SFM Offshore - are they good?

[aage]

I have been researching at Nevis and Isle of Man company and came in touch with SFM offshore, SFM | Offshore Company Setup | Incorporation Services I got a proposal for a Nevis company they can do with mail forwarding, and bank account.

The website claim they are the world's #1 😉 in online company formation.

How reliable is this company, can we trust them?

 

[Suzy Emerald]

They are no good. Search on the forum for other threads on them.

 

[Perry8]

Hi, I have used SFM Offshore three times. I have ordered two Gibraltar companies and one Nevis company through them. I have recived the Gibraltar companies, but it took some time. The Nevis company is still in processing.

The problem with these guys is that do not tell you anything up front. So, it always ends up in a lot of e-mails back and forth. I think the reason is that the "manager" you get assign sits in Dubai or Hong Kong, and he has no idea whatsoever of what the local agent needs to open the company.

With the Nevis company I was first asked to provide the normal documentation. (It is a bit more for Nevis companies than some other jurisdictions). Once these was provided, they turned out to be wrong because they needed them in a specific form (typically a reference letter needed a specific wording). Now, everything is suppsed to be ok, so I am just waiting for the registration.

With one of the Gibraltar companies I tried a bank introduction. This turned out to be worthless. I also used the nominee service. I got a nominee, but the guy was in Seychells and probably a nominee for a zillion companies.

If you know what you are doing, you can use them. Prices are not too bad. But, if you are a newbie or want extra services such as nominee or other stuff I would not recommend.

 

[djaheim]

aage said:
I have been researching at Nevis and Isle of Man company and came in touch with SFM offshore, SFM | Offshore Company Setup | Incorporation Services I got a proposal for a Nevis company they can do with mail forwarding, and bank account.

The website claim they are the world's #1 😉 in online company formation.

How reliable is this company, can we trust them?
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Absolutely garbage, wouldn't touch them with a 12 ft pole!

 

[anotherone]

I tried to order a Seychelles IBC at SFM offshore. Just after I placed the order, my contact name went on leave. I instantly understood that something was wrong. I sent all my documents. They emailed me saying that two of signatures were different; It was a lie.

Long story short, I was scammed by SFM offshore and I lost 2500 euros.

 

[djaheim]

anotherone said:
I tried to order a Seychelles IBC at SFM offshore. Just after I placed the order, my contact name went on leave. I instantly understood that something was wrong. I sent all my documents. They emailed me saying that two of signatures were different; It was a lie.

Long story short, I was scammed by SFM offshore and I lost 2500 euros.
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Yes they are shitty like that

 

[Sols]

SFM used to be good, even among the best of the cheaper service providers. Nowadays, I wouldn't go anywhere near them.

At the most, maybe they can be useful for forming a company (if you're not in a rush), get a bank account (their banking network is pretty good), and then move the company to another service provider.

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This is the probably the answer to your question.

 

[aage]

great, thank you for your input. How would you rate their banking network and you think this network is still alive in 2020 ?

 

[Perry8]

aage said:
great, thank you for your input. How would you rate their banking network and you think this network is still alive in 2020 ?
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I have tried this only once and that is just some months ago. I was opening a Gibraltar company and asked for their bank introduction service. I then got the choice of an offshore bank, a Gibraltar bank, or a Swiss bank. I said I wanted a Gibraltar bank. I then got the message back that this was difficult and that a Swiss bank was much better. The one they tried to introduce me to was CIM, and with a large initial deposit. When I did not want that, they directed me to an EMI provider. Case closed. They had done their job.

I think they once had a great network of banks, and probably still have in some cases. In my case it was just waste of time and money.

 

[Silvio]

Perry8 said:
I have tried this only once and that is just some months ago. I was opening a Gibraltar company and asked for their bank introduction service. I then got the choice of an offshore bank, a Gibraltar bank, or a Swiss bank. I said I wanted a Gibraltar bank. I then got the message back that this was difficult and that a Swiss bank was much better. The one they tried to introduce me to was CIM, and with a large initial deposit. When I did not want that, they directed me to an EMI provider. Case closed. They had done their job.

I think they once had a great network of banks, and probably still have in some cases. In my case it was just waste of time and money.
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Which Gibraltar bank they offered - was it Jyske or NatWest?

It's funny how many providers present good banks as available and then suddenly they are "difficult", as if they didn't know it .. just to refer you to CIM which you can approach directly.

