Five properties raided in £65m 'boiler room' fraud

Although I have never lost money to boiler rooms, I am furious at their persistence and their tactics. I have tried a variety of approaches when their unsolicited calls come in, courtesy of share registers (public documents) and telephone directories, and despite TPA registrations which should block the calls.

I wish the Met well in the hope that they can nail these fraudsters and put them a long way from a telephone line for a long time.

yes i was threatened on the phone and told my number would be given out to over 350 other,so called brokers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Having lost money through aggressive, persistant selling I am anxious to know whether we will get anything back.

If the police track them all down and find assets(which i doubt) you may get your money.

These people are very clever and ruthless enen gangsters,dont hold your breath.

what about the land banking scams?

how to avoid scams,

dont entertain anyone who calls you up out of the blue

dont entertain anyone who is not prepared to give you their number and address.

dont ever entertain anyone who with holds their number.

dont ever ever give card numbers to anyone over the phone unless you know who they are eg a shop say argos pc world where YOU HAVE CONTACTED THEM! remember if it sounds too good to be true IT PROBABLY IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IF YOU are pressured,tell them" i will get some advice and call you back"

I bet they have with held their number! and will probably hang up on you if you ask for their number/address etc

SO YOU HAVE YOUR ANSWER CONMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Had a firm trying to sell American stocks to me, phoning up week after week. Supposedly from New York. Always on number with held. After courteous declines from myself on numerous occasions, the callers became more intimidating each time demanding payment for stocks they said I had ordered.

Ashamed to say my replies to their calls became very short ( 2 four letter words before hanging up } After a while the calls stopped, I was harrassed for about 6 months all in all.

best way to handle intimidation is to call your telephone provider and report it.

even contact the police.

think you can stop with held numbers,most providers have a service to stop them being accepted,i have rang numbers be for and got a message as follows

....this number does not accept calls from with held numbers.

I was also intimidated with many calls from New York purporting to be acting for clients who were looking for tax losses so would buy my holding. I told them that I would check with my solicitor. Never heard another word.

TPS is no good in these circumstances as only good if the caller is registered with them. Most good marketing companies are registered. The answer is simple - as soon as the spiel starts just place the phone down but off the hook and leave it for about 15 minutes. Then replace the receiver without a word. If you must say something then try " I have now placed this call on automatic record.

Tell them you will check their authorisation with the FSA, as it's illegal to sell to people in the UK unless you are authorised.

Just what I did!

I am delighted that the SFO have got leads and that they havenot let the matter drop. I know that we have been fooliosh but the salemen were so aggressive and persistant that it was very difficult to handle.

Has anyone else been coerced into buying shares by John Reynolds of Price Stone into in Great West Gold Allied Energy or SPDG? GWG issued many dividends in smaller gold shares NONE of which materialised.