The AFM has recently issued the following investor alerts:
1. Axxess Swiss Trading/Axxess Swiss Corporation/IFGX Mergers and Acquisitions Group, Medius HouseLG, 2 Sheraton Street, W1F8BH London UK; London City Point 9th Floor, 1 Ropemaker Street, ECZY 9HT London UK; 110 East Broward Blvd, Suite 1700, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33301 USA. Unlicensed entities reported cold-calling investors. (Alert of December 21, 2006).
2. Reynold Brown & Associates, Twin Tower 20A, Wienerbergstrasse 11, 1100 Vienna Austria; unlicensed entity reported cold-calling investors. (Alert of December 8, 2006).
The FSC has recently issued investor alerts on the following entities:
1. Hamiltons Financial Services SL, an unlicensed entity believed to be based in Spain, reported offering deposit-taking and investment services through Gibraltar-based media. (Alert of January 4, 2007).
2. Aberdeen Management Ltd., an entity incorporated in Gibraltar but not licensed by the FSC, reportedly involved in running an investment business. (Alert of January 9, 2007).
On February 6, 2007 the Malta FSA issued an investor alert on an unlicensed entity called de Vere and Partners, reported soliciting investment business within the FSA's jurisdiction. (Alert of February 6, 2007).
On December 15, 2006 the AMF issued an alert on CTA Bank, an unlicensed entity offering investments, in a purportedly profitable and risk-free instrument said to be guaranteed by a "strategy and development consulting firm" in London. A previous alert on this entity by the Belgian CBFA in October 2006 was noted. (Alert of December 15, 2006).
Danish regulator Finanstilsynet has recently issued investor alerts on the following unlicensed entities:
1. Pollack & Quinn, Shinjuku Mitsui Building, 21st Floor, 2-1-1 Nishishinjukuku, 6-24-1 Shinjuku-ku Tokyo, Japan, www.pollackquinn.com (Alert of January 22, 2007).
2. Sirius Holdings fka Sirius Financial, Suite 166, Santa Engracia 39, 28010 Madrid Spain (Alert of December 21, 2006). Also see entry for Austria below.
Sweden regulator Finansinspektionen has recently issued the following alerts on unlicensed entities:
1. Unispar Universal Sparkasse Ekonomisk Förening, www.unisparkasse.com; Box 882, 114 79 Stockholm, Sweden; and Banque International Ltd, 29 Harley Street Suite B, London UK (Alert of February 7, 2007)
2. JFS Credit Union Ekonomisk Förening, Box 882, 114 79 Stockholm, Sweden (Alert of February 7, 2007)
3. Universal Mercantile Building Society EF, www.umbsonline.com, P.O. Box 897 Wembly HA0 1DG, UK; Frejgatan 13, Box 882, 114 79 Stockholm Sweden (Alert of January 31, 2007)
4. Maxwell & Goldstein, www.maxwellgoldstein.com, Rue de Conseil General 14, CH 1205 Geneva, Switzerland (Alert of January 19, 2007)
5. Hanson Group International, www.hansongroupinternational.com, Strandvagen 7A, S-11456 Stockholm, Sweden (Alert of January 19, 2007).
6. Kennedy & Lang Ltd, www.kennedylang.com, 60 East 42nd Street, Suite 1516, New York, NY 10165, seeks "restriction removal fee." (Alert of January 18, 2007).
7. Thatcher & Thatcher Ltd, www.thatcherltd.com,1738 GT, Cayman Corporate Center, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (Alert of January 18, 2007).
8. Hollinger Newcastle Ltd, www.hollingernewcastle.com, Level 28, Central Plaza, 34 Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia 50250 (Alert of January 2007)
9. Kingsley Stone, www.kingsleystone.com, 4th Floor, Centreville House, Collins Ave, P.O. Box N83U3, Nassau Bahamas (Alert of January 17, 2007).
