Tell Your Story

Here is a place where you are invited to share your experiences and stories with others so that we can all learn and grow wiser.

Do not worry if it is not about any of the companies already mentioned. The wider our scope becomes, the better, especially since Scamwatch do not want to do anything about it.

 

121 thoughts on “Tell Your Story

  1. James

    Got ripped off by Christopher Abdelmessiah, an egyptian scammer in 2010. He owes me upwards of $40k in lost wages but will not see the money as he is a scammer from chipping norton in Sydney.
    https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/brisbane-live-at-work-monday-february-18-20130215-2eicx.html
    https://www.scambook.com/company/view/94286/FX-CORPORATION-PTY-LTD-CHRISTOPHER-ABDELMESSIAH
    https://ar-ar.facebook.com/groups/SWAUST/permalink/499717033862595/
    https://en-gb.facebook.com/groups/SWAUST/permalink/499717033862595/
    https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=DTWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailytelegraph.com.au%2Fnewslocal%2Fhyperlocal%2Feverybody-appearing-in-civil-matters-at-sydney-district-court-tuesday-may-5%2Fnews-story%2Febb2a613341a7ff87edf64858a0ea92c&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium
    https://fx-corp.pissedconsumer.com/review.html

    Reply ↓

    Reply
  2. Christine

    Beware of WALLABY TREE SERVICES. These guys are targeting Pensioners and Women. They do shoddy work, Damage and steal property, get into your house saying they want to use your toilet then search your house, they over charge, never give written quotes, do not have email or web site, only phone numbers. They try to keep change if you haven.t correct change. They are abusive if you don’t tell them who cuts your bushes, trees etc. They continually come back and annoy you, if you say NO, they are very abusive. One guy is very obese, 2 others are coloured. These are people we do not want or need.

    Reply
  3. Steven

    I am taking legal action against FB Markets – previously known as Fibonacci Trading Pty Ltd as a result of my losses on their vortex software. I had a similar experience as some of the others who have posted on this forum.

    Reply
    1. admin Post author

      let us know how you get on!
      I’ll copy your comment to the dedicated FB Trading page here:
      aussiescamalert.com/fb-trading/

      Reply
  4. Muhammad ILYAS

    Hi, I got a call from melbourne number and Sydney number they introduced them self as HF trading.
    They want me to invest in Amazon stick starting from 250$. They said they are Newzealand based company and they are registered with Asic Australia.
    Their website is hftrading.com.au.
    The numbers they called is
    ‭03 8578 4757‬
    ‭02 8379 3676‬
    I am not sure if they are genuine or scam.

    Reply
    1. admin Post author

      Interesting. An unsolicited call to start.
      Suspect looking Awards on their homepage.
      Website started this year.
      AFSL search leads to a company called MahiFX.
      One review we found of MahiFX said:
      “MahiFX was all nice and good until they sent an early Christmas surprise message – you have 5 days in which to close all positions; we are closing our trading platform.

      Not a very nice message for swing traders caught in the EUR/GBP fluctuations”

      Sounds like whoever they are may be a fly-by-night operation, recently Phoenixed.
      No guarantees they would be around long term.

      I’d certainly treat with a lot of caution and not invest more than you are prepared to never see again.
      If they ring again, get them to verify their awards before anything else.

      Reply
  5. Ian Baxter

    Email supposedly from Mobileciti. Thanks for all previous respondents who have prevented us from being ripped off!
     
    Contact: 0488891595
    Dear Customer,  
    “A great deal is waiting for you”
    You pay monthly Mobile Phone Contract or a Sim Plan Deal with special discounted & promotional price is available now.
    We are providing you this deal.
    Networks:  
    We are authorized dealer of all major networks across Australia.

    Like : Vodafone,Optus,Telstra,Virgin Media,Boost ,Libara, Belong etc
    Promotional Deal # 1
    Tariffs and Deal Details:This is not an invoice 
    ItemQuantityNet Unit PriceGST RateNet ValueSim deal1FREE11%FREE 

    $12.00 per month
    + Unlimited Minutes
    + Unlimited Texts
    + Unlimited  Internet Data 
    + Unlimited International Minutes
    1FREE FREE With Nano SIM Card 1FREE FREE Delivery within 3 to 5 working days
    FREE  Total (inc. GST):$12.00 Pay Today$0.00
    Total (inc. GST): $12.00 
    International Roaming:
    For Roaming you just have to pay 0$ / week extra only the month when you are out of country.
    Free Delivery 
    In Stock – Order today for delivery within Five Business days.  
    About Cancellation of Current Contract:
    Dear Customer ,
    If you have few months remaining to finish your Contract. Then our Company will take over your Contract and Pay your all the Remaining Bills of the remaining months and cancel your contract. You will never pay any single Penny to your Company.
    We will provide you this Promotional and Special Discounted Deal.  About Same Number :
    Dear Customer,
    If you want to keep your same number then we will also provide you the same number and same network without any extra charges.  
    NOTE:  We will send you the first bill after 45 days. If you are satisfied with our services then you will pay the bill and continue the contract. You can pay through Direct debit or Invoice.
    If you are not satisfied with our services then you can Return back or Cancel your contract without pay any single penny.

    FREE TRIAL,
    We will give you 14 days to check our services.
    NOTE: If you have any Question or want to ask anything , you can give us call or send us Email to ask anything.  

    Sales Department (Mobileciti)
    Customer Care: 0488891595
    Company Details:
    Mobileciti Company
    8B/118 Church Street Parramatta
    NSW 2150 Australia
    Contact: 0488891595

    Reply
  6. Wayne

    Someone called from quantumsportsconsultancy.co.uk saying they could make me 30% a week from sportsbetting. I went to their website and researched their address which turned out to be fake. Their website leads you to Camden Sports Book which is a scam according to aussiescamalert.

