish we had seen this site. Mr Chan calling from USA was pretty persistent and husband finally gave him our email address. Will now follow previous posted advice delete mail and clean system. These people truly have no conscience and something should be done to prevent their intrusion into our homes.
Jun 23, 2013 Rating
Capstone Capital Group N Y by: Anonymous
I have also had these people phoning about Cable and Wireless shares which I was fairly sure I did not have. The first effort was by a woman who said I had 350 shares. Told her I had none, she urged me to look because of 'hostile takeover', it was time sensitive. A week later a man phoned, told him, no shares.
This week a woman calling herself Paula, with a difficult accent, started calling again about the same shares. There was a lot of background noise and it was difficult to understand what was being said at times.
They said I had 100 shares worth,'at least £5 each and maybe between £5 and 10'. They were not interested in the lack of share certificates, which worried me a lot, as did the inconsistency in numbers. Also I had looked up share price of C&W and it was 38p.
Because they did not ask for money I let them send me a form. What was wanted on the form was information I had didn't have! I called Cable and wireless who forwarded me to the Fraud office who confirmed the scam and said it would be added to their web site. I set my laptop to do a deep clean.
Follow your instincts and beware. [worked this out while suffering from a nasty toothache,so you out there,in pain or not, can beat the scammers every time]
This is an excellent website for information. Thanks
Jun 21, 2013 Rating
Capstone Capital Group by: A Clark
"Christine" phoned last evening.I asked her how she could sleep at night and how she could work for such a dishonest company. Told her it was a total scam and that I would not have anything else to do with them...My son was cheering in the background!! Not heard a thing since. That's the way to do it!! Feel really good now..
Jun 21, 2013 Rating
Cable & Wireless/Scottish Power shares by: Anonymous
I've had several calls over the last few months trying to tell me that I have shares, which I know I do not have. Have had two calls already today. They are offering between £8 and £14 per share and only need me to complete the non disclosure form and of course pay for a bond. They get short shrift when they call now!
Please make sure that friends and family who may be gullible are aware of this scam.
Jun 20, 2013 Rating
Capstone Capital Group by: A Clark.
Same story with me, where Capstone wanted to buy my deceased husbands shares in Ennstone Plc.Phoned me 3 times a night.
They e.mailed me the the non disclosure agreement and if I had not done a bit of searching and found this page, I would've sent it off to them. They quoted a crazy price of between £9-£16 per share.
Thank goodness I found you.
Beware of this scam on vulnerable older people.
Jun 20, 2013 Rating
Cable & Wireless shares by: Anonymous
Received 2 phone calls from 'James' in US about my C&W shares. I am holidaying at my Mothers house yet insisted he got my details from share register. Since I don't have any C&W shares (but other shares) thought he must be referring to shares part of my recently deceased Mother's estate.
These guys are good because as soon as he got this info from me he started running with it saying shares automatically transferred to me as beneficiary etc. Wrong!
Luckily phoned at witching hour with 5 year old twins so wound up call quick. Asked him twice to summarise what he wanted from me & couldn't so being a lawyer got suspicious. On checking found no C&W shares held by Mum.
2nd phone call I just hung up.
Bit concerning though as pretty good scam. Tell your older relatives/susceptible you know as easy to be caught out.
Jun 13, 2013 Rating
Hostile Takeover Telephone Scam by: Anonymous
Yeah this has just happened to me! Same patter as all the rest below - she loves to keep saying your name and asking if you are a CEO - hell I was the cleaner, if she only knew!
They can send me a cheque but sure as hell ain't sending them one.
May 23, 2013 Rating
Summers. Whitney Cooper by: Anonymous
We too were misled. Said we still had shares in Kelda. Sent money for bond. Sent money for warrants. When asked for 30% tax up front, we queried. Went to our Accountant. Yes you guessed it was illegal. Now got guy on professing to be from NY tax department, saying he will get us our money back. Yeah we know! Asked for his telephone number, he couldn't give. He next call to us, I don't think he will like!
BEWARE FOLKS - hopefully the saying 'what goes round comes round' will hit these nasty operators in the face one day!
May 01, 2013 Rating
Emily Madison - Northern Capital Consultants by: Anonymous
Emily Madison - Northern Capital Consultants tried the same trick (ie get me to buy insurance bond).... after informing me I was to be paid £20 per share for my BG plc shares. Supposedly in order that her company's client could launch an aggressive take over of BG.plc.
She sounded VERY plausible BUT when I told her I had Googled her, she(?)appears to have deleted Northern Capital Consultants from her profile.
BEWARE ..... I wonder if that really is her name she kept repeating it.
Apr 27, 2013 Rating
Global Corporate by: Anonymous
I have seen someone else had bee approached by the above. Please ignore this company as a few weeks ago they contacted me and told me that I held 80 Lion Heart shares which I had sold 10 years ago.
They said that the shares I had was now 8000 at £15 ea. (mumbled a lot of jargon to explain how I came to have 80, and by magic turned out as 8000 )
I went along with that and just for fun asked him when could I send him a chq. of £14000 which was required as an insurance bond. I also signed the disclosure form which I thought committed me to nothing.
After that he sent me a contract for the amount of £158.000 that they will pay, and me to pay £14000. After several calls and me showing my true colours by refusing to sign unless they removed the bond payment clause and after 3/4 calls I told him to shut up and go to hell.
I have not heard from him again. So if you hear from him give him my regards.
Apr 19, 2013 Rating
Scott and Fischer by: Anonymous
Can't believe we were taken in by this Company!! Feel so stupid now. Like others, I had a call from a Paul Boston from Scott and Fischer Consultancy Ltd in Chicago. We had Scotty Group shares that were basically worth nothing and offering us 36x the number of shares we held, which then meant we had over 4000 shares!
My husband spoke to him on 4 occasions, with Paul ringing us each night and the offer price for the shares went up each time. The documents were emailed to us and the offer price had increased to £14.00 per share giving us a total of £68,000!!
In previous conversations he hadn't mentioned a holding bond we had to pay. I then thought I would try and research their company address on White Pages and low and behold the company doesn't seem to exist in Chicago. He was so believable, and we nearly did fall for this scam!! BEWARE.
Apr 18, 2013 Rating
Good Fairy Rings Me by: reg cooper
Having bought shares in Lottery King some 15 years ago, not one penny dividend. Well they were penny shares. I paid, or thought silly me, £200.00 investment. OH DEAR. 15 years on, worth F,ALL. Now me good fairy from usa wants those shares for a client £8 to £15 a share. Will send me a non disclosure form as me good fairy says I must not tell anyone. So I hope you don't blab about this, promise? ok.
Now, when me good fairy rang again I told her where to stick her wand, kind regards. It's a good life if you don't mind the bull s**t on the journey. Reg.
Apr 17, 2013 Rating
scott fischer again by: Anonymous
Monica from Scott Fischer is very interested in purchasing some shares that I don't have. They were sold when my late father's affairs were wound up almost 10 years ago.
I'm trying to get them to pay my expenses for obtaining a copy of father's grant of probate to enable me to get the share certificate. Scamtastic.
Apr 17, 2013 Rating
Boiler room Scammers - Another one to add to list by: Anonymous
'Montgomery Partners' - American accent - phoned my Dad. 'Keep it to ourselves' blah blah - no number given. SCAMMERS.
Apr 17, 2013 Rating
Scott and Fisher Scam by: JAK
Phone call from this consultancy purporting to wish to buy shares in "Red Rock Resources" which I sold 3 years ago. Offering 20p for an AIM share at 0.5p ! Clearly a scam. Beware Scott and Fisher
Apr 17, 2013 Rating
Tottenham take over by: Anonymous
Hi I've had calls and an indemnity form email from global corporate partners about taking existing share at a price £12-15 per share, has anyone had this
Apr 17, 2013 Rating
Portmeirion shares by: Anonymous
How do they get your phone number? How do they set up their phone calls so that their number doesn't show, or to me, showed 0000000?
My story is the same as the others here. Phone call, non disclosures, bond, 51%, insurance, patents. That sounded odd, because I don't remember anything about Portmeirion having patents. I could see where the scam began as soon as she mentioned insurance.
Scott and Fischer - seemed familiar, and caller, Sara, said she was calling from USA, Chigago, so I assumed it was a big US law company and that I didnt know enough about the states.
Told her I would have to take advice, but gave her my email address for the non disclosure agreement.
Thanks for this site. Now I know to expect more calls.
Apr 16, 2013 Rating
Capital Manda by: Anonymous
A couple of days ago I got a phone call from a guy called Vincent from NY (Manhattan apparently), trying to buy from me worthless shares which I still have, offering $14,00 per share where the current value is $0,0020. Same story again - a need to have 51% of shares due to acquisition.
I checked their website, it was registered 13th March 2013 and is registered only for a year.
I am going to have a bit of play with them, to see where they will make a mistake. These guys are definitely bloody scammers!!
Apr 15, 2013 Rating
Northern Capital Consultants - BG Scam by: Anonymous
Similar story for my mother - contacted by Belinda Meyer at Northern Capital Consultants of New York - NDA, Bond etc... wanted over £4,000 for the bond...
Stay clear!
Apr 11, 2013 Rating
Scott and Fischer scam - British Gas by: Nobody's Fool
So glad I found this web site. Tell everyone about it!
I have had two lengthy phone calls from the American consultancy company Scott and Fischer based in Chicago. They told me that their client wanted to take over British Gas by buying shares from Uk investors so they could get 51% holding. They were offering a minimum of £16.00 per share (market value currently circa £11-12 per share). They may even pay up to £20 per share. Sounds good! BUT (and there's always a but) you had to sign a non disclosure agreement which they would send to you by e-mail and also if the deal went ahead YOU had to deposit a quarter of the selling price in a holding account (evidently their clients would deposit the other three quarters). This was something to do with taxes or charges or God knows what!
They then tried to frighten me by saying that their client wanted valuable patents which BG has so they could use them in their own business. They also said that after their clients had taken the patents, all that would be left of British Gas was an empty shell and that my shares would be worthless if I didn't sell. However when you study the accounts of BG it seems that the majority of their assets are tangible i.e. gas related (if gas can be tangible that is!).
All in all a scam and a very insidious one at that. If you consider that a large number of small investors in BG are likely to be of retirement age, Scott and Fischer's tactics are 'out of order'.
Apr 10, 2013 Rating
Some you win but most you lose. by: JP
Oh what a disappointment, I had already planned what to spend the money on when I find this website. 5 phone calls from the US, different people from different departments nicely following the old sales approach of "a funnel technique" bring them in slowly so at the end they can only say yes.
5 calls for just a few shares is too much trouble to be a scam, surely; but wait, they have found I was awarded a lot more, gosh I am rich. But hang on a minute a bond, only 10 - 15% of the "new shares value" is required.
No longer rich but going to miss the pleasant phone call every day. All is not lost as I have recieved an email from a a Nigerian Prince who needs help.
Apr 09, 2013 Rating
Cable and Wireless shares by: Helen
I too keep getting a phone call from an American accented lady offering to buy my Cable and Wireless shares which she says are worth £18,000.
She is very persistent and keeps calling. She has even left a message saying not to put the phone down on her! We have been getting calls for approx 1 month.
Thing is I don't own any of their shares and have told her. She has said their legal department will check for me.
Stay clear - sounds too good to be true. Could do with the £ though!
Apr 09, 2013 Rating
Thus plc sought by Cable & Wireless by: Anonymous
A similar story to all the others. My worthless Thus plc shares are now apparently worth £5 - £15 and are the subject of a hostile takeover. I was warned to keep this information confidential to 'avoid a bidding war.'
Rachel Walker from the 'Mergers & Aquisitions' Dept. is the delightful bearer of this news. Sorry Rachel, thanks but no thanks!
Apr 09, 2013 Rating
E Wood Holdings - scam by: Steve
I have been contacted over several afternoons and evenings advising that I hold shares in a Co that are now owned by 3M (MMM) in the US and that the handling co contacting me was globalcorppartners. It started by being sent a Non Disclosure Form (trying to keep it secret) to be signed and returned.
After 4 or 5 later calls they got to the point were they were asking me to make a contribution to an “Insurance Backed Guarantee Bond” for about 25% of the value of the 3M shares - in this case about $30,000. At this point I told them I was not going to make ANY contribution and hung up on them. That was yesterday - and still this afternoon I got another call asking why I was not interested - to which I replied I am not going to be scammed.
Looking up the IP address of the Web site I see that it is registered in Makati City - Philippines - yet more smell of Rat coming down the wire.
More notes of caution - if it sound Too Good - it usually is Too Good and to be avoided.
Apr 08, 2013 Rating
Scott and Fischer scam by: Anonymous
I have just been telephoned by " Simone" from Scott and Fischer consultancy and informed that valueless shares I have held for many years are now worth £4!
I was sent an email wanting me to sign a non disclosure document, however , when checking on the internet I could not find any directors of this company. I found your excellent web site which confirmed that this is a scam. Thanks
Apr 08, 2013 Rating
Summers Associates by: Anonymous
They rang today claiming to want to buy our M&S shares on behalf of an American company and were prepared to pay between £8 & £15 per share. Now M&S is a possible target at the moment but certainly not worth that much money to anyone, trading at about £3.50 currently. I took great delight in keeping her on the phone as long as possible ;)
Apr 08, 2013 Rating
Scott Fischer Consultancy by: Anonymous
My father was contacted by phone from a lady from Herman Brothers Group. She explained that they where doing a hostile take over of a UK company. He had a few shares and asked if he would be willing to sell.
She left it a few days and got back to him and faxed all the details to his local public library. He collected the fax and read through it. It also included a "non disclosure notice". He signed the notice and a lady rang back the same day stating that his shares had doubled in quantity.
As he is getting on in age and the winter bills had arrived he decided to sell. More paperwork exchanged hands via fax. Then out of the blue another company Scott and Fischer contacted him to make all the arrangements to sell the share. This was followed by more phone calls. Then another company in Hong Kong got in contact.
This is the point I got involved. Spoke to FSA and the company who's shares he has and found it was a scam.
Next time they rang he told them that he was not interested and they got very very abusive on the phone and said he has signed to say he has agreed to sell them the shares. After 4 weeks they have stopped ringing him.
Stay clear if it sounds too good it will be a scam. What a shame that they target people and especially the elderly.
Apr 05, 2013 Rating
Dean Witters by: Anonymous
Load of bull, they have been calling me for the last 2 weeks. Now they want me to pay them some money for a bond....told them to f*** off!!!
Apr 05, 2013 Rating
Scott Fischer by: Anonymous
These guys are persistent - told them that I would not be lodging any bond or paying any money to sell the shares but they keep coming with the NDA etc.
Have warned them the regulator takes a dim view of this type of scam.
The reality is the regulator does not give a $$$t beause I sent all the info to them last year and yet again I am being pestered.
If it is too good to be true it usually is - cannot help having some fun with them.
Apr 04, 2013 Rating
Scam and Phisher Consultancy Chicago by: Anonymous
That is Scott and Fisher consultancy not Scam and Phisher or is it the other way round.
Thanks to this web site - you have just confirmed my suspicions about scamming company. All too good to be true- 3 for 1 offer on hostile takeover – deceased grandfather shares are now worth £139,000!
I was asked to sign a confidentiality agreement and they would buy the shares from me for way over the market price, as long as I paid £4000 + insurance. There was no reference to any probate issues or tax issues or reference to other members of the family getting any of my grandfather non-existent loot.
Apr 04, 2013 Rating
Tandem Group (formally MV Sports) Shares by: Anonymous
Same approach from Lady at Herman Brothers Group re: Proposed hostile takeover trying to get commitment for 51% and would i be interested in selling my shares (only small number worth about £200) but told the company they were acting for would pay between £7-10 per share. Sounded very convincing.
They sent Non Disclosure agreement which at first I was reluctant to sign as it locks you in for 6 months but as I have had these few shares since 1999 and was not planning on selling them anyway I thought I would sign the ND agreement and email it back. I have now received another call from lady at Herman Bros saying that my shareholding has miraculously increased 20 fold!! and that a US Insurance company are wanting to cover the takeover transaction and will need me to pay an insurance premium.
At this point I realised that this is a scam and told the lady that never before have I been asked for any insurance payment to cover the cost of any share transaction and I would not be willing to part with any money 'up-front'. She then said that I would be next contacted by Scott Fischer Consultancy who they have brought in to 'help' with this transaction and they would explain this insurance payment in more detail.
She also said they would send me a 'Courier Package' with all the details Needless to say I will put the phone down when they ring again. I'm only sorry that I was conned into signing the NDA.
Apr 03, 2013 Rating
Resolution Shares by: Anonymous
A couple of years ago a scammer claimed that my Resolution shares would be worthless once his client's takeover was complete. I told him that he clearly didn't understand the nature of takeovers. He never called back.
An oriental sounding woman called this evening with the same pitch, so I decided to have some fun with her. I told her I had never heard of Resolution and never held shares in them, so couldn't sell them. She said that as I am registered as a shareholder I can sell the shares to her, even though I don't own any! She then went on to say that they knew I had sold the shares but I could still sell them to her!
I didn't stay on the line to hear how that one would work.
Apr 02, 2013 Rating
Summers Associates by: Anonymous
Had the same experience as mentioned. Dennis Chan of Summers Associates needing 51% of shares etc etc.
Apr 02, 2013 Rating
Scott Fischer Consultancy by: Antonymouse
I was approached by the above firm and in my innocence, informed them of the number of shares I hold in the company they were targeting. I then received a nondisclosure agreement immediately after the telephone call was completed.
As the offer they made sounded too good to be true, I went onto the company web site for which I have a share holding and they have also identified the probability of a take over scam.
I then searched the web and found a surprisingly impressive web site for the above referenced company, but when I tried to connect to their 'supposed' UK office in Guildford, I was, thankfully, transferred to your web site.
