FTC Must Prosecute Kirk Brown

The quest for quick money by gullible Barbadians has tossed up the latest crook in the name of Kirk Brown, popular DJ, entertainer.

In June 2021 Director of Consumer Protection Dav Leslie-Ward at the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) issued this statement “(FTC) working on getting the regulatory framework to deal with all “blessing circles”/pyramid schemes”.

The blogmaster has posted on these dishonest pyramid schemes in earlier blogs. Why do so educated Barbadians fall for these dishonest schemes? These are the same Bajans who have the right to vote, refuse a vaccine etc. We live in interesting times. A society has the moral obligation to protect the vulnerable, the regulator (FTC) needs to prosecute Kirk Browne to send a message to the ignorant.

Thanks to Peter for drawing to the attention of Barbados Underground.

110 thoughts on “FTC Must Prosecute Kirk Brown


  1. There is the claim that Kirk Browne the broke ass entertainer purchased a property in Millennium Heights.

    @FTC the ball is in your rh court. What is the purpose of a consumer protection law if it does not protect the gullible from themselves?


  2. If all these allegations are true then Kirk Brown is a despicable human being. He is not so stupid as to be ignorant of the fact that he is abusing his celebrity and public profile to defraud vulnerable Bajan people.


  3. I was under the impression that the AG addressed the nation on television and said that these circles were illegal in Barbados and warned citizens not to engage. They are also illegal in the USA. I received a WhatsApp from my parliament representative informing of the illegality of these circles also.
    Check what the Minister had to say at the time: http://www.loopnewsbarbados.com/content/straughn-warning-minister-advises-bajans-avoid-blessings-circles

    Government needs to reassess the investment made in education to determine if the ROI is really worth it. It certainly does not look that way on a daily basis.


  4. We must be concerned about the number of Barbadians gravitating to get rich quick schemes. What does not have to pass CXC mathematics to know a blessing circle is a scam.


  5. Blessing circles are probably based on a belief in the Prosperity Gospel craze preached by parasitic televangelists.

    ‘Plant a seed,’ they say, “The blessings shall return tenfold!”

    Or something like that from some Bible verse.

    So, this is not about mathematics but religion.

    “Believe and you shall receive!”

    “You en got nuh faith?”


    • What does religion have to do with Kirk Brown who is not known to be of a religion, so too many of the gullible takers?


  6. Not intending to explain any Kirk Brown episode. I have no details on that. Just the blessing circles among the church goers.


  7. I have little or no sympathy for those who fall for this scam. You put in $1 K and walk away with $7 K and don’t have enough sense to find the trees that the money is growing on.


  8. Suppose you did a foolish idiot while at school and one Monday morning the town boys said to you; ” foolbert, put your cheese cutter in this bag and Friday morning we will give you back two ham cutters”.
    You din gine gih dem you cheese cutter even doah you feel dat dem did planning to trick you because you like ham cutters real bad and you mouth did begin to water az you heard de word ham?
    Um ain’t mean dat you did greedy. At dat particular time, you just cudda do wid a nice thick juicy ham cutter, wid lil fat and piece a skin and a red Ju- C. 😋


  9. Uh wonder wuh de FTC had to say when the GOB juck duh hands in de people’s money. I can’t even remember if they had anything to say about the Clico debacle.

    Anyhow, nobody don’t force nobody to join the circles.
    Anybody that join and now crying that dem ain’t get nuh money, shudda buy two pigs and two goats wid de spare money dem had lying around cause clearly, dem doan understand what dem did doing and should be made to pay dearly.


  10. How come nobody comes and put money in my hands just so?
    Why I duz got to be begging like a dog fuh a mini one eye, and people tekking thousands of dollars and blessing people dat dem doan even know?
    I ain’t look like I want blessing too?
    Nuhbody duz doan got neffing to gih me atall, atall, atall. Sickening man!

    I feel like I moving in de wrong circles, wid de wrong people.


  11. David

    This is what you buy into with all this talk about democracy when implicitly you mean naked capitalism as informed by religious, christian, nonsense.

    If you believe in so much freedoms why these fascist impulses aimed at determining that people chosing not to take a vaccine like in a nanny state.

    Capitalism is the largest Ponzi scheme out there and as it hurdles towards total destruction you have no critique for this ginormous Ponzi scheme but see no problem with picking on the people at the margins imagining that they too could get a windfall like your pilitical friends give to de White people.

    This government is running the biggest Ponzi scheme in Barbados. We cite the decades old raids on the NIS, for example, and we dont hear no “strict daddy” waving his rasssoul finger at the legal political criminals in Bridgetown.

    The people have a right to not take a vaccine and bear whatever consequences. They have a right to be csught up in the schemes of Mr Ponzi without an FTC to protect them. Where was this strict father when Maloney was in such a scheme recently. You reserve your harshest condemnations for the most vulnerable and irrationally distribute the failings of the system to the powerless.


  12. Pyramid Selling and Consumer Protection

    Printed in the “Business Monday” newspaper on June 29, 2009.

    At some point in time, many of us can say that we were approached on what seemed to be the perfect “get rich quick” early retirement plan. We have attended the meetings and decided that this is the key to true financial liberalisation. All we have to do is sign on the dotted line, tell a few friends and “kazam” – financially free for life, while at the same time, become our own boss. Only to realise with the clearing of the haze that none of it was true. Yes, we did convince our family and friends to join but the continuous recruitment finally becomes one of our greatest challenges.

    This quest for financial liberalisation by consumers has given practitioners of these schemes leverage over us, but “do we have any protection or redress?”. The answer to the question is yes and the Consumer Protection Act is the legislation in place to protect us.Section 23 of the Consumer Protection Act CAP.326D, distinctly states:

    “A person shall not promote or operate a pyramid selling scheme.”

    What constitutes pyramid selling? According to the Act, it is a scheme that provides for the supply of goods or services or both for reward; that, to many participants, constitutes primarily an opportunity to sell an investment opportunity rather than an opportunity to supply goods and services; that is unfair, or likely to be unfair, to many of the participants in that

    i. The financial rewards of many of the participants are dependent on the recruitment of additional participants; and

    ii. The number of additional participants that must be recruited to produce reasonable rewards to participants is either not attainable, or is not likely to be attained, by many of the participants.

    A person or business operating a scheme in the manner mentioned above is in contravention of the Consumer Protection Act CAP.326D and is therefore exposed to prosecution.

