VERY SAD NEWS..DEATH OF JAMES RANDI

In mourning for the Amazing Randi.

Fearless in his pursuit of fraudsters, Randi was a beacon of light and hope in the skeptical world..

It was a piece in the James Randi Education Foundation (JREF) SWIFT newsletter that alerted me to the fake detector trade and I started the Fake Explosives Detectors Campaign back in 2008. Randi had challenged James McCormick of ADE651 fame to the Million Dollar Challenge.

I was outraged the scam was operating mainly from U.K. soil and companies. 

When Techowiz made contact and we ramped up the campaign, little did we know that we would still be talking about it in 2020.

Anyway, Randi ran many great campaigns in his time, and we will miss him a great deal. It is a testament to the need to continue the fight, that while Randi was so good at exposing the frauds, many of them still continue to this day sadly. This just shows how much the good fight is needed, and how important that Randi's good work does not die with him.

R.I.P. The Amazing Randi...you done good! 

There is an obituary here which sums up his career quite well.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/obituaries/james-randi-dead.html

WELL, WELL WELL!!!

Yes folks, we are back. For a burst of McCormick madness. Sadly the FCUK is out!!!

Let me be clear though! I am not one to wish to promote The Sun. But, even they get somethings right sometimes. In this case credit to Nick Parker who got the story below, and for copyright reasons I will not reproduce the whole piece below. Just link to it and make a few hopefully pithy comments.

First...HELLO JIM! WELCOME BACK TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD YOU GORGEOUS BEAUTIFUL MAN YOU! :-)

Next, you still think it works? That swivelling stick of yours....

GO ON FUCK OFF YOU TWAT!

YOU KNOW IT DOESN'T!

WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT IT NOT WORKING IN NIGER YOU PIECE OF SHIT?

YES. YOU SAID:

"WHO CARES IF IT DOESN'T WORK. WHAT THE FUCK DO THEY KNOW. THEY'RE JUST A BUNCH OF N****RS, AND IT MAKES MONEY".

So, now all you have is a lawnmower and a £500k house to live in? Nay bad for a fat ugly murdering bastard!!

And what about the sums the paper so rightly questioned (by way Sun - shine, he sold them for up to $64 000!!)?

You invoiced about $85 Million according to the Keystone cops at Avon and Somerset?

Why did you not have to pay all that back? Why only £7.9 Million confiscation!!!!

OK you only netted say 50% after bribes (if we are being generous to you, you arsehole..so why didn't they make you pay back say $42.5 Million?

No. The Keystones freeze £15  Million assets but only ordered payback of £7.9 Million...WHY????????

And you only paid £5.9 Million...and got out, you fat bastard....WRONG ON SO MANY COUNTS!!!

You should still be in the NICK mate!! And we want the Iraqis to feel your collar now pal! So we will be 'avin a go as they say.

By way, has the General in the Lebanon kept those extra millions safe for you once your 10 years is really up in 2023? We wonder!!!

Bloody surprised Paula took you back mind...or maybe there is some money under the mattress for her to put up with you on top...HO HO HO!!!!

P.S. Show us the correspondence Jim! The stuff with the MoJ!!

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12168019/conman-fake-bomb-detectors-prison-early-release/

OUT OF RETIREMENT - NO HIDING PLACE!

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/coronavirus-iran-bomb-detector-revolutionary-guard-hossein-salami-a9466236.html

Anyone who knows this blog will know that it has been silent for a while. BUT, scams have a habit of coming back around to bite us. Like conjurors, conmen have a playbook from which they like to resurrect old tricks from time to time.

So, like the fake detector scam, up I pop again.

Some of you may remember the fraud flare up in Egypt when some fool tried to pass our fave dodgy device off as an Aids detector.

Well, it came to our attention recently that some clown in Iran re-invented our old friend, the swivelling nonsense stick, to detect...YES! YOU GUESSED IT! COVID 19.

Now, we hope this stupid idea has died a quicker death than COVID 19 victims! Otherwise, like it's predecessor gadgets in explosive detector form, it will cost lives, hence why I have returned.

On a slightly lighter note, there was something funny about this story. Apart from the funny peculiar nature of these frauds being recycled in such a blatant way. Just the day before the story broke, my old friend and fellow campaigner Techowiz was joking that if Jim McCormick of ADE651 fame were still in the dodgy detector game he would certainly have released a COVID 19 detector card for his dubious device. And lo, the next day, did his wise prediction come to pass in a way. So, it wasn't our old friend Jimbo this time. Just some other crooked sh1t at the money trough. Oh, I did note that it is another fine General involved. We have met quite a few Generals on this journey. There are of course many fine and distinguished Generals, but our have been a right shower of doo doo Generally.

