Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Sunday 4 August 2013

The London Vines Ltd: another wine investment company disappears?


 2008 Pichon-Longueville was one of the wines offered by The London Vines Ltd

Yet another scam wine investment company looks to have ceased trading and disappeared. This time it is The London Vines Company Ltd who used cold calls, very aggressive sales pressure and may well not have purchased all the wine that its clients ordered. The London Vines Company has ceased to answer the phone – callers are put through to a mailbox which is usually full up – or to reply to emails. More details on investdrinks.

Wine investment scams are often linked to other scams – landbanking (selling worthless plots of agricultural land on the promise of getting planning permission), biofuels, carbon credits, diamonds etc. Details of those who fall for wine investment scams often have their details passed on and may then be called up to invest in diamonds, land etc. 

The Metropolitan Police has advice on investment frauds here, which includes very good advice on cold calls: 'Do not respond to callers trying to sell you investments. Simply hang up the telephone.'

Also advice from the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority). 

If you think you have been scammed please make sure you complain through Action Fraud.

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