    Another question you may find yourself asking is “what is wrong with pyramid selling?”. The answer can be summed up in one phrase: sustainability of recruiting participants. Essentially, the foundation upon which the scheme is built is the problem. Any plan that offers commissions for recruiting new members will inevitably collapse. The real casualties in the collapse are always the people at the bottom, with the people at the very top of the pyramid protected.

    Consider the outcome if each investor pays $300 to the promoter and is told to build a “downline” by recruiting three new members, who then each should recruit three more members. The investor is told that he will be paid $100 for each of the three members whom he enlisted at the first level. The investor is also promised $20 commission for each recruit at the next three levels. Thus the investor should receive commissions for four levels of recruits below him, each of whom must recruit three more members.

    The aptitude to recruit members often seems effortless, but the reality is, there is not an infinite number of people in the population and sooner than later, you will run out of people to recruit. Therefore, the persons at the bottom will not get an opportunity to obtain reasonable returns on their investment.

    Consumers must therefore be very vigilant and do much research. There are defining characteristics of legitimate muti-level marketing that differentiates it from pyramid selling. Multi-level marketing programs have a real product to sell, they sell to the general public without requiring the consumers to pay extra or join the marketing system.

    The Federal Trade Commission in the United States suggested that these seven tips be considered when making a decision about whether to take part in any multi-level marketing plan:

    Avoid any plan that includes commissions for recruiting additional distributors. It may be an illegal pyramid.
    Beware of plans that ask new distributors to purchase expensive inventory. These plans can collapse quickly and may also be thinly disguised pyramids.
    Be cautious of plans that claim you will make money through continued growth of your “downline” – the commissions on sales made by new distributors you recruit – rather than through your sale of products.
    Beware of plans that claim to sell miracle products or promise enormous earnings. Just because a promoter of a plan makes a claim doesn’t mean that it is true! Ask the promoter of the plan to substantiate claims with hard evidence.
    Beware of “decoy” references paid by a plan’s promoter to describe their fictional success in earning money through the plan.
    Don’t pay or sign any contracts in an “opportunity meeting” or any other high-pressure situation. Insist on taking your time to think over a decision to join. Talk it over with your spouse, a knowledgeable friend, an accountant or lawyer.
    Do your homework.
    Remember, if the sale of goods or services is the primary objective and the commission paid is based on those sales, then the Consumer Protection Act is not contravened. However, if the avenue for earning money is solely based on the number of people recruited, rather than on sales, then the Act is contravened. If you have been affected by such a scheme, contact the Fair Trading Commission and we will investigate the matter.


  13. They had a get rich scheme in afghanistan, you drive around with bottles of water helping people then the biden admin blows you up to save face for a total phuck up and compensates your family. Two problems with that…. your dead…and when the US pay the family …their dead


  14. One can expect to see more of these popping up as the economy tightens. There was one recently where you put in $1000 and got back $20,000 so a friend of mine said.

    But is that not the same thing Clico was doing? Using Peter money to pay Paul?


    • @John A

      What are the common factors in both scenarios i.e. individual, corporate and actors serving public life?


  15. John A
    You are quite right. The massa here will never be truly able to conjure such similarities, sameness.

    Elites are to be shielded. Ordinary people put to the sword.


  16. “Cast your bread upon the water… Sow a seed …the blessings come back tenfold!”

    Lotta shite!

    In the same Bible, nuff people used to raise sheep for a living.

    Tek de $1000, buy two black belly sheep and put dem to multiply ten fold!

    I like black belly lamb!7


    • @Pacha

      Again you have moved your position. You have become very predictable of late. The provocateur role diminishes your input.


  17. There are gullible people EVERYWHERE!

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    TYPICAL ASININE COMMENT.

    IS KIRK BROWN THE SUBJECT OF THIS BLOG IN USA, CANADA THE UK OR ON THE 2 X 3 ISLAND.


  18. DONNA
    YOU ARE QUITE CORRECT THAT WHAT YOU SAID AS COPIED BELOW IS RELEVANT TO THIS THREAD
    Blessing circles are probably based on a belief in the Prosperity Gospel craze preached by parasitic televangelists. ‘Plant a seed,’ they say, “The blessings shall return tenfold!” Or something like that from some Bible verse.

    I AGREE WITH YOU THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF TELEVANGELISTS AROUND WHO SEEK TO FLEECE POOR CHURCH GOERS. SUCH FOLK HAVE MASQUERADED IN CHRISTENDOM FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE CHURCH AGE, CAUSING JOHN THE APOSTLE TO WRITE HIS TWO SHORT EPISTLES.

    IN 2 JOHN HE WARNS THE LADY KYRIA OR ELECTA NOT TO ENTERTAIN OR SOPPORT FINANCIALLY ANY OF THE ITINERANT PREACHERS THAT CAME TO THE ASSEMBLY WHO MET IN HER HOMES… EXCEPT THEY PASSED THE TEST COF TEACHING DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS VIA THE APOSTLES DOCTRINE ACCORDING TO ACTS 2:44

    IN 3 JOHN HE COMMENDS GAIUS TO TAKE THE OPPOSITE APPROACH TO THE TRUE MISSIONARIES WHO WENT AROUND DOING THE CORRECT THINGS

    CONTEMPORARY EVANGELIST ABUSE THE CLEAR TEACHING OF 3 JOHN V 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth
    THIS TEXT CLEARLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH GIVING OF TITHES OR OFFERINGS, NOR DOES IT TEACH THAT SOME BELIEVERS SHOULD BE RICH AT THE EXPENSE OF TELEVANGELIST OR OTHERS, NOR THAT THEY WILL BE RICH AT ALL.

    I HAVE NEVER HEARD ANYONE, ANYWHERE TEACH OR PREACH ON EITHER SECOND OR THIRD JOHN
    IF THE CHURCH WAS DILIGENT IN TEACHING THESE TWO BOOKS, CHURCH GOING FOLK MIGHT BE MORE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR THESE CHARLATANS, BOTH I AND OUT OF THE CHURCH

    2 Corinthians 9:7 GIVES THE TEMPLATE FOR GIVING TOWARDS THE LORD’S WORK
    So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of [a]necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
    NOTE THAT THERE IS NO COMMAND TO TITHE, AND THAT GIVING IS NOT TO BE COERCED, RATHER BELIEVERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO GIVE AS THEY WISH OR ARE ABLE TO GIVE- WHICH IS THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION OF THIS TEXT.

    BLESSING CIRCLES ARE NOT TAUGHT ANYWHERE IN THE WORD OF GOD.AND OUGHT TO BE SOUNDLY AND SONOROUSLY BE CONDEMNED, IN SOCIAL AND OTHER FORMS OF MEDIA, AND ESPECIALLY FROM THE PULPITS OF ALL CHURCHES.