I will do as so many others have done, which is, not respond to any more of their telephone calls or e-mails.
Thank you very much for your web page and warning which I hope will help ohers who are approached.
Apr 01, 2013 Rating
Dean Witter Consultancy Scam by: Dave L
Have been phoned on numerous occasions by a Sabrina Lawrence from New York asking me to sell a small holding I have in Resolution Ltd. Have now been sent a Non-Disclosure Agreement from Dean Witter Consultancy to sign and fax back. Having read comments below this is clearly a scam. Didn't get to the stage where they asked for money, but no dobt that'd be next. Offered between £8-£15 per share, when they are only worth approx £2. Sounds too good to be true, it certainly is. They sound very convincing, backed up back by a very convincing web-site. Steer clear.
Mar 28, 2013 Rating
Summers Associates by: Anonymous
Had this lot on the phone yesterday, saying they had a client who was wanting to acquire 51% in Aviva in which I have a small holding and suggesting a price of around £8 - 15 a share (They are trading at £3 at the moment.). A very well rehearsed script, and suggestions shares will be worthless if takeover happens and haven't sold shares.
They have sent `non disclosure form'. Having read your page I am convinced this is a scam for a bond to be paid although it hasn't been mentioned as yet. Will not be taking this further and will report to FSA.
Mar 25, 2013 Rating
Dean Witter Consultancy by: Anonymous
Having had several calls re take-over of a company in which I own a small number of shares, and having signed a confidential Non-Disclosure Agreement, today's call told me that my holding is far larger than my records show, and that in advance of the take-over I will have to pay a "refundable" bond to lock me in to the deal. Now I smell a scam!!
As ever, if something seems to be too good to be true, it usually is!.
Mar 25, 2013 Rating
BG scam by: Govey
I 've had a couple of incidents similar to those described below. I rang BG and suggested they put something about this being a scam on their web site and with their postal communications but they cut me off mid conversation.
Mar 25, 2013 Rating
Parker Group by: Kenny
Another one to add to the list...cold call from a withheld number today. English accent caller tried to railroad the conversation and was very keen to talk about investments without properly identifying himself. Eventually got a name of Parker Group from him.
He hung up as soon as I tried asking him some more questions about who he actually was so am not entirely what his angle was but it was definitely a phishing call of some sorts.
Even if it wasn't, it is not the type of tactics I would expect from a reputable company so certainly would not have any dealings with them anyway.
Mar 22, 2013 Rating
Yep, it all sounds familar! by: Anonymous
Got a call three days ago which got my very frail father worked up and forced me to witness the recorded conversation that took place with "John" from Scott Fisher consultancy. My father went along with the scam, and when John went on about the "51% shares increase," nonsense, I googled the company and found your page.
More worryingly when I read the info from other people on here regarding a similar script, all became clear. My father went as far to getting a claim form from this company.
Mar 21, 2013 Rating
Scott Fischer Consultancy by: Darren
This company called my wife last night, a lady calling herself Sue Morgan, was quite believable. She was told to call me back today .... which she just has.
As with other scams they are wanting to buy shares on a company I bought into that went bust (Ennstone PLC) a few years ago for between £3 & £8 for a client wanting to takeover the company.
The more I spoke to her the more she couldn't answer my questions .... eventually she hung up on me ! Fantastic when that happens! They have what appears to be a legitimate website, so please be very cautious!
Mar 20, 2013 Rating
SUMMERS ASSOCIATES by: Anonymous
Have had numerous calls relating to Standard Life from Summers Associates. Seemed quite beliveable until they asked for an up front bond. Although the website looks very professional, no telephone number is available to check legitimacy and attempts at company verification proved fruitless. BE WARNED!!!!
Mar 20, 2013 Rating
Scott Fischer Consultants by: Anonymous
I had a call from "James Valdez" last night telling me I had 3000 shares in a company that ceased to exist in 2008.
I kept him on the phone as long as I could so the scam ended up costing him money and also got him to fax a copy of the NDA to me to cost him even more.
He's calling me back tonight to confirm he received my NDA....which I have no intention of sending back....and I will keep him on the phone again while I tell him that I know it is a scam.
=o)
Mar 20, 2013 Rating
Scam by: Anonymous
If you hear from Hermann Brothers of New York, it WILL be a scam. They will be persistent, lots of phone calls. Tell them you have checked with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and found that Hermann Brothers are unregistered, so you won't deal with them It should stop the calls.
Mar 19, 2013 Rating
NDA by: Anonymous
Re-the comment below and paperwork. Don't worry, my Mum sent hers back and when we realised what was going on, we told the people to stop phoning and nothing has happened since (months ago).
Mar 18, 2013 Rating
Scam by: Anonymous
Same story from Hanson Associates wanting to buy our few Tandem shares at great profit as secret take over.
Website looks real. Lady said Washington. Realised address is Seattle, Washington State. Address does not seem to exist!
We sent form back but contacted today by the' legal department' about posting a bond. Lady would not give any straight answers and lost her cool when interrupted to re - ask.
How can this scam be stopped? Any advice. We had almost been taken in until they asked for money. It must be working with some people or they would not keep on. Have we opened ourselves up by sending paperwork back?
Mar 18, 2013 Rating
Dean Witter by: Anonymous
I am being pestered by these guys re shares I still own which I paid only pence for and now am being told that I will be offered £12-£17 per share. Told that I now own 4000 shares not 200 which their legal dept have discovered, and will have to pay a bond of 5-10% ....can this be correct or do I smell a rat?
Mar 18, 2013 Rating
Suspect by: Anonymous
I had Global Corporate Partners on the phone today. A bit concerned as they referred to shares I sold today! I've only got as far as receiving the NDA but sounds very suspect and passed details to the FSA.
Mar 15, 2013 Rating
Beware! by: Anonymous
My mother was contacted by a American firm (Global Corppartners)who surprised my mum by saying that her 100 shares were acquired to complete a hostile takeover.
She was promised a payout of £84000.00 However she would have to pay an up front insurance bond of £5000. My mum then said she did not have that amount of money to which she said she would pay half for her.
My mum was contacted by telephone on several occasions and the lady was very convincing to an extent that mum was tempted.
I eventually spoke to the women and she did not like the fact that my mum had confided in me as it was supposed to be confidential. I asked if they were UK registered and she told me the company was global I asked the question again and she terminated the phone call.
Please be aware this is a SCAM......
Mar 13, 2013 Rating
Scott Fischer Consultancy by: Anonymous
Same scam story this week from "Scott and Fischer Consultancy Ltd" based in Chicago, about some shares I sold for about 1,000 pounds five years ago; apparently their legal department has verified that I still own the shares, the number of my shares has doubled but I wasn't aware and they are offering me 8 times their market value... Just great!
The only catch: I have to deposit a few thousand pounds in advance for the "insurance bond"; of course, this sum will be refunded at a later stage. The "transfer agent" where I should deposit the 'insurance' money is based in Honk Kong!!!
Quite good scam artists I must admit... Almost believable!!! Beware!!!
Mar 13, 2013 Rating
Eagle Commerce Group re Stagecoach Shares by: Anonymous
We have been contacted by a company called Eagle Commerce asking us to sell our shares in stagecoach. We have gone along with it for so long and even sent the non disclosure form they wanted back.
However, today when someone called Brian rang, and told us that the 85 shares we had were actually now 6375 shares ,and that we could be offered anything from £6 - £11 for each share, well this just seemed ridiculous. He also sneaked in a comment about us needing to pay an upfront deposit.
I told him this was not going to happen and I believed it to be a scam. Thats when I looked for further info and found this website. Needless to say I shall be taking no further phone calls. Other names given are David Morgan and Ricardo Gomez
Mar 12, 2013 Rating
Stilo International Share Scam by: Anonymous
We have been contacted by a company in Seattle telling us that our 250 Stilo International Shares have in fact been increased to 5000, and instead of being worth 5p, they have someone willing to buy them at about £12 a share providing we pay a bond of approximately £6000 in to a Dubai Bank account. They claim my wife would profit to the tune of £60,000.
The name being used is Gordon Tait, they have a very believeable website, and start the process by means of direct contact phone calls using the shareholders list. They use other names of insurance companies and stock brokers all with addresses in close proximatey of each other in Seattle.
Mar 12, 2013 Rating
Mitchells & Butlers by: Anonymous
Contacted by telephone from Montgomery Capital Partners offering to buy my M&B shares for a lot more than they were worth due to hostile takeover. After several lengthy phone calls they wanted us to pay a Bond up front. Beware!
Mar 12, 2013 Rating
Laura Ashley Scam by: Anonymous
Been plagued by this person from New York Eaglecommerce group. Willing to buy my shares in Laura Ashley and offered more than ten times the value. Will not take no for an answer and keeps pestering. Looked for the company on Google and found this site. Looks like they are all from the same people
Mar 08, 2013 Rating
stage coach share scam by: rob
Hi, like all over posts on site a chap called Chris from Summers Associates has called me a lot on shares I sold years ago. Promised me 8x the shares. I had 38k but had to pay insurance bond. Beware.
Mar 08, 2013 Rating
BG shares scam by: Anonymous
I have been plagued by phone calls for over a week from someone claiming to be Mike ??? from NY on behalf of Hanover Consultancy wishing to purchase my BG shares. I put the phone down, he rings back and is very persistent. I have quite enjoyed winding him up as I know it's a scam but he still calls back. Sad to think some people may fall for this scam and end up losing a lot of money.
Mar 07, 2013 Rating
Hermann Brothers Group by: Anonymous
Similar story. When they asked for money, I emailed them requesting info on with which financial regulatory authority they are registered. Heard nothing since - strange!!
Mar 05, 2013 Rating
Dean Witter Consultancy....Again by: Anonymous
Contacted by DWC about hostile takeover of Standard Life plc, about secret multiple of shares owned and 2 to 6 times current value of traded shares. Needed 5-15% of final payout to be paid over in adavance to cover 'Insurance Bond'. Said to be using Far East/Indonesian Transfer Agents due to lower costs and confidentiality!!
Time was now of the essence as they needed the first 51% to secure the takeover and only the big values could be paid on these 51% of teh shares bought.
When asked if they were, or the transfer agents were UK FSA registered, Lady started to lose her sense of humour and said not to interrupt.
When asked again, the phone went down on me!
Mar 04, 2013 Rating
Dean Witter Consultancy by: Anonymous
I am being offered a small fortune for shares in a small company that I sold about 5 years ago. Apparently I was awarded shares that neither I, nor my broker nor the registrar knew anything about. Now "discovered" by Dean Witter's legal department and the subject of a tax-motivated take-over but no evidence provided in writing to support the claim.
Total secrecy of the essence and instant decision needed to be included in the crucial 51% that will be offered the deal. Only problem? The "insurance bond" costing several thousand pounds up front. Some hope!
Mar 01, 2013 Rating
Hermann Brothers NEW YORK ??? by: Anonymous
That would be Alexia Blue no-doubt AKA ???? She wants to buy on behalf of anonymous buyer to gain control of company. They have a nice web site ALMOST believable and telephone from some strange number.
Mar 01, 2013 Rating
Hermann brothers by: Anonymous
Same chat up line from Alexia Blue AKA ???? Nice web site, but nothing behind it, BIG SCAM
Mar 01, 2013 Rating
Shares Scam by: Kevin
I have been in talks with a Alexia at Hermann Brothers about the take over of National Grid. At first it sounded Plausible but now all of a sudden my shares are worth £35K due to some sort of splitting!! now I know it's a scam. They are supposed to call tonight regarding the next step. Looking forward to that :-)
Feb 28, 2013 Rating
Richard Gomez, Hermann Bros Group by: Anonymous
Had several intensive phone calls from Richard Gomez and Denise McKane from Hermann Brothers Group NY promising me unbelievable sums for shares which I thought I sold years ago.
They said I actually had some "residual" shares from the company which I didn't know about (apparently the company failed to mention them). This offer to buy my "shares" was due to a takeover bid requiring 51% etc etc, but would require a bond from me for quite a lot of money before they could complete the deal. Also asked me to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Sounds decidedly dodgy to me!
Has anyone else heard from these people?
Feb 28, 2013 Rating
FSA referral by: Mike B
Responding to the suggestion that these rogues be reported to the FSA, let me assure the poster that they have been some time back, I think by several of us, but without any apparent effect. I guess that because they operate from abroad there's nothing the FSA can do.
Feb 27, 2013 Rating
Hermann Brothers Group by: Anonymous
Same story, talk of a 'forward stock split' so suddenly I have much more shares than i thought i did. Sounded quite convincing.
Waiting for the next call from Hermann Brothers Group to have a bit of my own fun!!
Feb 26, 2013 Rating
Thank You by: Anonymous
Thank you for this website, as it helped me to confirm to my parents that the caller was a scam.
If you need to report this, please complete this form to the FSA, who will investigate. Please take the time to report it to stop others being prey to this:
I have been contacted by a Vanessa Johnstone,and a Georgina Evans, of Deanwitter Consultancy, New York. with regards to purchasing my shares prior to a takeover of British Gas. They have been contacting me all week but the last call I got, they are requiring an insurance payment of some kind which got me suspecting a scam. Seems I am correct.
Feb 23, 2013 Rating
Hostile take-over of Laura Ashley by: John
Like most of the others, I have been approached by an M&A company (Hermann Brothers, NY) to buy my Laura Ashley shares at an inflated price. They have sent me an NDA and have mentioned some sort of insurance that I will have to pay.
Not a chance!!!
Feb 23, 2013 Rating
Hostile takeover of BG (or BT) by: Anonymous
Phone calls from an Yvonne Gabriel of Morgan Stanley, New York, regarding a hostile takeover of BG Group PLC. Did actually have shares at one point, but sold them in 2007.
Usual patter, insurance bond, needing 51% of shares, etc. etc. No mention of money yet, but I feel dutybound under the NDA to let everyone else know!! ;)
Paperwork (NDA) arrived over email, and forwarded to FSA.
Interestingly enough, paperwork refers to a hostile takeover of BT!
Feb 21, 2013 Rating
Share takeover scam by: Anonymous
I have been contacted by Lawrence James & Associates New York.
I have contacted the FSA and Lawrence James are not registered with them.
They wanted to acquire my share holding at £4.08 per share in a company called Ashdene Group that went into liquidation in 2008.I was sent a nondisclosure agreement and then a sales agreement. I said from the start that I was not willing to send any money upfront to receive the funds from the sale.
The sales contract stated that they required an insurance bond of £3,600. When I told them that they could deduct the bond from their payment to me I was told that was not possible. I told them that I was not going to proceed with them. I presume that this is a scam be warned!!!!
Feb 21, 2013 Rating
Hostile takeover of J Sainsbury plc by: lorraine
Like below, just been contacted by Eagle Commerce group of NY trying to buy my shares in sainsbury. They claimed my 116 shares were not the full amount and that I actually had 5,800 shares and they would pay me £66,816 if I just covered an insurance fee (which would be refunded at end of transaction) of £5,345.38p. Sounded very plausible and at first I was taken in but when they asked for money....
Feb 20, 2013 Rating
Hostile Take Over of Standard Life by: Anonymous
Similar to the other stories below we have been contacted by a Mr. Mike Walter, Montgomery Capital Partners, New York.
They were offering £8 to £17 a share. We received the NDA this evening. I suspected a scam and this web site confirmed it.
Thanks
Feb 20, 2013 Rating
fayewood shares by: Anonymous
just been contacted by Hermann brothers group re Fayewood shares which I sold years ago. This is not the first time a New York company has tried to scam me on these shares. As with all scams, they eventually required a few thousand pounds before they can send you tens of thousands of pounds.
Beware and be careful as with all things, if its too good to be true then someone is probably trying to scam you.
Feb 19, 2013 Rating
Take over share scam - Hermann Brothers Group New York by: Paul D
My mother was contacted relating to British Gas shares my late father owned but had since sold.
Thankfully she gave them my number and email address. I have already received a NDA from them, and did a reverse lookup on the IP address that the email was sent from.
It looks like they use a fake website using a host based in Florida.
Can't wait for the phone call for them to seal the deal...
Feb 19, 2013 Rating
Crooks at Pacific First Securities by: Mary Ann
I am getting regular calls from Pacific First Securities to buy my 600 Cable & Wireless shares which have become 7000! They would pay me £76000 but want 3% commission. Luckily I read about scams on the C&B website and your site confirms. They just sent me a contract to sign. Its been amusing but time to send them packing.
Feb 18, 2013 Rating
Global Corporate Partners by: Glen in Scotland
We have been bombarded with phone calls particularly over the last two weeks supposedly originating in New York. They claim that our 200 Dragon Oil shares have miraculously grown to a holding of 10,500 due to a forward stock split. Apparently our shares are now valued at an incredible £103,000!
All we have to do to unlock these untold riches is to pay an insurance bond of £9,300. Seems like a bargain. Then we can buy that sports car and world cruise we have always dreamed of.
Of course this is all lies, but very very plausible. An elaborate SCAM couched in clever financial jargon.
BEWARE - particularly of the dodgy New York accents of Pamela Ford and Helena King.
Feb 15, 2013 Rating
Latest Attempt by: Anonymous
Friend had several calls saying Hermann Brothers were arranging takeover of Sainsburys, had to be confidential, and now they say shares have multiplied 20 times and they are prepared to pay £10-£15 per share but insurance bond required upfront to secure the price.SCAM!
Feb 15, 2013 Rating
Classic Boiler Room by: Anonymous
Similar story to others from a company called Dean Witter Consultancy based in NY. Instantly smelt a rat as I knew Dean Witter merged with Morgan Stanley some years ago. They are obviously trying to use reputable names to lure victims in.
