Help me find out more about this company and this man

August 20, 2007 5:51 AM

An area of rural Norway I am very fond of is currently fighting a development bid by a possibly dodgy operation...

The company is called Global Ventures, Inc [globalvg-dot-com] and is apparently headed by a man called Jan Petter Schøyen/Schoyen.

The website purports that the company is headquartered in Utah. They have a phone number on the website but it goes straight to a voicemail setup. Emails go unanswered. The website is littered with typos and generic images of idealised corporate America. Strangely it also features a page of "financial tools" which are hosted offsite and seem placed more to lend credibility to the site than because they are actually relevant.

The company claims to have a couple of dozen other successful developments under their belt but neither I nor the Norwegian papers can find any evidence of this.

Whois and the web archive show that the site has only been around since November 2006.

Does anyone have any ideas what might be going on here? I haven't linked to anything relating to the operation in case it appears I am trying to stage a Googlebomb. I would like to be proved wrong on the possible scam front even if I and the locals don't like the sound of the massive development planned.

posted by anonymous to computers & internet (5 comments total)

The picture on the front page (of the ski resort) is the same as the one featured halfway down this page.
posted by maxpower at 6:01 AM on August 20, 2007

Try a Utah Business Entity Search. I had a quick search - there are several variations on Global Ventures registered in Utah.
posted by zamboni at 6:15 AM on August 20, 2007

I'm a little worried where Google Maps places the address.

I suggest you send an email offering brains. you're sure to get a response.
posted by randomination at 6:30 AM on August 20, 2007

A little searching turned up GVG's Utah and Delaware business registrations, but it looks like the Vest-Telemark Blad has beaten me to it.

randomination: The Utah business rego gives the address as 77 E Center St, which is somewhat more plausible.
posted by zamboni at 6:43 AM on August 20, 2007

Why don't you just call in you concerns to the city council representative that seems too be backing the project?

You should also make a credit check on the three norwegian board members of GVG if that is possible.
posted by uandt at 7:14 AM on August 20, 2007