Langley Advisory

Langley Advisory are a boiler room, cold calling investors in the UK offering stocks in Companies which have restricted (regulation S) shares. These shares cannot be sold to the American investors, so then why to the UK?

The fact of the matter is that Langley Advisory have an investment
fraud alert at the FSA. This, however, does not stop them from claiming victims. They have been selling stocks in a Company called General Components Inc, a company which in its annual report claimed that they did not have enough funds for the following 12 months.

A company in trouble offers rich pickings to boiler rooms who will use a very hard sell, whilst withholding very pertinent information. Such entities often for the staple diet of a boiler room. More information will be posted in due course on Langley Advisory, but any potential investor would be well advised to exercise extreme caution when dealing with these people.

Warburg and Ross - Another Boiler Room?

Warburg and Ross have all the hallmarks of another boiler room, hitting the streets. Their web site claims offices in Belize and the Philippines, but a check on the web site itself and on the WHOIS information for the firm, reveals a lot more.

An investigation on the 'About' section of their web site reveals that the information, whilst plausible at first glance, has actually been taken from a legitimate venture capital firm in California.

The WHOIS also has the air of legitimacy about it, but the fact that the site has only been registered for 12 months would leave me concerned about the long term intentions of this Company, and should be enough in itself to raise warning flags about Warburg and Ross.

This firm do not appear to have made any serious splashes yet, but ant potential investors would be well advised to tread very carefully when dealing with them.

Stock Investment Advice

Stock investment advice is easy to find. Do you get cold called by brokers with the latest investment tip? I have, as have countless others around the globe. And many of us have lost a lot of money to these people. So, how can you avoid some of these pitfalls?

In general, if you get cold called by anyone, the best stock investment advice that I can give you is to leave them alone, no matter how appealing, or how plausible the sell is. Many of the people and firms who operate in high pressure sales environments, operate outside the law. And these people usually start with a cold call.

Black and White Investments

Black and White Investments have been cold calling UK investors with high pressure sales tactics and very plausible rhetoric. Not withstanding the fact that Black and White Investments are on the FSA warning lists, the fact that these tactics are being employed and that they are cold calling UK investors at all, should be enough to convince you to tread very carefully in your dealings with them.

A closer examination of their WHOIS information, reveals that they have hidden their details, cloaking themselves in anonymity.

Pacific Continental Securities

Pacific Continental are a company operating in the UK, and are believed to be registered with the FSA. If that is the case, doesn't that make them a legitimate operation, and if so, why are they on here?

Good questions of course.

However, despite the air of legitimacy, there are some serious question marks over the operations of Pacific Continental, which should ring alarm bells and make potential investors think very carefully, and do a very thorough due diligence before spending any money with them.

• They are know to be selling regulation s shares, and not telling investors that these stocks are restricted. Always ask!

• They use very high pressure tactics. Would a legitimate trader need to do this?

• Once they take your money, well .....

More on Pacific Continental.

Trenton Hassel Investment Ltd

Trenton Hassel Investment Ltd have been approaching investors of International Biometrics, with tales of wishing to buy a non performing share to offset a tax liability. Whilst the desire to offload such rubbish as International Biometrics shares must be tempting, please be wary.

A cursory lookup of the website for Trenton Hassel Investment Ltd reveals a few suspicious things.

Wallstreet Asset Management

A new boiler room is believed to be targeting UK investors, but this time, I believe that they are peddling UK property shares.

More info on Wallstreet Asset Management.

and an ongoing discussion of boiler rooms.

Sterling Financial Corporation|Possible Stock Fraud

Sterling Financial Corporation have been cold calling UK investors, trying to persuade them to part with shares which are worthless.

Cold calling UK investors without the approval of the FSA is illegal in itself, but when Sterling Financial Services try and purchase shares in a Company like Slender Life, which has originally sold through Boiler Rooms itself and are completely worthless, then you have to ask questions as to why they are willing to pay a huge premium to do this?

There is an ongoing discussion on Sterling Financial Corporation at the boiler rooms UK forum.

Bell International Asset Management

Bell International Asset Management have been cold calling potential investors in the UK. Without the authority of the FSA, this action in itself is illegal.

A check on the website of Bell International Asset Management reveals that it was first registered only a couple of weeks ago, and only for a period of 12 months. This does not fill me with confidence. The contact details given are also suspicious. The claim on the web site that the copyright for the site dates back to 1997 is nonsensical bearing this information in mind.

On ongoing discussion on Bell International Asset Management is taking place at the Boiler Rooms UK forum.

Insta Trade Offering General Component Inc Shares

Insta Trade are now offering stock in General Component Inc (GCPO). The offer is currently $2.20 for 3000 shares trading at $2.25.

A check on the GCI web site shows that the site was only created in November 2004, but the investors are being told by Insta Trade that the company has been at the for front on network technology since 1998.

The shares are restricted under regulation S, even though Insta Trade do not volunteer this information.

There is a on ongoing discussion on Insta Trade at the Boiler Rooms UK forum.

Drake Asset Management - Second Wave Fraud

Drake Asset Management have been approaching investors
in Australia, in attempt to execute a second wave boiler room scam. By
this, I mean that they are offering to purchase stocks sold by other boiler
rooms, which are considered worthless, at a huge premium. The downside
is that an up front fee or 'bond' needs to be paid to facilitate this
transaction.