    Reply
  7. Frank

    I would like to give a warning about a Joe Donnelly and his shonky business trade4gains.com
    Joe is from the UK and lives and works out of the Philippines.
    When asked why the Philippines he said he married a Filipino and that he could work from anywhere in the world.
    He will befriend and then entice you to deposit $1000 into an Avatrade Australian account which all seems okay seeing Avatrade is a regulated broker in Australia under the name of Ava Capital Markets.
    He was doing the trades and said he could make a 50% profit in 6 to 8 weeks.
    What in fact happened was he lost the lot in five trading days trading currency pairs.
    Said he was going to do the trades personally but then made the excuse he was out of town and had a co worker doing the trades and lo and behold she didn’t know what she was doing.
    Said he would fix it up but now refuses any contact.
    I believe one of two things.
    Either he is getting a huge commission from Avatrade by being the introducing broker or he is in fact working for Avatrade directly.
    Either way this is just a scam.
    In hindsight there were 3 or 4 red flags.
    The main one was that when I went to make a deposit with my credit card into Avatrade it would not process.
    When I rang my bank to ask why they went as far as to say that Avatrade is black listed and they will not allow payments to go through on credit cards.
    So I had to do a bank transfer.
    Another flag is his website only has a Sydney phone number diverted to the Philippines of course.
    So he must be targeting only Australians.
    He also got me to use WhatsApp to send and receive messages but has now blocked me.
    Also can not get through on the Sydney number.
    I did a search of reviews before I proceeded but could not find anything bad about Joe Donnelly or Avatrade.
    I have since typed in the word scam and have come across a lot of complaints about Avatrade on Facebook.
    But still nothing on Joe Donnelly.
    So hopefully now if someone types in reviews or scam about Joe Donnelly, Trade4Gains or Avatrade they will come across this article.
    You can see a profile of this pathetic looking Joe Donnelly (trade4gains) on Linkedin sitting in someones office in front of awards that obviously aren’t his.
    This all happened just before Christmas so you can imagine what a low life this guy is.

    Reply
  8. Scott

    Smith Beaucamp Investments based in Singapore
    I was called by a ‘Junior’ a few weeks ago asking if I was interested in investing in foreign stocks, he said a senior broker would call me later. Today I received a call from a guy with english accent claiming to be Philip Bond from Smith Beaucamp Investments and wanted me to buy shares in Infineon Technologies AG (FRA:IFX) at a 6% discount Euro 21.40 plus commission of 1.5%. He then passed me to a “compliance officer” who validated the transaction. I then received by email Trade Confirmation Invoice. Account Application Form. Signature Specimen Card. Smith Beaucamp Investments Corporate Profile. Banking Remittance Guide. Business Card They were asking me to transfer approx AUD 10K to a bank account in Thailand, claiming that was for tax reasons. Offices listed as 1 Scotts Road #24-10 which is a virtual office. No LinkedIn listings for anyone under this name. Website http://www.smithbeaucamp.com everyone has the same phone number +65 6817 4250 and email info@smithbeaucamp.com No names on their website and no other references to this firm anywhere on the web

    Reply
    1. admin Post author

      website domain registered only in April this year.
      Combined with all your red flags, I’d say it’s another scam

      Reply
  9. Craig Lindsay

    Watch out for “Johnson Financial Consulting” operating out of Tokyo, Japan. The present themselves as investment consultancy/trading house. Opened a trading account with them and invested in various shares over a period of about 10months. They were reported on the Japans FSA (
    https://www.fsa.go.jp/en/refer/cold/index.html) as a scam. When i confronted them with this info they tried to solicit more money from me to get my money back. I have also confirmed they don’t exist in the building that the say they do. Their media publications are also fake. Look out for names such as;
    – Jack Burns (Accounts & Client Services)
    – Harry Hastings (Senior Trade Advisor)
    – Bradford Levy (Senior Portfolio Advisor)
    – Henry Smythe (Accounts & Client Services)
    – W. Bartley (Equities Trader)

    Reply
  10. Craig Lindsay

    Watch out for “Fintech Capital Partners” operating out of Tokyo.
    I got involved with then around an ICO trade for GRAM (Telegram). US$6000 at the beginning of March 2018. A number of calls and e-mails in March giving me updates and getting me setup in there platform. Now – no contact, phone number given doesn’t connect anymore, no response to e-mails – being over 6 weeks with no contact. There website is still active and being updated daily with ‘market news’

    Details on “”Fintech Capital Partners ”
    http://www.fintechcp.com
    +81-34-588-9122
    Fintech Capital Partners
    Shin-Marunouchi Center Building
    1-6-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
    Tokyo 100-0005, Japan

    Engaged by; (so watch out for these names)
    Jonathan Wilson; Private Client Director
    Jack Harris, New Accounts Department
    George Spencer, Portfolio Advisor
    Mike Carter, Portfolio Advisor

    Reply
    1. James

      Hi Craig, any updates on your status.
      Fintech Capital Partners has stopped responding to me for a few weeks now.

      thanks
      James

      Reply
      1. Craig Lindsay

        Hi James, No response. …have had no contact from any of the e-mails addresses I had. The phone does not connect and and also i have tried to register a new account with them under dummy names but no response.

        Regards
        Craig

        Reply
    2. Tony s

      Hi iam in same boat
      Fintechcp has my super money
      Cant get through to number anymore
      Jonathon wilson,johnathon blake,andrew hewitt,james redman,are the names used
      Done the trades but no contact
      Money still in so called account
      Hope something get done
      Tony .s

      Reply
      1. Tim

        I am in the same boat.
        invested a lot of money. so it seems its not legit.
        same deal for telegram.
        takes me weeks to get a hold of them
        they never reply to email.
        i have dealt with
        jack burns
        Jonathan bake. private client director
        George Spencer. senior advisor
        Jonathan Wilson. private client director
        Issac goldstein. senior director of equity solutions
        akio mitsuko. accounts
        ken iwata. private clients
        jack harris new accounts
        mike carter portfolio advisor

        so a lot of them. this saga has been going on since late February.
        trying to get my money back if possible.

        Reply
        1. Craig Lindsay

          Hi Tim, last contact I had from them was back in July 2018. A guy called me and after having a go at him about his company and my investment, he assured me that Alexander Coutez would contact me. This never happened. The same guy pretending to be someone else from “Johnson Financial Consulting” called me 2 hrs later. So I believe they are linked. I know that “Knight & McKenzie Partner” is also linked to JFC….so suspect that all 3 are from the same boiler room syndicate.

          Reply
  11. CJ

    David Bertrum is back to his old tricks again.

    After losing millions of clients money in Wealth Sure and then going bankrupt, David Bertrum then came back under Sentinel Private Wealth. However after 2 FAILED ASIC reviews and ASIC action he has ducking and weaving now calling himself Smart Solutions Group.

