The Securities and Exchange Commission - Cebu Extension Office building. (File photo) CEBU CITY - The extension office of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday advised Cebuanos to refrain from engaging individuals who pose as investment solicitors representing organizations not registered with the government. Vanessa Almeda, SEC-Cebu information officer, said in an emailed message that the Enforcement and Investor Protection Department (EIPD) of the commission discovered five entities that are not registered with them but are inviting individuals to invest through online platforms. Almeda identified the five firms as Great4 International Marketing Corp. doing business under the name and style of Home of Organic Wellness (HOW); Sky International Trade Co. Ltd./Philippine88.com; Ground Zero Poultry; AVZ Ventures/AVZVentures, Inc.; and Global Booking Hub engaging through Global Booking Hub.com/GBH//GBH-12 Consumer Goods Trading. Initial investigation disclosed that HOW has been enticing the public to invest in the company through membership packages for a fee of PHP7,000 each that entitle would-be investors lofty designations, such as marketing director, marketing coordinator, marketing specialist, marketing officer, and brand ambassador. At Sky, would-be investors are told to register on their website and choose nine "VIP plans" with online orders worth PHP200 up to PHP50,000. "The investor can earn PHP20 to PHP2,400 daily depending on what plan they get. An investor can also earn from direct order rebate equivalent to 10 percent and 5 percent for indirect order rebate," the statement from the EIPD said. The poultry farm offers an opportunity to its lenders to earn an amount of savings while contributing to the business' growth. They may opt to invest a minimum amount of PHP20,000 with guaranteed money back of 8 percent monthly, or a total of 48 percent returns semi-annually. AVZ offers schemes that focus on the referral and recruitment of new members to gain profit. Global is a group of persons claiming to be engaged in delivery service, forex, and appears to be promoting "Tora Token", a token with corresponding value depending on the amount invested. "Global Booking has a DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) registration operating under the name of GBH-12 Consumer Goods Trading with certificate number 3356904 operated by a certain Masahiko Ferrer Tanaka. (One is) registered as (a) corporation but based in Quezon City but does not have a secondary license to solicit investment, AVZVentures Inc. is the name," Almeda told the Philippine News Agency. She said HOW has no secondary license to solicit investments and is based in Quezon City. Almeda advised Cebuanos who have come across these groups to report to the authorities before they can victimize a lot of people. (PNA) }