Offering six figure sum for shares worth about £100 if we put money in escrow insurance bond. Signed NDA and playing along at the moment just to see what docs they send through out of curiosity but will not be parting with the £20k they are asking for!
They are applying pressure though as their patter is that they need 51% and they have 54% signed up so it will only be the first 51% that put up the insurance bond money that will get the offer. They also said we held 6% of the company which is nonsense as I checked the issued share capital of the company and it's less than 0.01% that we hold.
Also phone line that they call on is really bad and crackling and strange 5 digit number appears, not an NY phone number.
Feb 14, 2013 Rating
Phone Calls by: Anonymous
Contacted by "Hermann Brothers Group" Mrs Nataly Gomaz regarding shares which they located and supposedly belong to me and offered a good price to sell it. I have no such shares. Very much the same pattern as the comments bellow.
After my suspicions I made some search and found this site which confirmed my thoughts of the SCAM. I am most greatful and hope that others will find this site and be warned before it is too late.
I wish someone could come up with an answer as to how to stop these dangerous people to operate this way. She will be phoning me again tomorrow to continue with the pressure, but I am now ready to give her my answers. Will come back with the result.
Feb 14, 2013 Rating
Global Corporate Partners by: Wayne in London
Contacted repeatedly by NY / Chinese accented young men from (apparently NYC) wouldn't leave me alone. Promising a massive premium on my tiny holding of Barclays shares. All I have to do is sign the NDA form they have kindly sent me!
Clearly this is all a load of bull, I guess they prey on weak, desperate or greedy people who want more money for nothing!
Apparently I am in danger of missing a "package deadline" for maxing out the money I can make from a quick return of my NDA. Tomorrow, or possibly the day after is the deadline!
I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to research what they are up to till now.
I'll enjoy dispatching them with ease when they next call!
Feb 13, 2013 Rating
phone call by: henry duffy
Received call from New York?...asking if I would sell my shares in Stagecoach?...what shares? They will send on paperwork asap....watch this space!
Feb 13, 2013 Rating
Hermann Brothers Group Scam by: Anonymous
Contacted by these people with the same story as in all the other scams listed. Very persuasive woman with a New York accent offering over priced value for shares as they needed to get 51% etc - same old tale. Sent me the Non Disclosure Agreement - ready for them now when they no doubt will phone again to pursue the scam.
Feb 11, 2013 Rating
Take Over Scam by: Anonymous
Contacted by American voice to sell shares I do not have in Stagecoach. I insisted I had no shares but was told to send back the form and they would confirm my shares and make me an offer. Smelling a dodgy deal googled the company and found this web site. Many thanks to you all.
Feb 08, 2013 Rating
First Pacific Scurities by: Wisdom
My parents received constant phone calls for the past year about shares I hold in Alexandra PLC worth a little over £1000. First Pacific are now offering me £7000. I stupidly sent the non-disclosure form back to them. I guess I should expect a call soon demanding money to release the shares!
The only reason I fell for this initially is because they bombarded my parents with calls for over a year. Naturally I thought this could be legitimate, as they went to such lengths to track me down. I am glad I did a little research and found this website....needless to say they will not hear from me again..
Feb 07, 2013 Rating
pacific first securities by: tobiasd
Also been pestered by apparently NYC-based outfit called PACIFIC FIRST SECURITIES for hostile takeover of Golden Prospect PLC / Ambrian Capital PLC and I miraculously have twice as many shares due to some allocation.
Also using Pacific Transfers International as the transfer agent and want a bond of £6K. They can't explain why a US company taking over a UK company is using a Hong Kong agent.
Contact was a Michael Travis and agreement signed by: Katherine Edwards Daniel Mark Sternberg
Feb 07, 2013 Rating
Hermann Brothers Group by: Anonymous
Same script, after shares in a now-dead ex UK company called Delta. Hermann Brothers web site looks quite genuine, but I am sure this is a scam. Tried to trap him by asking about New York weather, and he was too ready with the answer.
Feb 07, 2013 Rating
Global Corporate Partners by: Anonymous
Constant phone calls regarding shares - this is a scam - to do not give out any of your details, no matter how convincing. Put the phone down on them.
Feb 06, 2013 Rating
Nelson Capital Advisors scam by: Anonymous
I have had the same experiences, hours on the phone every day to the point of harrassment. Only too pleased I didn't pay any cash over to them. I thought it was too good to be true that my shares had increased 10 fold.
Jan 31, 2013 Rating
Pacific first securities by: Anonymous
Same scam hostile take over - emailed non-disclosure over to me to sign.......
With reference to your recent conversation with Ms. Elizabeth Jones / Acquisition Department, we are attaching the standard Non-Disclosure Agreement, which confirms that you will not disclose confidential information about the acquisition of Resolution PLC to other parties.
Please fill in the details such as the full name and number of shares you originally purchased.
If the name of the company shares has changed since you bought it, you can also list the new name.
Our Legal Department will clarify your holdings and if you are not fully sure as to how many shares you own or if the name of the company has changed, we will re-confirm your holdings on your behalf.
Please sign, date and return via fax or email at your earliest convenience, enabling the registration of your share sale by our Legal Department. Sincerely yours, _______________________ Ms. Katherine Edwards Administration Department
Jan 31, 2013 Rating
Global corporate partners by: Anonymous
This company is not registered with the FSA. Do not give them the time of day, just hang up.
I was told there was a hostile takeover and that in order to secure this money I would need to authorise a £4k insurance bond. This was with Pacific transfers international. Another Scam company.
However tempting the offer sounds it's a scam and please do not be a victim. HANG UP !
Jan 26, 2013 Rating
Summers associates Ltd by: Anonymous
I have received repeated phone calls from the above firm in New York offering me between £3 and £10 for shares which are valued at 9p on the stock market! As others have said they are very plausible and they knew exactly how many shares that I had in the company. I have been getting 3-4 phone calls every day this week.
As other have also stated they say that there is going to be a hostile takeover of the company and my shares will then be worthless. Yesterday they informed me that there had been shares issues and I now had 50 times the number of shares that I thought I had!
Thank you to all those who have posted on this website as it confirmed my suspicions. Please be aware of this scam as they are actually very believable.
Jan 25, 2013 Rating
Global corporate partners scam by: Anonymous
Global tried to scam my parents wanting £4000 up front. This is a total scam, they even sent a contract that was full of nonsensical rubbish!
Jan 24, 2013 Rating
Media Corp Shares by: Anonymous
Had a woman on yesterday from Nelson Capital Advisors, and have been sent a Non Disclosure Agreement for Media Corp. This is the second time in 6 months I've had the same scam, but from different companies. Shares probably worth less than a penny, but offered between 7 and 16 pounds. Too good to be true, so definately a scam! Not paying a penny out or signing the form. Wonder if they will call me again this evening?
Jan 23, 2013 Rating
Beware it is a con by: Anonymous
I have been contacted everyday for the last 5 days from BlackSwanMorgan stating my late fathers small shareholding in Resolution Plc was actually 10 times bigger than stated, and as they were looking to undertake a hostile takeover my shares which are only worth circa £1500 were actually worth £15K but they would offer me £44K!
Like previous comments I was asked to provide £4K bond
They kept saying the entire share capital of Resolution was 5 million shares but on checking with the London Stock Exchange the shares total £ 1.5 Billion. The women at Blackswan could not explain this
They are con artists and don't be sucked in
Jan 22, 2013 Rating
Shares belonging to late husband by: Anonymous
Have been called consistently by Adam Parman and David Gomez about shares my late husband had bought. I continually told them that all my husband's shares had been sold - they are apparently worth 30p at present, but Gomez said a hostile takeover would mean my husband's estate would get £15 per share (300 shares). He insisted their legal dept have found these shares, but would not give me proof. I asked Parman several times how much I would have to pay for the insurance bond and he finally said about £4,000. I told him I couldn't pay the money upfront and finally they stopped calling. I told them my husband died 6 months ago but they still continued to call.
Jan 21, 2013 Rating
Summers Associated Ltd by: Anonymous
Summers Associated Ltd........BEWARE Complete scam,offering my elderly father £60,000 for shares that are worth less than £300-wanted £6000 to insure the bond as they put it.
Jan 21, 2013 Rating
NDA scam by: Medlar
Had a similar call from someone with an almost unintelligible Filipino accent representing Pacificventures trying to get Albion VCT share... Followed up with a one-way NDA that was laughable, more or less asking me to sign away all rights. The site is registered to an address in Cebu in the Phillipines so sent them a less than polite "get lost message" in Filipino.
Also submitted the domain for email blacklisting to my mail host. (Some services provide this).
Jan 21, 2013 Rating
Blackswanmorgan beware by: Anonymous
Like previous submissions to this web page we too have been approached by this company to sell shares at twice the market value. The old adage applies if it seems too good to be true it usually is.
After gaining your interest the usual ploy will be that they will require a bond or form of insurance before funds are release, usually several thousand pounds. You will not hear from them after this!
We thought very suspect and upon checking out the website using Scamadviser or Alexa we found out that this was less than 3 months old with insufficient web traffic. If they were legit the traffic would register. IF they have had very few hits most likely a scam website, if they are less than a year old and have only the intended life span of a year, very suspect. You can also verify the address given for the local country, this did not tie up either. Steer a wide berth. Dont forget always check out suspect webs they should also not start with www or http.
Jan 19, 2013 Rating
Another name to add - Global Corporate Partners by: Farmer
In UK. Similar calls from Global Corporate Partners "in New York" about a share-holding they think I have in Genus PLC. Have neither confirmed nor denied whether I still hold the shares.
When I started asking awkward questions the phone was put down on me. Next day another call. Said I don't deal with people who put the phone down. Was told there was problem with phone. Same script: hostile takeover, want to send non-disclosure agreement, have agreement with institutional investors for 47% of the shares, only need mine and a few others to gain control and remainder of company will be put into a shell worthless to those who don't sell.
Being offered £18-£20 for shares currently at about £14.50 (haven't yet inflated number of shares or asked for insurance bond). When I asked if he knew what Genus' business was, phone went dead. Called back 3 mins later and recited from Genus website. Dictated to me link to Global Corporate Partners website and email. Said I was not interested and had to go.
Repeated phone calls next evening showing same number which I didn't answer and voice message from Allan at Global saying "please answer my call" Incidentally same number has been reported on UK nuisance call websites re PPI Refunds and Sky Warranties.
Jan 18, 2013 Rating
Nelson Capital Advisors scam by: Stonky
Same deal here - I think they have tried 50 - 60 times to phone me about Skyepharma shares - I only have 270 @ about 0.70p each but these jokers want to give me £8 a share. Main problem is that BT can't block international nuisance calls (unless anyone out there knows better!).
Jan 18, 2013 Rating
Pipex shares by: Anonymous
Had the same calls re 4500 Pipex shares that had magically appeared when I only hold 18 Daisy shares. Checked website for Pacific Ventures Inc and the address which is only listed as A Bistro in NY. Very persuasive but really pleased I checked this site. I will respond to them now telling them its a Scam and that I've posted on this site. Cheers.
Jan 16, 2013 Rating
Pacific Ventures by: Peter
Cold called me and offered an incredible price for my Aviva shares. Never had a call like this before but could smell the rat from the start. When I asked him questions about his office in New York he hadn't a clue. He then said he used to be based in LA so I asked him further questions. He again hadn't a clue and actually claimed he 'wasn't the outgoing sort'!!!!!
I can't believe folk fall for this but some obviously do and I feel for them.
As everyone keeps saying, if it sounds too good to be true.....
Jan 15, 2013 Rating
Nelson Capital for me by: Andy
Same as all below. No calling line ID. Very poor call quality (I presume IP). Jennifer Ross (sounded Indian), said she was in New York working for Nelson Capital. Interesting they've used Wellington and Nelson. Any bets on Churchill soon?
Very convincing story if you aren't quite up on the rules around takeovers etc. I chatted for 13 minutes with the scammers and no doubt will have the pleasure tomorrow. Haven't seen the NDA yet.
Will have to dig out FSA details and see if they will investigate.
Jan 15, 2013 Rating
Pacific Ventures inc. by: Anonymous
Recieved a call wanting to buy my holding of British Telecom. Was sent a NDA similar to the previous comments, but when I traced it, it originated in the Phillipines. The "administrator" then called me to ask when I would be returning the NDA and I said that they would need to send it from a valid address, and that the link to their website in the email didn't work either.
I wasn't asked for anything like bank details or money but I assume that comes when they think you're hooked.
Jan 14, 2013 Rating
Another Case - Blackswan Morgan by: Anonymous
I'm having the same trouble with Blackswan Morgan (nothing to do with J P Morgan Blackswan and not on the FSA register) which claims that 128 Centrica shares I have multiplied 35 times and now want a bond of £4,225.54. (My actual holding is a different number of shares.) I don't know if they just obtain numbers from the phone directory & hope that the person has afew privatisation shares or if you can obtain details of shareholders from Companies House and its done that way.
They didn't seem impressed when I dicussed contacting the share registrars to confirm my holding. I've contacted the FSA but I suspect that they have numerous cases like this.
Seems that it is a common scam.
Jan 13, 2013 Rating
Pacific Ventures scam by: Anonymous
My wife is being plagued by these people, and was sent an NDA. Below is the response I told her to send. Despite this the Hispanic sounding caller still persists and seems completely oblivious to our e-mail response. He obviouly has a lot to hide.
"Dear Sirs,
Thank you for your e-mail of 3rd December. I cannot address this to any individual because no name has been given. I would like to know who I am dealing with, please ?
You say the Confidentiality agreement is for my perusal. That's fine; I have perused it, so what next ?
Your representative gave me a certain amount of information, including a guaranteed minimum price for my shareholding in the company referred to. Is this "guaranteed", or contingent, or speculative ? I would like to know please.
The form of the agreement is imprecise as well. It refers to the "parties above mentioned", but none are mentioned. It asks me not to disclose some unspecified information (presumably about my shareholding in the company) to anyone else for six months. It asks for details of my shareholding. But you must know that already because you called me knowing of my shareholding, and my details. How else would you have known how and where to contact me ?
I am quite prepared to listen to you, and to sign up to something which is clear and concise. At the moment, as you will gather from this e-mail, we have some way to go, I think. So I need something much more comprehensive and explanatory from you, please".
Of course, like my wife, the money is tempting. But stay clear of these people, is my advice.
Jan 10, 2013 Rating
Nelson Capital Ltd scam - Resolution Ltd by: DAVID P, UK
Phoned by Nelson Capital Ltd today re similar proposed acquisition of Resolution Ltd. Suspected this was leading to request for up front payment from me...and so it turned out.
Checked out their website which is a masterpiece of nonsense jargon but the tell tale peculiar English, weird sentence structure, incorrect plurals...the complete lack of any evidenced activity and verifiable contacts should be WARNING ENOUGH!
Jan 10, 2013 Rating
Pacific Ventures / Murray International by: Anonymous
Received similar call as previous paragraphs but now wanting to buy Murray International. As usual offering 2-3 times the value, very confidential, and with passing mention of bond. Same script as Centrica etc., just moving to a new batch of shareholders.
Jan 08, 2013 Rating
Its 3 now. by: Anonymous
Pacific Ventures Consultancy.
Jan 08, 2013 Rating
Pacific Ventures scam by: Anonymous
I have been contacted several times over the last few weeks by NY based Pacific Ventures - firstly by an Alison Ford and then by an M&A expert Adam Parmann.
Interestingly, despite Adam claiming that he has worked for the last 6 years at Pacific, according to a post below, he appears to have also worked for another company trying to buy Centrica shares. I probed him on this and he denied all knowledge but sounded uneasy.
This scam appears to be exactly on the lines of other posts below - I was ultimately being asked to stump up over £4000 in the form of a performance bond for a deal to go through involving some penny shares that had a) multiplied in number and b) were suddenly worth a lot more, being the subject of a hostile takeover.
Quite a few things didn't check out, not least the strange hispanic / Asian / Indian (??) accents of both Alison and Adam but also the fact that Pacific Ventures doesn't seem to be recognised by the New York State Dept.
I told them they were operating a scam and I will report to the FSA. THanks to this website I made a narrow escape - these guys are certainly quite convincing.
Jan 08, 2013 Rating
Pacific Ventures Consultancy by: Jonathan
My wife received a call last night from these people trying to orchestrate a "take over" of an investment trust run by Aberdeen Asset Management, needed an DNA signing. Remaining 49% would be worthless etc etc
Was suprised at how convincing it sounded and we would consider ourselves pretty streetwise.
Please be careful.
Dec 28, 2012 Rating
Pacific Ventures/Reynolds Consultancy by: Shirley K
6 months ago I had a call from Reynolds Consultancy asking for my daughter. I explained she hadn't lived here for several years and what was it regarding. He said West City holdings. I told him I bought the shares in her name. He then said the same spiel of their client wanting to take over West City.
Why he was talking to me when the shares were in her name? he answered It's OK their legal dept would sort everything out. This was all rather strange, as far as I was aware we no longer held any shares in West City.
I told him - Bought 15000 Emess (changed to West City - 3000 shares) West City de-listed 2009 accepted cash offer (paltry amount I must add)
Why he was talking about 15000 shares we only ever had 3000 West City, he said that was on the register but it's OK their legal team will verify the holding.
Same conversations went on several weeks.
I did some ground work, couldn't find them on the 'net, RC never came up. They did have a very professional website, but anyone can set one up.
I went onto the NY State Dept
The duties of the Division of Corporations include the filing and maintenance of documents pertaining to business and not-for-profit corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships and registered limited liability partnerships that are formed in New York State or authorized to conduct business under the laws of New York State.
