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Lawyers in our firm have been approached by a number of purportedly "leading industry magazines" published in the UK, but they do not actually exist. They contact us telling us we have been named a leading firm in whichever practice area, and that to get our award mentioned we have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a profile. So, if we don't pay we don't get a mention...how reputable is that? Any tiny unknown firm can be named a "Best Firm" as long as they pay up. Other magazines are Deal Makers Monthly, Acquisition Finance, Finance Monthly, Global Industry Partners. All their websites are bare-bones - no content, only information on how to pay them to advertise. Any articles are actually links to other websites - BBC, Reuters...real publishers. Go to whois.net and look up their domains...you will see that they are all registered by the same large scale domain name registrar that focuses on internet marketing. And they all came into existence less than a year ago.
A business associate of mine was emailed from intercontinental-finance.com
after investigation it look as if the so called magazine is run by a production firm called ICD, couldnt get to speak to anyone, no one picks up the phone. http://www.intercontinental-finance.com/login.php
looks as if they generate awards after awards with no real monthly magazine or proper editorial content.
If you actually view a monthly edition I think most people would agree that this is not a real finance magazine, and seems to actually feature lawyers! strange! Got a similar email from http://www.acquisition-intl.com/ acquisition-intl.com saying she had won an award. Looked into this setup, they claim: Our circulation is just over 53, 000 and importantly is comprised of a great mix of professionals; Date of Incorporation: 08/10/2010, a truley unbelievable circulation figure.
Compare this to the Financial Times, founded in 1888, with a circulation figure of 345, 077.
http://www.intercontinental-finance.com/login.php
http://www.acquisition-intl.com/
Points for persistence. The scammers are still there and still promoting their awards:
+ info@corporateamerica-news.com
+ jack.clarke@acquisition-intl.com
+ jane.peter@acquisition-intl.com
+ janepeter84@hotmail.com
+ rachel.gray@getresponse.com (junk e-mail service)
+ ste@corporateamerica-news.com
+ ste_simpson@mail-aiglobalmedia.com
Feel free to send money. Their advertising rates make it sound as though they offer a very efficient fiscal disposal service.
Having worked for Acquisition International Magazine I can assure all that read this forum that these guys are completely 100% legitimate. Jane Peter was a fantastic boss to work for, and all the guys down at the office worked incredibly hard day in, day out in order to spread the word and the deals of reputable companies such as PWC, Barclays, Deloitte to name a few.
I was sadly let go after a brief period of time working there down to my own doing, I was living an unsuitable lifestyle for such a fast paced job, and I crashed and burned. But I can guarantee that these guys do all that they can to promote and to make sure reputable companies such as those that are mentioned and many more, are having their good work spread so that those within the industry can see not only what is going, but also if they need a specific company for a specific job, they know who the leading companies are to get their projects completed with utmost ease.
I repeat, they are not a scam, and they were achieving great results, even within the short period in which they had opened just before I joined the company in the most professional manner.
I wish all those that work there the best of luck, and I hope they go on to achieve their dream of becoming the leading magazine within Corporate Finance, and all those none believers should not be so dismissive, as this magazine is reputable..
Your sad, prolonged vouch for them - even after you were let go only reinforces my original belief that this and all these other pathetic fake advertising scam-o-gram companies are F-A-K-E and ridiculous!
AI Global Media ARE a scam! They do not have a magazine as such and are STILL sending unsolicited emails offering these "awards" AVOID AT ALL COSTS - we have ben sent an invoice for nearly £ 400.00 for an "Award" that, not only did we ask for, but that does not actually exist!
After doing 5 minutes of research, AI Global Media are the publishing house, not a magazine. It appears that they do have a number of magazines (such as Acquisition International, Wealth & Finance and Corporate America) - those sites have websites, and magazine issues available to read. In that sense, at least, it appears they do exist.
Seems scammy. Thanks to this site I won't bother following up. They claim that a "Hugo" has been trying to reach me (the email puts the name in quotations, which is odd) to tell me about my prestigious nomination. Reminds me of the Major Award from A Christmas Story, which turned out to be a leg lamp.
Handy and informative article, got to the point, explained the business model and mode of operation well. Thanks. I was verifying prior to putting on the black list. You can add this one. Peter Rujgev [peter.rujgev@acquisition-intl.com]
I also get stuff like this. Never heard about those people, no idea why I should get this lousy award. They just want to make money by selling magazine space, crystal trophy (pretty expensive!), whatever. For me it looks like a scam or at least a useless "investment". See:
Hi XXX
I trust you’re well.
Congratulations on your recognition from Acquisition International Magazine within our 2017 Global Excellence Awards. Please find your complimentary digital certificate attached to this email and please accept my apologies for the delay in my response.
After your recognition, if you’re interested in further publicity surrounding your win, we have a number of additional options available such as a bespoke trophy, personalised digital logo or editorial space within AI.
If you’re interested in purchasing a personalised crystal trophy, which will be shipped directly to your office, please see below for a selection of options:
1 x Trophy - £195
2 x Trophy - £360
3 x Trophy - £495
Alternatively, if you would be interested in being included in the main publication, please see below for an editorial package that includes all the below at a cost of £275:
Full page inclusion in the magazine (approx. 900 words + images)
Firm contact details, headshot/team shot and firm logo included
Personalised digital award winner’s logo
Reproduction of your inclusion on the AI website
If you’d like to move forward with any of the above, all I need is a short formal confirmation along the lines of “Agreed, 1 trophy at £195” or ‘Agreed, Editorial Package at £275’ and I will get back to you with the next steps.
If you have any other queries or questions, please do get back to me and I’ll respond as soon as
possible.
In the meantime, enjoy your certificate. We hope to hear from you soon.
With kindest regards,
Elliot Ashbourne
Acquisition International Magazine
An AI Global Media publication and CPD member
T: +[protected]
A: Floor 1, Suite F, The Maltsters, 1-2 Wetmore Rd, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1LS
To whom this may concern,
Firstly here at AI Global media we take all complaints seriously and we apologise for any issues which may have caused any upset.
AI Global Media is a publishing group and whilst this means we are dedicated to creating interesting and meaningful content for readers it also means we are a way for businesses and companies alike to reach out to those readers, in essence, an advertising platform. Offering these services isn't an unusual practice within the publishing industry. The magazines are digitally produced and available on our websites and on ISSUU, the digital platform we use to publish our magazines. These are available for the general public to read and are sent to our circulation.
I can assure you that we are not a scam and our awards are legitimate. All our awards come with a free option which allows winners to use their accolade to help promote themselves and the work that they do. All winners are determined prior to any commercial opportunities being discussed. Our awards programmes are not ‘pay to play’ opportunities, all winners win their award entirely on a free of charge basis, there is merely an option available to them to purchase trophies, logos, advertorial etc., this is not obligatory.
If you wish to stop receiving emails you may use the unsubscribe option at the bottom of the emails which are sent, or you may send an email to the relevant magazine and you will be taken off our mailing list.
Once again, we apologise for any confusion, and if you wish to discuss this further please feel free to email the customer service email address, (customer-services@aiglobalmedialtd.com) and we will respond to any enquiries you have.
Kind regards,
The AI Global Team