    How can a person who lost clients millions, then avoids prosecution by going “bankrupt” – we all know you hide your money in your wifes now, so he cant be touched, then pops up again to continue to screw clients over.

    Reply
  12. Norman

    I received a cold call on Monday from freedome-1 asking if I wanted to earn extra money as the answer is always yes I asked what it was – A unique and different opportunity in the horse racing industry, ok – I don’t bet/ gamble but ok. So she says its only a minimum of $1000 to start your tab account and your option is to have us do the work for you 1 or 2 race days a week for this to occur the fine print say to sign up to be a member is $12.500.00 then add another $1000.00 min for your tab acc – There is a minimum for 400 memberships and after asking how many are left, the response was 10 – The after umming about it and being on hold she came back offering $9.500.00 for a 2 day a week race meet, they are apparently based in Melbourne but the weird this is they say in theirs T&c’s
    that “The laws of Queensland Australia govern these terms and conditions”

    Reply
    1. Andrea

      Hi
      I also have been sucked in, by the ” genuine ” sales pitch by 4 different women over the period of 2yrs. from Freedome 1

      At first I had no way of becoming a member as didn’t have any savings as raising a child on my own however my mother passed away and I had a fairly good inheritance coming , stupidly I mentioned it and I got a call 6mths later and the rest is history…$6,500 to join and further $1000 that they placed bets with, I have managed to retrieve $500 from the betting company I was with. In the 9mths of the contract my $1000 was only every over that 4 times by $50 dollars!!

      Reply
      1. Dianne

        Hi
        I recently went over my bank statement to find an unusual transaction deducted from my bank a/c,, not for a large amount however, on quereying this with the bank LTS has appeared on my bank statement as having been the recipient of the money exchange. They used a paypass transaction. Obviously they had a scimmer which loaded my bankcard details. Today I closed the a/c as a precaution, but Im mortifired to see that LTS are still active. Just lettung people know they are still flying under the radar and are now here in WA. I only hope this message helps others by being aware.

        Reply
  13. George Vikas

    Olympia Capital Exchange (ex:Alliance FX Capital) are boiler room investment scammers. All have distinct British accents and are unlicensed in countries their websites claim to operate within. In fact they have virtual offices with only an answering machine. Alliance FX Capital were listed by the Singapore securities authority as unlicensed so they “merged” with Olympia Capital Exchange to avoid detection & investor backlash. They sell hoax shares in Infineon Technology (a legitimate German DAX listed conpany) claiming they will be taken over by Tesla as part of an “Institutional buy”. They target Self Managed Super Funds (I have lost a significant portion of my family’s life savings). Do NOT fall for these unconscionable criminals.

    Reply
    1. George Vikas

      Further to the above, I am tracking down these criminals but need to know if there are other victims. Email me at citadelcafe@gmail.com if you want a chance at recovering your stolen funds by Alliance FX Capital or Olympia Capital Exchange.

      Reply
  14. Darren

    It is somewhat heartening to know (sadly) that I am not the only one that has been taken for a ride by these people, Exelon Group. I am still communicating with them on the basis of just trying to get what I was promised but it will never replace the 10’s of thousands that I have invested (and I say this very loosely) and am now never likely to see again. Feeling extremely embarrassed that I have been taken for a ride by this company in good faith of trying to secure a financial future for my family. Happy to join a class action against them but even then am not confident of ever seeing my money again.

    Reply
  15. mark

    Hi im reporting a scam by the companies Cash Cow Corp which trades as Rainy Day Money Company.Sounds very similar to scams reported a few years back by alternative investments and ET international where they cold call at first and apply a lot of pressure about a sports betting system and send you a shiny brochure.They basically hound you until you join for $590 and can turn your $500 in your tab account into $5000 in 6 months.After 2 weeks the owner calls and tells me he has had a first 4 on my behalf on cup day and won $29000 all he needs is 10% of that amount to cover transfer fees and its mine .You would be surprised how persuasive he is and talked me into giving him 1450 upfront and when I get the money to send him the other 1450.Low and behold the 29000 is never coming and now I know what has happened after reading stories about these other companies which are almost identical I ring him today to confront him and he denies all of it!!! Absolute scum bags . Tracked his office at a working co-op on gold coast called co – spaces who said he had a virtual office and they were ready to terminate it because many people already had been there demanding to see him and get there money back,please post if you have been scammed by him too so he cant do it anymore

    Reply
    1. James

      Hi Mark , I was scammed by the same scum, same scam, $8000 later, just before christmas, couldn’t beleive it, the guy called himself John Simmonds, re James

      Reply
      1. Watch Out...

        Hi, Just wanted to say Thanks very much for this post. I had a similar experience with these guys, calling themselves ‘Multiplier Test Drive’. They have the same ABN as ‘Cash Cow Corp’ and ‘Rainy Day Money Company’. The salespeople called themselves ‘Kate Davis’ and ‘John Morris’. They were asking for $595 for their 12 month ‘test drive’, along with a $200 investment to a TAB account for betting. They promised a full refund ‘financial guarantee’ if $10,000 is not made within the test drive period. Fortunately, after countless phone calls I wised up to the scam. I feel for the people who have been sucked into this and hope this message serves as a warning to anyone who is thinking about using this service. When I confronted John by reading mark’s post above, he was very quick to refute by saying ‘well for starters, we are asking for $595, not $590’ and advised he had never heard of ET International before (relevance???)… When I told him it was a thanks but no thanks from me he advised he would take me off the list and not contact me again.

        After this, one of the company’s staff called me back to find out why i didn’t sign up. I told them about this website and they informed me that they had seen it and believed it was a smear. I went on to ask them a few more questions about the number of clients they had (they told me 10,000 this time around), why their invoice numbers didn’t match up with their supposed client base and why the Multiplier Test Drive name was not registered. Finally, after receiving less than satisfactory responses to these questions, I asked for their physical office address. They advised ‘Nerang St, Southport’. I asked for the street number and they advised number 45. Looked up the address and found a legitimate business, being ‘CoSpaces’ to be operating from this address. I told the multiplier staff that I did not believe they existed and they started on a sob story about how they were a mother of 2 and couldn’t believe I would accuse them of running a scam.. After I hung up, I called CoSpaces and spoke to the director, who confirmed that everything about this company is a scam, advised they had been kicked out of their virtual office space AND had lawyers involved to try and stop them from using the address. They further advised that a report had been made to Scam Watch and police investigations were underway into the company. Lesson for everyone: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE – IT PROBABLY IS.