OOOOOHHHHHH. I just noticed our General this time is called Salami! :-) Well, it's too easy isn't it! He really should be thinly sliced :-)

SPECIAL MESSAGE TO McCORMICK - BUT NOT FORGETTING BOLTON AND THE OTHERS - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

By way Jim, if you read this hello from your old friends! Hope life treating you lovely and your spell in the nick was not too tough on you! Well, ok, if we are honest we hope it was hell! And do give our love to your lovely lady P. Bet she is so delighted to have your hot bod back in her bed :-) All best buddy! We haven't forgotten you! I still owe you a kick up the arse. Techowiz never lets me forget that, and will never forgive me if I fail to deliver before your demise, so watch yer back chap! :-)

Oh, to Bolton et al. There's always a warm welcome arse kicking available for you guys too! Just say when! Or shall we make it a surprise? Ummmm, I wonder.

McCORMICK'S MILLIONS

No doubt some of my readers will already have seen this story elsewhere, not least on the blog of my good pal Techowiz See here: http://explosivedetectorfrauds.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/after-3-years-in-jail-mccormick-is-now.html

For those who have not see below. A report from the redoubtable Clinton Rogers who was the first journalist to break the story about McCormick and his dodgy ADE devices way back when.

Now the case to seize the proceeds of crime of McCormick's con has finally been heard. When you read this please remember that McCormick invoiced his customers somewhere north of $70 million dollars. While we know that susbtantial amounts were kicked back to buyers like Major General al Jabiri and his Government mates in Iraq, as well as people like his agent in Lebabon, General Georgiou, we still think that £8 million is far too little. Why not just bill him for the full amount he invoiced and leave him in jail to rot if he can't produce every penny?

Remember, the fact that the ADE651 could not and did not work cost many lives, and much destruction. The Police say they cannot trace somewhere in excess of £1 million. You can bet the bastard has more than that stashed away in Romania and Lebanon with his old pals like Stelian Ilie at Mira Telecom and General Georgiou. We'd hate for him to cough up the £8 million, walk free after five years and then get his hands on the stashed loot!

Anyway, here's the piece by Clinton. Let us know what you think? Surely the system should be set up in such a way that it is a real deterrent?

£7.9m confiscated from jailed fraudster James McCormick who sold fake weapons and explosives detection kits

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DISGRACED Somerset businessman James McCormick has had assets of more than £7.9 million confiscated from him at a hearing at the Old Bailey in London today, (Wednesday, June 15).
McCormick, 60, was jailed in May 2013 following a complex fraud investigation led by Avon and Somerset Police, which ran for more than three years after being convicted of selling weapon and explosive detectors, which did not work.
It is thought to be the highest confiscation order imposed in the South West under the Proceeds of Crime Act and follows a complex and far-reaching three year investigation by asset confiscation enforcement specialists from Zephyr, the region's organised crime unit.
At the confiscation hearing today it was identified that McCormick benefitted to the tune of £21.3 million from his fraud.
An additional £1.83 million has been listed as hidden assets, which investigators have been unable to find due to complex laundering that McCormick undertook using ‘shell’ companies registered abroad.
Various items including properties in the UK and abroad and a luxury yacht, which were seized as part of the police investigation were restrained by the court and will be sold.
A default penalty means that should he fail to pay the £7.9 million within three months then he will face an additional 10 years in prison and will still have to settle the order.
And the condition of the order means that should he ever come into funds in the future, then these could be seized by the court as part of the order under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The court has awarded compensation to the victims of the fraud who purchased the devices - Iraq £2.3 million; Republic of Georgia £26,000; Republic of Niger £159,000; Movenpick Hotel Group £8,500; and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon £45,500.
At the trial in 2013 Judge Hone QC in sentencing McCormick, said he was a callous confidence trickster, who was likely to have caused death and injury.
The six-week trial at the Old Bailey heard that McCormick, from Langport, had committed a major fraud, duping people all over the world into buying his explosive and drugs detector devices, which were useless and did not work.
He was convicted of all three fraud charges and jailed for 10 years.
He was charged with three counts of making an article for use in the course of fraud, contrary to The Fraud Act 2006, between January 2007 and July 2012 and knowing that it was designed or adapted for use in the course of, or in connection with, fraud or intending to be used to commit, or to assist in the commission of, fraud.
It referred to three types of devices, which McCormick was selling - the ADE 101, ADE 650 and ADE 651.
He operated the weapon-detecting business from a converted dairy in Sparkford, Somerset, sending devices all over the world.
The court was told during the trial the detecting devices he produced were not based on a comprehensive, detailed research and development programme but on a novelty American golf ball finder device, which sold for $19.99.
From the golf ball finder McCormick developed the ADE (Advanced Detection Equipment), producing three models – the 101, 650 and 651. The devices were sold for up to £40,000 each.
But the court was told, that apart from a different sticky label, the golf ball finder and weapon detecting devices were indistinguishable.
McCormick claimed his device could be adapted to detect almost anything - such as drugs, explosives and other substances - depending on which programme card was inserted into the machine.
The Somerset businessman conceded that although there were no electronics in the device, it didn't mean that it wasn't working. He admitted he personally was unable to work the device because he had not had sufficient training.
McCormick confirmed during the trial more than 6,000 devices had been sold to Iraq alone, at a cost of more than $40 million.
Prosecution barrister Richard Whittam QC said of the devices produced by McCormick: "He made them knowing that they were going to be sold as something that it was claimed was simply fantastic, fantastic at detecting a wide-range of substances from great distances.
"When you learn of the claims made about what these devices were capable of, you may think those claims are incredible.

