Slightly Worried about "Group"

Worry

Hi All,
First post here and apologies, I'm just not too sure where to ask it. As you can see - I am a bit worried about some activity my parents are involved.
Please feel free to move this post to a more relevant forum if you feel it warrants it.

My parents (donegal area) have recently been "approached" by an organisation who seem to be "extracting" euros from them in exchange for this "new currency" upon which they are building this new "co-op".
My parents appear to be totally taken in by the ethos of this group. It seems very secretive and there does appear to me a large amount of euros changing hands in these meetings. As far as I am aware it is active in parts of Donegal and parts of Northern Ireland.
This is the only site I can find on the group and while the group it is alleging to be based on is legit and successful I am very worried that my parents are being taken for a ride, as well as numerous other people.

The website is here: http://www.marianco-op.net/

However very little has been done on it.

Has anyone heard of this group and what do people think?

Not sure what to do at this stage,

Thanks,
worried

cosanostra

Right haven looked at their website i would share your concerns the whole thing lacks info as in head office, names nothing like that i would also be worried about the catholic thing too seems a bit of a convincer imo. The best advice i could give you is talk to your parents and tell them your concerns and also contact the irish financial regulator and tell your parents to make sure they have reciepts for all transactions if this group is unwilling to give reciepts i would stop payments right away.

I would never hand money over to a stranger or someone that i felt was being secretive!

alchemist33

The website is oddly unfinished. Besides that, it smells of cult.
I don't know what the financial regulator could do, but it's worth a shot. Failing that (brace yourself), if they're purporting to be a Catholic organisation, your local Catholic Church representative may have info/be appalled fraudsters are using their name.
The direct approach to family, is, of course, probably the best bet.

Firblog

Well I don't know anything about this group that your parents are involved with. I have heard of the spanish company/co-op that it is based on, but only in passing from someone holding it up as an example of what we can try to do in Ireland to help generate employment in these times (On Vincent Browne).

The website is very badly constructed, which would give me cause for concern. However I'd agree with alchemist33, in that you should talk to your parents, or if you have an uncle/aunt that is close to them I'd talk to them and see what they think.

AndyC555

I spent all of 10 seconds on their website and it wreaks of religious cult.

Worry

Hi and thanks,
Just checked with a more knowledgeable IT friend and he did this search which apparently shows who registered the site and where it was registered.

http://whois.domaintools.com/marianco-op.net

The guy who registers the site appears to advertise on the site and the "business" given as some where in ACHILL!

Very strange.
Thanks for all the help thus far.

implausible

Worry wrote: »

http://whois.domaintools.com/marianco-op.net

The guy who registers the site appears to advertise on the site and the "business" given as some where in ACHILL!

Achill-alarm bells if it's anything to do with the House of Prayer down there! I don't think Christina Gallagher's business credentials are exactly solid:rolleyes:

muffler

Im leaving this open but I will probably move this thread to a more appropriate forum.




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joeKel73

Worry wrote: »

Hi and thanks,
Just checked with a more knowledgeable IT friend and he did this search which apparently shows who registered the site and where it was registered.

http://whois.domaintools.com/marianco-op.net

The guy who registers the site appears to advertise on the site and the "business" given as some where in ACHILL!

Very strange.
Thanks for all the help thus far.

Quick google came up with alternative contact details for him here: http://www.archeryclub.ie/munster-clubs/kingdom-archers-t48.0.html

fontanalis

They seem to be piggy backing off that Mondragon crowd. Seems like a ponzi scheme or cult.

Firblog

Looks like the website is registered in the name of Mike Fitzgibbon of Achill. From what i've seen on the site, he's the guy who's developed the site http://marianco-op.net/stylish_003.htm as he advertises himself as a bit of a web developer (a very poor one by the looks of it) so the web registration info is really telling us nothing.

To the OP i'd have to repeat my previous advice, if your parents are approachable, talk to them, and tell them how you feel.
If you'd be more comfortable, talk to an aunt or uncle who gets on well with them, and let them know what's happening; hopefully they then will have a talk with your parents.

You know, this could be legit and above board, the spanish model is a very successful co-operative that was set up by a priest and this may be the reason why there is a religious angle in this organisation, an does not necessarily mean that they are evil/bonkers/scammers.

pragmatic1

Looks like a cult. Tell them to stay clear.

irish1967

I think the OP would get more info etc on another forum as muffler said. Someone else might have had dealings with this 'group'.

muffler

I'll move this to the consumer issues forum