        Some other warning signs:
        – No ABN on the invoice (Advised not one of his 195,000 customers had ever requested this??)
        – No physical office address on their invoice or website
        – New website and no other advertising presence, despite claiming they had 195,000 customers

        Reply
  16. Kaye

    I was approached by The ATP a few years ago and subsequently had a face to face meeting with David Orth from Real Wealth who told me that a Self Managed Super was the only way to go. Explained that I was a single woman with very little Super and couldn’t afford to lose what I had. Famous last words. Immediately lost $15,00 with The ATP and have lost a further $5,000 with Real Wealth.

    Reply
    1. Ryan

      Same same
      Lost $15000 upfront for ATP membership
      Super has gone from $64000 to now being $30000
      Jade Capital underwrote the ATP and should be liablebfor your losses

      Reply
  17. Jo hill

    We got a call from Cold Trading International today regarding lay betting. We have done it before with Sniper. Has anyone ever dealt with either company?

    Reply
  18. Tiger

    Be very careful if you get contacted by PredictiveTrader888 auto Lay trading Software aka Predictive Trader auto lay trading software aka Punters Club software (all working under the banners of NEO Capital Management aka AP-ing Solutions ). They operate from Suite 2 Dominions Rd Ashmore, Gold Coast, QLD. DO NOT BUY THIS LAY TRADING SOFTWARE!!!! THEY ALSO CALL IT DAY TRADING SOFTWARE. It doesn’t really work. False promises. Trial, Demo & results they show you are manipulated. The sales man there is Mick, Mike, Michael P from many other bodgy programs like UK Home Business, Profit Runner & Performer etc etc etc. None of the traders/clients are really winning. The results that are on the website are doctored. Ask to see a real Betfair account. They wont be able to show you one correlating to that history. There are no traders really doing $100, $50 or $10 traders as shown in the history page at http://www.predictivetrader888.com.au. Just a spreadsheet developed by them. Don’t pay the $5K or $10K or the $2K intro ‘trial’. I have been ripped right off, patronised, lied to by dealing with Mike & Tonyat Predictive Trader Lay Trading Racing Software. They will not even call or talk to you once you have paid and are losing money!

    Reply
    1. Phil

      Hi Tiger,

      I think I’ve been contacted by this same company as they are called NEO Capital. They provided me a website to go to (http://neocapital.com.au/) as I was very sceptical. This website looks very dodgy and poorly designed. I’ve decided to do more investigation which it seems they are registered through ASIC but only since last year (27/04/2016). Then I came across your post. How much did you lose?

      Reply
      1. Tiger

        Thakyou & yes. This Neo Capital auto trade station thing is the same company. Definitely a part of API-NG , Predictive Trader at the Gold Coast & is a scam. I lost too much trusting this person.
        Headed up by Tony H. Mike P the hench man from UK Home Business has designed this new site & taken out every single reference to Lay Trading. Don’t know why when it is lay trading software. They just refer to it as … Neo Capital Auto Trading or Neo Capital trading professional software is all lay trading into Betfair. Biggest false information you could ever heard where they actually say in this site……. ” served thousands of clients over the years” (It has all just kicked off recently) “For your protection, we are fully insured and all our staff are licensed and experienced.” “We are not sales advocates and our employees do not earn commissions on our products and services.”

        Reply
    2. peter

      ive been done by a company called Cold Trading International for 15k and we all need to get together to get these thieves.
      Peter

      Reply
      1. Graham

        Would love to. Initially I received a pleasant telephone call from “Rebecca”. Once I’d shown a little interest I was passed up line to “Steve”, claims his name is Steve Escott. Being a battler I only coughed up $3300 initially but them was enticed to top it up to $5000. Fool that I am, I did.
        I received my software and manual and surprise, surprise I couldn’t even get a single bet accepted by the system. After numerous messages left for Steve and an email to admin@coldtradingint I had a call from Steve who admitted that there was a problem with the software and they would send me another but to maximise my returns I would need to add $5500 as his partners were uneasy about the “deal” he had offered me. I again scrapped up the 5500. I was still unable to place a bet. Days later I was asked to step up to the big league with the professional team but needed another $10000. When told there was no way Steve applied the pressure- get it from your friends, try the bank, add it to your credit card the returns will pay it off real soon or if I have enough Super get it from there but that may take time and the deal won’t be on the table. This time the alarm bells were ringing and since I told them in a text message, I can’t get the funds I have not been able to contact them nor have they contacted me. The first alarm bell was when I was asked to send extra money to IFP. (The syndicates) bank -separate from Coldtradingint.com.
        I lodged a complaint on scamwatch but have resigned myself to not seeing any of this money again.

        Reply
  19. Kerryanne Wilkie

    Telstra are phishing their own customers

    I received a text message saying “this is Telstra, we are going to call you to validate your details”. Then I get a phone call “Hi, this is Telstra. We sent you a text message telling you we were calling to validate your details.” Ok I say. She then says “please tell us your full name and date of birth”. No, I say, you tell me the details you have and I will confirm them or not. No, she says, we can’t release your personal information. She says call me on this 1800 number and then give me your details”. No, I say, go away. Then we can’t validate your details and (there will be bad consequences).

    Then I start checking. The really sad thing is I find out Just found out that Telstra are, in fact, sending people texts saying “we will call you to validate your details” and then actually asking people to give out their personal details over the phone!!!???!!! Let me put this in perspective for you – “Hi, this is Telstra. We want to teach & encourage you to give your personal details to anyone who sends you a text and then rings you. We promise to take full responsibility for any fraud that may happen to you for following this procedure (NOT!)”.

    How many people will unwittingly now trust anyone who sends them a text first saying “this is your bank, we will call you in a few minutes to validate your banking details.”

    Absolutely horrified!!!

    Reply
    1. admin Post author

      Amazing! You’re right, they are teaching very bad trust habits, and shouldn’t be doing this in the first place

      Reply
      1. Joe slack

        You have to bear in mind that these people use a VC one are not in Australia usually they use ip phones and are able to show any number I.e Telstra or an English number

        Reply
  20. Roberto

    Hi about 1 1/2 years ago i join Active Markets Australia and paid $9900 for a 3 year membership, i started investing with $1000 up to date the company has not made me one single dollar in profit, couldn’t even make my initial $1000 back, BiG SCAM i lost about $10000, BIG SCAM, WASTE OF MONEY.