 

[Spinat]

I would have been surprised if they had a better network of banks then any of the other low budget providers. As said here already. CIM Bank does not require a introducer and as such it is waste of time and money!

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[Perry8]

maxmmm said:
Which Gibraltar bank they offered - was it Jyske or NatWest?
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They never said. I talked to another guy that also have opened a Gibraltar company with SFM, and he was offered Turicum Private Bank. But, with a very high initial deposit.

blueweb said:
I would have been surprised if they had a better network of banks then any of the other low budget providers. As said here already. CIM Bank does not require a introducer and as such it is waste of time and money!
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I do not think they have much of a network. All I ended up with in the whole of Europe was a not very reputable EMI. Anyone could do better than that! And yes, I know that you can just contact CIM. You do not need an introduction. After using SFM a number of times, I think I understand better how they operate. They use local agents in most jurisdictions, and it is the agent that has the connections.

 

[clemens]

Perry8 said:
They use local agents in most jurisdictions, and it is the agent that has the connections.
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So you better contact an agent directly in that jurisdiction of your choice. Makes things even cheaper and faster. This company is nothing else then a huge reseller for services they are unable to provide or which are useless.

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[Perry8]

clemens said:
So you better contact an agent directly in that jurisdiction of your choice. Makes things even cheaper and faster. This company is nothing else then a huge reseller for services they are unable to provide or which are useless.
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Of course. But, the problem is that most people have no idea that this is the business model, and they also have no way of finding these local agents.

 

[aage]

Perry8 said:
Of course. But, the problem is that most people have no idea that this is the business model, and they also have no way of finding these local agents.
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almost every offshore jurisdiction has a list of certified agents, accountants and lawyers, it is not difficult to find it in most cases.

I realize if you are new to all of this you pick the first and the best showing up on Google and just trust this hit! That's why OffshoreCorpTalk can be a great help if you are lucky to find this forum before you find an agent!

 

[clemens]

Perry8 said:
Of course. But, the problem is that most people have no idea that this is the business model, and they also have no way of finding these local agents.
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You want to Google officials sites for certified accountants or law firms as well as introducer services and advisory services, most often it is the way to find the lists.

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[sullyferdinand]

anotherone said:
I tried to order a Seychelles IBC at SFM offshore. Just after I placed the order, my contact name went on leave. I instantly understood that something was wrong. I sent all my documents. They emailed me saying that two of signatures were different; It was a lie.

Long story short, I was scammed by SFM offshore and I lost 2500 euros.
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If somebody goes on leave but another person follow up its not a big deal, not only for this industry but basically for any except a doctor or psychologist

What do you mean that signatures were different?

clemens said:
So you better contact an agent directly in that jurisdiction of your choice. Makes things even cheaper and faster. This company is nothing else then a huge reseller for services they are unable to provide or which are useless.
Click to expand...

Agree, as i said in another thread, if you want a company registered in X country, check who are the registered agents there and contact a local company there. It will be obviously cheaper than hiring a corporate service provider, regardless of the company. Not SFM-offshore only but all others providers as well

 

[SFM Customer Service]

djaheim said:
Absolutely garbage, wouldn't touch them with a 12 ft pole!
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Dear Sir, we are sorry to hear about your experience. Please could you provide some more insights so we can rectify any issues? Thank you.

 

[SFM Customer Service]

anotherone said:
I tried to order a Seychelles IBC at SFM offshore. Just after I placed the order, my contact name went on leave. I instantly understood that something was wrong. I sent all my documents. They emailed me saying that two of signatures were different; It was a lie.

Long story short, I was scammed by SFM offshore and I lost 2500 euros.
Click to expand...

Dear Sir, we are sorry to hear your feedback. We can help rectify the situation and assist you in finding an optimum solution. Kindly provide us with your client identification number. Thank you.

 

[clemens]

sullyferdinand said:
Agree, as i said in another thread, if you want a company registered in X country, check who are the registered agents there and contact a local company there. It will be obviously cheaper than hiring a corporate service provider, regardless of the company. Not SFM-offshore only but all others providers as well
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I agree, if SFM offshore is only a reseller it would be stupid to go through them to get a company setup. Most offshore jurisdictions have a public register of certified service providers i.e. Seychelles, Belize, Cyprus etc. that means agents allowed to setup IBC's with the regitrar directly.

There have been horrible stories about SFM and others so I try avoid them all.

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