It has come to our attention that individuals purporting to be representatives or employees of Barrick Gold Corporation or its affiliates are contacting members of the public to offer fraudulent investment opportunities.
These investment schemes may involve purported exchange offers with, or takeover offers for, companies called “United Commodity AG” and “Canadian Minerals” or other small companies. They may also involve offers to broker sales of gold bullion, doré or coins to investors, offers to sell “memberships” in Barrick or its affiliates, or offers (including from a company called “Golden Compass”) to sell cryptocurrencies or digital coins supposedly backed by or associated with Barrick.
The individuals behind these schemes use various tactics and techniques in an attempt to persuade potential investors that the investment opportunities are legitimate. These include using falsified documents (such as certificates and agreements) bearing Barrick’s logo or marks, impersonation of and falsified signatures from Barrick executives, creating websites that contain content taken from Barrick’s website and may even have URLs that contain Barrick’s name, purporting to use email addresses with the barrick.com domain, and representing falsely that they are acting on behalf of Barrick.
In the past, these sorts of schemes have focused primarily on residents of Germany and other European countries. The more recent schemes also appear to be targeting prospective investors and members of the public in the United States, Nigeria, Australia and New Zealand.
Barrick is not involved in any exchange offers or takeover bids for United Commodity AG or Canadian Minerals, and we do not solicit investments from individuals in this manner, either directly or through third parties.
Neither Barrick nor any of its affiliates sells metal products directly to members of the public. Nor do we sell “memberships” in Barrick as our common shares are listed and posted for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ABX and the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GOLD. We have no involvement whatsoever in any offers to sell cryptocurrencies or digital coins. Any such offer or solicitation is illegitimate. If you are considering purchasing shares in Barrick or any other company, you may wish to consider consulting your broker or obtaining professional investment advice from a qualified investment advisor.
If you have been targeted in a scheme such as the ones described above, please contact your local law enforcement office or your local securities regulator.
If you have any questions as to whether an investment opportunity involving Barrick is legitimate, contact us directly by emailing investor@barrick.com or by calling 1-800-720-7415 (toll free in North America) or 416 861-9911 (collect).