In October 2014, REDD-Monitor wrote about a company called Sterling and Bond. The company was cold calling people, offering to sell their carbon credits if they invest in a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) scheme. I described it as a “ridiculously obvious scam”.
Not so. At least according to Andrew Nash, managing director of Sterling and Bond. In a response to the post on REDD-Monitor, Nash explains that,
offering to swap investor out of carbon investments is actually a loss leader for us but what it does do is allow is to take on new clients who we can service going forward.
Hmm. Sterling and Bond will lose money by taking on new clients who have been conned into buying carbon credits as investments. They do this in order to get new clients to “service”.
I wonder where Sterling and Bond finds the contact details of people who have been conned into buying carbon credits? Boiler rooms collect the details of people they have scammed on so-called “suckers lists”. These lists are sold from one boiler room to another. Surely that couldn’t be where Sterling and Bond finds its new clients, could it?
And if it’s not from “suckers lists”, where exactly does Sterling and Bond find the phone numbers of people scammed into buying near-worthless carbon credits?
An advert for a Sales Executive at Stirling and Bond posted last year on LinkedIn includes a list of desired skills and experience:
Obviously not a boiler room, then.
Sterling and Bond has updated its website since REDD-Monitor wrote about the company in October 2014. Back then, Sterling and Bond listed offices in Dubai, London, Australia, and Hong Kong. (By November 2014, an office in China had been added to the website.)
And there was a note at the bottom of the website explaining that:
“Sterling & Bond is the trading name of SBB Commercial Brokers L.L.C License Number: 687192, Registered No: 1113828”
All that has gone, and now, Sterling and Bond lists only its phone number in Dubai.
Here’s a screenshot from Sterling and Bond’s website as it was on 11 November 2014:
And here’s what it looks like today:
Below are four emails from Andrew Nash sent to REDD-Monitor over the last few weeks, followed by three from Nick Start:
From: Andrew Nash
Date: 29 January 2015 at 12:52
Subject: Removal
To: [email protected]Dear Chris
Please see the post below.
This is both a defamatory and factually incorrect article. I find it difficult to believe, why you would allow this kind of martial to be posted on your site when you hold yourself out to be ethical.
I require any reference to me in this post and any post that this attracts to be removed without delay or I will instruct my lawyer who I have copied in to take immediate action against you personally as the person who sanctioned the post and your company.
I look forward to confirmation that this has been removed by close of business UK time tomorrow.
Regards
Andrew Nash
From: Andrew Nash
Date: 2 February 2015 at 09:37
Subject: Immediate Action
To: Chris Lang [email protected]Dear Chris
I have asked you to remove my name from your site due to defamatory. I have noticed you have not removed me or my company so I will now instruct my lawyer who will take immediate action against you personally as the person who sanctioned the post and your company.
Kindest Regards
Andrew Nash
From: Andrew Nash
Date: 15 February 2015 at 13:20
Subject: Removal
To: Chris Lang [email protected]Dear Chris
Thank you blocking my name out, but with reference to this post:
this was sent to you as a private email and was not intended or meant for public posting. This has caused slander’s blogs and defamatory comments, i request this to be moved as a matter of urgency. I have spoken to my lawyer and if it is not removed I shall began proceedings against you and your company.
Also please remove any reference to Sterling and Bond as this again is defamatory and there are is no evidence in which these claims are backed up, just malicious lies and malice i have been instructed by my lawyer to give a 24 hour deadline for all this to be removed or we shall start proceedings.
Kindest Regards
Andrew Nash
From: Andrew Nash
Date: 16 February 2015 at 11:59
Subject: Fwd: Removal
To: Chris Lang [email protected]Dear Chris
Regarding my email dated the 15th of February 2015.
I asked that these blogs and any other reference to Sterling and Bond and myself be removed. I can see that they have not so I will instruct my lawyer to start my case against you personally please beware that you will also bear the costs.
