Just a quick note - the expansion continues apace. My dad was looking for a company to invest his (Q)ROPS money into, looked on a few wealth management websites (without filling anything in) and got a phone call from Chase Buchanan within an hour.
No idea how they got his number or identity, but they did and were like a rat up a drainpipe.

They wanted him to fill out a load of forms detailing his entire holdings, investment profile etc etc and meet him for a lunch chat. They gave him a spiel about how his wrapper fees were probably too high at around 7% and that theirs is much better. Obviously, they neglect to tell you about their massive up-front cut.

Shower of barstewards, trying to prey on ex-pat pensioners.

I haven't had a call in a long time now.

Almost missing the opportunity to confuse and abuse.

They advertise on WRS, including the BBC Sports report at 07h50. Worst ads I’ve ever heard. I usually shut off the radio until the BBC news come on.

Had a call a few days ago. I knew it was one of them straight away, the only people who appear on my phone as "switchboard" ..

It was indeed DeVere, to invite me to a conference/seminar/meeting about UK pensions. Not to sell me something, just to invite me to the thing.

I didn't bother with any further details.

This behaviour I can almost understand. Getting past the gatekeeper is the first chapter of sleazy sales training manual, volume 1 - How to get to the decision-taker.

Sometimes our reception staff know exactly who the person is and they are very kind at running interference. Other times, the reception staff has just asked me if i can take the call - if only to stop the caller from coming back several times a week with the same request.

What gets me is when the cold caller starts their introduction with..

"Hi. It's Mike Hunt, or Ima Twat-Smithers-Herrington or whoever - we met in the winter - you told me you wanted me to call you back to set up some time to talk about your UK pension - because you were concerned about some new laws in the UK".

I usually finish the call wondering if I'm suffering from Alzheimer's, or just speaking with a pathological liar. Why wouldn't I trust him with my pension savings?

Every time, I respond "no thank-you, we've never met, or spoken before today.. no thanks, I'm not looking for financial advice, please could you take me off your contacts, no we're not connected on linkedin, no you really don't have meetings with my colleagues". Sometimes, I repeat a few times because they seem to need constant reinforcement.

I don't mind that someone thinks I'm stupid; it's when they try to prove it that I get annoyed.

Has anybody actually tried to threaten one of these callers? As in: "I´ll find you "Clive" if you or your company trouble me again, it´s what I do for a living, and when I have found you and make no mistake I will, I hold you responsible and you PERSONALLY will bear the weight of my wrath..." Something like that.

Only Liam Neeson, as far as I am aware.

Yes, but not threatened personally. A few years ago I'd had quite a few calls from them over a six month period, each time I got more and more angry when I had to repeat not to ever call me again.

The last time they called I told them if they did call once more I would come round to their offices with my 2 Rottweilers and make them cr@p all over their reception area. They never called me again.

Now that´s a threat.

Do they have satisfied clients also I wonder? I assume they must have some, they are still in business?

No, their business model is to charge up-front fees.

By the time the punters wake up to what's happened to their money, it's too late to do anything.

Never assume. Assume makes an ASS of U and ME.

Nevertheless, they might have some satisfied clients... blind ones. The ones who not yet realised the scam.

They were apparently in the news in South Africa in April this year.

International wealth manager in breach of Fais Act

"Chase Buchanan has been marketing its services in South Africa without a licence."

There's someone with a double-barrelled name mentioned here, funnily enough.
https://www.chasebuchanan.com/testimonials/

He has a very impressive backstory.
http://www.goldnews.com.cy/en/people...lishman-abroad

Review from a disgruntled ex-employee:
https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/W...3542.11,25.htm

#OrchidsandOnions: The boozy road not taken... and lies, damned lies and surveys

The second part of this article concerns deVere Group.

Has anyone been approached by W1 investment group? A quick Google reveals contact numbers in Qatar and Belgium. Just wondering if they fall in the same category as Devere.

well in under 1 min I found at least one guy who worked for devere before going to W1. So the level of "expertise" seems to be the same

and a book putting them in the same basket of scam artists

"The company [W1 investment group] was set up three years ago by a group of former UK independent financial advisers (IFAs), specialising in providing advice to the expat community in Qatar."
http://citywire.co.uk/wealth-manager...-firm/a1126300

"UK independent financial advisers (IFAs)" makes it sound as if they'd be approved by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK (which has no jurisdiction over advisers/advice provided outside the UK), but it could just be that they're British and calling themselves IFAs.

Some recent news about deVere's activities in the USA:

Broker deVere pays $8M to SEC for misleading clients
SEC Charges Investment Adviser and Two Former Managers for Misleading Retail Clients

I get a call from DeVere on average once a month, usually from what sounds like junior or trainee wealth managers. They always open with 'have you had a good weekend' or 'how's your week going', it must be what they train them to say. It doesn't matter if they tell you you're not interested, they keep calling.

Quote GDPR and tell them to delete your records

Thank you for the suggestion, great idea. I have tried that with several of the so-called "wealth managers" but it doesn't seem to help, they keep calling. I hear that cold calling is not prevented by GDPR but it imposes some restrictions/responsibilities...any GDPR experts out there?