When I couldn't find RC, I emailed them and got the following reply
"The Department of State has no record of a corporation or other business entity with the name Reynolds Consultancy Ltd"
I mentioned this on their last call he said he would get their legal team to look into it. Hence no further phone calls till the other week when I got called from Pacific Ventures saying the same spiel.
Latest call was yesterday, time was running out as they nearly had their 51% and could I send back the disclosure form, I kept him on the phone for over 1/2 hour (their phone call and time - a bit of entertaining bait on my side as there was rubbish on TV at the time!)
I told him they would require bond? he said an insurance policy, I asked who with? he didn't know at the time but it may be with AXA, Prudential, Lloyds of London - had I heard of them?
I told him he was saying the same as RC who previously approached us and that the NY State Dept had never heard of them. He didn't know of these other people but the confidentiality aspect must have been compromised and their dealings with his client ceased.
I asked him to email details of his Company's registration details etc.
I know this has been long winded but if it helps others not to be duped then it has been worth it.
Dec 23, 2012 Rating
Pacific Ventures Consultancy by: Anonymous
..... are part of a skullduggerous scam. Just like all of the other punters who have noted here, they are running a thoroughly disreputable and probably illegal (?) scam in attempting to make people put up a "Bond" in order to secure unheard of gains.
I have been accosted by the Centrica scam by these people; but they're all very similar.
I just hope that no-one has actually been duped by these b@&#@&ds.
Dec 21, 2012 Rating
Been going on or quite some time by: Anonymous
I've had these calls for over 12 months now, usually a different company name, but same basic talk.
Hostile takeover, need to agree to an NDA, offer is about 5-10 times the market value.
When I've listened further then warned once they get over 50% they'll strip out the valuable assets leaving everyone else with nothing.
Then some bond of roughly the current market value of the shares...
I lost count of the number of things wrong in what they say: they can't buy 51% then give away the valuable assets; if they wanted to get 51% buying the tiny holdings we likely have would take forever and probably doesn't add up to that anyway, they'd go after the big holders; if someone wants to buy my shares there is no bond etc. they pay the money, they get my shares, simple as that. etc. etc. Of course that all doesn't matter since they don't actually want to but the shares, it's a scam to get the "bond" out of me.
In answer to someone below, how do they know your holdings, the register of shareholders is public. If you use a nominee account where someone else holds the shares for you as the beneficial holder, then you shouldn't get this problem.
Dec 19, 2012 Rating
WH Smiths Takeover! by: Anonymous
I've received several calls now from a Nelson Capital Ltd (in the USA) again asking to acquire my shares.
As far as I was aware I only had a few but they were very happy to inform me I had several thousand. They were prepared to pay anywhere between £6 and £15 and eventually offered me £14.50 for a total of £48000.
Then I was told I'd have to put up a 10% bond before the transaction could take place..this was to be refunded upon the sale taking place.
I'm still receiving calls from them but will no longer answer.
I've Googled the phone number and there are several entries on a US telepest site and when I try to call it nothing happens).
The man dealing with me has and English sounding name but his accent is more Hispanic.
Dec 19, 2012 Rating
Scam by: Anonymous
I have been called by Soloman and Associates offering to by my Proteome Sciences shares. Exactly the same scam as listed below.
Dec 18, 2012 Rating
Resolution Shares by: Anonymous
As per earlier post Belinda Meyer now using company name of Blackswan Morgan for hostile takeover of resolution. All the other details were the same! Nearly had me.
Dec 14, 2012 Rating
Smiths PLC by: Anonymous
Had a call earlier this week wanting to by my shares in WH Smiths PLC. Just like rest offered over odds £44,000.
Again, told I had more shares than I actually had. Then I was asked for a bond and they said they would phone next day. When they phoned I told them I did some checking and told them it was a scam.
They asked if I had proof ( the fact that the even responded like this confirmed the fact), they then tried to threaten me with a lawyer. I told them to bring it on and never contact me again.
Dec 14, 2012 Rating
Centrica Shares , Silly Offer for Shares by: CJ
I ve just had a similar call for Centrica shares, of which I have about 100, offered between 2 to 4 times the value of Centrica shares.
I finished the call but where and how do they know your number? That you have Centrica shares?
Don't be taken in by this scam.
Dec 11, 2012 Rating
Similar Scam ongoing by: Anonymous
I'm ongoing with a similar scam from Pacific Ventures and just waiting for them to deliver the punchline that I have to give them some money for nothing - some sort of insurance bind has been mentioned in passing but they've not asked me to sign anything yet - needless to say it won't be happening.
The question I have though is how do they know where you have your shareholdings???
Dec 06, 2012 Rating
Pacific Ventures by: Anonymous
I have been called a number of times by the same person. This is clearly a scam but until I read this site I could not figure out what the catch was - they say the hostile takeover is a secret and the lady was incredibly evasive when I said I would ring her back once I'd looked into it - this is clearly not acceptable to her employers but for some reason she gave me the phone number anyway.
Do not deal with these people - you will not get any money but you will be asked to pay a fee the handling - ridiculous waste of time as I would never pay somebody for nothing it just takes so long to get it out of them.
Dec 03, 2012 Rating
Pacific Ventures Inc by: Anonymous
I was contacted by the above company offering to buy my shares in an Albion VCT at something like 10x the current market price.
A similar story to those below - with the requirement to contribute to the insurance cost for a transfer agent and the threat that, once 51% of shares were acquired, the remainder would be worthless.
The Website looked superficially credible but, on checking was registered just last week.
You have been warned.
Dec 03, 2012 Rating
Feinler Management Group Scam by: Anonymous
I would like for people to be aware of a scam regarding this company. They contacted my father who is a retired pensioner, regarding shares in Wincanton and a hostile take over bid. They offered him an inflated share price and went through the legislation of sale.
Luckily my father asked them to contact me and a man who has since contacted me on several occasions set out the conditions of sale but stated they wanted 10% transfer agents bond.
All of which they won't be getting but hopefully if people are contacted by this name/company and Google it they will get the message.. don't get involved and don't be fooled by these con merchants.
Luckily we found out in time, hope you do to.
Nov 28, 2012 Rating
Resolution shares by: Anonymous
I am in the UK and was contacted by phone over a week ago by a person representing Richardson Capital Group - Canada (Belinda Meyar) saying that they were acquiring details for verification for shares held in Resolution Ltd, formally Friends Provident Shares, for their client who required 51% of shares for a hostile takeover bid.
After giving the go-ahead for them to verify my shares (I had less than 500), they informed me that I had not been notified of the forward stock split increase which now meant that my ordinary shares were actually 10x more than what my current paperwork said. They said that the share price was likely to be between £6-£12 per share.
Further phone calls from them to say that I would need to put up a bond for 10% of the price offered for each share, this bond would be held by an insurance group either AXA, Prudential, Lloyds etc. They phoned the next night to say the offer for each of my shares was £10.50 and therefore the bond would be £4494 of which 3% was their commission. This bond would be sent back to me 7 days after I received the share payment.
Their client (The hostile takeover company) would be putting up the other 90% of the bond. The bond was incase either the buyer or the seller pulled out of the deal. Tonight they confirmed the above and have forwarded an email with the contract for me to sign. A man called Mr. John Anthony claiming to be the Compliance Officer, asked if I was clear about anything and had any questions.
These people are very convincing but they do repeatedly say that all this is secret which send alarm bells ringing and of course I have never had to part with money as a bond before when selling any shares. Therefore PLEASE DO NOT BE TAKEN IN BY THESE PEOPLE, DO YOUR CHECKS AND REPORT TO THE FSA or EQUIVALENT IN YOUR COUNTRY.
Nov 27, 2012 Rating
Share Fraud by: Keith White
Also received a call from a company wishing to purchase Aviva shares on behalf of an American Client. They presented a very, very good sales pitch with an excellent price offer.
Firstly they confirmed my holding after "consulting their lawyers" and followed that up with a staggering offer. The next step was to advise me that Aviva had omitted to let me know of a share issue which significantly increased the value of my holding from around £600 to over £40,000. It was at this point I realised this was a clever scam and contacted the relevant authorities.
I then continued to play along and collected as much info and paperwork as possible before passing in over to the fraud squad. The fraudsters? Miller Consultancy Group of NY.
Nov 25, 2012 Rating
I shouldn't worry by: Malcolm
Dear Caroline, Your story is very similar to most of the others posted here, and it's very unlikely there will be any risk to your shares. These scammers are only interested in getting you to part with an up-front insurance bond deposit, usually several thousand pounds, after which they will be gone and you'd never hear from them again.
They have no interest in the actual shares and would have no way to appropriate them anyway without being traceable. They seem to have been rather less persistent with you than with some of the other potential 'victims' posted here, but maybe they sensed scepticism or nervousness in your reaction and decided to try elsewhere.
I hope this gives you some reassurance.
Nov 25, 2012 Rating
Aviva Hostile Takeover by: dan phillips
Hi Caroline,
From what you have said I cannot see how the scammer can compromise you, yes they have your email address but there is little they can do with apart from being a pest and sending you other scam emails, if they do mark it junk and further emails should not get through.
Don't worry about confidentiality or other intimidating comments they are crims and have no legal hold over what you say or do. The scam has been reported to several authorities. Just ignore it and have a nice Christmas.
Nov 25, 2012 Rating
Aviva Hostile Takeover by: Caroline
I was half taken in by my caller last month. The American lady, whom I now think was an extremely good actress, wanted to buy my shares for between £8-£17 each when they are currently around £3.20.
I have never been involved with share selling or take over bids before, so I listened intently and said that if she e mailed the document over, I would seek advice. She told me that I couldn't as it was confidential but it was only to register my interest.
She talked about contributing to a bond (like buying a house in my country) and if I didn't come in with the take over, then they were going to create a shell company with the 49% left which would be worthless! During this conversation, I did say roughly how many shares I had, only to the nearest 100 and that I used to work for one of the previous insurance companies. She then asked if I was retired or whether I still worked for the company and I said that I worked elsewhere.
Have I been stupid in divulging some vague information i.e. can they use this information to gain access to my shares. I gave her my e mail address to send the form to (then I was going to look into it further) but I have never heard back from her again. Did I ought to contact someone, or are my full details quite safe? Does anyone know?
Nov 23, 2012 Rating
Centrica take over scam by: Cat
Same thing happened to me last night. Name of the company this time is Nelson Capital Advisors. Offering at least £8 and max £15 per share. Sent me the non-disclosure form and called me back first thing this morning.
Let her waffle on for a bit and then told her I'd googled the whole thing and it's clearly a scam. She went a bit quiet for a couple of seconds and then carried on. The woman deserves a medal - best con artist I've dealt with so far.
To be honest I could quite easily have fallen for this - couldn't really be bothered to listen to everything she was saying, coupled with poor phone line and accent (clearly not USA) - would have been easy to just agree to it.
Nov 22, 2012 Rating
Hostile Centrica Takeover Scam by: Anonymous
A multinational corporation with as many as 50 departments wanting to take over Centrica as a tax writeoff, just to get the licences and patents?
Even before she got to the indemnity bond - which is just like buying a house in my country, apparently - it was sounding beyond dodgy.
Waiting until I get the non-disclosure agreement by email and I can report to both FSA & TPS regulators as the phone number is registered for no marketing calls, though I doubt this will stop them...
Nov 18, 2012 Rating
mitchell and butler by: Anonymous
Same here tried to get over £5,000 from me but I haven't even got any shares now, sold them about five years ago. Told me they had kept back 225 shares which due to rights issues are now 3225. Offered £17.50 a share they are currently worth. £3.50 ish.
Re the bond, explained Simon Chase of Burnell Larkin based in Seatle, would't it be good to borrow it to provide a better future for my family? Tried to explain that I don't borrow money. Said he needed email to cancel my interest. Funny, as soon as I questioned it I haven't had any calls. Previously 2-3 a night.
Nov 16, 2012 Rating
Williams Consulting / Prudential Global by: Sally
We have been targeted by this scam,in relation to a hostile takeover of Centrica. The NDA came through from Williams Consultancy, but follow up contracts and calls have come from Prudential Global Group.
The number of shares we hold was multiplied by about 5, and the value per share by about 3. Queries about inconsistencies are handled pretty smoothly and it would be very easy to be taken in. They do need to work on matching the names they use to their accents, though, even in a melting pot like New York.
We had been very suspicious about it all anyway, as they were too keen to tell us the "plans" for the takeover and there were a number of little alarm bells ringing, but when we saw that the bond was supposed to be deposited at the Bank of China (why would a NYC company bank its bonds in China?), it was the final nail in the coffin.
But I do feel for all those non-market savvy small investors who will have bought BG shares when they were privatised, who are much less likely to spot the fraud. They would have taken us for over £4000.
Nov 12, 2012 Rating
Richardson Group by: Anonymous
My mother-in-law (UK) has been pestered several times to sell her shares by paying a down payment by a so-called Angela Morgan, who had knowledge that she had certain shares.
She came up with a long-winded story and gave her fax number, phone number and email. We have reported them to Action Fraud UK.
Nov 09, 2012 Rating
Richardson Consulting by: Anonymous
Same experience, but contact named themselves as Richardson Consultancy. Reported to FSA
I also received calls from a Claudia Smith, Mergers and Acquisition Dept of Morrison Group. Throughout out the 20 minute call, I received compliments about age and was I single...
She was insistent that I accept and return a memo of non-disclosure - on the form, I was to give details of all my Aviva shares.
I would consider myself tech saavy but received the mail from her secretary (Patricia Smith,(her mum??). Deciding to ignore it, I received a call from Ms Claudia Smith the next day (not so complimentary this time). Agree with the earlier writers, so sending details to fsa.
Thanks for earlier advice.
Oct 24, 2012 Rating
Scam for BAE as well by: Anonymous
I've spent an amused 20 minutes on phone where a "Rachel Smith" from ??? consultancy was telling me about the proposed hostile takeover of BAE Systems.
Non disclosure agreement to be faxed and yes a bond to ensure payment (hoho) and if my shares weren't in the 51% bought above value then they would be worthless. Played along out of amusement.
Oct 23, 2012 Rating
Just wait ... by: Malc
Bev - I bet your 300 shares miraculously become 3000 or more by the next phone call. Please let us know.
Oct 23, 2012 Rating
Williams Consultancy by: Bev
Much the same as other postings. Hostile takeover for intelligent environments etc etc,
Signed no disclosure documents. I said that she had already told me about the hostile take over without me signing anything so I could now tell anyone!
Dropped in well known insurance companies names regarding the bond "but let's not worry about this now". The really odd thing is that we only have 300 shares. Hardly a deal breaker in a take over bid!!!!
Oct 22, 2012 Rating
Morrison Capital Group by: Anonymous
I've now had several calls from these guys, same MO as the other messages listed (hostile takeover bid etc.), but for ITV plc shares.
According to them my 7 shares are now miraculously 3500!! I did return the NDA and I'm now awaiting the killer call which will talk about the insurance bond - should be fun.
Thanks to all who have listed on this scam.
Oct 22, 2012 Rating
Centrica Purchase offer Scam by: Anonymous
Beware of telephone call offering to buy your Centrica Shares at an inflated price due to a client wanting too aquire shares for a hostile take over.
This is a scam!
Do not part with any money in the hope of getting a better than market price for your shares.
This is a scam!
Company offering this amazing deal is called Morrison Capital Group supposed to be based in New York.
This is a scam!
Anything that sounds too good to be true usually is to good to be true!
Oct 19, 2012 Rating
thanks by: Dan Phillips
Hi my anonymous New York wise gentleman. Thanks for the update, I found your tying up in knots procedure both clever and so funny, well done, the scammer met his match.
dan
Oct 19, 2012 Rating
Check or report to the FSA by: Anonymous
You can check out the suspect scammer or report them to the FSA on www.fsa.gov.uk/consumerinformation/scamsandswindles/
I was recently contacted by Welling and Co New York trying to get me into selling some shares for a hostile take over. They were very clever with professional looking documentation but fortunately I realised that it was a too good to be true thing and sussed them out.
Oct 18, 2012 Rating
Williams Consultancy Limited by: Colt
Sue Morrison rang me, and gave me the exact same spiel as Anonymous below. £3 to £10 pound per Intelligent Environments share if her client gets over 50% of the company. I had 10,000 and got 9p a share for them but she says I was showing as owning 2,500 on the register, probably as a result of some stock split that had been overlooked.
She has sent me a document to sign. I might have been stupid enough to buy IE shares in the first place (these small company directors can shaft shareholders), but I could smell this scam coming from New York. Is there nowhere to report these people because I bet they make a fortune?
Oct 18, 2012 Rating
Williams Consultancy New York by: Anonymous
Further to my comment on October 12th I was called again from New York (supposedly). I listened intently for over 30 mins to the scam and gave the impression that I was very keen to go ahead.
When I said that I would like to come to their office and sign the forms the scammer became unnerved. He could not remember the address of his office. I told him that according to their website, Williams Consultancy was in the Empire State Building.
He said that that was just a small office.and that he was in their main office three blocks away but when I asked for the address he did not know it. I know New York very well and so I asked him some questions ie. what could he see out of the window, what other businesses were close by and which subway station was the closest to his office.
He kept stalling and was very obviously confused. I then asked for his phone number, so that I could contact him on my arrival and commented that the code he gave me was not a New York code. You would have thought that by now he would have hung up but he obviously still believed I was genuine.
I checked the weather quickly and asked him what the weather was like but after that I could not be bothered to carry on the pretence any more. When he started again delivering his speech I told him that I knew it was a scam and strangely he hung up.
By the way, he told me that I was to be paid £40,000 for my worthless shares and I would need to pay a fully refundable insurance bond of £4,000. It reminds me of that saying 'that if sounds too good to be true it probably is'.
