A website purporting to represent “Strategic Active Trading Funds plc” is offering the following investments:
- Single Deposit Plan offering 3.6% “guaranteed” p.a.
- Monthly Income Plan offering 3.4% “guaranteed p.a.”
- Fixed Income Secured Bond offering 5.75% – 9.75% “guaranteed pa”
In reality this is a clone firm scam and the investments do not exist. There is a real FCA-registered company called Strategic Active Trading Funds plc but it has nothing to do with this website.
The website claims that the investment is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and its Irish equivalent, which is of course completely bogus.
This is the third incarnation of this fraud that I am aware of (there are likely to be more). Previous incarnations were registered at gmoinvestmentmanagment.com and deutschecapitalmanagement.com (both websites are now defunct).
The common ownership of these scams can be identified by the following piece of copy and pasted gibberish from its “FAQ’s” section, which appeared on all three websites:
Funds and Forex companies are at the extreme end of investing parameters as they look always for positive returns, regardless of the performance of any sector benchmark. A Hedge Fund indulges in more aggressive strategies and positions. This activeness of hedge funds explains their popularity. The performance historically outperforms other investment vehicles because they hold short positions and hedges. The total return targets of Hedge Funds vary, but a goal may be outlined as something like 10-19% yearly, regardless of the market conditions. Investors, however, need to understand that the Hedge Funds promise of pursuing positive returns means that they limit the number of depositors and require them to be fully accredited. Hedge Funds are prohibited from soliciting or advertising for business, a key factor that lends to their exclusiveness. They may from time to time however offer the novice investor opportunities by means of a cash deposit to cover their general monthly running costs. They in turn will offer the depositor a guaranteed return on investment usually between 3-6% depending on the deposit period. In funds, liquidity is a key concern for depositors. Liquidity provisions vary, but invested funds may be difficult to withdraw without prior notice. Many funds have a minimum investment period of 12 Months, which is an initial term during which investors cannot remove their capital.
The above paragraph, despite using various financial technical terms and being grammatically correct, is complete nonsense from start to finish. Evidently the scammers are not only too lazy to get a real job but also to think up new paragraphs of financial woo-woo to decorate their new websites with when their old ones get shut down.
Any investor who is still thinking of handing over money to the fraudsters can check the FCA register entry for the real Strategic Active Trading Funds plc, which will confirm that the real company is not authorised to offer deposit accounts. They can also ring Aberdeen Standard Life (who own the real SATF) and ask if they offer a “Single Deposit Plan” via the website address.
Who are “Strategic Active Trading Funds plc”?
Strategic Active Trading Funds plc is a legitimate umbrella company used by Aberdeen, a very large investment firm. It has nothing to do with the website reviewed here.
No genuine corporate details are provided by the fraudsters and the domain registration is anonymously registered in Iceland.
As their fake websites consistently use UK-specific financial terminology (e.g. references to the FSCS), it is likely that the scammers are from the UK or at least linked to it.
What should I do if I invested in the fake Strategic Active Trading Funds plc, Deutsche Capital Management or GMO Capital Investment Management?
Your money has been stolen and the chance of recovery is minimal.
Investors who fell for this scam should change their contact details as they are likely to be targeted by – and fall for – similar scams in the future.
If anyone contacts you claiming they can recover your money, it is almost certain to be another scam. They will ask you for “legal fees” which you will never see again.
Update 15.05.19
A new incarnation of the scam has arisen at the website address sectorcapital.uk, falsely claiming to be from Sector Capital Funds plc.