10. FinAXA Settlements Inc., www.finaxa.us, Suite 300, JFK Buildling, 1800 JFK Blvd, Philadelphia PA 19103 (Alert of January 12, 2007).
The FSA recently added the following to its list on unlicensed offshore investment firms:
1. Sentinal Trading
Investment Corporation (January 31, 2007);
2. PROFIDEX
(January 31, 2007);
3. Jacobs & Burns
(January 31, 2007).
The IFSC issued an alert on February 7, 2007 on Tropico Investment Consultant Ltd., www.tropico-ltd.bz, an entity said to be unlicensed in Belize for international forex trading or other financial services. The regulator said it was not found to be located at the Belize address listed on its website.
The SFC has recently added the following unlicensed entities to its list of offshore cold-calling firms:
1. Alpinai Investments, Mainzer Landstrasse 47, 60329 Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, www.alpinai.com, uses bank accounts in HK and Germany in names of Concord Internationale Ltd and Alpinai Investments. (Alert of January 3, 2007).
2. Hong Kong International Trading Corporation, 32684 Sheung Wan, Hong Kong (an invalid address, says the SFC). www.intertradehongkong.com. (Alert of December 12, 2006).
3. Leonard Berney and IPM Investment Program Management, offering "Parallel Trading Programme," an apparent high-yield investment program (HYIP) (Alert of November 7, 2006).
4. Newman Bell Mergers and Acquisitions, CheungKing Center, 2 Queens Road Central, Hong Kong (an incomplete address, says the SFC); www.newmanbell.com. Refers investors to a purported government agency called "International Fraud Assessment Agency," **www.fraudassessment.org, reported to have told some investors to send money to the fake "Centre for Securities Department," in Atlanta, Georgia USA (Alert of December 19, 2006).
** International Fraud Assessment Agency was ordered to halt activities in the State of Wisconsin by an order of March 23, 2006. The Wisconsin order says that IFAA gave an address of 333 South Hope Street, Los Angeles California and was given as a reference by a cold calling entity called Global Link Mergers & Acquisitions. Some investors were allegedly told that IFAA was a "Los Angeles based business entity" appointed by the US Supreme Court "to oversee all share acquisitions sold outside the United States" and would be "safeguarding the proposed purchase of the foreign national's shares" by Global Link. According to the Wisconsin order, investigators found that telephone numbers provided by Global Link and IFAA for both VoIP numbers subscribed by a "Don Who" of "Don Who Marketing" which provided an address in Ontario, Canada.
The United States Supreme Court does not appoint business entities to oversee securities transactions.
5. Yamato and Associates, Koraku Mori Building 9.F, 1-4-14 Koraku, Bunkyo-Ku Tokyo 112-004 Japan; 200 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10029, www.yamatoandassociates.com; and Peter Atkins (Alert of January 24, 2005, updated December 27, 2006).
The FSC has recently issued alerts on the following persons/entities:
1. Fairbain Private Bank, www.fpbgroup.com, claims to have offices at 2-3 Athol Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, but FSC says it was not located there and is not licensed in the Isle of Man for financial services. (Alert of January 31, 2007).
2. South West Bank, has claimed to have an office at St James House, Market Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, but FSC says it was not located there and is not licensed in the Isle of Man for financial services. (Alert of January 29, 2007).
3. City Trust Bank, citytrust.cb-k.com, claims to be located at an Isle of Man address actually occupied by a legal entity called City Trust Limited, but is not associated with City Trust Limited. FSC says City Trust Limited is a licensed entity, but City Trust Bank is not licensed. (Alert of December 21, 2006).
4. Equity Development Group, www.edgfinance.org. FSC says this entity is not located at the Isle of Man address it indicates on its website and is not licensed in the Isle of Man for financial services. (Alert of December 21, 2006).