Oct 17, 2012 Rating
Williams Consultacy by: Anonymous
Another too good to be true offer for my Forbidden tecnoliges shares which have swelled in numbers from 200 up to 4000! And have increased in value from 22p to £10 !!!! Where can I get more shares like this? Dirty rotten scamers!!
Oct 17, 2012 Rating
scam by Morrison Consultancy by: Anonymous
Otherwise known as Morrison Capital Group. New York based. Tried this 'hostile takeover' scam on me regarding some Centrica shares I own.
They've set themselves up with a fancy web site and claim to have been in existence for 25 years. However their domain was only registered a month ago.
The fax number shown on their web site is the same as Wallace Jacob Consultants Corporate Services of NY, USA which is on the FSA Alert list.
Oct 17, 2012 Rating
scam, by: Anonymous
I have already been scammed by a boiler room. called Mitska advisory, so my shares I believe are forgery.
A David Bender rang with sort of Swiss Dutch accent from new York representing Gordon Westcott group. sent me a non disclosure, with a warning about insurance bond. I have played them along asking the price.
Thanks to your website for alerting me. Your website took me,to another company from my Gordon Wescott Group search? I will not be paying any insurance bond.
But how did they know about the shares in Grafton Gold inc. They must be linked to the original scammers. Who are listed as the bad guys on the FSA list.
Kennys Comment Yes, they will almost certainly be linked. Once they find someone that will pay, they will milk it for everything that it is worth and keep going back for more.
Oct 17, 2012 Rating
Williams Consultancy by: Dave Wesson
Asked to confirm my holding in Legendary Investments, sign non-disclosure form, and they would buy at a vastly increased price.
Call purported to be from New York but the lady had a most unusual accent. Lots of technical talk and said shares would be worthless after takeover.
Everyone beware.
Oct 16, 2012 Rating
William consultancy ltd by: Anonymous
Same as all the rest! We have shares in Forbidden Technologies and were inundated with phone calls from New York.
Emailed us non disclosure forms to sign, blah blah blah! Something needs to be done to stop these heartless scammers.
Glad we didn't fall for it, but they are very convincing! Scum bags!!!
Oct 12, 2012 Rating
please tell us by: Dan Phillips
To Mr anonymous think your counter scam is great please let us know her response when you ask for your one-to-one in new york. Luv it. Dan
Oct 12, 2012 Rating
Williams Consultancy New York by: Anonymous
Same story. Contacted by Samantha Maybeck who has a strong Asian accent (but not Indian)and says that she is in New York. Wanted me to confirm my holding in Intelligent Environments (now Parseq). My share holding has increased dramatically, according to her.
The company she represents want to pay between £3 & £10 per share. Has mentioned something about insurance which is fully refundable with either Prudential, Axa or Lloyds.
I gave her my email and she sent a non-disclosure agreement and a request for a copy of my share certificate. Thanks to this site I now know that it is a scam.
Samantha has promised to ring me later today. I am looking forward to stringing her along a bit. I will mention that I will be in New York next week and that I want to visit her office with a view to paying the insurance fee in person.
Oct 11, 2012 Rating
Williams Consultancy Ltd New York by: Anonymous
Same story as below. I was telephoned several times by a 'Sarah Cooper' from New York. Their website looks convincing, but no listing of them in New York State Register.
Hostile takeover, non-disclosure etc...offering £3 - £10 for shares currently valued @40p. Share division means I now have 'more' shares - then they started talking about an insurance indemnity that I would have to pay up front.
I thought it sounded too good to be true - thanks to this website, I now know that it was.
Oct 10, 2012 Rating
Feinler Management Group by: Anonymous
So glad I found your page via a Google search on Mr Ray Green at supposedly New York based Feinler Management Group. Same story as all the other postings - inflated share price offer with the catch being the small matter of a £4k insurance bond!
Thanks for all the postings that alerted me. He was very convincing - I went as far as sending the NDA back but when he dropped in to the next conversation the bond requirement up front it all seemed a bit fishy and your site proves it.
Thank you.
Oct 08, 2012 Rating
Bramwell Kent/Peterson Capital Partners by: Anonymous
Please be aware both these companies are chasing for Shanks group shares. Silly old me, I have been truly duped.
Oct 05, 2012 Rating
Williams Consultancy Ltd by: Anonymous
I have been receiving calls from this out-fit very similar to those detailed below about a hostile take-over of a company I own shares in. They were offering to buy my shares for £3-£10, significantly higher than current share price.
Told them to f***k off. BEWARE.
Oct 03, 2012 Rating
Share Purchasing Scam by: Dan Phillips
Many people have written to say how they have been contacted by companies wanting to buy shares at inflated prices, myself included.
The caller in my case claimed to represent Cohen Corporate Consultants (ccc), believing the call to be bogus I looked up CCC on the net where they have an impressive list of sites that to most people would appear to be very bona fide and a respected company and fall for the scam.
Therefore surely it is the responsibility of the www to eradicate the net of these illegal operators and so protecting users, I further wonder if it is possible to sue for monies lost due to the web having conspired to defraud web users.
Sep 30, 2012 Rating
Same scam with 3i from Richardson Capital Group by: Richard H
I have had similar calls from Richardson Capital Group. They initially phoned asking to speak to my father who passed away some 5 years ago. He had shares in 3i which were subsequently sold after probate.
According to the scammers there was a residual 100 or so bonus shares issued to his name which were then subject to option issue of 40 to 1. Their clients were prepared to pay somewhere between £8 and£17 - familiar numbers to others on here.
Ended up with supposed payout of over £50k with the insurance bond needed from me of £5k. Needless to say no money is heading their way.
They were quite clever with the e-mails sent in that the link went to a legitimate company named Richardson Capital Limited based in Winnipeg, Canada.
Sep 25, 2012 Rating
Welling & Co, NY by: Anonymous
Welling & Co tried what now appears to be usual scam this time re: Inverness Medical Innovations Inc ie a few shares suddenly multiplied to over 5,000 with value at between £8-£17 (finally set at £14.87) with promised windfall of over £70,000 even after deduction of their 3% fee.
Appeared too good to be true but very convincing even reminding me re: capital gains tax and reciprocal agreements between UK and US governments and explaining that they would be advising my bank where money came from because of money laundering. I even signed contract, which I thought would presumably not be enforceable if this was a scam and so not too worried there, as no bank details provided or money handed over.
Received Commitment of Transfer Agent Letter from Pacific Transfers International in Hong Kong rather than the insurer mentioned (Fidelity in Hong Kong even then Hong Kong insurer rather than other 3 insurers being consulted with for best rates, Lloyds, AXA and Prudential) and referred to Inverness Medical Innovations Inc/Alere PLC.
First time mention of Alere made and research showed current owners of IMI to be Alere Inc - pretty basic mistake for legal documentation. When I asked by e-mail got usual telephone call in answer within 15mins. "Victoria Winters" simply said "oh, is there a mistake - we'll need to rectify that. When I asked again how come I had so many shares she advised re: 5 for 1 transfer 3m after I bought shares. When I asked when this was she kept saying 3m after I bought them but wouldn't say when this was and has told me to query anything by e-mail.
I too shall string these scammers along for fun now and hope it costs them. I'll also report to FSA in the hope that they are stopped.
Sep 25, 2012 Rating
Welling and Co by: Larry
Interesed to see Welling and Co featuring on this site. They are certainly persistent, and contacted me in late August just before I was about to go on a week's holiday.
So persistent in fact that they suggested I should delay my holiday pending the need for urgent signatures once my (non existent) shares were acquired by their client in a hostile takeover. Usual story, with 'casual' reference to a 'small returnable insurance bond'.
I kept telling their contact, Mr Lopez, that the company he mentioned was no longer in existence, having been taken over several years before, but his legal rep then phoned to explian how my 'original' shares in the 'Holding Compnay were still on the register.
She was very convincing, but I took some advice from those who know more about shares than I do, and then taught them some good old fashioned London vocabulary. Even then, they called twice more!
Sep 24, 2012 Rating
Welling & Co by: Garden Gnome
Same old same old... Offered gazillions for my scrappy holding in an Aberdeen Asset Managers Investment trust, by WELLING &CO. Non disclosure form , Nrw York address blah blah,
I have contacted the SEC and the FBI, (though less keen on being on some Scowler and Mouldy file) as well as the investment trust concerned. Will wait to see if anything is fothcoming from the 'investor protection services' and regulators. Ha ha.
I suggested that it was time the company pulled their finger out too and put something on their website
I would suggest that you take similar action if contacted by these rogues.
PS my shares were worth gazillions for their patents..in an investment trust... hmmmmm
Sep 21, 2012 Rating
Welling & Co New York. (again) by: Hastewell
Identical story to those below. Have been pestered for about 2 months, endless phone calls & e-mails. Small shareholding in a Scottish registered investment company, supposed hostile take over, signed non disclosure agreement, followed this week by an 'Indemnity Bond' request.
£5000 out for £50000 return! Ridiculous valuation of non-mentioned company.
Time to stop playing games, I hope it has cost them time and money.
Thanks to Google and this page, no-one has ever heard of them in NY or anywhere else. I hope this helps someone else.
Sep 13, 2012 Rating
BAE Systems Scam by: Anonymous
Similar deal offering £7-£15 for BAE Shares for a hostile takeover. Having worked for BAE Systems on the Saudi Project I was aware that the UK government has 'golden shares'.
Who do I report this to?
The details they gave were listed below:
Alpha Corporate Consultants LTD.
Thanks for the info.
Sep 10, 2012 Rating
CROOKS - Bramwell & Kent Consultants, LLC by: Anonymous
All very similar unfortunatley, they are total CROOKS! I have very few shares in Centrica Plc which are not really worth bothering about. However, I had a phone call a few weeks ago from 'Sue Morgan' in New York, saying that there was going to be a take-over and that my shares will be worth 5-15 GBP.
A few days later I was called by a man called Adam Parmann who sounded Indian(?) saying that the takeover was imminent and to stay by the phone. He spent about 40 mins explaining to me all about the deal and that it is confidential (he was on speaker phone while I was doing other things!) He sounded very plausible and to my untrained ear seemed to be using all the right 'business' words/lingo. He kept calling me persistently. He then told me that the anonymous company had increased my number of shares x12. He said the share price was being negotiated and once it has been made I won't be able to negotiate a different price.
A few days later I was told that my shares were worth 12 GBP each, and with the number of shares I hold increasing from approx. 100 to now a miracle 4000 I would be looking at receiving over 50,000 GBP. However, I would need to pay a 12% bond. Over 6000 GBP, yer, right!
He said the bond transaction would be dealt with by Fidelity Insurance, yet when the paperwork was e-mailed this company had suddenly changed to Baron International Transfers in Hong Kong. I tried calling the office in Hong Kong but the number didn't work. The website as well as Bramwell & Kent's one look genuine but they ARE NOT.
They were still calling me persistently, 5 times in a row (any normal person would try a maximum of twice and leave a voicemail message). I tried calling their office in New York but it was just an answer phone. Surely a business in New York would have a secretary answering the phone during business hours? I was getting VERY suspicious and there was no way I was going to hand over more than 6000 GBP even though they said that money would be refunded within two weeks along with the money from the sale of the shares.
I googled Bramwell & Kent and luckily I came across this website.
I can totally understand how people would believe them and hand-over money. The need to be stopped.
After I realised it was a scam I replied with "F**K OFF, I KNOW THIS IS A SCAM" to them in an e-mail and surprise surprise I've never heard from them since!!
Sep 08, 2012 Rating
Welling and co by: Anonymous
I just got a call from Welling and Co NY offering a crazy amount of money to buy some shares I owned for a company takeover as above. Sounded quite plausible. Even listened to them for a while. Checked up and as above. Glad it's not my 87 year old mum they are phoning. What a bunch of crooks. Thanks for the heads up. Someone needs to put these people in jail.
Sep 05, 2012 Rating
Stock Scam Welling & Co by: Colin
Was contacted by Welling & Co supposedly of NY, wrt a hostile take over of BAE Systems and offering me an inflated price for my shares. Sent me an NDA to sign and return.
Impressive looking website at first glance but look closer.
Contacted another NY legal firm and they've never heard of Welling & Co...SCAM!
Sep 04, 2012 Rating
Another Scamming Company by: Anonymous
Richardsons Capital Group (from Canada apparently).
They have been ringing my Mum (pensioner) about Michells and Butler shares she has (worth £600). She signed the Non dosclosure form (just name and address luckily and no other info).
They have offered 50k after telling her she has more shares than she thought blah blah
They have been ringing for days and the call tonight mentioned an insurance bond, Mum immediately got suspicious and so I decided to investigate.
Luckily I have really drilled it into my folks to be suspicious of everything like this, so no money has been sent or any bank details etc. I feel really devestated for people who have lost money to these b******s).
The website they have set up lists genuine Companies as supposed clients (I have emailed all the Companies to advise they're on a scam website) and have also reported to FSA.
Now I'm going to see if I can get someone to send a virus to their email address that they sent the NDF from!
I don't know how these people can sleep at night!
Sep 04, 2012 Rating
Peterson and Bramwell Kent by: Anonymous
A very similar picture to the one presented by others on this page. Regretably I didn't find this page until I had paid out some money.
They were offering to buy Logica shares for much more than they were worth, just needed a 2% 'bond'. Next news was that Bramwell and Kent found mysterious dodgy unallocated certificates. Would I be so good as to give them £40k for them and then reap the rewards.... surely I had a rich uncle who could help out. Erm no!
Until this point they were very credible - honest. Even had a very posh Englishman (David Green - from their 'compliance dept' no less)to speak to me when I questioned some of their approach.
Hope this serves to warn others off!
Aug 29, 2012 Rating
Feinler Management Group, New York by: Anonymous
Been rang by a guy in new York about some old toffee. Non disclosure blah blah share could be worth 5-8 pounds. Don't touch with a barge pole, they actually rang to speak to my dad who is 80. Dirty rotten bxxxxxxs. Can anything be done about this? I just think of old people who would take this in?
Feinler Management Group, New York
Aug 29, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent by: Anonymous
I was contacted by Bramwell and Kent regarding a Hostile Takeover of a Company in which I hold shares. They said that I could be offered between £8 - £15.00 per share (which at the time had market value of 95p each).
They sent me a non-disclosure form to sign and return, and I received calls from them on a daily basis, pointing out how I would have to respond to correspondence quickly, as only a percentage of people offered "in" on this, would be accepted.
The last telephone call I received, was someone advising that I would be offered £15.00 per share (wow)!, and then did a break down of the money I would receive, and mentioned the "Insurance" word. When I tried to find out more about this, the lady on the other end of the phone said, that I didn't have to worry about that at this stage, as that was a bit further down the line. She was going to email me a Contract to sign and return, which gave a breakdown of the figures involved.
She duly Emailed Contract, (where it stated I would be required to pay almost £4000 Insurance), but I decided to do some investigations online before proceeding any further, or signing any "Contracts". I found this Site, which confirmed that this offer WAS "TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE".
I emailed Bramwell and Kent, stating that following investigations I would not be returning Contract, and that various websites named them and their operations, as a SCAM.
Funnily enough I have received no further contact from them. No emails, no phone calls. Guess they are busy trying to find their next target.
Aug 29, 2012 Rating
MITCHELLS AND BUTLERS by: Anonymous
Please be aware,REYNOLDS CONSULTING LTD, NEW YORK are trying to get people to part with shares at highly inflated prices.
Having only 7 shares, then told, no, you have 250! then in a later phone conversation was told the shares have risen to 2500!
Bond deposit of 10% required (£3557)so smelt a rat and will now not talk to Mr KEVIN GREEN! AT THE SAID 'COMPANY'
Their website looks convincing but was only set up in May 2012!NOT BEEN TRADING SINCE 1985!!!!
Aug 28, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent by: Inverness
I posted before about this here a couple of months back and am equally amazed at the lack of any action by the Enforcement agencies and FSA. What concerns me more is the fact that they got hold of what I would deem personal information on our legacy holdings and contact details i.e. mine came through a phone call to my house which is a different address from the time I owned my shares, also my phone number has changed since my original purchase back in the 1990's.
That shows that a lack of security over this information and has been made available in some form to these scams. The information must have come via stockbrokers, companies or indeed quite possible a regulatory body in the financial sector. That was where our investments were transacted and recorded through, the financial system, wherever it's boundaries are, and that in some form must be the source for the information gathered by these scam operators.
They knew exactly what shares, what company, my name, my telephone number etc.etc to be able to come across as professionally as they do by knowing all these details.
Something somewhere has failed drastically, or someone in the chain has leaked for a fee this quality information they have to be able to come across as knowledgeable about these personal details and historic transactions!
Aug 28, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent by: Anonymous
Add National Grid to the list of shares they are using in the scam.
Aug 28, 2012 Rating
Company Take Over Scam by: Rob J
I wrote the 4th comment on this now long tale of woe. That was on 12th June 2011. It seems that 100's of people have been subjected to the same scam even if the name of the consultancy has changed as has also the name of the company supposedly involved in the take over bid.
Thankfully the wise people who have seen the "Traders Day Trading" web site have avoided losing loads of money. But I cannot understand why, after so long, absolutely NOTHING SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPENED TO STOP IT!!!
Do the FSA have no powers to stop it because of its overseas origin? Can anyone explain?
Rob J
Aug 28, 2012 Rating
Maxwell Consultancy - follow up by: Giles
Just to say that I did enjoy myself when 'Maxwell Consultancy' contacted the following day to query why I had not returned the legal documents.
I had written down all the companies that you guys have mentioned as being taken over and when asked if I had any questions my reply was:- "Could you tell me how the take overs of the following companies is going before we proceed" and ran off a few of your company names. His reply was that the line was becoming distorted and I have never heard from them again.
Full details have been passed onto the FSA and Police via the 'ActionFraud.police.uk' website.
Please publicize this Up Front Charging Scam to help others.