Kindest Regards
Andrew Nash
From: Nick Start
Date: 10 February 2015 at 09:00
Subject: RE: Urgent post removals
To: [email protected]Dear Mr.Lang,
Please see the posts below.
http://redd-monitor.org/2014/01/26/redd-in-the-news-20-26-january-2014/
These articles are both defamatory and factually incorrect. I find it difficult to believewhy you would allow this kind of material to be posted on your site when you hold yourself out to be ethical.
I require any reference to me in these posts and any posts that they attract to be removed without delay or I will instruct my lawyer, who I have copied in, to take immediate action against you personally as the person who sanctioned the post and your company.
I look forward to confirmation that these have been removed by close of business UK time tomorrow.
Yours faithfully,
Nick Start
From: Nick Start
Date: 12 February 2015 at 10:21
Subject: RE: Postings
To: [email protected]Mr.Lang,
Whilst my name may well have been pixelated out of your pathetic little website, I have had enough of this.
I am now going to take action against you and REDD Monitor. My past is exactly that, the past and has absolutely no relevance to my current business and working life.
You may well think that because I got caught up in something I didn’t fully understand nearly 4 years ago that I am still doing something untoward, that’s your opinion. However, these constant posts from both yourself and fellow bloggers have gone too far now so I am seeking legal advice immediately.
I shall instruct my lawyers to contact you directly.
N Start
From: Nick Start
Date: 13 February 2015 at 06:22
Subject:
To: [email protected]Chris,
Please remove the news link you very kindly posted recently about me.
What’s the point of pixelating my name when you then add a link that anyone can click on to see it there?! Smart move.
Can I ask, what is your intention with your site? I don’t quite get why you do what you do…
As for myself, yes, I was involved in a complete fraud/scam back in September 2008 and subsequently pleaded guilty in Crown Court to 3 charges of Fraud my false representation and sentenced to 16 months in prison. Am I proud of it? Not at all, quite the opposite in fact but I did my time and don’t quite see why you and others feel the need to further tarnish my name nearly 7 years on.
Public interest? Rubbish. What I do now is nothing like what you suggest. If it was and I was this conman that you portray me to be then why the hell would I use my real name and meet EVERY single client in person before doing business? Hardly the actions of a smart fraudster!
So, whilst I’m a totally in favour of the real boiler room/scam firms being exposed and caught like I was, I would be grateful if you could stop this campaign against me. I am not the same person I was all those years ago, people can change!
Yours hopefully,
Nick Start
Chris. If Nick Start does start any legal proceedings please forward them to the SFO within Essex police who would be very interested in any legal action he would like to bring in the UK. Their e-mail address is:- [email protected] Ref “Start” folder.
As for the statement in his last e-mail “I am not the same person I was all those years ago, people can change!” I agree, he moved on to join the big boys – Select Global, where he worked as Chief Trading Officer from 2012-13, who conned millions out of pensioners.
His second comment in the last e-mail “Hardly the actions of a smart fraudster!” made me laugh as he then moved onto being director of London Commodity Markets where he attempted to sell me ( someone who had been in the oil industry for over 40 years ) an oil field in the USA with a dodgy geologist survey and a jet fuel investment that was going to nett 500%pa. At this point “smart” would hardly be a word I would use.
You would think they would check their recruitment advertising:
Would you do business with someone with such paw commend of your native tongue? lol
Willing to call high ‘NETWORK’???? Individuals
Be ‘extremity’ polished inn…? WHAT??? NOT EVEN English!
Think on your feet??? This means dodge or skirt the issue, dream up at an instants notice, a credible one liner? EG. When someone says they don’t have evidence of individual credits on a register – That’s no problem our research tem can identify them.
There’s no need for such tactics in a credible sales force..
They will of course NEVER SHOW EVIDENCE of ‘customers’ who they have exiting because of ‘privacy issues’. Rubbish! Sell mine, with no money up front, give me evidence and I’ll tell the world but you can’t can you Nick, Andrew..?