    ALSO FROM ACTS 18 WE SEE THAT EVEN PAUL, THE APOSTLE WORKED ON THE SIDE “MAKING TENTS” TO SUPPORT HIMSELF AND HIS MISSIONARY ENDEAVOURS. BECAUSE OF THIS EXAMPLE, IN ONE PARTICULAR “DENOMINATION” THERE ARE NO PAID CHURCH WORKERS AT ALL AND ALL CHURCH LEADERS ARE SAID TO BE “TENT MAKERS”THE


  19. The funny side to this matter if there is one to be found is that chief cook and bottle washer of this pyramid scheme is that Kirk Brown can move around Barbados incognito because of the mask wearing requirement to protect against COVID-19.

    #joke


    • Comments on Twitter are insightful and hilarious at the same time from the young people.

      Here is one –

      Money hadda mek- goals hadda achieve!

      Another one:

      Y’all got a better chance at getting government to allow cruises.


  20. David

    Do you intend to support your claim. Or is that comment “noted” as well. And therefore located in file 13.


  21. David, BAJE bullying me! Waaaaaaah! Waaaaaah!

    😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

    De man is so predictable. I knew he was lurking around waiting to pounce from a few days ago on the Greenville blog.

    But here it is that Lawson makes a joke about gullible Bajans, David responds with a pointed question about Canadians. And I remark that there are gullible people everywhere.

    And Baje thinks mine is the most assinine comment!

    Murdaaaah!

    We were discussing how people could be so gullible. That it is a worldwide phenomenon rather than a Bajan trait MUST BE RELEVANT to that discussion.

    Murdaaaaah!

    Baje gon kill muh wid laugh!

    How many degrees he got again?


  22. @ David BU
    Pacha’s analysis and analogies are correct in my humble opinion. Ponzi schemes are Ponzi schemes whether they have the support/approval of the regulatory bodies or not. As I have said before: “Caveat Emptor”.” Buyer beware!!”. GoB is not required to micromanage its citizens. Citizens have to take responsibilities for their lives and decisions about their lives. You are very selective when it comes to applying this rubric.


    • @Vincent

      The blog is about prosecuting Kirk Brown for being the owner of the pyramid scheme which is AGAINST the law. Please stay focused!


  23. @ David BU at 10:08 AM
    You have lost me with the referenced intervention. Is your post about Mr. Kirk Brown or the scheme which he is alleged to have promoted ? I do not discuss persons,only issues. Are pyramids not Ponzi schemes? Please explain what it is we are supposed to express our opinions on?


  24. David

    Now is it you who are engaging in moving the goal post.

    It is a bareface lie to so reduce this issue because not a single person was involved. So, in American terms, we may have a conspiracy to defraud. And any conspiracy requires more than one.

    Any prosecution of anybody requires a context


    • @Pacha

      We have several pyramid schemes on the go in Barbados at the moment. This is the biggest to have failed. Should we wait until others follow suit?


  25. RE You may express whatever opinion you desire.

    THIS IS A VERY ANTAGONISTIC AND IGNORANT STATEMENT NOT BIRTHED IN TRUTH
    MANY TRUTHFUL SOLID SINCERE SOLEMN STATEMENTS AND SENTIMENTS ARE STATED HERE THAT ARE TAKEN DOWN

    THE ABOVE STATEMENT ONLY TRUTHFULLY RELATES TO MUCH OF WHAT IS PREFERRED BY THE BLOG OWNER, WHO IS DEFINITELY NOT A MASTER OF THE CLIQUES THAT TAKE UP A LOT OF SPACE HERE, NOR DOR HE HAVE MASTERY OF MUCH OF THE CONTENT.

    IT SIMPLY IS NOT TRUE THAT ANYONE CAN express whatever opinion THEY desire. ON BU

    JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION, YOU NEVER KNOW HOW EXPRESSING YOUR VIEW MAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE ALSO MEANS VERY LITTLE.

    IF KIRK BROWN IS BREAKING THE LAWS OF BARBADOS, HE SHOULD BE APPREHENDED AND BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURTS AND PROSECUTED

    IF CHURCH LEADERS AND CHURCH CHARLATANS ARE BREAKING THE LAWS OF BARBADOS WITH BLESSING CIRCLES AND SUCH PONZI SCHEMES, THEY SHOULD ALSO BE APPREHENDED AND BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURTS AND PROSECUTED, AND PUBLICALLY HUMILITED FOR THUS WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH.


  26. David
    You should come down from your ivory tower and realize that your world view cannot confornt these new circumstances, we face.

    That Ponzi schemes are to be expected to proliferate with the systemic, even chronic, failures over decades at the centre of what you call governance.

    That no amount of the application of established remedies will work. Your predisposition to kick the asses of poor people for the failures of elites will only produce more and more fascist responses.


    • @Pacha

      A call for the regulator and other authorities to act translates to what again? In simple terms, the call is for the establishment to act!


  27. Summary of what I have seen so far.

    Blogmaster: We need to protect the poor and gullible from scamsters

    Others: We have scamsters operating at several levels. Why do you just want to after the black guy who is defrauding his fellow citizens

    I say ‘Go after all’.

    How do I weigh the harm done to citizens?

    MM et Al operate at a high level and harm the country. It is a trickle down harm.

    Kirk et al operate at the individual level. He takes food off the table, turns off your electricity and gets you kick out of your apartment.

    You gotta stop Kirk.


  28. PachamamaOctober 16, 2021 3:24 AM

    [[[[David.
    Where was this strict father when Maloney was in such a scheme recently. You reserve your harshest condemnations for the most vulnerable and irrationally distribute the failings of the system to the powerless.

    GPOctober 16, 2021 11:04 AM

    EXACTLY THEO
    You gotta stop Kirk. BUT LET THE ELITE AND OTHER CHARLATANS ON THE ISLAND DO THEIR USUAL THING]]]]

    The comments of Pach and GP are endorsed.

    Where is the fire and brimstone from David and Peter Lawrence Thompson on the Maloney scam scandal fiasco? It reeks of corruption not experienced in our country post independence.

    Multi millions to purchase vaccines that legally cannot be sold to a private buyer. With a letter of comfort from GOB to boot. The astronomical mark ups.

    No blessing/pyramid/ponzi scheme by Brown is in the Radical corruption scam scandal ball park.