Aug 27, 2012 Rating
Stock Scam by: Anonymous
I've been contacted by Welling & Co in New York- same modus operandi as mentioned by everyone else. Googled the company and it had a quite impressive website. Looked genuine.
Asked me to sign and return non-disclosure form which I did and suddenly my few shares had been given a forward stock split and instead of being worth £300 were worth over £100k! But, guess what, there has to be an Indemnity Bond - they haven't told me how much it will cost yet but they've spent ages on the phone.
Realised it was a scam but good to have it confirmed by this website. Going to keep stringing them along and waste lots of their time and money!
Aug 24, 2012 Rating
Why is no one dealing with these scammers? by: Underground Driver
I too had calls from Bramwell & Kent offering £7 to £15 on shares worth around 95p, using the hostile takeover ruse. Made my holding look worth £55,000-£120,000. Yes, you do take notice.
They are persistent bar stewards, but when they started asking for an insurance bond, alarm bells rang. I'd sold shares previously on the NYSE and needed no bond, and they muddled an answer when challenged.
Their web site is quite convincing, but read carefully and you will see unusual terminology, but the clincher is that they mention no staff names and use generic images - all a nice diversion?
This website answered many questions.
Anyway a 'senior acquistions' guy called, told him I knew they were scammers, and not had another call.
Reported the matter to the Action Fraud Helpline and the FSA, however some weeks back the FSA did not have Bramwell & Kent on a banned list, so be warned.
What the helpline and FSA are doing to stem this is unclear, as they should be asking UK-based Internet Service Providers to block these people, plus there seems to be very few, if any, alerts in the financial pages.
Dont part with any money or any info as these scammers will morph into a new company soon enough.
Aug 23, 2012 Rating
CT Lambson and Associates,LLC. by: Anonymous
I too have been bombarded with phone calls offering to buy shares which this company inform me that my share holding has gone up 800%.
The scam comes when they want you to pay for insurance cover to ensure the puchase of the shares goes ahead.
I have told them I have no intention of doing this thinking it must be a scam. Now, on finding your website I know my inital thought was correct so I will follow the previous comments when they phone again.
Aug 06, 2012 Rating
Take over scam? by: Anonymous
Your comments and this site - I have had Maxwell Consultancy ringing me for ages. I hold just a few shares in a company that ceased to be listed on the 9th July 2009 at a closing value around 65.25p and am being offered £14.68 each. Tidy profit. For every share I held been upgraded by 600x. Tonight I have the 'Legal documents' and was about to email them back when my last search bought up this site. Mr Andrew Walker has his name and signature at the bottom of the documents. I will contact the FSA or whoever may be interested in the morning. Very impressive website and no bad words against them until here. Thank you all for adding your words of warning. I will ask him when he rings tomorrow about the other companies you guys have mentioned. I will update this comment when I know more.
Aug 02, 2012 Rating
Reynolds Consultancy by: Anonymous
Had a call from Reynolds Consultancy offering to buy my shares in kcom for around £8. I checked their web site and it looked legitimate. After filling in a non disclosure form I got phone call telling me that I had five times the shares I thought I had but they required a 30% insurance bond before the purchase could be made. After checking other scams, this looks the same as others.
Jul 30, 2012 Rating
Hi-Wave Technologie by: Anonymous
Have just been contacted by a firm called CT Lambson Assocs. from NY about my Hi-Wave formerly NXT shares. Andrea sounded very convincing in offering me between £8 and £17 per share. I said how can you offer me that much when they are currently only 1 to 1.5 pence, she sounded a bit flummoxed. They have E.mailed me a non disclosure form and no doubt i shall be bombarded with phone calls. After finding and reading your excellent site, i shall be ready for them. Please, others take heed these are very clever and convincing people with no scruples. Just blow a raspberry and put the phone down!!!
Jul 30, 2012 Rating
Peterson Capital Partners/Bramwell & Kent by: Anonymous
Sadly I got duped by these guys. Identical MO to other comments. Bramwell and Kent involved initially and after I wired them the money for the 'insurance bond' another guy called me from Peterson Capital with the good news that I had warrants I never knew about and for another £20k payment I could get another £60k return. I can't quite believe I was taken in by it all. These guys are really pretty good. I certainly feel extremely stupid. Anyone any idea where you can report this? I can't quite believe these guys are able to stiff people in this way with apparent impunity.
Jul 27, 2012 Rating
Stilo International (STL LN) by: Anonymous
Be very careful if you own these shares. I have had around 7 or 8 calls from a female in the States offering to buy my shares for ridiculous multiples. She didn't even know what the current share price is. This is definately a scam!!!
Jul 25, 2012 Rating
Bramwell Kent by: Once Bitten
Thank you for your Website. I too, had a call from a very persuasive lady at Bramwell Kent offering to buy worthless Ennstone shares for a minimum of £5.00 each. Don't be fooled.
Jul 25, 2012 Rating
Bramwell Kent by: Anonymous
Had calls in last 2days offering to buy shares in takeover. Shares valued at £8. suspected a scam and pleased to find this info on this site.
Thanks for previous postings helping to kill it off quickly. Could not find company details on NY register.
Jul 24, 2012 Rating
Bramwell & Kent by: Andy Best
My in laws have been offered £10 per share for Sterling Energy shares worth 35p, bu tthey must sell them today, and not tell anyone as they are trying to take over the company. They were tempted but we used the old adage "If it seems too good............." Thanks for sites like this one so we could stop them.
Jul 24, 2012 Rating
Kiefer Services by: Anonymous
Had several calls over the last few days from Kiefer Services regarding some AIM shares I actually own.
They are offering 20 times the current price and they do sound very plausible. They even know how many shares I own. The one thing they are doing wrong is the company they are referring to was taken over 2 years ago.
It surely is too good to be true.
They currently ownly want me to sign an NDA and I must admit I can not see anything wrong in doing that but I suspect they are just trying to tighten the noose while waiving big juicy carrots.
Kenny: Tighten the noose and you will be giving them alot of personsal details.
Jul 23, 2012 Rating
Mothercare shares by: Anonymous
I had a similar phone call today from Reynolds consultancy. It looks like the same script, price between £8-15 a share. It took a long time to get to the insurance fee. I suggested that other companies were after my shares, the very polite lady hung up.
Jul 23, 2012 Rating
Bramwell & Kent by: Jasper
Recent contact from above. Wanted to buy shares in Legendary investments. Offered £8.25 for shares worth .10p I was due to make £140k.They had a customer who wanted to obtain ownership of the company. Web site very plausible, well presented even to the telephone number, permanently engaged. Oops,I was first asked to provide £5600 as insurance fee. Smelt rat contacted FSA told it was definitely a scam. What a shower.
Jul 21, 2012 Rating
Bramwell & Kent by: Pete
Me too 487 Ennstone shares that were worthless then a phone call from one silly giggleing mare calling herself sarah Allford in NY offered me £15 per share, then 2days later suprise suprise its X by 10 @ £14 so 487 worthless shares are worth over £68000 "now that would boost the pension" then they asked for £4772 60p insurance bond oops sorry doing some googling I found this page. Many THANKS. Pete.
Jul 19, 2012 Rating
second attempt on Stilo by: Frances
Had a second call, this time a female. Went along until I declined to give my email address and hung up. This time was offering £17 per share in return for my bank details. This is getting a tad boring ....
Jul 19, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent by: Anonymous
Got a call today to sell my shares in Kwill however this company has been sold.
I decided to do a web search on this company and happen to get to this site. Thanks, at leaast now I know thses scammers are aound.
Jul 18, 2012 Rating
Brown & Wenger Consulting by: Anonymous
Brown & Wenger - yet another scammer. They don't get mentioned much in these posts but their tactics and scam is identical to all of the others posted. Beware!
Thank you for this site. It has stopped me from losing any money. I was about to lose £5,307 to pay for an indemnity bond. They are extremely clever and convincing. Don't be fooled. If it happens to you -report them to the FSA
Jul 18, 2012 Rating
re Bramewll & Kent by: Anonymous 2
Had a similar call today 18/0712. Thanks for the warning
Jul 16, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent by: Anonymous
Over three weeks I was contacted by four different people from Bramwell and Kent telling me about 4000 shares I was supposed to own I actually own 74 .
They required a bond of £4800 I finally googled and found this site .Many thanks.
If it sounds to be to good to be true , it is. Also if they sound very foreign not American beware.
Jul 12, 2012 Rating
Bramwell & Kent by: Anonymous
Had a long, very plausible phone call from the above on subject of take-over of company with which I have shares, offering me a high price - but with insurance to pay. There followed an email wanting me to agree not to disclose info. to anyone.
I was worried but suspicious. Your site has put my mind at ease - I was right!
Jul 05, 2012 Rating
Maxwell by: Anonymous
Have been called number of times by Andrew Walker of Maxwell. Wanted to buy Octopus Phoenix VCT. He is acting on behalf of hostile buyer. He didn't understand obligation to make Mandatory Offer once achieved 51% and tried to get quick acceptance on basis needed to accept offer quickly and fund his insurance bond.
I am off to make official complaint. Thanks to your web site - was 99% sure it was a fraud before I found it - now 100%
Jul 04, 2012 Rating
Thanks for saving me by: Anonymous
I had a phone call last night from a Richard Gomez at Bramwell & Kent who wanted to buy some shares from me, a takeover was happening! I decided to do some research and found your site. I am so so pleased I did, Thank You.
Jul 03, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent by: Inverness
Hi, just in the process of researching my "new friends" Bramwell and Kent and came across this site. Yes £40k for my small holding in Ennstone Plc if I give them £4k insurance bond, same as all the other stories here, many shares miraculously appearing out of the small holding I had now worth £40k......lucky me.....I'm a bit of a rogue in a previous life so I had my doubts from the beginning but in all honesty these guys were pretty good,......15-20 minute calls from a person who very rarely dropped their guard apart from the few hesitant pauses but overall very very good.......the website? - decent enough to fool most folk except the suspicious, traced the email route and no stand out oddity's about the path (I'm an IT Engineer) everything good enough to fool the vast majority of people.....but i digress.....there will be no insurance bond from me! Wish it was true, would be nice to get a free £40k but the stories here with different company names and the fact it's the same story saves me trying to convince them that I haven't got the funds to make the bond and they could deduct it from the £40k offer.....thank goodness....finding this site has saved me a lot of wasted time and hope it saves you some money!
Jul 03, 2012 Rating
Word is getting out? by: Anonymous
Since I posted a comment here last November, I've noticed a gradual increase in the number of posts on this forum, often one or two a day now! This may be due to the scammers making more 'hits', but I would like to think that it's more a case of the word getting out, and potential 'targets' being aware of what these lowlife theives are up to. Well done Traders Day Trading!
Jul 03, 2012 Rating
Bramwell & Kent by: Anonymous
Just as well I found this site, these scamming b******s were just about to rip my elderly neighbour off for over £5000
Jul 03, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent - Ennstone shares by: Anonymous
Sounded too good to be true...
Bramwell and Kent offered me "between 80p and GBP5" for my valueless Ennstone shares. All confidential of course. Next thing they asked for was a 30% sellers security bond. Good looking website, except a little thin and no mugshots, names or CV's of employees. I look forward to my next conversation with them.
Too good to be true...
Jul 02, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent by: Anonymous
Thank goodness for this site to make my husband realise that there is no such thing as a free lunch!! He didn't believe it until I showed him on the internet - I just hope others without the thought to google search these scams don't get caught out by these persistent irritating guys who constantly hound you. We have valueless enstone shares and they were offering us £8 per share if we paid them a bond amounting to £5k+
It just isn't going to happen but who can we report them to??
Jul 02, 2012 Rating
The scam goes on by: Anonymous
20,000 shares for £5 a share - wowee... £100,000. Can't beleive my ears. Just pay us some money and we'll secure the price for you. Don't believe it B&C are at it again
Jul 02, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent n.y. by: Anonymous
Just been called by them wanting to buy my worthless ennstone shares for 8 pounds but must be confidential. Saw it as a scam. When they call back ..which they no doubt will be soon, when they do I will tell them that I am a black witch and I have put a curse on all the people in their organisation and dreadful things will happen to them all during the next few years. Thanks to you all !!
Jun 28, 2012 Rating
Bramwell and Kent Consultants LLC by: Anonymous
Watch out! I've just had several days of phone calls from various people, John Price and John Boston to name just two. As with the other comments posted, it is for a hostile takeover bid of capital management shares. As usual a confidential non disclosure document was wanted which I duly signed and then ignored. They stated I had several thousand shares due to a 'forward stock split' In fact I have less than 20, which I confirmed with Capita Registras. They even told me that the registras would not know about this and that B & K's 'legal department' however could confirm my share holding. Alarm bells rang as soon as I heard that I had to part with an 'insurance bond' which after a few days they told me would be £5,000 (9% of the value). The so called buyer of the stock would of course put up 91% !!.
It was also interesting that none of the associates that I spoke to from New York sounded American and did not know what time it was over there. Also I could not find the company Bramwell and kent consultants LLC registered in New York and when I mentioned this to them they told me to look harder!!. I asked for all the documents that they wished to send me by e-mail, by post, but they would not do this as they were on a tight time schedule, and when I told them my computer was broken (which it was) they suggested I buy another one. I am not sure, but I think now they will not be bothering me any more, particularly when I told them I did not have the £5000 for the insurance bond. I do recommend however that you ask them lots of awkward questions as they do seem to loose their flow of 'speil'. John Boston became angrier and angrier with me which made my daughter and myself laugh quite a lot.
Even though the website appears professional, and it initially seems plausible in that you are not asked for any money or commitment at first, they do make mistakes, which they struggle to answer, in my case they offered me much less that the current share price, believing it was 30p when in fact it was £30.00.
Be diligent when it seems too good to be true.
Jun 27, 2012 Rating
Brown Wenger Consulting by: Anonymous
I've been receiving many calls a day regarding my forgotten about shares in an unknown company. Brown Wenger Consulting have a very impressive website but I'm still not buying it. Hopefully no-one else is either.
Jun 26, 2012 Rating
Maxwell Consultancy by: Anonymous
I've had numerous phone calls from an Andrew Walker culminating with a price being offered for shares I sold 5 years ago. They maintain that due to an error by the registrar not all of them were sold and I still hold 131 of them.
They say that there was a 35 to 1 split (not true) and that I now own 4835 and they have are involved in a hostile takeover which value them at £12.27 each. They want 7% of this, £3938.06, as part of an insurance bond - the finer details of which I don't profess to understand. Their 'takeover' would value a company, whose issued shares put it at about £260 million, at £1.3 billion.
Like an earlier correspondent I've gone along with it to see what the sting is. I will be very surprised if I hear from them again.
Jun 25, 2012 Rating
And another by: ADS
I'd like to add Bramwell & Kent to this list. Same old spiel - shares now increased 10 fold and worth 100 times their current value....but you need to pay insurance which could be around £7K.
Jun 23, 2012 Rating
Maxwell Consultancy by: Anonymous
I too received a phone call from Yvonne Gabriel of Maxwell Consulting, offering to buy some shares that I hold at a price around three to six times the current market price. Alarm bells rang when she told me that I owned around 12 times the number of shares shown on my certificate.
The web site maxwellconsultancy looks very impressive. Curiously, the domain was registered on May 21, 2012 - just over a month ago.
Hmmmmmmmmm.
Jun 20, 2012 Rating
Maxwell Consulting by: Anonymous
I have been approached by Yvonne Gabreil & Alice Dixon of Maxwell Consultancy about selling my shares in Petards Plc formerly Screen Plc to a hostile buyer at a greatly inflated share price. I was sent a non disclosure agreement to sign and return.
I have now been told that my share holding in this company has increased by 4 times my initial acquisition. The current share value is approximately £0.27 per share and they are offering in excess of £7. Allegedly their client wants to acquire this company as it holds licences, that would be beneficial to the buyer. They are asking for an insurance bond to be paid by myself. I was suspicious from the outset but I have gone along with it, as I wanted to hear what they had to say. I am currently awaiting their formal offer and the amount of the insurance bond they require. I guess it will be in the thousands.
You know what they say if it seems to good to be true that is because it usually is!
Jun 14, 2012 Rating
Feinler Management by: Anonymous
Feinler Management - this company is a joke and a scam - and I knew it stright away but played them along. Turns out their address is a Computer training centre in NYC 90 Broad Street - if you type the address and zip code in google you will find another company entirely, computer training. Also they say they are in Manhattan however their phone number (347) indicates Queens or Staten Island? hmmmm
Then the ridiculous share scam - they want to buy shares in a dissolved UK corporation on behalf of their clients who want to acquire it for the purposes of obtaining their patented technology. Unfortunately the said dissolved company was only even a shell acquisition vehicle that I bought stupidly on a whim from another scam broker in Germany.
Will I ever learn well apparently yes - as I have wasted 4 hours of their corporate time on the phone and dealing with correspondence from me, and they have 0 chance of ever getting a penny. Im sure it wont stop Feinler Management from trying - they are also supposedly a recruitment company. By the way I have reported them to the SEC as should you if you read this and have been contacted by them.
Oh and if you are thinking of contributing 30% towards an indemnity bond of which the client will pay 70% then could you send it to me instead as I know a good horse running in the 3.30 at Epsom.
Jun 12, 2012 Rating
Thank you by: Mr Bean
I too have just taken a call from a Mr Ray Banks who said he was phoning from 'Europe'. Same spiel as others have had with a massive mark up on the last share price.
It sounded grat but at the same time too good to be true so I was greatly relieved at finding this site to prove that nagging voice in the back of my head was correct. Thank you very much.
Pity I gave them an email address!
