ScamVictimsUnited.com

An Australian sounding guy called Richard Macalister from a company called link Mergers & Acquisitions http://www.linkmna.com has been calling me, offering to purchase my stocks in GWGO for $2.97 each! Current market price is $0.0007, so I asked him if he was mad. He said that his client felt that it was a fair market price and his client was trying to buy up stocks in Great West Gold Inc http://www.advfn.com/quote_GREAT-WEST-G ... _GWGO.html in order to gain control of the company and all I needed to do was pay for the restriction to be removed. This worked out at $12K, but I would get my money back as part of the overall deal because I'm not a US resident. I smelt a Great Western rat and have declined his wonderful offer...Has anyone else had any dealings with Link Mergers and Acquisitions? Are they for real or is this (as I suspected) the latest scam for the boiler rooms?

Their (his) website is registered with the following details:

created-date: 2006-03-15
updated-date: 2006-03-15
registration-expiration-date: 2007-03-15

owner-contact: P-AJW75
owner-organization: Internet
owner-fname: Andrew
owner-lname: Wingon
owner-street: 17th street
owner-city: Nashville
owner-state: TN
owner-zip: 37201
owner-country: US
owner-phone: 16767778963
owner-fax: 16767778963
owner-email: andrewwingon@hotmail.com

I totally agree!

I got totally similar proposal from the same company (different person: Leslie Downer).
I have in the past verified that the stocks I own were a total fraud.
I asked that they provide some independently verifiable information and she said seh'd fax the "US registry" contact details.
I got a fax referring to "International securities Tax commission", http://www.istcommission.us
While whois reports nobody owns http://www.istcommission.com I have no way to check who owns .us
That web site looks "official", but this is no guarantee.
A Google search for "International Securities Tax Commission" does not return any link related to the alleged web site.
Is this institution a genuine regulatory agent?

Anyhow, this very web site lists two companies named
"Global Link Merger and Acquisitions" and "Global Link Merger & Acquisitions", based in Milwaukee
as "Unlicensed Cold Callers"

All quite questionable, at best...

http://www.whois.us lists the following for istcommission.us :

Domain Name ISTCOMMISSION.US
Domain ID D9634527-US
Sponsoring Registrar ABR PRODUCTS, INC. DBA MISK.COM
Domain Status ok
Registrant ID NIT060222011CG0
Registrant Name Adam Smith Robbins
Registrant Organization Central Agency Internet Communication
Registrant Address1 18th Street
Registrant City New York
Registrant State/Province NY
Registrant Postal Code 10001
Registrant Country United States
Registrant Country Code US
Registrant Phone Number +1.6462349933
Registrant Facsimile Number +1.6462349934
Registrant Email adamsmithrobbins@hotmail.com
Registrant Application Purpose P2
Registrant Nexus Category C32/US
Administrative Contact ID NIT0602220115KJ
Administrative Contact Name Adam Smith Robbins
Administrative Contact Organization Central Agency Internet Communication
Administrative Contact Address1 18th Street
Administrative Contact City New York
Administrative Contact State/Province NY
Administrative Contact Postal Code 10001
Administrative Contact Country United States
Administrative Contact Country Code US
Administrative Contact Phone Number +1.6462349933
Administrative Contact Facsimile Number +1.6462349934
Administrative Contact Email adamsmithrobbins@hotmail.com
Administrative Application Purpose P2
Administrative Nexus Category C32/US
Billing Contact ID NIT060222011Q6E
Billing Contact Name Mario Teracuzo Jr.
Billing Contact Organization EuropeCom
Billing Contact Address1 Alberto seabra 735 alto de pinheiros
Billing Contact City Sao Paulo
Billing Contact State/Province SP
Billing Contact Postal Code 05452-000
Billing Contact Country Brazil
Billing Contact Country Code BR
Billing Contact Phone Number +1.6462349933
Billing Contact Facsimile Number +1.6462349934
Billing Contact Email adamsmithrobbins@hotmail.com
Billing Application Purpose P2
Billing Nexus Category C32/US
Technical Contact ID NIT060222011JFB
Technical Contact Name Adam Smith Robbins
Technical Contact Organization Central Agency Internet Communication
Technical Contact Address1 18th Street
Technical Contact City New York
Technical Contact State/Province NY
Technical Contact Postal Code 10001
Technical Contact Country United States
Technical Contact Country Code US
Technical Contact Phone Number +1.6462349933
Technical Contact Facsimile Number +1.6462349934
Technical Contact Email adamsmithrobbins@hotmail.com
Technical Application Purpose P2
Technical Nexus Category C32/US
Name Server NS1.ISTCOMMISSION.US
Name Server NS2.ISTCOMMISSION.US
Created by Registrar ABR PRODUCTS, INC. DBA MISK.COM
Last Updated by Registrar ABR PRODUCTS, INC. DBA MISK.COM
Domain Registration Date Wed Feb 22 13:11:55 GMT 2006
Domain Expiration Date Wed Feb 21 23:59:59 GMT 2007
Domain Last Updated Date Sun Feb 26 03:32:39 GMT 2006

Thanks Maninthestreet!
It looks quite dubious that the web site of a government institution is registered to some Mr. Adam Smith Robbins...

In the meanwhile, I wrote am email asking wether the company Link Merger and Acquisition, proposing to buy my junk bonds, was a genuine one.
The "commission" answered extremely (too!) quickly and exactly as I had expected:



So it is apparent that this "commission" is most probably involved in this well crafted scam, their web site is very well done and even has some "real" content, possibly from real regulatory agencies.
The purpose obviously is to reassure the dumb people like me.

I imagine them now thinking "he's hooked!"

I will play dumb some more, proceed and collect more information.