    Reply
    1. Greg

      I have been looking for information on ShareScope Markets P/L (not the software package) as they had contacted me with their investor services offer.
      http://www.sharescope.com.au/
      Returns appear too good to be true (15% nett and more) and high flat rate fees ($5,000) that are discounted as an sign up inducement. They sound very convincing with 50 top ASX company trades and short selling strategies to provide ‘huge returns’ in up and down swings – so bullet proof apparently. Just give $25,000 or $50,000 or why not 200K!

      However there is nothing on the Web to track their performance or reviews about the business but when you dig deeper they have some of the warning signs of a ponzi scheme and a list of so-called advisers with dodgy diplomas from Monarch Institute and further links to Olive Financial Markets as the financial services license holder.I note that ShareScope is not a licence holder itself. I have seen commentary on unsatisfactory dealings with Olive and warnings to stay away.

      Check other Olive Financial links ie Oracle FX Plus Pty Ltd – Craig Davidson reports “…10 stealing theft cheat charges….”. Online passwords to get into their special client presentations. Similar story to my experience with strange license holdings. And another link to Camori Investments – same licence holder.

      The website looks so legitimate but the credentials appear dubious and the insurance cover is linked to the licence holder and not the trading entity.

      Do your research on anything associated with Olive Financial – seem to trade under a lot of different names that look legitimate but are probably all dodgy ie ShareScope, Oracle FX and Share Express and the list goes on. It took a lot of looking to find this stuff but usually they’ve got your money before you do.

      Check out Scott Morrison on Linkedin – I think if you know anything about Linkedin and business and professional profiles, you wouldn’t go there! Doesn’t quite match the Olive Financial website. Check this out and wonder why no ratings or reviews:

      https://www.adviserratings.com.au/advisers/scott-morrison/

      They nearly caught me. Does anyone know anything about this outfit and dodgy dealings?

      Reply
      1. admin Post author

        Good work!
        Olive have certainly come across our radar several times. Hard to pin them down on anything but they do have some dodgy associations.

        Reply
      2. S

        Hi,

        I just had a call from this company ShareScope, offering me the same deal. They said they got my details off a transaction I did with Link Market Services, same online demonstration. Showing stats from 2004, I did a ABN search on them, only registered since April 2016???? Also same ABN for Markets Pty Ltd & Olive Financial???

        I actually fell for it and signed up, but have not transferred the 5K into their account as yet. Don’t think I will now. I also could not find much info on this company

        Reply
        1. Lois Grinceri

          We have also just had a call from Sharescope promising great things. Thank you for this site. It is a great ALERT. Don’t now how they got our contact details.

          Reply
        2. Peter

          Do not go there. Sharescope sells itself as smart traders : “we’ll certainly beat the market” the salesman said. The truth is I have lost $4500 since starting with an investment of $20000 in February 2017. Consistently shorting on rising trades and going long on falling or languishing trades. Conversation with a director left me with no answers for this poor performance. That is a 23% loss in a market that has risen about 8.5% in the same period. I can only conclude that their traders are incompetent. I am in for the $4950 deposit as well and I will lose that too if I bail out. Entrapment?

          Reply
          1. admin Post author

            Is that just following their trading signals/advice, or your own trading choices?
            Not sure that would be entrapment. It’s your choice whether you want to cut losses and get out. The think about taking action through a Civil Arbitration Commission if you feel very strongly about it.

            Reply
      3. CJ

        Scott is also linked to Mitch Cator, from Camori, Ricarmo and Paradise Financial – all were raided by the federal police recently! google it and you’ll find the news reports.

        Reply
        1. Tim Burke

          Thanks for all this. I received a call from someone at Ricarmo about transferring my super over to them as part of a wholesale super fund with much better returns. All my online research has now warmed me off.

          Reply
          1. Dave

            I have been called by someone from Ricarmo about transferring my Super over as part of a wholesale super fund with similar returns but lower risk. I am a little suspicious due to the subtle pressure selling techniques used and the lack of written information flow towards me before collecting all my details and expecting me to make a commitment for all my Super balance.
            So far I haven’t found out much except for someone who was disappointed with the returns from Ricarmo.
            Some of Ricarmo’s website has the exact same text as Paradise Financial Groups’ web site.

            Ricarmo Pty Ltd is a corporate authorised representative (CAR) 1241088 of Olive Financial Markets which holds an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) # 390906.
            Camori Pty Ltd t/a Camori Investments is a corporate authorised representative (CAR 441932) of Olive Financial Markets Pty Ltd which holds an Australian Financial Services License (AFSL 390906)
            Paradise Financial Group Pty Ltd is a corporate authorised representative (CAR) 1252614 of Olive Financial Markets which holds an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) # 390906
            All three share the same 50 Appel St, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217 address.
            Camori and Paradise are listed in the ASIC raid Sept 2017. “It is believed the three firms are owned by the same person.”
            The third company is not named. But I can’t find anything about the outcome of that raid.

            Olive Financial Markets still have their license but given what we have learned from the Royal Commission, I’m not sure what weight to put on that.

            So I haven’t found out much directly about Ricarmo or Olive.

            Reply
            1. admin Post author

              We think there is certainly reason to be cautious, especially given that They called You, and are keen for you to jump in with All your super without time to do your full due diligence.
              The whole thing may actually be higher risk rather than lower if a company is not super, squeaky clean with great reviews.
              We have heard grumblings regarding all three companies you mention. It’s a concern they are all linked.
              Better to follow your gut feeling rather than have later regrets.

              Reply
            2. drew

              mitch cator and scott morrisson- they have many setups of financial. all under olive financial markets afsl. i heard raided by asic, lets hope asic gets these crooks who promise high returns but take your money instead.

