Has anyone used this financial advice service?

Ignoramus · 2 November 2010 at 1:55PM

Just wondering if anyone had used this free (initially) advice service to get some help planning for retirement or for investments or whatever.

The site is called "Advice Forum". The website at ****hmm no links allowed it seems*** well you could google it. Or it is "advice-forum" dot "co" dot "uk".

I was wondering if they gave good sound initial advice, or if it was too general and unhelpful and just an excuse to get your address to solicit a fee paying advice session.

Couldn't find the right place to post this, so I hope here is ok.

Thanks.

scotsbob · 2 November 2010 at 7:08PM

The fact that the company mentioned in this scam have the same address would suggest you steer well clear of them.

http://www.bobbear.co.uk/neo-investment-management.html

Ignoramus · 2 November 2010 at 10:50PM

Thank you very much for the heads up scotsbob!

Wow, I need to re-examine my internet street sense. I'm usually pretty paranoid and cautious but things have been pretty hectic recently and I didn't follow my instinct. First I googled them and couldn't find any info, but I just put it down to a badly thought out generic name. Then I didn't like the fact the form wasn't https even though it was asking some personal details, but hey it was nothing too personal...

Well thank god I am still that paranoid that I used a fake name, a fake email address (thank you webmail), no telephone number and fake postcode to contact them! My query was basically true though, I wonder if they'll give me some useful feedback all the same?!

EDIT: btw, well spotted, did you remember that address off by heart, or did you run it through a database of yours?

2nd EDIT: after a bit of snooping myself, a query to see what sites link to this one revealed only 37 links including one to an individual who does seem to be an FSA approved IFA. Looking at his company's site revealed a telephone number which was almost identical to the advice forum one. So it seems that this new website could be just a front in order to try and drum up more customers. Given that on your website you said that the address given was used as a holding address for a number of different companies, it's quite possible that this company doesn't actually have anything to do with the scam company you mentioned. Well even if this setup isn't fraudulent it does come across a little devious to say the least, and I will be staying well clear. Thanks again.

scotsbob · 2 November 2010 at 11:59PM

Ignoramus wrote: »

EDIT: btw, well spotted, did you remember that address off by heart, or did you run it through a database of yours?

No, I just Googled it.

My suspicion was aroused when it was referred to as an advice "forum." To me a forum is a place where people can post and discuss. This "forum" didn't allow that, it was just harvesting your details.

Of course the other warning was "Financial Advisor," I always steer clear of them. Decoded it nearly always means salesperson