Thanks for the reply, that was my assumption. The ToptTrade Group website says: This website is owned and operated by Widdershins Group LTD, company registration number: 2020/IBC00080 and registered address 8 Copthall, Roseau Valley, 00152 Commonwealth of Dominica.
When I type Widdershins Group into my browser, it takes me to this page:
gmlitigationassistance.com/de/warnungen-w/oeffentliche-betrugswarnung-verbraucherwarnung-widdershins_group_ltd_finlay.shtml.
I wrote to them saying that TopTrade Group was misusing their name and in a long email they explained that TopTrade Group is a boiler room and asked for my proof, emails mainly, and details of transfers. I was an idiot and sent it to them. Here is their letter:
Dear Mrs. Horváth,
Thank you for contacting GM Litigation Assistance.
TopTrade Group is/was a boiler room:an entity that cold-calls people and offers investment services without having the proper licenses. When warnings start appearing, boiler rooms, usually non-existing companies, disappear or morph into a new boiler room (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiler_room_(business) ).
Today, so-called "Cold Calling," a fraudulent practice aimed at soliciting investors, is conducted all over the world. "Cold-calling" is a practice where by an entity disguises itself as a brokerage firm or an asset management firm and approaches potential investors via non face-to-face channels, such as by phone, fax, and emails, in order to solicit investment in securities or financial products. Typically, a "cold caller" makes unsolicited calls to potential investors, cajoles them into deciding to purchase certain securities, and then, becomes unavailable for contact after the investor sends the money for that purchase. As a result, the investors cannot obtain the securities although they made the payment, and they also cannot get back the money they paid. Investors need to be more careful and vigilant, as cold callers have been using more varied and more sophisticated tactics. (For example, some cold callers execute transactions properly and make profits for investors at first. Then, they solicit bigger transaction and make the investors transfer the money for it. After that, the cold callers disappear.)
In most countries, a person is required to be registered with or licensed by the national regulatory body before conducting solicitation of securities transactions. However, cold-callers do not have such registration or licenses. One of the characteristics of cold callers is that it is extremely difficult to discover their whereabouts. Many cold callers indicate their office locations on their websites (or documents sent to investors), but they rarely operate at that location. Apparently, cold callers intentionally hide their whereabouts, so that they can avoid being visited by the investors they approach. Notably, it is very typical that cold callers claim that they are located in a country that is different from the location of the prospective victim. For example, there are many cases in which cold callers that have approached American or European investors claims that to have an office located in Asia.
You are being scammed! DO NOT PAY (anymore)!
We may be able to help you based on the information you can and are willing to provide us.
In the past 10 years we built a data base containing fraudulent brokers (boiler rooms), fraudulent escrow agents, fraudulent transfer agents, beneficiary companies, bank accounts, banks, registry papers of beneficiary companies, owners, shareholders, etc., and their connections, which is very important as boiler rooms work in
syndicates that have been existing for many years.
We would very much appreciate it if you can send us the emails and documents (preferably the original emails and documents and not scanned copies), ESPECIALLY BENEFICIARY AND BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION, you received from TopTrade Group?
- Syndication
Boiler rooms work in syndicates, that often exist for years, calling you again and again. They may use different company names and different contact person names.
Have you been contacted by other companies before, during or after TopTrade Group (if you are being contacted by a company about past investments, BE VERY CAREFUL. Usually, these companies belong to the same boiler room syndicate)?
If so, can you send us their emails and documents (preferably the original emails and documents and not scanned copies), ESPECIALLY BENEFICIARY AND BANK ACCOUNT INFORMATION, as well.
The reason is that boiler rooms work in syndicates over a number of years. So we may not know the current beneficiaries, but we may know older ones, which in turn may connect you to other victims and or ongoing cases.
- Information Review
After we received your information, we will review it, determining if we already know one or more of the companies involved, if we received complaints from other investors, if we have any ongoing actions against one or more of the companies involved and what your possibilities are.
Our response will include answers to the above mentioned review items.
Reviewing your information is free.
- Possible Actions
If you are still in contact with scammers, the very first thing you need to do is to start recording telephone conversations (android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nll.acr&hl=en, iPhone: http://beebom.com/call-recorder-iphone-apps/). From now on
record each and every conversation.
You should file a police report regarding financial fraud.
Yours sincerely,
M. Becker
GM Juridische Ondersteuning
GM Litigation Assistance