5. First City Merchant Bank, 33 High Street, Isle of Man. FSC says this is a fake address and that First City Merchant Bank is an unlicensed entity which has sent correspondence to members of the public indicating in convoluted English that it is holding "lottery payment cheques"..."as a result of the deposition of the payment instrument by the collaboration of the UK lotttery commission a reputable and respectable legal luminary in the United Kingdom for safe keeping..." It is said to have sought a payment of Ł1,500 within 72 banking hours. (Alert of December 14, 2006).
The FMA has recently issued investor alerts on the following unlicensed entities:
1. Grundbuchzertifikat Ltd, 95 Wilton Road, Suite 3, London SW1V1B2, www.gbz.at. Unlicensed entity reported seeking funds for investment management and other financial services. (Alert of February 3, 2007)
2. Gold Coast Investments, Wienerbergstrasse 11, Twin Tower, 1100 Vienna, www.goldcoast-investments.com. Unlicensed entity reported offering investment advisory services and business opportunities (Alert of February 1, 2007).
3. Reynold Brown Associates, Wienerbergstrasse 11, Twin Tower 20A, 1100 Vienna. Unlicensed entity reported offering investment advisory and other financial services. (Alert of January 26, 2007).
4. Edzell Ventures, Sokolovska 95, 18600 Praha 7, Czech Republic, www.edzell-ventures.com.Unlicensed entity offering investment management and other financial services. (Alert of December 19, 2006).
5. Novantae Capital Holdings, Avda Ramon y Cajal 1, Suite #252, 28016 Madrid, Spain, www.novantae.com. (Alert of December 14, 2006).
6. Sirius Financial, FL 8, Suite 166 Santa Engracia 39, 28010 Madrid Spain, www.sirius-financial.com.(Alert of December 14, 2006). Also see entry for Denmark above.
On January 10, 2007 the CBFA issued an alert on the OCFDA (Offshore Commodity Futures Dealers Association), 1100 Bruxelles, rue du Congres 12-14 (a fictitious address, says the CBFA). This entity is said to portray itself as an organization which provides investor protection in futures dealings and guarantees of derivatives in global markets. It claims to have an anti-money-laundering program (AML) and may be related to other investment-related entities which claim to be insured by the OCFDA.
The New Zealand Securities Commission recently added the following to its list of offshore unlicensed securities firms:
1. Greenfield &
Mato, Koraku Mori Building 9F, Koraku, Bunkyo-ku
Tokyo (January 2007);
2. Phoenix Administration Services,
256A Ellesmere Road, Gymea, Sydney, Australia 2227 (January
2007);
3. Bureau of Foreign Securities
Affairs, 15 Argyle Square, London Wc1H8AS (UK), a
bogus official entity (undated);
4. Central Registry Regulators,
The Central Registry Regulators Central Office, 4411 West Market
Street, Greensboro, North Carolina 27407 (undated);
5. International Center for Fraud
Control, 1111 Superior Avenue, Cleveland Ohio
44114 (undated);
6. International Stock & Asset
Compliance Center, no address or telephone number
(undated);
7. The Securities Archive Center,
600 Superior Ave, East Fifth Third Building, Suite 1300,
Cleveland Ohio 44114 (undated);
8. US Equities Registry,
500 Woodward Avenue, Detroit Michigan 48226 (undated).
The Jersey FSC has recently issued alerts on the following entities:
1. Hanover Company Ltd (Jersey entity), HCL (Administration) Ltd (UK entity), Mr. Gary Vernon Shugg nka Miss Gina Ramsey, Mrs. Veronique Beatrix Shugg, aka Veronique Groenestein, all believed by the FSC to be carrying on an unlicensed financial services business within its jurisdiction. (Alert of January 24, 2007).
2. Wakefield & Stern Corporation, www.wakefieldstern.ch, an unlicensed entity reported cold-calling investors. (Alert of December 22, 2006).
3. Jacobs & Burns, www.jacobsburns.com, an unlicensed entity reported cold-calling investors. (Alert of December 20, 2006).
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