    The charities with millions in the kitty run by real estate gurus and Cattlewash-ers with Maloney as deputy chair demands a submarine deep independent financial probe.

    Probes cannot be done by GOB who sits on the charity board.

    You cant investigate yourself.

    No court of law determined Browne crossed the line. Court proceedings linked to Maloney, Radical and whoever else is tethered to vaccinegate are underway .

    Suckers are born everyday so are charlatans.

    History is replete with the rich getting away with murder while the poor man’s neck gets popped.


    • Right, we let Leroy Parris and Michael Carrington go, for a bit. You political yardfowls like to fowl up everything.


  29. It is interesting the blogs that capture the interest of the many, referred to as going viral. It always gives the blogmaster reason to pause.


  30. @ david

    In my view Clico and Brown are the same type of criminal, they pray on the poorly informed and desperate.

    So will Brown and Parris have adjoining cells at dodds? Of course not was Inniss charged in Barbados. Lol


  31. @Raw Bake: Um ain’t mean dat you did greedy. At dat particular time, you just cudda do wid a nice thick juicy ham cutter, wid lil fat and piece a skin and a red Ju- C. 😋

    You know how to make a woman’s mouth water. I here dreaming of a ham cutter, on a salt bread, with pepper sauce…


  32. Gifting circles in Canada was a social event among the indigenous. I was in one in Southern Saskatchewan. I don’t know about the new scams with the same name.


  33. LMBAO cuz recently a bird rising from the ashes was given the BU platform to promote a $200 gets $22,500 Ponzi.🤣🤣🤣


  34. Someone sent me a video of a very articulate Ryan Walters talking shiite about COVID-19 and lockdowns.

    It was interesting to note that, while he was blaming ‘government’ for following the advice of the medical professionals, as being responsible for the closure of small businesses, foreclosures on houses, repossession of cars and people losing their jobs……….

    ……… at no time during his POLITICAL DIATRIBE, did OFFER any SOLUTIONS.


  35. @Donna October 15, 2021 11:03 PM “Blessing circles are probably based on a belief in the Prosperity Gospel craze preached by parasitic televangelists. ‘Plant a seed,’ they say, “The blessings shall return tenfold!”

    Actually Donna, I did not plant a seed, but I planted 100 potato slips in July, each about 16 inches long, and I have been blessed with abundant sweet potatoes, more that tenfold the weight of the slips. I did the planting, and a little weeding, added a little fertilizer, and small quantities of tap water before the real-real rains began. God made the soil the sun, the rain, earlier in the year the volcano had sent us a mixed blessing, bad for our breathing, houses and yards, but excellent for the soil.

    So I am harvesting much more than tenfold. But no blessing circles for me. I prefer to earn some of my keep, literally by the sweat of my brow.

    P.S. Sweet potatoes are a good easy crop to start with if you have a space which you need to fill up quickly. They spread quickly to prevent growth of weeds so you don’t need to do much weeding, or use any weedicide, and the rapid growth prevents the too rapid run-off of rain water. Cheap, delicious and nutritious. My kind of crop.

    Still no house in Millenium Heights yet for me though.


  36. @GP October 16, 2021 9:23 AM “2 Corinthians 9:7 GIVES THE TEMPLATE FOR GIVING TOWARDS THE LORD’S WORK
    So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of [a]necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
    NOTE THAT THERE IS NO COMMAND TO TITHE, AND THAT GIVING IS NOT TO BE COERCED, RATHER BELIEVERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO GIVE AS THEY WISH OR ARE ABLE TO GIVE- WHICH IS THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION OF THIS TEXT. BLESSING CIRCLES ARE NOT TAUGHT ANYWHERE IN THE WORD OF GOD.AND OUGHT TO BE SOUNDLY AND SONOROUSLY BE CONDEMNED, IN SOCIAL AND OTHER FORMS OF MEDIA, AND ESPECIALLY FROM THE PULPITS OF ALL CHURCHES.”

    I seldom agree with GP, but in this he is correct. I learned the same at All Saints or wherever he believed I learned Bible. At the time he was learning similarly at Christ Church Parish Church, and singing sweetly in the choir.

    Watch now. Watch.


  37. @GP October 16, 2021 10:44 AM “IF CHURCH LEADERS AND CHURCH CHARLATANS ARE BREAKING THE LAWS OF BARBADOS WITH BLESSING CIRCLES AND SUCH PONZI SCHEMES, THEY SHOULD ALSO BE APPREHENDED AND BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURTS AND PROSECUTED, AND PUBLICALLY HUMILITED FOR THUS WRONGLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH.”

    I agree 100%


  38. Ponzi schemes are always wrong, always immoral, and exploit the gullible and greedy. Greed and gullibility are HUMAN conditions, with no regard for color, class, gender, religion or nationality, but of course such schemes hurt the poor more, because the poor already have so little. Imagine putting your rent money in such a scheme? You lose. The landlord/landlady loses. And in Barbados rental housing is owned mostly not by corporate behemoths, but mostly by elders who use the money to supplement their modest pensions.

    But in Barbados as elsewhere there are people “willing to t’ief the cent offa the deads’ eye” or to profiteer offa vaccines in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

    Wickedness.

    “Ontario man returned to Canada to face charges in $56M debit terminal Ponzi scheme
    A Barrie, Ont., man has been deported to Canada from the Dominican Republic and charged following what’s believed to be a $56-million debit terminal Ponzi scheme that defrauded hundreds of victims. Ontario’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which investigates and prosecutes complex fraud and financial crimes, says the scheme started in 2012 in Barrie and that more than 500 known victims suffered losses of more than $24 million. A Barrie, Ont., man has been deported to Canada from the Dominican Republic and charged following what’s believed to be a $56-million debit terminal Ponzi scheme that defrauded hundreds of victims….
    Ontario’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO), which investigates and prosecutes complex fraud and financial crimes, says the scheme started in 2012 in Barrie and that more than 500 known victims suffered losses of more than $24 million.
    Global News, September 14, 2020”


  39. “An East Coast businessman lures in more than two dozen investors with promises of lucrative profits — when in reality those profits don’t exist, and he’s using money from new investors to pay back previous ones. But in this particular case, his name isn’t Bernie Madoff. It’s Ian Bick.
    By 2013, Bick was an 18-year-old event promoter with multiple businesses in Danbury, Connecticut. On the outside, they seemed to be the successful ventures of an entrepreneurial prodigy. But behind the scenes, “it was a free-for-all s**tshow,” Bick says in “Generation Hustle,” HBO Max’s new anthology series about the young, ambitious and fraudulent….While Bick says he wasn’t trying to run a Ponzi scheme — “I looked at it as taking one loan to pay off another loan,” Bick explains in the series — the feds disagreed. In 2016, Bick was convicted of defrauding his business investors of nearly $500,000.”
    More here: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/24/business/famous-ponzi-schemes-generation-hustle/index.html


  40. Gerald Payne and Greater Ministries International — $448 million
    In the 1990s, Gerald Payne and leadership at his Greater Ministries International Church convinced nearly 20,000 investors to hand over millions in a program that claimed it could “Double Your Blessings.” The IRS began to investigate based on suspicious bank activity, and by 2001 Payne was convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison. At the time, the IRS called it one of the biggest Ponzi schemes it had ever investigated.