              Reply
  21. Paul

    Hello everyone,
    I received a call yesterday from a lady who gave me a spiel about earning a second income with their proven method. I have had my share of such calls and I would normally not even waste those few minutes, but she was a bit different than other scam calls. She sounded much more professional and was talking about small earnings and ‘not talking about a get rich quick scheme’ and wanted to get a time from me so that one of their team members can give me a demo. I accepted a call back today and had a long 20 mins discussion with a guy about cold betting.
    I received this call and the guy started off very different to other scam call as well. Words like ‘I am not trying to upsell anything’ and ‘take up the offer if you are happy or no hard feelings’ etc. The demo went on (on a software Exelon Trader via screen share) and since I wasn’t experienced with horse racing/betting (which he said was ‘a great thing’) I was taking it all in. The discussion soon went on how I could make $10,000 a week by just buying their software and spending almost no time, and by then I was laughing within. Then the question ‘do you have anything to ask me’ kept coming up. I gave up and asked him what I would need to do to get this started. This was the first time he spoke about money from me and hesitantly asked me to start with $10,000 to begin with! When I said I wanted test the waters the price kept dropping, and ended up becoming $100.
    Got a email from the ‘professional’ working for a major company and it was a Gmail address (charterwealthtrading@gmail.com)!
    Researched a bit about this scam but couldn’t find much about this company, but found other posts about similar scams, so I thought this may be a new setup to scam more people, and hence my long post with the specific names. I didn’t get scammed so cannot confirm it is, but it doesn’t take someone long to figure it out. Hope others do not get scammed as they seem to be getting smarter and smarter at this sort of stuff!

    Reply
    1. Beris

      I have put $17,200.00 into Exelon Group. and was going to put up another $7,800.00 to make up$25,000.00 As they said that would make me around $10,000.00 a week. I look like I have lost my money. He is supposed to ring me back today. My husband looked up this Exelon Group and they are a big scam. Is there any way I can get my money back. I have all my receipt,s as to what i have put into it.

      Reply
      1. admin Post author

        You can try making a claim through your State’s Civil Arbitration Tribunal ( like VCAT, QCAT, NCAT..most States have something like this. Claims are usually successful but then you still have to get the money out of their bank account).
        Definitely report at http://www.acorn.gov.au, your local police, fraud squad in Qld, ASIC..(not that any f them will help you get your money back..but it builds your case and the case against Exelon)
        Well done on not giving them any more money though.

        Reply
      2. mark Stevenson

        hi guys gals i have just handed all the software over to queensland police i got scamed by exelon group some people have been arrested but the detective said the police only go aftter the crooks to attempt to get mony back there has to be a group plan through the courts to try and recover money in other words we are on our own my number is 0407297718 if any one wishes to chat cheers mark

        Reply
  22. Mike

    Somerset Capital Ltd Hong Kong
    I usually never trust anything overseas but this did sound professional and I could not find any negative feedback on internet so I invested in their first small recommendation
    Min $5000 Us
    But they asked for much more very quickly
    Don’t deal with Somerset capital Hong Kong
    I have just lost $7200 on stock bought mbly but never will be able to sell
    To somerset capital Pty Ltd Hong Kong
    It is a huge scam
    Be wary
    Don’t trust anything they say
    I had many phone calls from 3 different people asking for more and more money straight away and I did not want to buy anything as I already had one trade with them losing money
    And they said they will buy anyway for me as they don’t want me to miss out
    Even though I said no
    Now I lost $7200 as they will not allow any withdrawals ever
    Don’t trust them
    You will lose your money

    Reply
    1. Bill

      Almost identical Somerset scam as above caught me as well. They additionally produced a certificate of registration in Hong kong plus later created my personal dashboard for share trading. “Original” stock certificates provided. Very professsional until they close down all emailsand telephones. Hate them.

      Reply
    1. Maria

      Hi,
      did you buy a package from them? Is it a real scam or it just didn’t work for you?
      I was called by them today and i a m not too sure what to believe. Could you please provide me with more information?

      Thanks,

      Mar

      Reply
      1. etikoh

        Hello Maria

        They gave me a call today too and I am unsure if they are legit. The pitch sounds good but I dont know what to make of it?

        Reply
        1. admin Post author

          Well they are located in a scam hotspot, 130 Bundall Rd, Bundall ( but that’s not to say every business there is a scam). Packages are fairly heftily priced. There is a lot of training available at cheaper prices ( but they are offering done for you set-ups). Sounds a lot like Bidlife and it’s related entities so certainly merits a decent amount of caution ( as you should have for any business opportunity that you are unfamiliar with!)

          Reply
    2. Massimo

      Hi Abdul. Please report them to department of fair trading. I am doing the same thing. They told me the more complaints they get, the better it is.

      Reply
  23. Matt

    Has anyone heard of Share Express, a part of Olive Financial Markets Pty Ltd. l notice on forums there is a growing list of complaints and concerns and was thinking of approaching them for investing. I also notice they through their financial arm Olive Financial Markets, have their fingers in many areas. From the number of growing complaints l personally see this as a signal to stay away from them and other linked branches and web sites if you wish to protect your money. Thoughts from others please.

    Reply
    1. admin Post author

      Hmm, yes, Olive seem to have some slightly questionable associations. Certainly warrant thorough research before any involvement ( as you should for any substantial investment, especially if asked for upfront fees). Could you direct us to any of the forums you mention?

      Reply
      1. Matt

        Yes have a look at aussiestockforums. I have just noticed a reduction in complaints about Share Exppress. I also notice one of their employees is a member. Ha ha. Its a bit like having an insider to report back on complaints etc. Interesting how it works, if that is the case.

        Reply
    2. Andrew

      I was with Share Express for 18 months during which they managed all trading. Cost me around 9000 because they couldn’t have a winning month in any of their 3 investment streams even though my own investments were doing OK. They did credit me back on a couple of occasions because of promises made but toward the end were very hard to contact. I would not consider them again for any investing.

      Reply
    1. admin Post author

      Yes. Seem quite dodgy to me. Wouldn’t trust them to handle my money. Don’t see why I shouldn’t just be able to invest their picks myself, and I guess pay them for next time if it turned out good. I can only think that they’d make money by not returning yours, or asking for some huge fee to do so. I don’t see that any information they have is in any way not in the general public realm.

      Reply
  24. Yvonne

    Noticed a:- Sophie Which stated “On 10/14/2015 we informed that you could claim a Woolworths Gift Card in worth of 50AUD.
    You have not claimed it yet. ( blah blah.) You can still compete! Click on the following link
    Woolworths Gift Card.
    The benefits are: . Online spendable. .Enjoy one of our free trial rewards
    . Use our link to find the no obligation entry.
    . All you have to do is complete the quick survey to claim your free gift.