Hello… NOBODY CAN!
Extraordinary set of emails from nick start . How he has been trying to bully this blog to remove any mention of him and his connection with his conviction and jailing for 172 k of fraud against old age pensioners . No wonder he doesn’t want any public scrutiny of his criminal past . I still don’t know if he ever paid back the old age pensioners who were conned out of 172 k . His public Facebook page seems to indicate a very lavish lifestyle with his girlfriend in Dubai . Where do the pair of them get all this money from . Hard work no doubt .
Well done Chris. These fraudsters need to be exposed. I wish I knew in 2008/9 what I know now. I can relate to the whole CNN scam and these smooth talking gigolos on the phone. I live in Dublin & I often wondered where they up on me.
Keep it up.
Unbelievable and pathetic attempt by nick start to hide his facebook acct which exposes his millionaire style lifestyle In Dubai with his girlfriend . Using the tack of his girlfriend who’s listed as
who also doesn’t want us to know her surname on Facebook . I wonder why both of them Would do this . Maybe to hide from public scrutiny the his and hers jail sentences . No sorry but thats not going to work . These people cannot continue to run and hide and put two fingers up to the world while there are people out there who have been frauded and conned out of 172 k and we still done know if they were ever paid back .
I should have said in previous blog that you can now find nick start on Facebook under the name nick Matthew . Bit pointless really making that change wasn’t it .
Nicholas matthew start he sentenced to prison for fraud.
sentenced to prison for stabbing.
Nick Start is an out and out fraudster who complains if he does not earn $10,000’s each month. The only way of doing this is by conning people and he sure knows how to do that. I assume he will be moving soon as people know he is in Dubai. He has worked the UK, Europe and Dubai. With his criminal record he can’t go to the USA. The only places left are the Far East, Africa and South American. What’s the betting he turns up in Singapore or Hong Kong? Odds on I think!!!
S&B Commercials or SBB Commercials and I think they’ve already change the name under Sloane Securities.
I wish I could have seen this last November.Nick is not in Dubai now as told.Any chance to save my lost in that Stupid Voip?
Where is nick now then Leslee if not now in Dubai . I heard he was back in the uk .
I wish I had read this in November as well. I have just last week invested 50 thousand dollars in this stupid VoIP trade and now Andrew Nash has left the country with my money. Any one know to to track this ahole and get our funds back? What do we do? I’m in shock this could happen in dubai!!!
Try contacting the Dubai Police (non-emergency) – 04-609 6999. They are very sympathetic and are actively investigating several Brits who are operating there, in conjunction with their immigration dept.
I am an investor in a project called the Cook Stove project through a company called Regency which has since closed. I am not able to contact anyone regarding this investment but after some digging I have discovered that someone called Mark Eyres was/is involved. I have also discovered he is a convicted murderer and conman. Can anyone help me to find out more about this investment, the people behind it as I want to get my money back and I am willing to do what it takes. Has anyone else invested in this? Does anyone else know Mr Eyres?
@James Broages – Thanks for your comment. There’s some background about “Mark Eyres” here:
Capital Alternatives and Capital Carbon Credits taken to the High Court by the Financial Conduct Authority
If you could provide more information about the Cook Stove project and Regency – like company details, emails, website addresses and so on, that would be useful. You can contact me at reddmonitor@gmail.com.
Please contact Action Fraud (tel: 0300 123 2040) about this scam.
Regency Capital. They are now closed. They were once selling African Land. In fact I did speak to an ex employee who told me Mark Eyres was the main person behind this he also told me he had taken on the ex farm manager of African Land as a consultant to help him put together another similar project in Sierra Leone. If I knew this guy was involved I would not have touched it with a barge pole!
http://boards.fool.co.uk/i-think-it-is-a-more-serious-matter-global-eco-12743753.aspx