"The Avon and Somerset Police-led investigation involved close co-operation with expert UK scientists, foreign governments, security personnel and private individuals.
The force worked closely with the Crown Prosecution Service and prosecuting counsel to bring about the successful conviction."
The investigation involved more than 1,150 exhibits being produced, 1,460 documents, in excess of 300 statements and the enquiry involved members of the investigation team visiting Georgia, Bahrain, the Lebanon, France and Belgium, while the Inspector General of Iraq visited the UK during the trial, to assist with the investigation.
Overseas enquiries were also made in Canada, Japan, Romania, Kenya and America.
Detective Inspector Edward Heath at the time, said: "McCormick showed a complete disregard for the safety of those who used and relied upon the device for their own security and protection.
"We heard evidence these devices were used at numerous checkpoints within Iraq between 2008 and 2010, a period when thousands of the devices had been purchased.
"It is clear both civilians and armed forces personnel were put at significant risk by relying upon the equipment.”
Following today’s confiscation hearing DI Heath said: “Following a highly complex asset confiscation investigation, today’s decision in court sends out a powerful message that crime does not pay and we will pursue those whose criminality brings them wealth”
Following the jailing of McCormick, intense behind the scenes activity has been taking place. This has involved officers from Avon and Somerset’s serious crime group working with detectives from Zephyr – the South West’s regional organised crime unit - to investigate the Somerset fraudster under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
DI Heath added: “We are pleased to have obtained what has been one of – if not the largest confiscation orders – in the south west of England. This just shows that criminals will be pursued and their assets from illegal activity seized.”

Link including pictures here:

http://m.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/14558925.Court_confiscates_assets_of_almost___8_million_from_jailed_fraudster/

JABIRI - THE WORLD'S GREATEST EXPERT ON BOMB DETECTION

Those of you that have followed the sagas of the fake explosives detectors will recall our old friend, Major General Jabiri. The pivotal figure in the Iraqi purchases of that renowned explosives detector, the ADE651. 

Well, some time back he was convicted on charges of corruption, and it seems it has taken until now for his conviction to be confirmed. Of course we still wonder what has happened to all those others who shared in the kickbacks that Jim McCormick paid out. What about the Interior Minister at the time who would undoubtedly have been looked after? What about al Malaki, the Prime Minister at the time? Does anyone seriously think that the Interior Minister didn't have to pay upwards?

Ah well. Thanks to Joel Wing at Musings on Iraq blog we have some details on the news on Jabiri. You can find his blog here:

http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/iraq-general-gets-4-yrs-in-prison-for.html?m=1

I hope he will be o.k. with me reproducing his post here. If not let me know and I'll just leave the link.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Iraq General Gets 4 Yrs In Prison For Buying Fake Bomb Detectors

Iraq’s purchase of several thousand fake bomb detectors has been an infamous case of
corruption within the country. The ADE 651 devices were used despite objections from 
the United States and British, and when they were proven to not work, and the manufacturer 
was imprisoned for selling the bogus detectors the Iraqi government still refused to admit 
that it was wrong. The Interior Ministry general who bought the ADEs and got a hefty sum 
in kickbacks in the process was finally convicted and his sentence recently approved.

