Replies to post #2516 on Investing in Timber

[planbtotrade]

All, just what is a "Scam"?

As an example, I have some desert land to sell you cheap - most would say that land sales as this are "scams", although you do take title to land.

I do not believe that TATF is premediated or preplanned fraud, but I do believe that it has spiraled into a scam due to a variety of factors.

Just because the trees exist, does not mean that it is not a scam.

TATF's own website advertises on its projection pages that thinned lumber sells for 0.65/bd ft TODAY, yet it rots in the fields and they do not appear to sell any. They advertise that they thin young trees at 7 and 10, etc years old, yet they have not thinned any trees for some years, and mine are long overdue.

Regardless of the legal definition of a "scam" (if there is one), it sure appears that TATF has devolved into a scam.

planb

[belmontx]

It started legit. It now resembles a heartless scam. A scheme which continues for those innocent buyers who have not found this web address. Compare TATF's website to the reported experience of its investors here.

As to the few small distributions you mentioned. There were two reported here (compared to all others (47) on this forum who reported none). They were many years ago, were received by "investors" who appear to have been friends of Mr. Brunner, and one was in the form of free trees.

Without this board arising three years ago none of us would have any idea we were not the only investors receiving nothing. Calls to their office would result in rosy excuses and hopeful promises that weather, the economy, health. etc. are temporarily delaying distributions. Read the praise from the mythical investors on the website, complete with their initials.

From time to time, the owner periodically appears on this forum through proxies (ab, lawyer from ohio, happy tree owner, etc.) and refutes all criticism until member responses with facts drive him back underground. If he were legit he would have long since by now responded to these reports with truthful information and emails to each of his investors explaining the current status of their trees.

belmontx

[justcfrall]

Hi Dealbad, Sorry you invested with TATF. I did too but was able to recover a bit more than half of my investment.It took hundreds of emails to owner Steve and about three years...He told me he would refund my investment in a year-. The TATF yeild projections are at least doubled, I measured mine (they were the best show trees because Steve allowed me to pick the best ones. Later I collected data on those Teak trees over 7 farm visits,three years and found the young diameter growth to be almost half of the growth the TATF projections ..The tree thinnings for investors hav'nt happened and the farms are in bad shape trees left unmaintained mostly stunted trees with a few leafs on them. When I visited the farms I was amazed that few stands of trees really existed especially at Gabriel farm. There were no more than one stand of Teak trees on two sides. There is suppost to be 3000 investors??? Later the farm manager there at Gabriel (Juan) had told me time again and again Steve has never even come down to see the trees there or at nearby Lomas farm except for meeting me there to collect my cash with his wife. He does'nt care to look after these farms.

I can go on and on about this scam. Do trees exist ? Yes.
Do yields exist ? Yes. Are there some workers there? Yes.

Do projected interval thinnings occur? No.
Regular maintenance/Prunning? No
Trees Replaced usually? No

Are investors thinned logs stored outside in weather(rotting)? Yes.
Are most all investors over 15 years recieving any distributions? No.
Does the (owner ever say investors will ever get paid) and at what time? NO.. only he believes that investors will -so far has'nt happened.Yes.
Are investors kept up to date about their trees. No
Are the contract promises being honored? No.
Are Steve Sherry responsible to investors? No.
Are the designed laws of costa rica in favor fraud.Yes.
Does the CR government respond to TATF victims of fraud? No. Only if you pay retainer a lawyer who then has to go pay the -CR JUI.-Government to begin.
Does CR courts and judicial system see plaintiffs as hostile.?Yes
Can you pay people off? Yes.
Is there any publicly investor known TATF effort to sell investor teak logs? No
TATF company and owners keep business secret about sales/volume ect? Yes.
Is there any details aside from the BS projection that investors will get anything at all? No.

My experience and beleif THIS IS A SCAM.

[TeakScam]

No, it is a scam. There is no doubt that this
is a scam. A few trees exist to confuse naive
individuals. Raleo exists to comvince the naive
that this is indeed real.

It is a bad investment as well but it is a bad
investment because it is a scam.

Going back 17 years, no one has obtained their money
back. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, have sent in
substantial sums of money.

Obtaining your investment back is possible. But it
is not possible through a lawyer. You would have to
use well prepared negotiation skills.

There is no evidence that people have came together
and fought.

Do not believe all the posts here. Understand that
Steve likely reads these and may post here under
fake names to obfuscate reality.

Stop having an emotional attachment to the product.
Move on.