02034685382

I've been receiving calls from a rather dubious film investment company called www.thescreeninghouse.com, and let me tell you, their tactics are just as shameless as the ones highlighted in a brilliant CBS exposé on similar scams over in the States. You can catch the details in that eye-opening video at www.cbsnews.com/videos/investigation-into-hollywood-movie-investment-scam. The gist of it is, The Screening House presents themselves as having an unbeatable chance to profit by investing in ongoing film projects linked to either www.thespicefactory.co.uk or www.stealthmediagroup.com. They make wild claims that your investment is absolutely secure and that you'll get all your money back after a year's time, plus an additional 25% profit. However, just like the scammers outlined in that CBS investigation, they conveniently forget to mention that there’s a very real risk of losing your initial investment or maybe not seeing a penny in return. To further lure you in, they assure you that your funds are safe since you're supposed to send your cash to the established www.stealthmediagroup.com, rather than directly to their fledgling company. However, it's likely that the banking details they provide are simply a front set up by these con artists, possibly using some crafty tactics to disguise their dubious operations. They'll repeatedly call back, pretending there’s no rush, while deftly creating a sense of urgency by insisting that the investment spots are running low and there’s a deadline approaching. This pressure is a classic trick designed to override your common sense and financial caution, banking on your desire for quick returns. I've been targeted by these chancers on two separate occasions. First, I was contacted by a bloke named Richard Ball on 29th January, keen to get me involved in a film titled Mary (Mother of Christ), purportedly a prequel to Passion of the Christ, which did reasonably well. I didn’t fall for it and firmly told them to remove me from their call list. Yet, lo and behold, on 28th April, a Mr James Green rang me up, completely ignoring my TPS registration and that previous request not to be disturbed, urgently trying to rope me into another film called Gummy Bear. While the movie does exist, the terms he offered were crafted in such a way that the odds of ever seeing a return on that money are practically non-existent. It’s clear these scammers have accessed the same disreputable list of potential investors that's been previously exploited by various other dodgy schemes for false investments involving carbon credits, rare metals, and fine wines. They even had the cheek to include a unique version of my email that I initially only provided to a company called BLIC Global, which was the very first scam outfit I encountered about two years ago. Take heed of this warning. Be sure to report these fraudsters for their TPS violations over at www.tpsonline.org.uk and for the attempted con on your hard-earned cash at www.actionfraud.police.uk.

The moment we answered the call, there was complete silence on the other end.