A few years ago my name and phone number was on one of the "Sucker Lists" circulating among the criminal boiler rooms whose workers would phone me out of the blue to attempt to sell me a duff investment. Judging by some of the opening lines someone stole a list of Pilkington Glass shareholders a few years previously. I used to have a few hundred of those shares for a couple of years..
Among the "opportunities" offered to me: Carbon Credits, Coloured diamonds, real estate in Brazil, shares in Nanotechnology companies, fine wine investments, rare stamps, shares in overseas drug development companies, gold bullion. I always answered their calls and listened diligently listened to their proposals. I'd tell them, after working in the "City", I was a careful investor and what they'd proposed sounded risky despite the high returns. I'd let them send me glossy brochures and prospective documents. But,... I was never quite ready to make a decision. I needed time to think about releasing money from my other investments, or I was about to travel to Switzerland/Bermuda etc., These people would have London or International Offices, which you could never quite succeed in visiting. I once took the trouble to pass a dossier to the City of London police, but they were not really interested.
My objective? To get these criminals to waste as much time as possible talking to me and sending letters. That way they'd have less time to approach people who were more gullible and would accept their polished slick presentations.
If someone calls out of the blue offering an opportunity, assume it is a con.
Now Zen, but a +Net residue.