Anybody can suggest a "real" regulatory agency to report this scam to?
[/quote]

How about the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) ?
Notice also that the email address for that guy shown in the whois registration is a hotmail address - unlikely that a US Goverment/Federal agency would use a hotmail address.

Just like you I have just been contacted by a rep from company called Harbor Capital Management based in San Francisco with exactly the same MO.

They claim to be an M&A company wanting to buy my shares for a takeover at a high price and asked me to confirm their legitimate status with a so-called National Mergers and Acquisitions Compliance Commission based in Indiana with a website www.nmacc.us.

Interesting enough this website domain is also registered by the same Mr Adam Smith Robbins with a hotmail address!! (and was only registered in April 2006.)

Again, high pressure tactics saying that the takeover may occur in 24hours so if I do not agree to sell the shares(of course with an attached condition of an up-front "legend release fee" to the US government) then my shares will become worthless.

Has anybody else been contacted by these guys?

How did they manage to get my contact number? They claimed it was provided by the "Central Registry" What's that?

Also, has anybody had any dealings with a broking company called Ashton Trading Corporation?

Thanks.

Hi scammedtoo,
they surely got your contact from the company who originally sold you the junk stocks.
These are long term strategies, the same people may be behing it all the time, or they may sell the records to other boiler room operators.

I have received sevral calls also saying the offer may expire in a day or so...
I said the "commission" had not replied my email and they said I should write again because the commission was "very busy"
I bet Mr Adam Smith Robbins is indeed vert busy (if he exists at all...)

At this point they even offered to send me a "prepayment guarantee", from the same "commission" of course...

Don't fall for it, it' 100% scam!

Hi Zava,

Thanks for your reply.
I got a friend to check the existence of this NMACC aqnd was told such a commission does not exist so I think your ISTC is the same.

Good luck with your stocks! I have almost given up hope that I will ever get my money back.

Scammedtoo

I too have been recieving calls over the past week from a Sam Taylor from Harbor Capital Management. He says that a company wants to aquire the "shares" i own @ $8.50 each. They are worthless junk shares that i was scammed into purchasing years ago. His presentation is flawless and it even got me excited for a while that i might soon be coming into $133,000. There was the little matter of the legend removal fee that i would need to lodge with the National Merger and Acquistions which because i wasn't a US citizen would be refunded to me.
He even gave me phone number so i could call and check it all out with them ( 217 522 0533 ) and even encouraged me to get a legal letter of confirmation of the details from them.

The only organisation of a similar name that i can find is : http://www.nationalmaboard-gov.us/ and they are based elsewhere and appear to be a legitimate gov organisation. At the moment the website http://www.nmacc.us doesn't even appear to me running.

I might string this guy along for a bit as he is eagerly awaiting me to fax back my signed " US Equities Purchase Agreement".

I'm pleased i came across this forum to confirm my suspicisons as researching this scam on the net has been difficult. These guys use company and organisational names that are similar or the same as legitimate ones to frustrate trying to drill down to the truth

Dear Squib,

I have already made a report to the SEC. Suggest you do the same too.

Glad you didn't get sucked!

Just like you I have just been contacted by a rep from company called Harbor Capital Management based in San Francisco with exactly the same MO.

Hey ScammedToo,
I had exactly the same mo as you, same company etc. I just got off the phone with the bloke , a pom with an american twang. He told me to call or fax the US National Merger and Acquisition Compliance commission in Indianapolis.
I did a search and could find no such thing except for this forum.
So it turned out great for me.

I am an Australian resident who got stung in August 2000 buying shares in Cita Biomedics Inc ("DTOX") through The Madison Group.
I've been contacted a few times with "offers" to buy these shares, however, in each case I would have had to pay a "Legend Removal Fee" to have the "Sec 144 Restriction" lifted.
The latest was on 20th June 2006 when I was contacted by a "Colin Jackson" from "Harbor Capital Management". The spin this time was that if I did not accept the offer to buy my shares for US$12.50 each, these shares wopuld vest in the US government on the wind up of Cita Biomedics and I'd miss the chance to redeem my losses.
At the time Harbor Capital Management did not appear on the list of overseas scam companies on the list maintained by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC). Your forum was invaluable in confirming my suspicions. Harbor Capital Management does now appear on the ASIC list of overseas scam companies. Be warned.

I am very appreciative of this web site as I was almost the victim of Harbor Capital Management an a Mr Alan Bircher. He also directed me to the NMACC however a reverse number search of of their phone number showed that this was a cell phone number a bitt odd for a supposed government department. This is a very slick scam and shows how much trouble these guys will go to rip off anyone not sceptical enough.

There is no "legitimate gov organisation" with a web site that ends with .us, All "legitimate gov organisation" web sites end with .gov! This site was set up by a scammer as well (-> see the imitated logo). No surprise that their own 'company' is not listed there. If you send an inquiry through the web site you will receive an auto reply that your message has been received and that someone will call you back. A day or two later you will receive a call from someone claiming to call you for the organisation and that the 'company' you inquired would be 'clean' and you can go ahead with the deal and make pay the de-registration fee. Neeless to say, once you paid you do not hear from the again and you money is gone.

Other examples of such imitated government organization web sites are:

International Shareholder Protection Department: http://www.ispd.us/ (not active any more)

and

International Exchange Regulatory Commission: http://www.ierc-int.us/ (not active any more)

An official web site (not a scam - see domain name, which ends with .gov) that lists such companies, including "Universal Mergers and Acquisitions", "International Shareholder Protection Department", "International Exchange Regulatory Commission", "International Asset Registry" and "International Stock Commission" you can find here: http://www.dfi.wa.gov/sd/fraud_alert_from_the_department.htm