Category: Writing And Branding
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Star Tribune, Minnesota’s Largest Newspaper, Targeted In International ‘Scareware’ Cyberattack; 2 Suspects Arrested In Latvia; Bogus Ad Agency Purportedly Based In Miami Allegedly Used To Dupe Famous American Publishing Company
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is one of those stories that can cause people to scream. The U.S. publishing industry has been deeply affected by the Internet. Print advertisers — the people who pay the bills — now can communicate directly and immediately with readers, a development that is sucking the life out of traditional print publishers.…
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BULLETIN: Christopher Pettengill Pleads Guilty In Trevor Cook Ponzi Scheme
BULLETIN: Christopher Pettengill, a figure in the $194 million Trevor Cook Ponzi scheme, has pleaded guilty in Minneapolis to securities fraud, money-laundering and conspiracy, the FBI said. Read Breaking News coverage in the Star Tribune, which is reporting that Pettengill says he has been cooperating with federal investigators since January. Pettengill, 54, of Plymouth, Minn.,…
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BULLETIN: Defendant In January CFTC Sweep Ordered To Pay $280,000 Penalty; ‘ForInvest’ Also Ordered To Remove Forex Solicitation Pages From Internet; Firm Used Same Payment Processor As Imperia Invest IBC, Ponzi Forum Darling And Defendant In SEC Action
BULLETIN: A Delaware company accused by the CFTC in January of illegally hawking Forex offers has been hit with a $280,000 penalty and ordered to remove its Forex solicitation pages from the Internet. U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel of the Northern District of Illinois entered the order against ForInvest Group of Delaware. ForInvest also…
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BULLETIN: Quebec Regulators Reference Cherryshares And Mega Pension Plan — Two ‘Programs’ Pushed On Ponzi Boards — In Freeze And Cease-Trade Orders Against 3 Canadian Promoters, 2 Companies
BULLETIN: The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) has obtained freeze and cease-trade orders against three Quebec residents and two business entities — and has shut down at least one website amid allegations that an international marketing scam was under way. At least two of the programs referenced in AMF’s action were promoted on the TalkGold…
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OH, UTAH: SEC Alleges Business Executives Used Bogus Press Releases — And Disbarred Attorney — To Sanitize Precious Metals Fraud Scheme
BULLETIN: The SEC has gone to federal court in Utah to seek penalties against a precious metals company and associated firms and individuals, amid spectacular allegations that a PR firm sold the unregistered securities of its own corrupt penny-stock client and a disbarred attorney enabled the scam by issuing a bogus opinion letter. Utah has…
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FTC: California Internet Marketer Duped Brits By Making Them Believe He Was Operating In United Kingdom; $500,000 Judgment Entered Against Jaivin Karnani And ‘Balls of Kryptonite’
UPDATED 12:15 P.M. ET (U.S.A., FEB. 6, 2012) An Internet Marketer based in Calfornia used domains with “co.uk” extensions and duped British customers into believing they were doing business with a firm based in the United Kingdom, the Federal Trade Commison said. The actions of Jaivin Karnani and his associated firms, including a company known…
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URGENT >> BULLETIN >> MOVING: Club Asteria Promoters Blocked By CONSOB, Italian Equivalent Of SEC; Agency Issues Suspension Order; Is ‘Opportunity’ Described As ‘Passive’ Investment Being Targeted At Deaf?
BULLETIN: UPDATED 7:35 P.M. EDT (U.S.A.) The Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa (CONSOB), the Italian equivalent of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, is conducting a probe into claims made about Club Asteria and has issued a 90-day suspension order that bars promoters from trading in Italy. Club Asteria is based in…
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RECOMMENDED READING: Salt Lake Tribune Expands Series On Multilevel Marketing; Christian Pitchman Poses With Rolls-Royce; Trade’s Defenders Scold Critics; Critics Fire Back
Kudos to the Salt Lake Tribune for expanding on its earlier series on multilevel marketing, which we referenced here. On May 27, the newspaper published two more stories — and one of them features a photograph of a Rolls-Royce with the words “mona vie” emblazoned on its side. The expensive car is one of the…