On January 19, 2016 Iraq’s main anti-corruption agency the Integrity Commission ratified
the imprisonment of the general responsible for purchasing the ADE 651s. In June 2012, 
General Jihad al-Jabiri the former head of the Interior Ministry’s Anti-Explosives Department 
was sentenced on misdemeanor corruption charges. In January the Integrity Commission 
okayed his four years imprisonment. The Ministry’s inspector general discovered that up to 
75% of the money spent on purchasing the detectors actually went to kickbacks to 15 Iraqi officials. 
That was supported in the trial of the devices’ manufacturer Jim McCormick in England in 2013 
where he revealed that he paid  millions in bribes to Iraqis to finish the deal. Jabiri was arrested 
in February 2011 for buying the ADEs. That was after years of the Interior Ministry denying any 
wrong doing and protecting the general from investigations.

The ADEs were controversial from the day Iraq bought them. McCormick sold 7,000 of them
to the Interior Ministry in 2007 for $2,500-30,000 each even though they only took $50 to build. 
The devices had no working parts in them and no power source. Users were told to walk in circles 
to generate static electricity that would power them. In November 2008 a British official warned 
that the devices did not work. In 2009 the British and American forces in Iraq investigated the 651s 
and both reported that they did not operate. The next year England banned the exportation of the 
detectors. Despite all this the Iraqi government said there was no wrongdoing in their purchase and 
insisted that they were good for anti-bomb duties. That happened even after Jabiri was arrested and 
McCormick was convicted. Former Minister Nouri al-Maliki for example, said that most of the 651s 
were effective right after McCormick was found guilty. The next Premier Haidar Abadi then ordered
all of the devices removed from service, but some were still seen being used in the streets of Baghdad.

The approval of General Jabiri’s sentence might be the last note heard from Iraq on the ADE 651s.
Despite taking millions in bribes not to mention costing the lives of hundreds of people who were
killed by bombs not discovered by the detectors he only got a misdemeanor charge. This was yet 
another example of how the Iraqi government is not serious about fighting corruption. High officials 
are routinely let go for stealing and graft. Those that are found guilty are usually out of the country or
given slaps on the wrists like Jabiri. Corruption is too important to the ruling parties who use it to
maintain power via their patronage networks. That’s the reason why it continues to fester within the
country.

SOURCES

Sotaliraq, “Integrity Commission approves the imprisonment of the anti-explosives director for four
years,” 1/19/16

SHARM SHAM - C HOW FAST THE FRAUD RE-APPEARS

Or how the fake detector scam explodes into life again. What a Sharm! Or should that be SHAM?

Oh how much safer tourists in Egypt must be feeling now the news is out that a super duper 'detector' is in use at hotels to keep the bombs away! 

Some of you may remember the first appearance of the C-FAST as a 'detector' for the HIV virus. See previous blog entry here - 

http://ade651gt200scamfraud.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/egyptian-news.html

We here at Fake Detectors Central wonder who in Egypt is making dirty money from this emergency? Could any members of their brave armed forces be involved? Answers on a postcard to President Sisi please. 

We only hope that Dr. Essam Heggy has heard of this and will put an end to this nonsense as soon as possible, after he was instrumental in damning the C FAST when it first appeared.

Meanwhile, good luck to all those being so well protected by such a fine device! 

I regret to say that this news was published in newspapers that we do not like to link to here because they have a reputation for junk. However, if you search for C FAST and Sharm hotels no doubt you will find the story in all its glory.

Of course, if they don't find any explosives, they have definitely found some more gullible fools and some money for the immoral bastards who sell this sh1t!

We'll let you know if we hear more on this latest episode in the fake detectors saga, and await the usual excuses. Perhaps they will wheel out that oldie but goodie: It may not work but it'll deter the terrorists. Oh yeah! Like in Iraq you mean!

VOLLMAR OF UNIVAL CHARGED WITH FRAUD

It's been a while since we had any news to bring you, but hot from Germany we hear that David Vollmar of Unival has been charged with 47 (yes! forty seven) counts of fraud. This is great news. We do not have any details yet, but will bring them to you as we hear more.

In case you do not remember, Vollmar and his sidekick Frank Trier, did a deal some years ago with Yuri Markov (the Bulgarian 'inventor' of Sniffex) to market and sell Sniffex. Markov had previously fled the U.S. following charges of stock manipulation over Sniffex.

Sniffex was renamed Sniffex Plus, and then, when our campaign to expose it heated up they renamed it the HEDD1.

Anyway, as I say, we'll get back with more details when we can.