Jun 12, 2012 Rating
T l mallen by: Anonymous
Just had a call from these people offering tobuy my shares in a small UK Co for a large sum. Sounds like many of the scams around. The Co ( of whom I own shares ) has put out a circular giving a warning about these people. Watch out
Jun 06, 2012 Rating
Scam by: Anonymous
I have been approached by telephone with an offer to purchase my shares in Screen PLC, stating Cohen Corporate Consulting wished to purchase them for their Client, with my shares at a vastly inflated price, All I had to do after signing a non-disclosure statement was to send a sum in Excess of £4000 to be held by their "Escrie". I was very wary, justly so in the light of a little investigation. As the saying goes "if it seems to be good to be true then it Aint true" Hope this saves some other hard working person. If so then my time here has been well spent.
Jun 06, 2012 Rating
Is this a scam? by: Anonymous
I have been contacted today by Feinler Management Group 90 Broad Street New York who tell me they are working on behalf of another company wanting to put in a hostile takeover bid for a firm in which I own a small number of shares. They want me to sign a non-disclosure agreement and then buy my shares at an inflated price. Reading the posts below this seems like a scam. Has anyone else had contact from this company?
Jun 06, 2012 Rating
T L MALLEN LLC by: Anonymous
I believe I have just had a phone call from a scamer.He sent me an email with a non disclosure agreement and is phoning back when I return it. All sounds too good to be true so most likely is. Of course I would prefer the opposite. As this is a new name I have posted it on here. Would like someone to confirm my suspicion. The MALLEN site looks ok.
May 28, 2012 Rating
Miles Corporate Services scam by: Anonymous
Another company wanting to buy my worthless Global Natural Energy shares.
This time it is Miles Corporate Services at Washington.
May 28, 2012 Rating
Another scam company - Cohen Corporate Consulting by: Anonymous
Another company running the same scam. Offering to buy my KCOM shares.
May 23, 2012 Rating
Hannover & Rothchild Consultancy by: P Taylor
Thanks for all the comments about these scams. I almost sent back Hannover & Rothchild's NonDisclosure agreement but became suspicious when I looked at their web site! Incredably inarticulate for a "consultancy"!!!
Have just torn-up the signed document. PS: They were trying to buy my Resolution Ltd shares at an inflated price.
May 15, 2012 Rating
Saved from a Scam - thanks by: Modche
Read through some of the comments and can't believe that I was so taken in by all those phone calls. I'm not one to be easily fooled and feel I've come across most of the tricks of the trade, but I was nearly caught out.
How did they get hold of my English mobile number?
Thank you for your comments - it's finally convinced me that this is really a scam.
May 10, 2012 Rating
Hannover and Rothchild by: Anonymous
Definitely a scam.They don,t actually have a full idea of the shareholding they have approached me about.i.e the history is all wrong.
Have told them I will be in New York Monday to visit their offices
May 09, 2012 Rating
Hannover Rothchild Consultancy New York by: Anonymous
I really wanted to believe that my shares (which I think I have already sold) were worth the £48000 quoted by Hannover Rothchild (without the S) Consultancy.
However, having visited this site its obviously a scam and I'm going to wind them right up.
On a serious note, does anyone know who to and how we report these idiots ?
May 07, 2012 Rating
Suckered in by: Anonymous
I have been ruthlessly hounded for several months by Hannover and Rothchild Consultancy New York re shares that I had long forgotten about. Guess what I have 100 x as many as I thought and, because of a hostile take over bid, their indisclosed client can offer me several times their worth on the stock exchange, giving me a nice little nest egg, as long as I can scrape together the insurance indemnity bond.
I know, you have heard it all before but I have to say they are incredibly convincing, have an answer for everything and I was almost suckered in, after all miracles do happen done't they?
Even as I write this there is a little bit of me thinks that just may be my luck was in this time.
Please be very wary of these companies they are experts at conning you, even if you think you are pretty savvy, like I did. Thankfully other people, who had not been subject to their pitch, made me see the light.
Mar 29, 2012 Rating
Davidson Consulting by: Anonymous
Yes I have had the calls as well. Sound professional, I became suspicious when the insurance imdemnity payment was mentioned.
Have completed the form to report them to the FSA!!
The address is worth a look at on google, it is a tree between two buildings, no number on the street.
Mar 27, 2012 Rating
Davidson consulting by: Anonymous
The scam continues, now they are trying the British Energy shares. Lots of calls and then they hit you with the indemnity, then the insurance deal. Watch out this really is a scam.
Mar 26, 2012 Rating
Mullen Cheecks Consulting by: Anonymous
I was nearly caught by this share scam. Kevin/Mike/Samantha and Victoria all spoke to me at some stage about my pretty much worthless Mwana Africa Shares. Like the rest of you, a resolution passed a year or back meant I had 15 times more share than I thought.
They sounded so professional and meticulous and their documents were carefully worded and their phone calls very persuasive. They were not in any rush for my Bank details which is why I wasn't initially suspicious and the non-Disclosure document which I signed made me believe that I shouldn't discuss the alleged takeover of the company with anyone.
An email enclosing my contract agreement offering £10.20 per share made my 4125 shares seem like a tidy little profit for me!!! However the email enclosing the document alerted me. Spelling and grammar was poor and did not tie in with the professional set up that I had been experiencing up until then.
Even when I made them aware that I knew the whole thing was a scam they relentlessly continued to contact me saying they didn't understand my accusations. In one day I had over 100 missed calls between my land line and mobile from this company. Another tell tale sign was that their emails kept going into my junk/spam folder. I felt particularly stupid as I work for a financial institution and am constantly warning my customers about fraud and scams and I myself nearly got sucked in!!!!!
Be careful everyone. A dream can very quickly into a nightmare. I was one of the lucky ones. My heart goes out to those of you who have been caught out and I hope you are able to get some sort of compensation.
Mar 20, 2012 Rating
Davidson Capital Partners by: Anonymous
Davidson Capital Partners - I was called yesterday evening by a lady calling herself Helena Sy saying they had a client who wanted to buy shares in the "AIM VCT plc". I hold shares in Unicorn AIM VCT.
She said a client was offering betwen £8 and £17 per share and after a longish and quite convincing "spiel" she said she would email me a confidentility agreement, which she has done. Looks quite convincing. The web site looks superficially impressive, but there are a lot of grammatical errors in it.
I thought it must be a scam as she got the name of the shareholding wrong and the shres are worth nothing like the sums she was quoting.
Thanks for running this blog as it is useful just to be able to check if other have been pestered by these criminals.
Mar 20, 2012 Rating
Davidson Capital Partners by: Anonymous
It is so frustrating as they sound so convincing and professional, I have a Jeannie Rodriquez ringing me all the time, and I have questioned and questioned the whole thing but she seems to convince me each time!
I have not passed over any details, but hey how nice would it be if the whole thing was real!!
As many have said before I have a small amount of shares that has increased by stock split etc, so annoying not to know enough about shares to grill them!
Kenny Says: They are convincing, that is how they draw people in. They are relying on peoples natural desire for a bargain but if you fall for this scam, the dream will quickly become a nightmare.
Mar 19, 2012 Rating
Davidson Capital Partners by: Anonymous
Hi,
My mother-in-law keeps getting phone calls about my MXP shares from people with difficult to understand foreign accents.
I have eventually spoken to them and they tell me that I actually have 4 times the number of shares I thought I held due to a forward stock split which apparently no-one knows about because it's so secret. They too want an insurance bond, don't know how much yet.
Surely you can sell shares without this, I know it's a scam, would be nice to set up a direct debit to their account ;-)
Kenny Says: They are not interested in your shares, they only want your money or bank account details, so I am not sure why you would want to set up a direct debit??
Mar 13, 2012 Rating
Davidson by: Hughie
Davidson Capital wanted to buy my mothers holding in Creighton PLC. What she paid less than a hundred pounds for, 9 years ago, was worth £55 k to them if she would post a guarantee of £5k.
Enough said.
Fortunately she dosen't have a computer so gave them my e-mail address. By way of reply I posted them a link to this site. Simples!!!
Mar 08, 2012 Rating
Payback by: Gerard O' Brien
A tip.
I rumbled them by phoning a postoffice next to the address they gave (easy with Google Earth) They had no record of Them.
Also I suggest wasting as much of their time as possible without letting on that youve rumbled them.
Spin it out as creatively as possible until they finally twig youve played them at their own game!
You are protecting other potential victims while you do this.
Mar 08, 2012 Rating
Share Buy Up Scam by: Gerard O' Brien
Look out for 'Davidson Capital Partners', Offering high price for your shares for their clients prospective takeover.
You must front up an indemnifying insurance bond or some such, before the deal can go through. Authentic looking web site and confidentiality agreement.
Clever little f***ers
Mar 08, 2012 Rating
Boiling mad at boiler room by: Anonymous
I have been pestered at home and work by Michael Barnes of (supposed) Williams Brown in NY constantly over the past 2 weeks regarding my puny number of Mothercare shares.
Each conversation is interminable and I lose the will to live and explain that I won't do anything until things are put in writing. Why am I so naive?!!
Tonight I lost the plot as he casually dropped into conversation the 15% insurance bond that needs to be paid to a 'HK-based transfer agent'. Erm I don't think so! Immediately went on the internet and found this website - thank you!
It seemed too good to be true and it is I'm sure. Ok, so I won't be able to buy a new car with the proceeds, but in the real world I won't be £1000s of pounds out of pocket either. Thank you again.
Feb 29, 2012 Rating
Mullen & Cheeks by: Anonymous
I, too, have been phoned about 15 times in the last few days by these people. They are trying to persuade me, firstly that I have 5,000 more shares than I have, and secondly that my shares in the Company of NETCALL are worth £10 each.
This is what they are offering me. The shares are currently only 21p. They will buy my shares at this inflated price they tell me, BUT first I must send around £7,000 to their so called Transfer Agent in Hong Kong!
They must think we are fools to be taken in by them.
Kenny Says: Unfortunately they only need a very small percentage of people that they contact to fall for the scam in order to make it very worthwhile for them.
There will always be enough folks that can't see past the 'Guaranteed' large return that is supposedly on offer. Lets hope they find this page before they hand over any money.
Thanks to all the contributions from visitors here, hopefully we can stop as many as possible from being drawn in.
Feb 28, 2012 Rating
Mullen and Cheeks by: Anonymous
So glad I found this site, Mullen and Cheeks are at this moment in time trying to get me to sell shares which I am supposedly still in possession of (sold all I had last year).
The 300 they say I have, now increased to 3600 and worth between 8 and 20 pounds, and yes, they want me to pay 80% surety insurance up frony (Don't think that is going to happen).
What worries me is that I work for a large company and someone may actually fall for this!!!
I do know others have been approached. I have flagged it with the company. Hopefully we can stop anyone being taken in.
Feb 27, 2012 Rating
William & Brown Management Group by: Anonymous
I have had similar contact from a company called William & Brown Management Group, website williambrownmanagement.com, offering to buy my Mothercare shares as part of a hostile takeover.
They have been very persuasive with Michael Barnes making the initial contact followed by countless calls from Julia Davis. When I didn't return the non-disclosure forms they hassled me daily. I eventually sent it back before realising it was a scam. She rang tonight asking me to fax a copy of my share certificate and says she will call tomorrow to discuss the offer they want to make.
I'm not sending fax and won't be entering in to any more dialogue with them. The phone number on website is not even a working number!
Feb 22, 2012 Rating
Mullen Cheecks consulting by: Anonymous
I've been bombarded with calls from Mullen Cheeks giving the same cock and bull story that many of you have commented on..ie offering between 8-23 pounds for my shares.
I just don't buy it they are just scums of the earth, they do get cagey when you ask them questions! I dont know how they get hold of my details though?
Feb 21, 2012 Rating
To good to be true by: Anonymous
Tried to run the scam on Legal & General shares
Feb 07, 2012 Rating
And another scammer - Mullen Cheeks by: Anonymous
Mullen Cheeks. After a lull of a couple of months there seems to be a whole new rash of scammers calling. Maybe they realise the word has got around and are giving it one last go? The bxxxxxds certainly have 'cheek' in spades.
Feb 07, 2012 Rating
Smith and Lockheart Associates by: Anonymous
Another bunch of scumbags trying the same old take-over scam. Keep well clear!
Feb 05, 2012 Rating
Heckart associates by: Anonymous
Hi,
I backed a friend 41k who owned some British energy shares and was informed by Heckart that they were worth 195k plus. He was asked to pay tax to the IRS, then pay interest on the tax, then pay the FDIC further monies.
When I investigated, I quickly realised it was an advance fee bolier room scam. Can anyone let me know who I can refer this matter to, Heckart maintain a website heckartassociates.com to give an authentic impression and their address is in Manhattan, New York.
Are there any US govt bodies that investigate these scams that I can report this to. I would the for this to happen to anyone else. 41K loss has taken its toll on me.
Any guidance here is much appreciated and intend to update this website with any developments made. what criminal people do for money is disgusting and needs redressing.
Kenny Says: Thanks for the clarification. If money has changed hands then I think it becomes an allegation of fraud and a police matter. Also see the SEC website for more info on how to make a complaint www.sec.gov
Jan 27, 2012 Rating
Scammer Heckart Associates by: Anonymous
Please be aware that Heckart Associates have scammed me 41k by lying about British Energy Shares that are out-dated and worthless
###
Kenny Says: You do not give any further explanation but please be aware that British Energy were taken over by EDF in 2009. If you did not send off your acceptance of the offer then you should contact the registrar to receive payment for your holding.
The following is an extract from the information given on their website...
"British Energy was acquired by EDF S.A., effective as of 5 January 2009. If you did not return a Form of Acceptance by 5 December 2008, your shares would have been subject to a compulsory purchase at 774p per share. The funds are being held for you by the registrars, Equiniti. To receive these funds you need to contact Equiniti in writing at Aspect House, Spencer Road, Lancing, West Sussex, BN99 6DA.
I have just had a similar discussion from somebody claiming to be from the Knowlton Group. They claim that my shareholding in HiWave Technologies plc has been subject to a previous 4 for 1 offer and I now have 4000 shares not 1000. Amazing!
Dec 23, 2011 Rating
You have my sympathy by: Anonymous
To the previous commenter, I'm so sorry that you've lost money to these criminal scum. I sincerely hope you find some means of redress, though I doubt that will be easy.
Dec 21, 2011 Rating
Rothridge, Regent & Langley by: Anonymous
I think I have been done by Rothridge over some shares I have in Psion, worth 49p and offered £8.79 by them in a hostile takeover. The cold calling started in mid November and I have unfortunatley paid several thousand pounds for the 10% bond, after they miraculously found I owned 6x more shares.
A new company Regent & Langley are now 'in charge' and say I have 4x more share options in the form of warrants for which they could change them into live shares for £1.25, a large sum.
I have now only just seen the warning on the globalalert website and the FSA that these companies are dubious. Greenway Consulting is also in the same category. Interestingly all three 'companies' have the same look and feel about their addresses at the bottom of the correspondence.
I will not be proceeding further and hope this warning helps others.
Dec 08, 2011 Rating
Rothridge Consultancy. by: Anonymous
Contacted several times by this outfit over my Raven-Russia shares. Said they were acting for client over a hostile take over.Wished to arrange purchase of shares at between £3-£8. Current worth 58 P !
Also claimed my share holding much higher than it is. Foreign accent guy--thanks for your sites' warning--beware ! Also contacted by Greenway Consultancy.
Dec 08, 2011 Rating
Rothrige Consulting Group by: Anonymous
Rothridge contacted me re selling a small quantity of shares I own. They told me I could expect up to 6 times the value and that I now owned 40 times the number of shares.
When they started talking about an insurance indemnity of up to 10% that I had to pay the alarm bells rang. Glad I found this site that has confirmed the scam.
I thought it was and that there is a warning from FSA about this company.
Dec 01, 2011 Rating
Rothridge by: Anonymous
Same here, contacted by Rothridge over the past few weeks. Signed a non disclosure document, all very feasible. Shares going way back, I can't even remember if I owned them. Then the amount seemed over the top and finally the deposit I had to put in to underwrite 10%! Sorry what am I supposed to be underwriting if I suppsedly own the shares. No way... not nice.
Dec 01, 2011 Rating
Another name by: Anonymous
Today the caller said she was from Bingham Consulting Group. Us phone-watch sites know of this name, too. Boring scam.
Dec 01, 2011 Rating
Scam by: Anonymous
Contacted yesterday about my Logica shares by Rothridge Consulting Group, I also thought it was good until they asked for deposit.
Very convincing on the phone no wonder some people get taken in.
Nov 30, 2011 Rating
Another scam company - Winchester Consultancy by: Anonymous
Same scam - offering to buy my elderly parents Logica shares at 2000% but require a 2% "deposit insurance". Hope they rot in hell!
Winchester Consultancy (42 Wst 62nd St. New York)
Nov 30, 2011 Rating
It Continues by: Anonymous
I note that RM PLC have a notice on their investor relations website covering both boiler room scams and this one.
I've contacted Logica, suggesting they do the same, as I got the phone call this evening.
A pretty feeble scam, but annoying nevertheless.
Nov 24, 2011 Rating
ROTHRIDGE SCAM by: Anonymous
I to have had the pleasure of ROTHRIDGE CONSULTING GROUP trying to buy up all my shares claiming my shares are worth ten times as much as they are really worth and an offer i could not refuse. Its only when they wanted money transfered to a transfer agent AMKTRUST as an imdemnity bond for insurance ,did the alarm bells sound. Dont fall for it.Its a SCAM.
Nov 23, 2011 Rating
More scams from Rothridge by: Eleri
I am still dealing with this Rothridge Consluting Group which seemed credible until today when they started to indicate they need some refundable deposit for underwirting my shares for a hostile take-over.
