Can you get money back from an Investment?

Malthusian

How did you come to learn of this investment? Are you involved in the nightclub industry? Were you cold called?

antrobus

The_Real_Dean wrote: »

...Uh, thanks for that. I'd say a long running popular social media presence with constant photos of the most recent nights out and updates is, to some extent, an indicator of legitimacy.

Read this story from 2013
http://toxexpress.com/aquila-says-its-buying-a-club-but-the-club-says-no/

It is alleged that their 'social media presence' is largely the result of fake competitions and bogus social media profiles.

The most recent story I can find suggests that their proposed night club is in Camden.

http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2015/jun/neighbours-object-plan-turn-strip-club-nightclub

macca1974

In answer to your question Op, you need to know exactly what it is that you brought. Doing a brief e-mail search on aquila nightclub investment, brought up a number of articles that suggested that the company invited people to invest and become "nightclub owners". If you have invested, then it may well be that you have brought a small amount of share capital in a company that states it is going to buy a nightclub.

The problem that you would have with this type of "start up investment" is that there is unlikely to be any value in the company to start with (assuming it isn't a scam and that they exist are going to buy a nightclub....) and even if there was, there is unlikely to be a market for those shares.

So you may well have shares in something that has no value and that you can't sell anyway.

Buying shares directly into a small company isn't regulated, so you aren't likely to get much help from the FCA or the FOS and I'd imagine, (if it isn't true that you are going to receive "outrageous returns and all the benefits of a nightclub owner") that the only thing that you can do is pursue whomever promoted the shares to you.

I would have thought that the first stage would be to go through the reporting accounts / prospectus / legal agreements that you should have received prior to making your investment and then perhaps pursue the directors of the company?

Just out of interest, what was the name of the actual company that you have brought into, as if it is genuine, then details of the directors should be available on Companies House.

Without having any knowledge of this company, the 2 minutes I spent doing a google search doesn't fill me with a great deal of confidence in your chances of getting your money back, but fingers crossed!

dunstonh

Hello. I am real and i am brilliant and will make you lots of money as I have an internet site that says so. Now pay me £50,000.

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I would suggest you take legal advice. Chances are the money is lost but a solicitor will be able to verify. Hopefully the amount you invested isnt much.

EdGasket

The_Real_Dean wrote: »

I
Uh, thanks for that. I'd say a long running popular social media presence with constant photos of the most recent nights out and updates is, to some extent, an indicator of legitimacy.

A bit like receiving photos of Russian 'babes' that would like 'very much to know you better' ( and who only need a little money to meet you or for their sick mum) who in reality are criminals running a fraud.

ratechaser

dunstonh wrote: »

Hello. I am real and i am brilliant and will make you lots of money as I have an internet site that says so. Now pay me £50,000.

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I would suggest you take legal advice. Chances are the money is lost but a solicitor will be able to verify. Hopefully the amount you invested isnt much.

I'm sold, do you accept Western Union transfers?

badger09

dunstonh wrote: »

Hello. I am real and i am brilliant and will make you lots of money as I have an internet site that says so. Now pay me £50,000.

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I would suggest you take legal advice. Chances are the money is lost but a solicitor will be able to verify. Hopefully the amount you invested isnt much.

I believe you dunstonh, because you have such an honest, open face. If you let me know your bank sort code , account number and log in details, I'll transfer £50k today, when my internet stabilises:)

badger09

Apologies to OP, if you have [STRIKE]invested[/STRIKE] speculated in this venture:(

A hard lesson, but if it looks too good to be true, then it almost certainly is:cool:

EdGasket

I think he fell for the disco dolly on each arm and free sunglasses offer.

Aretnap

One of their prospectuses seems to promise annual returns of 62%. 62% I mean, if you're going to make numbers up, can't you at least make up vaguely believable ones, like 8%, or maybe "20% but with high risk of capital loss".

If it really was such a sure thing the obvious question is why ask for investment from random members of the public - why not just borrow the start up money and keep all the profits for themselves. The answer is usually either

(1) it was a far more risky venture than they were letting on, and more conventional sources of funding were unavailable because, well, the banks have too much sense to lend money to such a high risk venture or
(2) it was an outright scam, there was never any real intention of opening a nightclub, just using the shareholders' money to pay the directors generous salarys and bonuses for a while, then announce that the venture had failed and wind up the company.

Either way, your chances of seeing your money again are slim. Hopefully it wasn't too much. Also be aware that there's now a fair chance that you'll be on a "suckers list" somewhere which could lead to you being cold called and offered the chance to invest in many more dubious unregulated investments offering improbably high returns. They will all be just as dubious - don't fall into the same trap again.