REPORT FROM ROMANIA

Some of our dear readers may recall a previous post detailing the latest developments in Romania. It seems that despite the conviction of their old friend Jim McCormick on charges of fraud, Mira Telecom just cannot give up on the idea of making dirty money from fake detectors.

Having worked with McCormick on the ADE651, Mira Telecom and their tame mad Professor Apostol have gone on to develop their own variant of the fraud, the MEXD (complete with flashing lights). See previous post HERE

Now we have reports from Romania that Stelian Ilie at Mira Telecom is having some success selling this garbage to the Romanian security services. Well, if they are stupid enough, or corrupt enough to buy this garbage, let's hope that they get themselves blown up while using them. Sadly innocent people may also get blown to smithereens if they rely on this nonsense.

If anyone can let us have more information about this please feel free.

Finally, for now, a message for Stelian Ilie. One of these days your criminal activities will come back to bite you on your stupid arse. Oh, and a message for Professor Apostol. You are one dumb idiot!

Caroline Hawley Reports

Following the news about the sentencing of Samuel Tree and Joan Tree, here is a round up of the fake detectors story by Caroline Hawley at the BBC. Caroline and Meirion Jones were responsible for the original BBC Newsnight reports back in 2010 and 2011. The report highlights the ongoing use of the fake detectors in some parts of the World, as well as the fact that the U.K. Government supported export sales promotion despite warnings as early as 2001.

Also below you will see an interesting comment that was left by Anonymous after the previous post today reporting sentencing of the Trees:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29459896

Anonymous comment:


I'm fairly surprised that she didn't get a custodial sentence. After all, Joan knew as much about Sam's little/huge scam as he did. She was "tuning" the "devices" to the required frequency using sterilised scissors etc.
You're right about Sam bringing the idea to Europe although back then, nearly twenty years ago, it probably seemed like nothing more than a bit of a wheeze.
Malcolm had seen the potential to turn a novelty golf ball "finder" into something rather more lucrative and Sam had the luck/misfortune to see Roe waving his magic wand about at some police convention in the US.
Apparently Sam chuckled ruefully at this first encounter with Roe, "The Bounder."
That conversation, probably, went something like this:
Tree: That's interesting! How does it work?
Roe: At this moment, it's tuned to detect mugs.
Tree: Why's it pointing at me, then?
Roe: Only kidding. I've set the frequency to "bank notes."
Tree: Wow. That's amazing. It's pointing straight to my wallet.
Roe: It appears so, yes.
Tree: How does it REALLY work, though?
Roe: Gravity combined with a low coefficient of friction in the pivot.
Tree: Oh. How dull. I didn't really do physics at school.
Roe: That's the beauty of this device. It defies the boring laws of physics that nobody's interested in. You could make a packet.
Tree: OK, what else can it detect?
Roe: *slants wrist* WIGS. That guy over there is wearing a toupée.
Tree: So he is. Wait here, sir. I must make an international call to my imports manager, Joan, and tell her the good news.
Roe: OK. *yawns*

Thus, Keygrove Intl. comes into being.
The Trees legitimate business was flogging forensics equipment to UK police forces. Plenty of contacts there, then.
Quadro® could have been nailed as fraudsters in the US fifteen? years ago but, as we have seen, not all jurys can see through the waving arial effect.
Roe jumped bail, I believe, and slummed it with his new-found friends, The Trees, in Bedfordshire for longer than he was welcome. They helped him, financially, and he went on to other projects before dying [citation needed].


Anonymous

TREES SENTENCED

Finally we have the news that Samuel and Joan Tree have been sentenced.

Samuel Tree has been sentenced to three and a half years, and his wife Joan Tree to 300 hours Community work.

The sentence seems to be proportional to those handed out to James McCormick and Gary Bolton in terms of the value of sales made.

The details are available here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29477894

Unfortunately the sentences do not seem to reflect the fact that Samuel Tree was responsible for introducing the fake detector scam to the U.K., but it is good to see that they have been punished for their part in this despicable trade.

This is the last of a series of trials, convictions and sentences related to the trade in fake detectors based in the U.K. There are still many questions that remain unanswered. Not least how the U.K. Government did not act sooner to put an end to the various businesses involved, despite warnings in Whitehall as early as 2001.

We will be putting together a review at some stage, which will deal with the outstanding issues, not least of which is the ongoing use of some of these useless detectors in various countries.

It is a great shame that the business partner of the Trees was found not guilty last year. Simon Sherrard of Comstrac, who was effectively the salesman for the Alpha 6 must be feeling like a very lucky man indeed!