Quite cleverly plotted, since I only had 60 shares they convoluted them to stock split to 5025 which I guess in tomorrows call will turn into a bigger sum deposit. They have what looks like a reputable if brief web site, and since they wanted a NDA you feel sort of trapped. They mentioned the insurance companies AXA, Lloyds, Royal Alliance and Global as their underwiters.
Shame they are going to offer about £10 for my Logica shares worth 0.67 pence. Mind you in last weeks call it was up to £23 if the takeover went ahead. The Indian accent from Wayne did send alarm bells but you try and give people the benefit of the doubt.
Any good way to report them in the US and UK? Found the FSA web site but only for uk
Nov 18, 2011 Rating
Two more for the list by: Anonymous
You can add Sidstone, Gray & Partners and Rothridge Consulting Group to the list of 'boiler room' brokers. Both have contacted me this year with totally unrealistic offers for some low value shares that I own. And guess what, I actually own 7 times (according to Sidstone, Gray & Partners) or 5 times (Rothridge) as many as the certificate says I do, aren't I lucky!
The first time it just petered out, I think my scepticism put them off. 2nd time I'd had the good fortune to read this web site and knew what to expect - the infamous Performance Bond! As another commenter said " if it seems too good to be true, it undoubtedly is!"
Nov 09, 2011 Rating
Kesa Scam by: Neil Anderson
Just to add to everyones comments, we have been contacted by grenfell and blackrock trying to tell us we have 10 times the amount of Kesa shares and they want to buy them for a takeover.
They also want a payment for an insurance bond. I dont think they will be getting anything.
Nov 09, 2011 Rating
Greenway Consultancy still calling UK by: Anonymous
Just thought I would add my comments with the information I have gathered from the Greenway Consultancy Group calling my parents home.
We have been having calls from them over the past few weeks and haven't been taking it too seriously until they started applying a time pressure response from my mother regarding the insurance bond payment to cover her part of the deal. We have been dealing with a certian "Tony Alba" who is now asking her to make a bond payment to AMK Trust Ltd (funny how other names were mentioned to begin with (LLoyds, AXA, Prudential and Global Investments) only to suddenly settle on a hitherto unknown third party...
Anyway, "Tony" will be calling again tonight to try to seal the deal... I'm guessing he's going to be dissapointed.
I will gather all the info we have and forward it along to both UK and USA fraud agencies - hopefully someone will be able to shut down their website which looks profficient enough to fool people at first glance. At the moment the website shows a nicely animated shot of the Statue of Liberty in front of the Manhatten skyline, but unfortunately they have used an old shot with the Twin Towers included... which I'm sure a NYC based consultancy company would have had the foresight to take care of.
Nov 06, 2011 Rating
Had a few of these by: Paul King
I've had a couple of these calls from "different" people. Easy to spot.
I'm usually pretty cagey and avoid/evade answering many of their "security" questions, this doesn't seem to bother them and they just carry on anyway - so much for security.
There is nothing special about knowing the details of my paper based shareholding.
Price increment over market value is ridiculous.
Want some "bond" or another to let the deal go through - nope! Want to buy my shares make me an offer and buy them, there is nothing magical about a hostile takeover.
They just want to get 51% so they can strip the valuable property and leave everyone else with nothing, erm no it doesn't work like that, that would actually be illegal.
My shareholding is minor (to say the least) there is no way they can get their 51% by buying up trivial blobs like mine, they'd need to buy from the major holders like pension funds etc. and if they can do that, they don't need mine. My small quanities would be more hassle than anything.
Note form Kenny: Thanks Paul, the fact is that with this type of scam they have no interest in buying any shares as part of a "take over", current or otherwise.....they only want your cash!
Oct 25, 2011 Rating
Ladbrokes by: Anonymous
I have been contacted today with the same scam I have been offered £8 for shares worth £1.87 pence. The man who phoned said he was from Grenfell Blackrock Associates and new all of my details I did not think it was a scam untill I read the comments on this site
Oct 25, 2011 Rating
Five shares - get personal! by: Anonymous
I have been asked to trade in my shreholding in a major plc. All five shares! I have a very personal list of questions that I am going to put to the next caller - have fun with it!
Oct 23, 2011 Rating
Greenway consultancy from New York by: Anonymous
I was approached two weeks ago by a foreign sounding american. He was acting on behalf of a company making a hostile takeover that I have shares in. I was rung every day for over a week and sent a confidentiality form to sign and e.mail back.
Several rises in the amount per share I could expect to receive but the alarm bells rang when I was told I had to put up £7000 as surety for the bond covering the eventuality of the collapse of the take-over.
I was then sent another form to complete. They had checked my share holding and confirmed, they said what I had mentioned I held. However, on rechecking my certificates I discovered that I actually held more! When my husand answered the last call from supposedly a Lawyer and said he would be contacting the police the calls stopped.
Though I felt dubious from the beginning at the high price etc., it is so easy to be taken in.
This should not be happening to unsuspecting public. Something should be done to stop this.
Oct 20, 2011 Rating
Yep here we go again by: Anonymous
A really nice young man from Grenfell and Blackrock Associates offering me an incredible deal on Spice Shares, currently trading at 69.75p, and offering incredible value due to a 51% take-over. One draw back in his flawless dialogue that he ommitted to realize, I actually sold the shares nearly two years ago. whoops! These people make me sick to the bottom of my stomach. they are scum.
Oct 18, 2011 Rating
yet another attempt in the UK by: Anonymous
My wife got a call from some person who said he was from Greenway Consulting group in New York she said sounded Fillipino but I thought he sounded more Afro Caribbean - would not give his name or rather dodged the question and more importantly dodged the question when I asked for his telephone number simply said that contact details were on the information they were going to send. He was offering between GBP 5 and 23 for shares which she owns in a company which I believe is defunct.
We've seen this sort of thing before with boiler room scams - so naturally very pleased we checked and found this website so that we can say FOXTROT OSCAR to these arseholes. Thanks for making this information public
Oct 14, 2011 Rating
OMG by: Anonymous
I am so glad I googled Grenfell and Blackrock and found all this information. That old adage "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true", couldn't be more appropriate!
This company called me from USA and gave me the spiel about a takeover by their client who wanted 51% of shares in Kesa Electricals because of the patents Kesa hold and they were looking to buy my holding of only 131 shares at between £5 and £12 each (current value under a pound).
They also said that when the takeover took place, that the remaining 49% of stock would be worthless - an extra incentive for me to part with my low value shares! I was emailed a non-disclosure form which I emailed back and today I received my 4th phone call from 'Simone' to say that everything was in order and that the good news is that Kesa did a 1 to 10 forward split in 2009 so I hold not 131 shares but 1310 and then (as if that wasn't enough!) in 2010 Kesa did a further 1 to 6 forward split so I actually own 7860 shares!!!
This made me very suspicious as I am good at keeping all paperwork and at no point had Kesa told me of any splits leading to an increase in my holding. So I googled Kesa and baffled myself with financial documents and could find no splits anywhere. I checked my online Kesa account and definitely have only 131 shares so I googled Grenfell & Blackrock again and found so much info on boiler room scams. Thank goodness I found out now before they requested money from me for my share of the deal insurance.
My share of the insurance required for the sale of my shares to their client to go ahead, would be about 20% apparently so no wonder they had to invent all these forward splits or my measly holding wouldn't have generated much of a payment from me. Please beware - the lady who rings me sounds VERY genuine and professional. That said, I can't wait until she rings me again and I get the next instalment!
Oct 14, 2011 Rating
Scam-How dare they by: Anonymous
I was also nearly taken in by this scam.Glad I logged into this web site. Had two phone calls from someone at Greenway Consultancy and of course it sounded very plausible. These people are the lowest of the low.
Oct 14, 2011 Rating
Beware Morgan Consultancy Scam by: Anonymous
Same scam as other posts - this time in relation to Kier Group plc shares. However this time they were stupid enough to quote a purchase price range where the low end was only approx 60% of the current share value!
Oct 13, 2011 Rating
Grenfell associates SCAM by: Anonymous
Don't fall for it,they rang me claiming to want to buy some shares off me which we had cashed in years ago. They will eventually ask you to pay them something to cover insurance or some crap!!
Oct 13, 2011 Rating
Beware Greenway Consultancy scam by: Anonymous
Greenway Consultancy are still calling people in the UK about obtaining shares for a hostile takeover. Is there anything we can do to stop these people?
Their website looks like a copy of the Willis Group.
Oct 12, 2011 Rating
And another one! by: Anonymous
Yup! I've had the Greenway consultancy on to me too - at least the guy supposedly calling from NYC sounded American!
It would be funny if not for the fact that some poor souls will probably be taken in and lose money!
Perhaps we should let Anne and the watchdog team loose on them?
I'll add to this forum, I had exactly the same scenario (a call with exact knowledge on share held with companies that have done nothing for 10+ years) and was contacted by two companies:
Barrington Conusltancy Weinberg Equity Management
Like other posters here, I was seduced by the greed and the offer of getting loads of dosh for doing nothing with redundant shares. And I did take it a couple of steps further down, to the point where they asked for payment to release the shares...with a payment account with in Lithuania!
More probing questions were subsequent answered in the same generic way; upfront payments were due to legal requirements in the US (both companies claimed to be based in NYC). Communication swiftly ended when I explained I had a NY accountant contact who would be visiting them the next week!
An effective bolier room scam that is a little more sophisticated than previous versions I have seen.
Oct 10, 2011 Rating
scammers by: Anonymous
Total Broken English a guy called Eric, started calling me Mr Terry, Terry is my first name Guy sounded like the Mercat on compare the market.com.
Lucky I knew the thousands of shares once held in Parallel Media at last count had a value of £11.30 in total.
Very Persistent but my spam guard won't let him send me the forms lol.
I've said I think I have over a million shares.
Going to have some sport with these ones. Beware.
Oct 07, 2011 Rating
Greed takes over!!!! by: Anonymous
Have had all the usual contact as everyone else .... just for a moment, only a moment greed comes over you, but when sanity returns you realise with a huge amount of anger, how these people can get away with these scames. We checked company details on line and thankfully we found fellow "perceived mugs's" comments, warning of dome and gloom, so for that we thank you all. I can only hope other approaches will have the sense to check this bogus company out. Again, many thanks.
Oct 07, 2011 Rating
Grenfell and Blackrock by: Findlay
I have just had a similar contact with a company called Grenfell and Blackrock wanting to buy some very old shares in Phoenix IT PLC. I am not even sure I still own them. They are very convincing. Their web site is professional looking, until you realise there are no names mentioned and no ZIP code in the address (Rochester, new York). They have a working telephone no. and it sounds like you are answered by a call centre. The contact name given was Kristina Wilson. They even went as far as sending a non-disclosure agreement to sign.
Oct 07, 2011 Rating
Me too by: Anonymous
I've had an outfit claiming to be http://greenwayconsultancygrp.com. At first sight the website appears genuine but a small amount of investigation quickly shows that this is a scam. After all, where's the picture of a smiling Chief Executive beaming down on us?
The phone calls sounded genuine at first but when they reckoned they could offer me a price that was so far over the top alarm bells started to ring. They also claimed that my piddling shareholding was larger than it is. A check on the number calling shows that it's a UK mobile rather than New York or Seattle or wherever it is that the reckon they're calling from.
Now that they've started to move towards asking me for money I'm wondering whether I should let the police in on this.
If they call again I'll certainly be ready for a bit of fun.
Sep 29, 2011 Rating
Hostile take over scam by: Anonymous
So glad to have read all this info. Now realise that its a scam. Two approaches over the last few weeks, Barrington Group wanting my Ladbroke shares and yesterday Glenfell and Blackrock wanting our Holidaybreak shares. Penny dropped when remembered that Holidaybreak have now gone private. Both companies supposed to be based in New York but accents sound oriental. Challenged Glenfell guy today and told him thought it was a scam, but very persistent. After reading these comments, can now forget about the whole thing. Thanks
Sep 29, 2011 Rating
Suckered! by: Anonymous
Yes nearly got drawn in, thought it was all too good to be true. They told me my shares had increased by 150 times. it was starting to look like my luck was in for the worthless piece of paper in my filing cabinet. They offered me £15.68 a share and during the course of the conversastion I had stopped listening to him and thinking what we could spend the money on. I had already said to myself if I had to pay anything up front I would not go ahead with it, then Bang they said I had to secure this price with an insurance indemnity bond of c£6000. I querued this as to why I had to pay out when the risk wasn't mine, they said it was a US thing??? I finished the call a little shacken by the fact that I could be loaded to then do the sensible thing and go through everything they had told me firstly by trawling the web for this kind of thing. 'Boiler room scam' is what I found. Not going to fall for this again. I now know how it all works. Very cheeky!!!!
Sep 22, 2011 Rating
I am no mug. by: Anonymous
7. 09 2011.
I received a fabulous offer!!!!!! for some penny shares, the number of shares I owned quadarapled in number and the offer for them was between £9-£23. per share.The catch was to pay 3%to10% bond money up front to one of four well known firms AXA,Lloyds. Prudential or Global Investments.I also had a Non- disclosure Agreement to sign.They were very persausive or thought they were.Nice try,
Anon.
Sep 21, 2011 Rating
Misys by: AnonyBill
I got called for my Misys shares. The devils.
Sep 17, 2011 Rating
Aviva scam by: Joe
Phone call offering £10- £20 per aviva share which is obviously a con. This too was an African sounding woman who couldn't quite understand what I was saying..........kept her on the phone a while just to amuse her and waste their money. Waiting on e-mail and then report them to FSA
Sep 16, 2011 Rating
Barrington New York/Mercury Group by: Anonymous
Barrington Group New York contacted me offering to buy my shares in Mercury Group (I do actually owns these shares).I would need to sign a confidentially agreement.
This is the third time in 2 years Mercury was about be taken over !! Each time a different firm phoned me.
The scam-They will soon be asking me to pay a bond which is of course ''refundable'' if the share purchase does not go ahead.
I will have fun with them for a little while longer until I report them to FSA.
Sep 12, 2011 Rating
parallel media by: Anonymous
Virtually identical spiel to those already mentioned above but company involved was Greenway Consultancy with website www.greenwayconsultancygrp.com
Sep 08, 2011 Rating
Stilo International by: Anonymous
I've had exactly the same scam aimed at me, using exactly the same wording, in this case the company they were trying to takeover was called "Stilo International". Now several years ago I was interested in this actual company (which still exists)and requested some company information from one of the online investor information information services. However, in my case, I never actually went ahead with any investment. They also wanted some sort of security bond. I kept the guy on the line for ages trying to waste as much time as possible and eventually left it that they would send an email to an email address I use for marketing companies giving details of my exact shareholding. Nothing received as yet strangely enough...
Aug 31, 2011 Rating
scam by: Anonymous
Had the Barrington Group on also who have offered me an amazing £25000 - £52000 for my AVIVA shares that are valued under £1000 at the moment. Thought it was to good to be true. Company supposed to be based in America New York and looking to obtain 51% of the shares for a hostile takeover. The woman I spoke to couldn't hardley understand, sounded like Africa somewhere.
Aug 24, 2011 Rating
Similar scam with MJ Gleeson shares by: Anonymous
I have been experiencing a similar scam being made an eight time factor for MJ Gleeson shares. However they require a 'bond payment' of several thousand pounds before releasing payment for the shares !!! Doen't work with me !
Aug 02, 2011 Rating
ALKANE Energy by: Anonymous
They seem to be doing the rounds as contact here today too !! Same old story so far. Will see where we go next !!
Aug 02, 2011 Rating
Alkane Energy PLC (UK) by: Anonymous
I have had the same numptys try this one. barringtonconsultancy .com with Alkane Energy PLC. Played along for a while till for my own entertainment.
Jul 18, 2011 Rating
Parallel Media Scam by: Anonymous
We've had the same 'process' as others have left but the name given was Barrington Group, they exist but their website is www.barringtonconsultancy.com which is nothing to do with the Group itself!! Website looks good though but completely dodgy!
Definately a boiler room scam I think!
Jul 12, 2011 Rating
Easton Consultancy Scam by: Rob J
Easton Consultancy contacted me a week ago and told me that they had a client who wanted to buy my shares in Parallel Media Group and were willing to pay £10 to £15 per share. Well my holding was a mere 20 shares quoted at 22p each - a massive £4 or so!! Well after their "legal dept" had checked my holding, miaculously the shares had multiplied by 20 and then by a further 10 to give me a new holding of 400 shares. Sounds good so far! Well at the minimum price of £10 a share my £4 worth of shares was now worth £40000. Not bad for doing nothing. Of course I smelt a rat - a giant fat rat at that. It is of course a complete scam and soon becomes clear when they tried to persuad me to send 30% for a refundable bond to secure the deal i.e. £12000. The rest is history.
Jul 11, 2011 Rating
Paul Winters - Easton Consultancy by: Matt -London
I had this guy call me on a regular basis regarding the takeover of a company called Parallel Media Group. Shares were worth 20p and he said someone wanted them for £5-£12. I smelled a fish. He said there is a small insurance premium to pay before we can proceed.
Basically, if it sounds too good to be true.........it always is, especially when money is involved. I called Capita Registrars and they said it was a boiler room.
Rather annoying.
Jun 29, 2011 Rating
Easton Consultancy of New York by: DPB
I had this firm call me several times re my shares in JEBeale a departmental store based in Bournemouth. They asked me to download a 'Confidential Memorandum of Non-disclosure' then post it to them with how many shares I had.They said this was a hostile bid.I e-mailed JEBeale who said their broker did not know of any hostile bid or anyone buying up their shares.(I have not sent the form.)
Jun 14, 2011 Rating
take over scam by: S Mcconnell
yes I had the same the company name is eastonconsultancy.com the contact was a paul boston supposeed to be based in New York, looks like the same sort of scam