Once paid of course, the investor will never see their money again.

There is an ongoing discussion on Drake Asset Management at the Boiler Rooms UK forum.

Financial Assets Corporation - Suspicious Activity

Investors in the UK have started being called by a Company called Financial Assets Corporation. This company are operating a little differently to those boiler rooms normally highlighted on this site, because they are calling to obtain information in the first instance, rather than to try and obtain funds. The sting will undoubtedly come later.

Financial Assets Corporation are seeking details of 'non performing shares', and will email a questionnaire in order to facilitate this task.

What will happen next is anyone's guess, but it is strongly suggested that caution is exercised when dealing with these people.

An ongoing discussion is taking place on the Financial Assets Corporation at the Boiler Rooms UK forum.

Insta Trade in Amsterdam

Another boiler room, Insta Trade, is targeting investors in the UK with worthless stocks. The Insta Trade web site claims that the Company has been in existence since 1997, but the web site itself was created in October 1994, and only purchased for a year. This is not an encouraging sign if one is looking for an investment partner for the long haul.

There is an ongoing discussion on Insta Trade at the boiler rooms UK forum.

24/03/05
These guys are pressing hard. They all seem to be South Africans - probably have run other boiler rooms such as CFS International. They are calling nearly every day. One stock known to be on offer is General Components Incorporated (GCPO).

Beware!

SMI Private Equity Offering Oil and Gas Investments

SMI Private Equity, and firms like them, have in the past restricted themselves to hawking old and tired penny shares and involving themselves in second wave scams, whereby the boiler rooms offer to sell on worthless stock, for an up front fee. They will take the fee of course, and you will never see a return.

It appears that firms like SMI Private Equity are venturing into other fields, notably Oil and Gas investments, and investors need to be vigilant, especially when dealing with firms such as SMI Private Equity.

Oil and Gas has long been plagued with 'promoted' investments. A typical oil and gas fraud is to mark up the cost of the well 300 to 500%, with the Operator and/or sales firm pocketing the difference.

There is a thread on SMI Private Equity at the Boiler Rooms UK forum.

D Meredith Gray - A Secondary Scammer

A firm calling themselves Preston Winslow Yates and Associates have been approaching victims of Slender Life and Cambridge Global. Preston Winslow Yates and Associates say that they have a head office at 29/7 270 Park Ave. New York. N.Y. 1007, and also claim to work out of Hong Kong. They are saying that they have a client willing to give me $10.98 per share for what is thought to be worthless shares.

Why?

How do D Meredith Gray come into this? This transaction takes another twist, when contact is made by a third party claiming to be a representative of a US Government Bureau called 'The Central Selling Bureau' in New York, who say that in order to sell the shares one must pay $0.69 per share to a Transfer agent, D Meredith Gray, of 245 Park Ave. New York N.Y. 10005, to remove the restrictions. They then call and say that on top of this there is a charge of $1.28 to remove the 'non removable warrant A'.

There is more on this boiler room here.

On ongoing discussion is taking place at the boiler rooms UK forum.

Meissner Goodison Lee & Associates

Meissner Goodison Lee & Associates have been approaching shareholders in the Jade Dragon Group (SRPJ), offering to by seemingly worthless shares for $25 a share, under the guise of a take over. There is also the matter of the 10% up front fee which must be paid in order for the transaction to take place. The takeover does not exist of course, and the likelihood is that you will not see your up front payment again.

There is an ongoing discussion on Meissner
Goodison Lee & Associates at the Boiler Rooms UK forum.

Heritage Financial Inc - Boiler Rooms at Work

Heritage Financial Inc have been calling potential investors, offering $14.80 per share in both BDC and SRPJ. Both of these stocks (BDC
and SRPJ) are the subject of discussion at the Boiler Rooms UK forum. Because the shares in these companies are restricted (regulation S), Heritage Financial are claiming that a fee needs to be paid to lift the restrictions.

They are also claiming to be registered with US Government sites, but the sites that they tell you about, although looking genuine, are fake. A hard sell ensues, with many plausible arguments being used, but the bottom line is that they are offering huge prices on stocks that are worthless.

Why?

Parker Rowe - Another Boiler Room

Another boiler room, Parker Rowe, has been actively courting potential investors in the UK. They have been making claims of legitimacy, by saying that they are in fact a regulated Company, when in fact, they are not.

Tony Hetherington has done an excellent piece on Parker Rowe, which is reproduced if you follow the link.

de Verre Lloyd - Boiler Rooms Activity

de Verre Lloyd have been cold calling and using very aggressive selling tactics on potential investors. Care should be exercised when dealing with this Company, whose name has been flagged up by the authorities in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australian, New Zealand and others.

There is an ongoing discussion on de Verre Lloyd at the Boiler Rooms UK site. There is also a discussion on de Verre Lloyd opened up at the VRI Open forum.

There are statements from victims of de Verre Lloyd on the Boiler Rooms thread, as well as website details, which can be quite revealing.

Lox International - Boiler Room Attempting To Sell In UK

Another Boiler Room is making an effort to sell stocks to Investors in the UK.

Not much details is forthcoming about this present wave, but there is an FSA warning about these people.

For an on going discussion about Lox International, please see the Boiler Rooms UK forum.