Monday, February 25, 2008

One Big Fib

A few years ago I wrote a book exposing the fraudulent First International Bank of Grenada and its founder Gilbert Ziegler who had taken the trouble to change his name to Van Brink, a name thought to be a cerebral association with the company that transported loads of cash.
When justice finally caught up with the scamsters, the book, 'One Big Fib,' became a best seller amongst the legal teams wrangling over the case, an affair which became rather less interesting when Van Brink thoughtlessly died before he could be brought to trial.
One of the greatest difficulties I ran into was finding victims who were prepared to speak of their experiences. There's a sort of 'Stockholm Syndrome' prevailing amongst the defrauded which often allows the crooks to get away with it.
But with the trial now over and Van Brink's henchmen and women brought to justice, there are now those who will come forward to speak.
Bill Kurtis, the well known producer of investigative TV documentaries has put together a programme charting the events of the bank and its many subsidiaries using my book as a basis. There were innumerable mini-banks spawned by Van Brink and FIBG, all of whom promised returns on investment of over 100% per annum, often using religious affiliations to encourage investors.
The trail led from Oregon to Hawaii to Grenada and finally to Kampala, Uganda, leaving financial misery in its wake for hundreds of investors.
The programme airs on the 26th. of March, I believe on CNBC.
Perhaps it will convince many of the truth in the old saying that, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

'One Big Fib' is still available from Amazon and all on-line bookstores.

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