    (Having just received the newest Woolworths ‘Rewards’ card, I thought – how lovely of them!!!) Just fill in your M/card No. & we will send out “Luminex” trial pack for ageing skin. It will only cost $1.99 for postage & handling. (Which I did!!??)
    Later, comes another email stating “as per the terms and conditions of this offer, we will send the try risk free for 30days. We will charge you a small shipping fee, you will also be billed 2 payments of $60.00. Unless you call us for return instructions……
    Making it virtually impossible to contact them I phoned my bank –Low & Behold a SCAM.
    They had taken out $1.99 immediately – I cancelled the card. Bank said I was very quick.
    Scam is from Ireland. This old ‘bird’ has been ‘done’ twice – 1st & last time.
    Thanks for letting me report this.

    Reply
  25. Bryce Richardson

    Has anybody heard of Active Markets Australia? They took $9900 from me for binary trading on a supposedly managed account, have now lost over $15000 from my trading account and they seem to have dissapeared into thin air!! Any ideas of how I can go after these scammers? Has anybody else had dealingas with them?

    Reply
    1. Leila

      Hi Bryce,

      I have had them call me several times recently (just last week Feb 2016), but I’m sceptical. Now that I have read this from you, I don’t wish to participate. I cannot trust they won’t lose money. I don’t know why they won’t show me figures that are more current. They only show 2013.

      Reply
  26. Mervyn

    Have invested 5k in keystone finance , they are on the Gold Coast Queensland
    And trade currency. My acc is up 10k however I cannot make a withdrawal and cannot get hold of them .
    Beginning to think that it is a scam , anyone out there have any dealings with this company ?

    Reply
  27. Stef

    Profitonlinebizz offered 2 businesses for 9900 managed for 10% of profits. Mark Davis was the rep who befriended me, A total scam. Also skillfully talked me into investing with Financial Freedom Australia as you have total control over your account and can withdraw profit and capital as you wish. A total scam. The fraud dept of my bank said that both accounts I deposited money into were totally empty. They froze the accounts which caused some aggravation to Mark. Poor guy! Beware any agreement that has mistakes in it and is not signed or does not have all the company details including an ABN or ACN.

    Reply
  28. babajuju

    hi everyone , just wondering if any body out there has info on TRP SOLUTIONS as we have been SCAMED , new to this kind of thing , am just learning about whirlpool , and being SCAMED , a friend told me to look you up as someone out there might be able to tell me what happens now , I KNOW $31000.00 IS A LOT
    ( MANURE HAPPENS) And we will never get it back , i just want the low life to have some karma there way . if anyone can help please do
    cheers baba juju

    Reply
  29. Matt Sam

    i joined “collecting profits” program mislead by their more than realistic advertisements and lost $200 instantly. This is a scam site with referring to fake people from Australia.
    Please stay away..
    Check for their helpline number..there is none.

    Reply
  30. Marilyn

    Hi does anyone know anything about JMI tech Pty Ltd, they offer Lay trading through Betfair. I have paid them money and am now unable to contact the one person I was dealing with. Their office and ph number is not correct on their website, i just looked for there website today and it is now “under construction”, apparently.
    Any info on this company would really be appreciated

    Reply
  31. nomsa

    i receive a call from Willaim Taylor it was 2013/10/10 explaing about they company and how to trade i took time to respond but he keept on calling until i deposit R26000 with them since then William is no where to be found they dont respond to my emails or call, i dont know what to do can we help me please or he can gave me half of my money.

    Reply
  32. Ali

    I have paid 26000 and all is gone you can email me so I can respond yours.
    They are MF lier and never will deliver what they promise.

    At the moment I have filed a complaint to police and chasing them.

    Please do not give your hard earned money to this people.

    Ask them for their location if you can and forward it to me as they have all wrong addresses on their website and they have no physical office. So pretty impossible to locate this bastards.

    So do not fall for it.

    If they can make money make for the self.

    Reply
  33. Bruce

    7 Jan/2014 i recieved the same call today, i have $38k in my TPG account. If i pay them $1700 they will send all that money to my bank. Same girl same phone number, i laughed and said it was a scam.

    Reply
    1. Bruce

      Here is the email i was sent,

      As per our conversation today, your accounts have all been combined into one account, the account number is 7244.

      To view your account visit http://www.tpgbet.com

      Once you have logged into your account click on ‘Withdrawal Request’ located on the top right corner. Fill out all the required information, attach 100 points of ID and click submit.

      There is currently an outstanding credit on your account of $1,700.00USD. Once the out standing credit has been payed off in full account 7244 will be released immediately for withdraw.

      There are no further outstanding fees or charges on account 7244.

      Once payment has been made please email a receipt of transfer.

      You can contact me directly on +121 7759 3138 Kelly said if i pay $1700-us i could withdeaw $38k-us.

      Kind regards, Kelly Moore Accounts TPG Bet

      Reply
    2. Wayne

      Received the same phone call this morning,

      I logged onto my account and it said i had almost 120K in my account ?????????/

      This is the email i received

      Dear Wayne

      As per our conversation today, your accounts have all been combined into one account, your account number is 6343.

      To view your account visit http://www.tpgbet.com

      Once you have logged into your account click on ‘Withdrawal Request’ located on the top right corner. Fill out all the required information, attach 100 points of ID and click submit.

      There is currently an outstanding credit on your account of $25,290.00USD. Once the out standing credit has been payed off in full account 6343 will be released immediately for withdraw.

      There are no further outstanding fees or charges on account 6343.

      Once payment has been made please email a receipt of transfer.

      You can contact me directly on +121 7759 3138 or feel free to reply via email.

      Kind regards,
      George Byron
      Accounts
      TPG Bet

      Reply
    3. Alan Philip

      I did receive a call too, and the exact same email but my account was owing only $800 so I gave it a shot.
      They said i had 14,200 i ended up receiving only 13,500 !

      Reply
      1. Admin

        the above comment is under review. The email address supplied bounces. I will put it in the HOAX category for now until I receive more information.

        Reply
      2. Don

        Hi Alan, I have recieved a similar letter too but a much larger sum, did you have to pay money into a Cyprus Bank? How long did they take to pay? Don.

