I wish the emails I've received from "nakedstock staff" were remarkable. I wish I could say that I didn't receive scores of emails from semi-literates pumping some worthless stock. I wish that an estimated 20% of all spam email weren't related to stock hyping.
I wish.
Rain Man investing
Nakedstock tells me I need to "hurry" to buy shares of IBAC (OTC BB: IBCX.PK) so I won't miss its 25% stock dividend on Dec. 1. The email shouts out in huge type: "You have to own IBCX as of December 1st to receive 1 free share for every 4 you own."
This is "Wednesday is fish sticks" logic. You remember in Rain Man, when Raymond Babbitt is about to go apoplectic because he always has eight fish sticks, and sitting before him are only four? So what does Charlie Babbitt do?
He cuts them in half.
A "free share" is the same exact thing as a pizza cut into five pieces instead of four. Nakedstock doesn't bother to tell me what the company's business was, or even, for that matter, its name. Just the ticker. This is nothing but a stock-promotion scheme, using a tiny non-reporting company trading at less than 2 cents per share as bait.
Rise against it
It's despicable. In fact, I think you should write to "nakedstock staff" and tell them all how much you appreciate that they're doing their part to clog up inboxes everywhere. Here's a link to their email address. Have fun!
Of course, you should also recognize that your email will be a wasted effort. The folks at "nakedstock staff" don't care what you think. They're seeking out people who are ignorant and naive, who have less sense than money.
They're not looking for you. Apparently, they're seeking people who forgot their Rain Man.
I find that sad and infuriating. It's also an indictment of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our country and our public companies have spent billions of dollars in this post-Enron heightened-disclosure world, yet the frauds at the penny-stock level are rampant, the American Stock Exchange is filled with barely concealed hype-jobs, and there has been no apparent increase in efficacy in shutting them down, or in prosecuting the people who wish to use the markets to steal money.
Your money.
Small-cap investing needn't be scary
This is why we at the Fool got into business -- because we recognize that investors' best protection against being ripped off is their own knowledge and their diligence against folks like the ones at nakedstock. These nakedstock-type emails work because they promise the thing most people invest for: increased net worth. Ever wonder why someone would point you to a get-rich-quick scheme? Because it's not you who's supposed to get rich.
At Motley Fool Hidden Gems, Tom Gardner and I practice "responsible small-cap investing." We're looking to create extraordinary wealth over the long term, with promising companies such as First Marblehead (NYSE:FMD), which has doubled for us, and II-VI (NASDAQ:IIVI), up more than 50% in a few months. We know that excellent large-cap companies such as Home Depot (NYSE:HD), Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), and OSI Restaurant Partners (NYSE:OSI) started out as excellent small caps with dedicated leaders and sound business plans. We know that there are plenty of rockets like International Assets (NASDAQ:IAAC) that are conservative and fully reporting, and that require no "nakedstock" hype job.
We concentrate on small caps that focus on making money for their business. We work to find businesses that can actually make money for you. The results are much better than what folks will find from the companies in these emails. Interested in Hidden Gems? A free 30-day access pass is yours for the asking.
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Bill Mann owns none of the companies mentioned in this article. II-VI and First Marblehead are Hidden Gems recommendations. Home Depot and OSI Restaurant Partners are Inside Value recommendations. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