  41. I think that BRA needs to look into local Ponzi schemes.

    If people have gained money I trust that they are declaring it and paying taxes on it.


  42. Cuhdear Bajan,

    Yuh sister heh! I plant nuff nuff seeds up to Friday afternoon. I expect blessings more than tenfold in a few weeks time.

    Still reaping blessings from an eggplant seed from a year and a half ago. More than a hundredfold. Just a little work, water and fertilizer. Easy to grow just like sweet potato, which I also have. Okras licking muh down. Bananas with very little tending. Cassava, I forget until it is ready to reap. Etc. etc. etc.5

    It really is not that hard.

    Lazy ass people wanting something for nothing are ripe for Ponzi schemers.

    They plant the seed of lazy ass greed and it grows tenfold in the minds of the gullible.

    Until there are no more gullible people.

    And then the money tree shrivels and dies.


  43. Day 49 of the Prayer period for mourning of the passing of Lee Scratch Perry

    Not sure who Kirk Brown is as he hasn’t crossed over into foreign with his alleged music

    There is a grey area between jurisdiction legal illegal extralegal
    Crime is more about getting away with something without being caught
    but there are many ways to skin a cat


    Chase them natty chase them
    Chase them with the red green and gold
    Chase them with the income tax


  44. Not into blessing circles
    However it seems that merchants in Barbados are constantly blessed as prices soared the people complain and govt does nothing
    What a blessing for them as these merchants bank books are filled and running over
    Whilst the poor have no other choice but to accommodate these one arm bandits by buying there products at extremely outrageous prices
    One dozen eggs for twenty five dollars


  45. Federal Agents say Music is not legal and is strictly illegal if it doesn’t have a proper bar code

    but, Nigerians believe that if you are too stupid to spunk your monies away then more fool to you

    Sometimes the instrumental version B-side beats the vocal version A-side and is much better vibes


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh4IVYvc9OI


  46. Church’s duty in fighting corruption
    He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
    – Luke 16:10 Despite the increased efforts by international organisations to combat corruption, corrupt practices continue unabated in the global political economy.
    The magnitude of the problem implies that there has been no convincing evidence to suggest that anti-corruption strategies should be reduced in scale or scope. On the contrary, new oversight mechanisms are encouraged, while extant whistle-blowers are called to reaffirm their commitment to the fight against corruption.
    Due to the gravity of the situation, the Integrity Group of Barbados has reiterated that purposeful resistance to corruption must involve a combination of anti-corruption resources and multifaceted strategies. These strategies should be aggressively advanced by key actors across the socioeconomic landscape.
    In Barbados, religion is regarded as a highly respected institution and socialising agent, particularly in the realm of morality and ethics. Indeed, people often construct ideas based on moral standards from their religious convictions. Even though the law acts as a deterrent against corruption, religion can still play a critical role.
    This is because identifying and punishing corruption through legal interventions while a necessary impediment, is inadequate in targeting the source of decision-making and actions involving ethical deliberation.
    Transformative leaders
    Individuals act and behave according to their personal moral codes, exempt from legal control, which are often informed by religious persuasion. This signifies that there are existing opportunities for the communication of anti-corrupt values through transformative leaders and their institutions by announcing these values in alignment with religious doctrine. This allows for a grass-roots approach that enables ordinary people to effect change in areas where government initiatives might be less effective. Further, there are alliance-building opportunities to be maximised between religious agents and activists for transparency.
    Historically, the church has been an active participant in the political affairs in Barbados. Due to its advocating capacity, its ability to influence perceptions, and its role in directly instructing a large membership base, the church possesses a dual role as both a formidable political agent and an entity within civil society.
    Since the church occupies this role, its responsibility to serve the public through community development should be a priority. Moreover, as a whistleblowing entity, the church will engender debates and responses from relevant authorities due to its influential status within the political society.
    However, despite the fact that the church is not completely disengaged from political activism, the church has been almost silent about the issue of corruption.
    The church is no stranger to making contributions to public conversations on moral depravity; therefore, corruption as an ethical debate should be naturally given greater attention in accordance with the church’s principles of solidarity and upkeeping justice.
    Condemnable act
    The church’s obligation to not only its immediate membership but to the wider public can be honoured in some way by agitating for higher standards and regulations for holding officials accountable.
    In addition, the church would therefore be useful in portraying corruption as a condemnable act with an immoral component which transcends the understanding that corruption is solely a socioeconomic ill. High-ranking members of the Vatican are now faced with a new decree to provide full financial disclosures and to refuse gifts valued more than $50.
    Pope Francis indicated that this decree, which affects management as well as administrators, is intended to bring the Roman Catholic Church in alignment with the fight against corruption and in accordance with the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. They are also prohibited from saving in countries that are notorious for corruption and money laundering. If similar stances are adopted locally, the related changes would lead to significant improvements in the way how corruption is perceived.
    Since the church permeates the moral fabric of our society, its intensified involvement and integration towards enhancing levels of integrity in the private and public spheres are indispensable. Undeniably, decisive participation by the church in opposing corruption will invariably affect public attitudes contributing positively to fostering a culture of good governance.
    Additionally, the church’s platform can be operationalised for social transformation based on fair distribution of resources and other morally sound fundamentals. It can also generate awareness through public campaigns about the implications of corruption and the measures that can be adopted to manage it.
    This can be achieved through integrating anti-corruption messages in evangelical strategies and outreach programmes.
    Although the church is a powerful influencer, its platform has been critically underutilised in denouncing corruption. However, intentional endeavours to promote integrity through accountability, in accordance with ultimately countering corruption, remain inadequate.
    The efforts to encourage public integrity have been disproportionately undertaken by secular institutions, highlighting that the authoritative position of the church has not been fully capitalised.
    There is potential for religion to be more than a symbol of good governance if resolute faith-based anticorruption interventions are supported by stakeholders. In the fight against corruption, all civil society bodies should be actively mobilised.
    This article was submitted by the Integrity Group Of Barbados.