        Reply
  34. Phil

    BEWARE! Newmont Trading, aka PBX300. These guys managed $4450.00 out of me not long before Xmas with the promise of a horse racing computer programme that doesn’t fail (yeah right). They run a pretty convincing looking operation. They have a good looking website and they start out with sales rep personalised phone calls followed by a mail out of their pretty brochure which includes information on how it supposedly works and even printouts of past successes and of course, promises of a better life. Then they come at you with follow up calls. They don’t offer a 100% return, just around about 46% win rate, based on their 5% investment value per bet against money you put into a TAB account. According to their stats over time your account will build allowing you extreme monthly returns. It’s all detailed in the brochure. They even offer you a personalised customer care service rep to run your TAB account for you so you can just sit back and let your money grow (NOT TRUE!). The two separate phone numbers you get given, 07 5509 5185 and 1300 686 238, one for reception the other for your own customer service rep, both lead to the same girl at the front desk who dodges and ducks at every question. The customer service guy i got (Michael), also happens to be the company financial director (whatever) and goes by the name Terry as well. Although he assures me they a different people. They sound suspiciously, exactly the same. Maybe it’s his alter ego. Two of many I’m sure. Suffice to say I fell for it and had a pretty dismal xmas for me and my son. I wish I could get hold of people like this. All I can sort of ascertain from info provided is that they are in QLD somewhere, I think. Could be wrong.

    Reply
  35. James

    My daughter contacted a cleaning company online called Bondcleaners.com.au
    They were to carry out a clean on her apartment on a certain day but when the time came they did not show. They do not have a phone number you can call, all correspondence is by email alone. They also give you an online quote that must be paid up front.
    When my daughter contacted them by email they informed her that they had to cancel her clean as they had an emergency cleaning job come up. When she asked for her $300 back she was told that there is a $200 cancellation fee even though they were the ones who cancelled. They told her that they sent her a text message (which she never recieved as then she would of had a number to return call).
    She asked for $100 to be returned but they informed her that she had to pay the $200 first before they would refund the $300. (I know, its ridiculous).
    They have not refunded any money or contacted her further.
    This company is a scam and everyone needs to be advised not to contact this group.
    Firstly to not even have a phone number to ring should warn people away but unfortunately the young are sometimes all too trusting.

    Reply
  36. Wayne

    I received a call from Laybet Professionals – a guy calling himself Gary ran a demo by taking over my laptop. He stated the system selects a winner (meaning a loss) once every 46 races. As the recommended odds range was approx 8 to 12 this meant that I would be well in front over time. After using the system for 1 week the system performed in line with random selection of horses (for horses 8-12 to 1). Over hundreds of races in Australia & UK my loss ratio was approx 1 in 9 (not 1 in 46 as promised) & I finished the week with a $40 loss based upon $5 lay bets. I declined to purchase the product. I can only assume the product is a dud & that is why they sell it. My natural suspicions were confirmed by the trial.

    Note: For the novice – a lay bet is a bet to win money on a horse that does not win the race.

    Reply
    1. Admin

      Thanks Wayne,
      how did you manage to get a week’s trial?!
      Suprise ,suprise..at average odds of 9:1 , they lose 1 in 9. Betfair markets are very accurate, and very hard to find an edge over.
      They have nothing to base their claims of 1 in 46 on.

      Reply
  37. Robert

    They rang me and i asked them did they know your site he didn’t at first but he put it in his browser and then told me i know them they are a scam. He told me you were from Singapore and ask the companies on your list for $5 to take them off. I told him that was rubbish and he hung up.
    Regards
    Robert

    Reply
  38. Gerry

    I see you have 1Wealth mentioned on your site…..I reported them to ASIC a few months back as they were harassing a few people I know. Anyway, ASIC did phone me and said they were concerned that 1Wealth didn’t have an AFSL (who gives a toss about that really). Then I got a formal letter from ASIC saying they have insufficient evidence of a scam and won’t be taking any action…and yet when I look up their FIDO section it fits all the criteria of a scam. I’m guessing ASIC couldn’t be bothered hunting them down, too costly an exercise for no financial reward. You’d have to be nuts to hand over $19K to some crook you spoke to on the phone…surely we’re smarter than that by now.

    Reply
    1. Admin

      yeh, maybe if they Looked, they might find some evidence. Surely the amount of suspicion and complaints would warrant a look.

      Reply
  39. Helen M

    Have just had second call from some guy in Hong Kong wanting me to invest in his gambling scheme called bachmann group, wanting me to invest $200.00 and they will place bets for me on events that are a sure thing and I will never loose my money, they will just take 15% and pay me 85%. After telling him I was not interested several times I ended up hanging after telling him not to ring again as I am not interested in his obvious scam. I was caught 4 years ago in a horse racing scam on the Gold Coast and will never be that stupid again, I lost $2000.00 then, I have learnt my lesson well and will not give the parasites another cents. This company is obviously affiliated with Gold Coast company as they knew I had lost money and how much and they were going to be the nice guys and get it back for me, yes right how dumb do they think you are.

    Reply
    1. David

      Have also received phone calls from a Tony Peters in Hong Kong with similar assurance that he will retrieve money I have lost on previous scams. I asked him to email me details of his company and scheme but 5 days later have not received anything.
      Also received a call from a young lady name Kelly Moore of TPGholdings.com stating that they have taken over the previously failed Cybersportsbet.com with whom I had an account through Accord Professional Group and was never able to withdraw my winnings and, to my knowledge, had eventually lost everything in my account. I was surprised to be told that I have a balance of almost $13,000 in my account but before I can access this money I must first pay fees of $1556.00 to their account in Nicosia, Cyprus in the name of WSB Group Ltd. At least this lady has sent me emails and provided me with a phone number to call her back but the number (+12177593138) does not look like it is in Australia so I won’t be making any calls in the near future, or sending any money until I am convinced all is legit.

      Reply
      1. Admin

        I assume that is in relation to Bachmann Group? They keep calling me and never can supply any proof, not even any selections they have made for their trades. What kind of record keeping is that!
        And fees of $1556! Who ever heard of that, apart from scammers. TPG have plenty of bad press.
        Bachmann Group tried to call me four times in a row last week..each time with adifferent country code prefix.. +1,+49,+77,+31. Who knows Where they are…

        Reply

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