Caution!:
Have you been contacted by Canadian law firm Norton Dunne & Associates? If you have, read on.
It has come to our attention that a number of people who lost money through dealings with certain UK investment companies are being approached by the above Canadian "law firm" promoting its services saying that it can bring a lawsuit (a "class action") against the investment firms to help the investors recover their lost funds. The UK investment firms concerned are:
- Goldman Williams Ltd
- City Vintners Ltd
- Stanley Reibeck Corporation
- Webster Cohen Galombic Inc
- Hopkin Pierce & Co Ltd
- Salisbury Merchant Bank Ltd
- and related companies
The SFO conducted an investigation into these investment companies which concluded in 2005 with no charges being brought.
The kind of service offered by Norton Dunne & Associates is similar to instances where individuals who have been victims of known investment frauds are invited to forward an advance legal fee to participate in the class action. It is known that criminal gangs buy and sell contact lists of those who have lost money in this way.
We have checked with the Canadian Law Society and have found that none of the lawyers named on Norton Dunne & Associates documentation and website is registered in Canada.
We urge you to exercise extreme caution if you are contacted by Norton Dunne & Associates. Do not divulge to them your personal details, provide documents or make any payments.
We have passed this information to the Canadian authorities. If you wish you may enquire about any approaches made to you by Canadian law firms offering a money recovery service by contacting the Canadian Fraud Reporting Centre on 00 1 705 495 8507 or via www.phonebusters.com
LATEST UPDATE
The SFO is aware that there are strong indicators that the original perpetrators of the Norton Dunne scam may have reinvented their identity, with new names and even more convincing approaches.
Individuals need to exercise extreme caution if unsolicited contacts are made by companies offering to take "Class Action" or "Group Litigation Orders" against fraudulent companies in return for fees.
The SFO would like to make it clear that eventually the onus is on you, the investors to take the right decision, as accurate information about the identity of some companies reported to us recently is yet to be established.
