By Chris Lang
The Trend is Blue is a company that used to sell near-worthless carbon credits as investments. That’s the boiler room part of the carbon credits scam. Now the company rings people up to tell them that they have a buyer for their near-worthless carbon credits. For an advance fee, no doubt. That’s the recovery room part of the scam.
Two people have commented about The Trend is Blue on REDD-Monitor. In August 2013, following a post about Enviro Associates, “Paul Newmann” wrote:
I have also been unlucky enough to join the above. I purchased through a company called “The Trend is Blue”. The MD is a guy called Simon Andrews who went on to involve me in another investment. I am now being pestered by Enviro Assc. and a company called “The Carbon Trading Exchange” both of whom can’t wait to help me sell my credits.( For a price of course ). None of these people can be trusted.
Then in June 2014, “Gary Kennedy” wrote:
Has anyone had any dealings with Trend is Blue. They rang me today (Jun 20 2014) to say they may have a buyer for my Carbon Credits. They will confirm on Monday. They say they will charge me 1 point 5 per cent for selling them. Needless to say I will not be putting any money up front if that is what is required but if they have a buyer, and I get paid a reasonable price for the credits. I will be happy to pay them their cut from the money I bank. Apparently the market is supposedly opening up in America as their firms have to offset their carbon emissions with credits by the end of the year or be fined. I will keep you informed of what happens next week but in the meantime, has anybody had dealings with “Trend is Blue” in the past?
The company’s website is currently behind a password, with a note explaining that “The Client Login tab is only applicable to CNI Emission Reduction Unit holders.” The Trend is Blue was one of Carbon Neutral Investments’ Clearing Members. If that’s not a warning sign, I don’t know what is.
Here are archived copies of parts of The Trend is Blue’s website. It’s full of the usual nonsense produced by boiler rooms looking to con people into buying carbon credits as investments. There’s a stream of well-known company logos across the middle of the company’s website. Here’s a screenshot:
It would be reassuring, except for the fact that there is no explanation of why these logos are on The Trend is Blue’s website.
And there’s a lovely testimonial from a company called Guaranteed Asphalt:
We have been greatly impressed by the nature of your organisation: your team of international experts, the global presence of your company and your important contacts at government level. Your practical no-nonsense style really impressed us.
Funnily enough, there’s no mention of The Trend is Blue on Guaranteed Asphalt’s website. I asked the company whether the letter is genuine. I’m still waiting for a response.
The Trend is Blue’s Twitter account has been dormant since December 2013 as has its Facebook account.
The company’s sole director is a 36 year old called Simon Andrews. He is also the sole director of a company called Income Capital Store Limited, which promotes investments in a storage company called Store First. Tony Hetherington, a journalist at the Daily Mail, looked into this company in November 2013, and described the “investment” scheme as a “fascinating network of companies, all sounding alarm bells for various reasons”.
If The Trend is Blue sold you carbon credits, or if the company contacts you with too good to be true tales of having found a buyer for your carbon credits, my advice would be to take careful note of what they say, before putting the phone down and reporting the details to Action Fraud:
I am so very skeptical of any calls suggesting an exit strategy for the carbon credits that were sold to me.
Bradlodge Corporate Trading recently phoned offering a way out – they are stating that consolidating my credits with other sellers that they are able to line up large companies to buy credits in bulk.
They will start the process with a an insurance deposit – what they call a bonded investment of £2000 – I see this as another scam, has anyone else been contacted by them?
Beware: Another company called, MH Carbon Nominees Ltd is also offering to offload carbon credits ostensibly through well known auditing firms such as PWC, Deloittes, EY etc.
If you are told to pay upfront for an exit then contact Action Fraud.
Today I have been contacted by Gemmax Solutions who recommend 2 companies that can sell my VER carbon credits,all I have to do is to get my VER credits transferred into CER credits then they can be sold .This would cost me £2,340. The companies are Manor Trade & Universal Commodities. They will be sold on 14th.Sept.They also told me that there is a new rule coming in that after September VER credits can not be sold for 7 years. The more I look at it the more it looks like a scam. Beware.
Yes Bradlodge also contacted my father. There is a “guarantee” they issue you with but the small print says it must be signed by a director or member of the exec team and it isn’t….
@Johnty – Thanks for this. Gemmax Solutions (previously known as Carbon Neutral Investments) has appeared several times on REDD-Monitor.
You might be interested to know that Gemmax Solutions’ website currently has a warning about Manor Trade.
@Phil and @Alicia – I’ve just written a post about Bradlodge Corporate Trading:
Bradlodge Corporate Trading: Yet another scam company cashing in on carbon credits
Another recovery room scam?
I have been contacted by a company called maple Leaf Asset Management who are offering to accept my carbon credits in part-payment for gold being sold at a discounted rate. Too good to be true? Has anyone had any dealings with this company?
Hi I am concerned as I have just read that The Trend is Blue is a scam. Is this correct? I purchased carbon cedits with them and they transferred them to Gemmax Solutions Ltd. I have left messages today but unable to speak to anyone.
Hope you can help.
Zoe Mincher
I am very very concerned about my money I have invested in the Carbon Market through “The Trend is Blus”.I only found out what has happened around August 2014. Since then I have been trying very hard with Trend is Blus to get some way of exiting the market.They hardly answered calls and when they do you have to leave a message for someone to get back to you, they never follow up.
Well at the moment the phone number is out of order.
I am wondering what next?
I have a close friend who has been sold £14thou. worth of carbon credits via the trend is blue with his payments going to gemmax solutions or carbon neutral investments. This amount was his life savings& it has led to him being seriously ill. Please stay clear of of investing in 1]carbon credits2] rare earth metals 3]storage space