    Source: Nation


  47. How can the church fight against corruption when the Church has lost both ethical and moral moorings
    The church no longer has the respect of the masses
    The church has lost its soul
    JESUS the very foundation upon which the church was built is being denied in the church’s teachings by thought word and deed and replaced by modern day teaching of self interest and principles not rooted in biblical teachings
    Hence we read of the church endorsing same sex marriages an abnormality which is not in alignment with the biblical teaching for mankind having given the authority to be fruitful and multiply the earth


  48. Some one said one dozen eggs can be purchased for 17dollars
    Compared to a higher price of twenty five dollars
    Enough reason of evidence that some where along there are persons who are taking disadvantage of the customer
    Govt intervention based on such evidence is necessary to put a stop or control on the way merchants levy their prices on merchandise
    Something is wrong when price differences are so vastly expedited


  49. VERY GOOD AC VERY TRUE
    SINCE YOU ON A ROLL…….NOW GO AND WATCH THE VIDEO ON THE ANTIVAX BLOG BOUT HOW REAL DRS HAVE BEN TREATING COVID AND THEN TELL US WHAT YOU THINK MIA AND THE BLP GUVMENT IS DOING ABOUT TREATING THE VIRUS—- IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WUH THE DRS SAYING

    SEE IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND MORE THAN THE MORONS ON BU


  50. Religion as a basis for sound moral code and. the prevention of corruption?

    This is and has always been a profound lie.

    Indeed, the reverse is a truism. For the introduction of religion, as an attempt to commodify spirituality, was itself a corruption with which humans are still struggling to contend with.

    Such a corruption within the body politic has now metastasized into mega churches producing millionaire preachers and owners of vast gospel preaching commercial empires which rival any other top 1000 corporations.

    Religion is the same as any other money-making commercial business.

    We cant even get these people to tell the truth even when confronted with incontrovertible proofs that religion itself, as basis for moral rectitude, is fatally flawed.

    It is this religion, the mother of all corruption, which has suborned all the major manifestations of social and political wickedness in our world. These will include but are not limited to wars, chattel slavery, genocide, bulling, colonialism, capitalism, imperialism etc

    Any society built on such unsound foundations cannot claim morality. For religion is merely a creation of misguided men to serve their purposes. Well done you immoral, corrupt, criminals!


  51. Donna October 17, 2021 6:29 AM #: “I buy my eggs at $17 for thirty.”

    @ Donna

    I find it ‘hard to believe’ any retail establishment in Barbados is selling twelve (12) eggs for $25.

    ‘For argument’s sake,’ let’s assume it is true. Why would there be a need for government’s intervention, when the consumer has the option of not purchasing them…… or in Bajan vernacular, ‘leff de people tings wuh part dum is.’


  52. Pacha

    Any society built on such unsound foundations cannot claim morality. For religion is merely a creation of misguided men to serve their purposes. Well done you immoral, corrupt, criminals!
    Xxccccc
    The principles upon which the church was formed is sound
    Mankind has a choice either to adhere or abandon
    If mankind chooses to abandon
    The principles cannot be faulted but those who make a choice to abandon them
    Without morals and ethics people make up what they believe is right or wrong for their own self interest
    The basic teachings of the bible written into the ten commandments can be consider basic moral and ethical guidelines for all of society


  53. peterlawrencethompsonOctober 15, 2021 10:08 PM

    If all these allegations are true then Kirk Brown is a despicable human being. He is not so stupid as to be ignorant of the fact that he is abusing his celebrity and public profile to defraud vulnerable Bajan people

    Xxxxxxxx
    What is the difference between Kirk scamming people of their hard earned money and a govt using an individual to purchase vaccines at a high dollar rate which if had delivered monies would have been paid by way of funded taxpayers dollars coming from the Treasury
    Dont u think that such attempted criminality is deserving of the long hands of law intervention


  54. Angela Cox
    Kindly permit us to strenuously disagree while urging you to consider separating religious propaganda from what is real.


  55. A man has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to running a Ponzi scheme, in which 55 victims were defrauded out of over £14.5 million.

    Today (30 July 2018) a man has been sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to running a Ponzi scheme, in which 55 victims were defrauded out of over £14.5 million.

    Freddy David, 49 of Hartfield Avenue, Elstree, Borehamwood pleaded guilty to obtaining a money transfer by deception and fraud by abuse of position, at Southwark Crown Court. David was also disqualified from being a director of a company for 10 years. An investigation by the City of London Police’s Fraud Squad found that between 2005 and 2017, David had been running a Ponzi scheme through wealth management company HBFS Financial Services Limited (HBFS), of which he was managing director…This fraud was running in parallel with legitimate HBFS business, with David using the company’s name as a means to defraud victims out of vast sums of money. 55 victims invested a total of £14,545,494.48. The investments made by victims varied, between £20,000 and £750,000 per person…A review of David’s personal bank accounts showed that once he had received transfers from HBFS related accounts, he used this money to FUND HIS GAMBLING HABIT, as well as for paying his HIS CHILDREN’S SCHOOL FEES AND HOLIDAYS ABROAD.

    The investigation found that David was using client money for his own purposes, including the FUNDING OF HIS ONLINE GAMBLING HABIT. Between January 2005 and November 2017, DAVID SPENT £15.6 million on GAMBLING websites and £240,000 IN ONE DAY alone.
    Source: https://www.cityoflondon.police.uk


  56. Disgraced former wealth management consultant Freddy David has been released after serving half of his six-year sentence for theft and fraud. David, 56, of Borehamwood, Hertordshire, was convicted of a Ponzi scheme in which he stole £14,545,594 from 55 clients over 10 years, most of them Jewish. He used the money he stole to fund heavy gambling, pay his children’s school fees and take luxury holidays. He also opened a kosher restaurant, Let’s Meat, in Borehamwood.
    Source: https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com
    August 5, 2021


    • It would be interesting to find out when the FTC realized that there is a loophole in the Consumer Protection Act. It is also interesting to learn from the police not one complaint has been lodged to initiate an investigation. Brings back memory of Donville Inniss and ICBL fraud matter. Seems like Barbadians are the loudest talkers in the world.


  57. I am thinking of starting one before the law changes. lol

    There was also a reference to a proposed pyramid scheme that was being promoted as a meeting turn.

    Ahem.

