Confessions of a scammer

clock

Boiler rooms, bogus wine investments and land banking scams have all hit the headlines this year, but who are the people behind them?

A ‘trader’ who worked in boiler room operations and a bogus wine investment company has detailed the ease with which 
they were able to con investors out of millions. The 25-year-old joined a Frankfurt-based ‘stockbroker’ in March 2009, cold-calling British investors with offers of pre-IPO shares in companies which existed on paper only. “We would use shareholder lists to find leads, although the best came from the ‘suckers lists’ – people who had been scammed previously,” he said. “If they did invest, we would always come back to them after a few weeks to get them to put in more.” ...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Your profession

Cohabitation consultation to provide 'improvement not parity'

Cohabitation consultation to provide 'improvement not parity'

Clear framework could help advisers

Sophia Panayi
clock 08 June 2026 • 5 min read
Feel Good Friday: Royal London opens applications for £10,000 women and girls' rugby grant

Feel Good Friday: Royal London opens applications for £10,000 women and girls' rugby grant

Third year of annual Championing Women and Girls’ Grassroots Rugby Award

Professional Adviser
clock 05 June 2026 • 1 min read
Cohabitation reforms to offer unmarried couples 'more financial security'

Cohabitation reforms to offer unmarried couples 'more financial security'

Government launches consultation

Sophia Panayi
clock 05 June 2026 • 2 min read