UK Land Investment Scams
I was contacted today by my parents with a link to the BBC website, a recent report on UK land investment scams. A very sad but serious article that addresses a few concerns, issues and worries, I to had before buying land… I guess with any form of investment you run some kind of risk, I mean the stock market, property and fine wine is not guaranteed to make you money… But we don’t want to be paying several thousand pounds for a bottle of Jacobs Creek!
My advice is to never buy land from a cold caller; this is spontaneous and kind of irresponsible! We have been given the gift of Google, so any land investment agent that contacts you can be researched… Google also has its ways of filtering out the spammers and scammers so if you start to research ‘plots of land for sale’ then you should find lots of information in Google’s organic search results.
It is reported that the Financial Services Authority (FSA) is investigating about 20 UK land investment companies. The FSA has already closed down five land investment schemes in the past twelve months which had a massive £42m invested by people looking for that ideal land investment opportunity.
Reading about people who have over spent (sometimes hundreds of thousands) on plots of land which have no chance of development is very sad, it truly bugs me that the world of business and investment is filled with sharks and cowboys! Running primarily a web design business you would be amazed how many SEO and marketing horror stories I hear from people!
Anyway, back to subject of UK land investment scams… Our website www.plotoflandforsale.org works with a UK land agent that I have personally purchased land with. So if these guys are scammers (this I doubt very much) then I have also been scammed! For peace of mind I have today fired off a question to the FSA / BBC about these land investment scammers, I would hate to be promoting plots for sale in the on a site I own without being 101% certain they are savvy! This is what I sent them:
I have just read your article on ‘UK Land Investment Scams’ and it was very interesting. I purchased a small parcel of land back in 2007… I had not long graduated University and thought to myself it made sense to invest in a tangible asset for the future… A few years later, credit card paid off, I still have this plot of land which cost me £XXXX
Last year setup www.plotoflandforsale.org to refer land investment enquiries to the same land agent I went through. A successful enquiry generates me a commission and we have seen a small handful to date.
Although I have chatted with the land investment agent on numerous occasions and I take full responsibility for any money I may have lost through my own land investments, I would like to know if XXXX is one of the many land investment companies you are currently investigating as my site is promoting plots they offer.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind regards
Mike
I will keep you posted on any response / feedback I receive Re the above… In the mean time please don’t be put off by land investment scammer… Land investment offers great rewards, just make sure you do your homework and research any companies offering you that perfect plot. Good luck to the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and any new land investors out there!