    It also seems that many people have not yet understood the fatal flaw in these schemes and still swear by them.

    Seems like I have overestimated the intelligence of the average Bajan.


  58. Here is an activity that preys on the gullible and our minister in the finance ministry responsible for policy seems powerless to do anything to curb it.

    Minister: Avoid ‘circles’
    Minister: Avoid ‘circles’
    Government is reiterating its caution to Barbadians to not get involved with pyramid schemes.
    “We continue to urge Barbadians to stay away from participating in any of these blessing circles. People would have to report to the Barbados Police Service for them to conduct investigations and carry out whatever necessary action in terms of any possible prosecution,” said Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Ryan Straughn yesterday, at a book launch held at One Welches, Welches, St Michael.
    “The reality is that the COVID-19 pandemic certainly has had a very negative impact on people and regrettably people have been taking advantage of that.”
    Straughn said these schemes were fraudulent and in many cases do not end well for those who invested their money.
    “The Financial Service Commission has been putting out some guidance as it relates to that and we will continue to press as hard as we can with respect to educating Barbadians with respect to the difference between investment in any fraudulent scheme. We operate in a global environment where misinformation spreads very, very quickly and sometimes it is difficult for people to discern what an authentic offer is.”
    Straughn, who was initially speaking about the importance of Barbadians being more aware of financial literacy, said financial literacy should be introduced to people at a young age.
    He said women typically were more au fait with the term and than men, as more women were entering the workforce and in some
    cases had more educational certification.
    During the launch of the book 7 Legacy Steps to Building Generational Wealth, author Kaye Williams spoke about how it will benefit Barbadians.
    She is partnering with the Barbados Public Workers’ Cooperative Credit Union Limited Thrift Club to help young people understand the importance of financial stability and proceeds from her book will be donated to one of the credit union’s programmes.
    Author Vivian Anne Gittens, who penned, Every Cent Counts: Your Money – Start Right, is also trying to educate the youth and young professionals about efficiently allocating their resources and assessing and managing financial risks.
    Her book will be launched and made available soon. ( SB)

    <

    blockquote>

    Source: Nation
    Government is reiterating its caution to Barbadians to not get involved with pyramid schemes.
    “We continue to urge Barbadians to stay away from participating in any of these blessing circles. People would have to report to the Barbados Police Service for them to conduct investigations and carry out whatever necessary action in terms of any possible prosecution,” said Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Ryan Straughn yesterday, at a book launch held at One Welches, Welches, St Michael.
    “The reality is that the COVID-19 pandemic certainly has had a very negative impact on people and regrettably people have been taking advantage of that.”
    Straughn said these schemes were fraudulent and in many cases do not end well for those who invested their money.
    “The Financial Service Commission has been putting out some guidance as it relates to that and we will continue to press as hard as we can with respect to educating Barbadians with respect to the difference between investment in any fraudulent scheme. We operate in a global environment where misinformation spreads very, very quickly and sometimes it is difficult for people to discern what an authentic offer is.”
    Straughn, who was initially speaking about the importance of Barbadians being more aware of financial literacy, said financial literacy should be introduced to people at a young age.
    He said women typically were more au fait with the term and than men, as more women were entering the workforce and in some
    cases had more educational certification.
    During the launch of the book 7 Legacy Steps to Building Generational Wealth, author Kaye Williams spoke about how it will benefit Barbadians.
    She is partnering with the Barbados Public Workers’ Cooperative Credit Union Limited Thrift Club to help young people understand the importance of financial stability and proceeds from her book will be donated to one of the credit union’s programmes.
    Author Vivian Anne Gittens, who penned, Every Cent Counts: Your Money – Start Right, is also trying to educate the youth and young professionals about efficiently allocating their resources and assessing and managing financial risks.
    Her book will be launched and made available soon. ( SB)


  59. Why would a Minister of Finance have to advise intelligent people that Blessing Circles as they are called is a Ponzi?

    Break those circles
    Beware! If an investment proposal sounds too good to be true, chances are it is spectacularly fraudulent.
    Although Minister in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs Ryan Straughn didn’t use those exact words, the sentiment amounted to a sensible bit of advice to Barbadians of all stripes.
    He articulated it just before leaving to go to Washington as a member of a large Barbados delegation led by Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, who met this week with executives of two of the world’s largest financial institutions seeking financing for Government’s development agenda.
    Straughn was focusing attention on a growing and unwise investment adventure that is ensnaring Bajans who are putting their hard-earned savings into “circles”, a pseudo financial instrument that is spurring dreams of financial nest eggs being transformed into instant wealth and comfort.
    As best we can tell, most of them are losing their money, as the promised hefty returns are not materialising, leaving people empty-handed, out of pocket and feeling the pain of severe financial loss.
    Interestingly, the sufferers appear to cut across financial, social and educational lines, meaning they run the gamut from taxi drivers, civil servants, small business owners and vendors to corporate executives. The expectation of huge profits has turned out to be a mirage, wishful thinking.
    “We continue to urge Barbadians to stay away from participating in any of these blessing circles,” Straughn warned at a recent book launch.
    Savings instruments
    Many of the schemes appear to be offshoots of a good ole “Bajan” tradition of joining a meeting turn, which decades ago was
    the only savings instrument for most people. Back then, it was a reliable method of putting away excess cash for the proverbial “rainy day”, which often came when people needed money the most, like at Christmas, Easter, birthdays, weddings, funerals or emergencies. It was based on honesty and integrity. Not so this time around, say its victims.
    Straughn’s advice was crystal clear: the ventures were “fraudulent” and should be avoided like the plague or the virus.
    Coming as they do at a time of considerable financial stress triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the global fallout from the Ukrainian war and skyrocketing inflation in almost every corner of the globe, the prospects for an early and satisfying end to the current bout of tough times seem out of reach for the most optimistic.
    Indeed, the entire economic picture brings back memories of the Enron corporate debacle in Texas, which involved a high-flying energy services company, a darling of the stock market in the 1990s, and the 2008 Bernie Madoff hedge fund Ponzi scheme that cost people their savings and, in a few cases, lives at their own hands. They are obvious examples of what investor avarice and poorly conceived schemes can do: encourage suicide.
    It would be helpful if the Government starts an intensive programme of public financial education aimed at keeping wolves from the doors of the elderly and the poor; erects firewalls that protect people’s funds; and punishes wrongdoers who use illegal means to trap unsuspecting investors.
    That’s where Straughn comes in.
    He is well-placed to spearhead the introduction of legislation and systems that protect people from get-rich-quick and pyramid schemes and their own dreams.

