Cerberus would like to announce that we are now conducting debt recovery services in Turkey!
 

There are currently limited debt recovery companies in Turkey and therefore it is often difficult for a company or individual to recover any debt in the region. However Cerberus is now able to offer debt recovery services using our qualified and experienced recovery agents. Our agents have over 10 years worth of debt collection experience and are familiar with the Turkish Law system and debt recovery procedures.

There are usually two methods used when recovering debt in Turkey; an amicable settlement or a Court settlement. Our agents are able to deal with both methods and handle the case from the initial approach through to the final coordination of any Court hearing, both for consistency and continuity.

If you would like to use our debt recovery services in Turkey please send an email to info@cerberusip.com. 

Ben's Zoo: 1st December 2007 

Last week saw the premiere of Ben’s Zoo on BBC 2 at 8pm. This week sees the second instalment of four programmes which document the reopening of Dartmoor Zoological Park.  

Dartmoor Zoological Park was bought by Duncan Mee’s family in late 2006 to save over 200 animals including lions, tigers and deer. While, the family had no experience of working with animals prior to the acquisition - this did not halt their enthusiasm.

Obviously there were a few minor incidents along the way, including a Jaguar escaping, but the family worked round the clock and eventually the zoo opened in July 2007.  Duncan, co-Director at Cerberus has been helping his family with the zoo’s redevelopment.  

The Dartmoor Zoological Park currently boasts an impressive array of animals including three Siberian tigers, two African lions, nine wolves, three big brown European bears, two pumas, a lynx, four Asian short-clawed otters, two flamingos, owls and even a Brazilian tapir called Ronnie!   

For further information about the programme please see the link Ben’s Zoo.

If you would like further information about the zoo or would like to visit it, please see the link Dartmoor Zoo.


Operation Stormgrand nets record haul of fake Viagra: 17th September 2007

The counterfeit trade in illicit medicines took a direct hit this month when five members of a criminal gang were found guilty at Kingston Crown Court in the biggest conspiracy of the supply of counterfeit medicines thus far in the UK. Between 2002 and 2005, large consignments of fake Viagra, Cialis and Propecia were shipped in industrial-scale quantities into the UK from foreign factories and the tablets were then repackaged and sold over the Internet to customers worldwide.

Over £1,500,000 of counterfeit medicines was confiscated. The products were almost identical to the real thing, with carefully forged packaging, logos and patient information leaflets. The medicines contained around 90% of the normal active ingredient found in the authentic tablets, but regulators said customers were put in danger because of other possible ingredients.

The operation involved investigators, Customs and Excise officers and was led by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This government agency is responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. They issue guidelines which explain the background to counterfeit medicine production and highlights how organised criminal gangs have become involved in the production of illegal medicines and are supplying them through the internet, often to unwitting patients.

Here at Cerberus we have worked in most industries that have issues with counterfeiters or infringers including footwear, fmcg, sportswear, pharmaceuticals, tobacco, confectionery, apparel, white goods, household goods, alcohol and spirits, perfumes and cosmetics, automotive, toys, watches, luxury goods, software and music.

If you require advice or a quote please visit our anti-counterfeiting page or call us to talk to one of our expert team.

For the full story from the MHRA website please click here.

eBay plays major role in counterfeit market: 30th August 2007

A recent report Counterfeiting Luxury: Exposing the Myths 2007 commissioned by London law firm Davenport Lyons has concluded that buying counterfeit goods has become socially acceptable, with more than two thirds of UK consumers proud to tell their friends and family that they had purchased fakes. This is an increase of 20% on the previous figures from 2006.

In addition, consumers spent 10% more on faked designer and luxury brands than in the previous year, bringing the average spend to £21.30 per person.

More than 10% of those questioned said they had paid over £50 for a fake, continuing the trend identified in last year’s report of many of these consumers being well-off: 20% of them come from households earning over £50,000 p.a.

The majority of these counterfeit items were bought in markets in the UK, and the amount of goods bought abroad or on the Internet also increased. In particular, eBay was highlighted for being the source of 29% of this market, putting it third in the overall table of fake goods suppliers. eBay purchases were also twice as likely to have been bought in good faith by the shopper as those from other sources.

This report shows that the growing social acceptability of buying fake goods is creating a crisis for brands which will affect company profits as well as exclusivity. Clearly there has never been a greater need for effective brand protection. Here at Cerberus we can offer services such as anti-counterfeiting and parallel trade investigations, as well as our specialist eBay Investigations team for online infringements.

Please visit out Intellectual Property section for more details. 

The full report can be obtained from the Davenport Lyons website or directly from this link

Private Detectives turn out to be the White Stuff for Entrepreneurs: 13th July 2007

An increasing trend is spreading across the country, as corporations and entrepreneurs start to view crime in more solution-orientated way. When vital information, stock or transportation are stolen or compromised by thieves or vandals, business owners are starting to see this in the same light as any other financial risks to their businesses. They are going to take the most effective action to regain their assets or to help their business function correctly with the least disruption possible. The most startling example of this recent phenomenon started with a rainy, windy night on the 15th of March 2007: White Stuff, a clothing company, was the victim of a theft from a lorry: robbed of a consignment of £500,000-worth of new-line stock. The incident occurred near the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT). The Chief Executive of White Stuff wanted the stock back, and quickly. He didn't want his brand to be compromised by sales on the black market. What he wanted was results, and quickly, so he engaged Cerberus Investigations Ltd. to pursue the matter.

Immediately, Cerberus commenced investigations and gathered information from interviews with the freight agent, the haulier (and the driver himself), Warwickshire Police press office and officers at the Rugby station, DIRFT staff, and traffic control agencies in the area. This information and notice of a reward was disseminated through liaising with the local press. Information started to flood in.

When in late March and early April the clothing started appearing on eBay in the original packaging, still with the swing tickets and bar codes attached, White Stuff engaged the services of Cerberus' specialist eBay Investigations Team to gather information about the goods and sellers. Over the next three weeks Cerberus tracked the consignment and obtained the names and addresses of all the sellers. The goods were all based in or near Liverpool, Merseyside.

These details were supplied to the appropriate police departments and on the morning of May 16th eight warrants were successfully executed by the local constabularies in Liverpool North, Kirkby and Blackpool. A large number of items (roughly £50,000-worth) were retrieved, many in their original White Stuff container boxes from the HGV. In the following few weeks, Cerberus' eBay Investigations Team monitored eBay to ensure that any further stolen items were removed.

Cerberus had worked with three police forces, Warwickshire, Merseyside and Lancashire, and officers with the national intelligence agencies TruckPol and AVCIS, throughout April and May, and their information led directly to the recovery of the stolen goods. With results like this, soon every modern business entrepreneur will have a gum shoe watching his back.