    Source: Nation


  60. “He is well-placed to spearhead the introduction of legislation and systems that protect people from get-rich-quick and pyramid schemes and their own dreams.”

    You cannot legislate away the greed of the victims or the desire of some to get rich quickly and easily.


    • At minimum you can have legislation to hold transgressors / perpetrators accountable.


  61. Why would a Minister of Finance have to advise intelligent people that Blessing Circles as they are called is a Ponzi?
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    What intelligent people….?


    • @Bush Tea

      You cannot make this stuff up. Then we have some of them all over social media moaning for handouts from government.


  62. Imagine! The old folks who only went to “primah standard” were smart enough only to trust in meeting turns.

    We tek people an sen dum to secondary schools an tertiary institutions an now dem believe in “blessing circles”?

    Is this what we call higher education??????


    • SCAM SPIKE

      Article by Marlon Madden
      Published on
      June 16, 2023

      FTC REPORT POINTS TO “UNCHARACTERISTIC” HIKE IN FRAUD DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

      By Marlon Madden

      The Fair Trading Commission (FTC) has revealed that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an “uncharacteristic increase” in scams, and it opened several investigations into the practices of some companies based on consumer complaints.
      The regulator, in its recently released annual report for the period ending March 2021, said while some issues were resolved, others were ongoing.
      The FTC said that during the period under review, it observed “an uncharacteristic increase in the number of scams which may be contrary to Part III of the Consumer Protection Act”, which deals with unfair trade practices.
      “Concerned consumers alerted the Commission about advertisements which promoted medical cures and/or effective treatments for the COVID-19 virus,” said the FTC which recalled that cease-and-desist letters as well as a press release condemning the claims were issued.
      The report noted that the FTC’s social media monitoring also uncovered “a number of potential consumer protection breaches”.
      These included medical health claims that advertised there were cures for COVID-19; work-from-home scams that were disguised as legitimate job offers for persons to work remotely from their home but were actually concealed attempts to steal a consumer’s money; pyramid schemes or scams to acquire personal financial information from consumers by offering them large sums of money; and social media complaints about pricing transparency within the new food delivery sector.
      There were also curbside pickup and transparency pricing issues, as well as data usage and internet challenges, said the FTC.
      It noted that “the increase of these issues coupled with information provided in meetings with the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) and the CARICOM Competition Commission (CCC), were discussed at length and helped the Commission to realise that a strategic and proactive response to COVID- 19 was required”.
      The FTC said that, ultimately, it devised a strong public relations response to address the issues and educational programmes, strong enforcement to the false COVID-19 claims, and a flexible approach to other breaches were also used.
      “Therefore, throughout the financial year, various campaigns highlighting consumer protection issues coming out of the pandemic were undertaken in May, September and November 2020,” said the report.
      “Furthermore, pertinent information was published on the FTC’s website as necessary. Additionally, a targeted social media outreach programme highlighting relevant consumer protection issues was prepared and deployed throughout the year.”
      In relation to the complaints and subsequent investigations into companies’ practices, the annual report identified six allegations during the April 2020 to March 2021 period, most of which were resolved.
      “The scope of the matters included potential anti-competitive conduct such as exclusive dealing, business collaboration and anti-competitive agreements. The matters touched several sectors inclusive of banking, accommodation, retail and telecommunications. Four of these allegations were either resolved or dispensed during the financial year; the remainder are under review,” it said.
      The regulator also noted in its 2021 annual report that it had planned for other matters during the year but they were either delayed or held in abeyance due to the reprioritisation of tasks in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
      These included a poultry sector study to assess the competitive structure of the local poultry industry as well as the continuation of a study on auto fuels that was launched in July 2019.
      The latter was designed to identify vulnerabilities within the markets and explore the relationship between the marketers and dealers in the auto fuels market to determine whether there are activities that are likely to suppress competition.
      While an interim report of the consumer survey results was prepared and disseminated, research is still ongoing for both studies.
      A total of 2 452 consumers contacted the FTC during the financial year under review. Of those queries/complaints, 1 863 related to the Consumer Protection Act.
      “Five hundred and seventy-three calls were directed to the Office of Public Counsel (OPC) since the matters were within the jurisdiction of the OPC and could not be addressed by the FTC. This resulted in a 49 per cent increase in queries and complaints compared to the previous financial year,” said the FTC.
      marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb

      Source: Barbados Today


  63. Based on the way this last light and power rate case has been (not) going, it is beginning to look like the FTC has been the biggest SCAM of all….

    What good reason can there be for such delays in making a decision?
    …unless there is a lot more in the mortar than the pestle….


  64. Boss…
    Would you care to please explain this ‘process’ that you are so wont to ‘respect’…. cause Bushie DON’T get it!!!

    …and in the hallowed bush man’s book, ‘Naivety’ refers to an apparent or actual lack of experience and sophistication, often describing a neglect of pragmatism – in favor of moral idealism.

    …in udder words, having ‘respect’ for shiite processes that do NOT make sense…

    You KNOW that Bushie does NOT play THAT!!!


  65. This is nothing more than a Pavlovian process. When the final decision is made, the masses are so accustomed to paying higher that a slightly higher increase is accepted without a whimper.

    They are playing games.


  66. David
    Part of the process is a timeline for decisions?
    This is now becoming like the courts with legal delay tactics.
    Or the NIS with reporting.
    The “norm” shifts, until you have nothing left.
    And one wonders “how we get hey”?
    Unacceptable is the only response.


    • @ NO
      This kind of obfuscation is normally associated with situations where certain underhanded practices are in play and where full transparency and openness CANNOT be employed.

      Delays then introduce miscellaneous distractions; people get tired; people die.. and eventually we all just want to get it over with… and to Hell with the underhand stuff…
      Called ‘complacent brassbowlery’.

      What can POSSIBLY be complex about adding up BL&P’s expenses and income and subtracting to see if they are making reasonable profits; too little profit; or MUCH TOO MUCH damn profit?
      Lotta shiite!!!

      If such a process takes more than four weeks, then perhaps we should allow a full month for the damn 11+ exam.


  67. I heard, from a reliable source, a number of persons recently resigned from FTC, including some who were employed a few months ago. Have to ask if that situation affected the process.


  68. @ David

    I understand FTC has already completed the calculations.

    But, the B.L&P asked for more time, which was requested by a manager who said he was grieving as a result of his father’s death.

    An obvious ‘delay tactic.’

    The FTC granted them nine (9) days.

The blogmaster dares you to join the discussion.