First it was Johnny Depp who had allegedly bought a Greek island for more than 4 million euro. Then it was glam couple Brat Pitt and Angelina Jolie who had an eye on another Greek island. A few days ago, it was billionaire Warren Buffett who had allegedly spent whole 15 millions to buy another island in the Argosaronic Gulf near Athens. All news were just bluff. And thus an Italian bluff orchestrated by real estate company Proto Group and its CEO Alessandro Proto.
“It was a social experiment,” Proto Group managers told Greek news website Proto Thema that has nothing to do with the Proto Group.
“Thanks to these news, Greece became the center of the business world!” the Proto Group managers admitted without getting blushed in a letter they sent to Proto Thema.
“The controversial Italian real estate company published the alleged ‘Greek islands sales’ in in the press and rather than apologizing for the inconvenience it caused, it refereed to it as ‘social experiment’ made to see the investors’ reactions.” comment Proto Thema and adds “The Proto Group wanted also to show how easy it is to “manipulate the political and financial means.”
In their letter, the Proto Group managers claimed further that thanks to such news, “Greece became the center of business and many investors have learned how to invest in Greece, how to take advantage of opportunities and thereby to start investing in Greece again.”
The bluff was revealed after a press officer of Warren Buffett denied that the billionaire had bought any Greek island.
According to Reuters:
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said on Tuesday that media reports that he and Italian real estate agent Alessandro Proto together purchased the island of St. Thomas, southwest of Athens, are “a total fabrication.”
“Until the reports started coming out I had never heard of the guy (Proto) who is making the claims about the Greek Island,” Buffett said in a statement emailed by a spokeswoman.
PS and if we, Greeks, manage to escape scams of all kind trying to take advantage of the situation and misuse the brand name Greece, we will happily live ever after hugging our beloved islands and islets 🙂
I dont see to much of a problem in selling small potentially uninhabited islands so long as you keep the law that all beaches are open to the public. Let some rich folks buy the island then just go there party hard and let them clean up the mess 😉
Btw. Warren Buffet is a prime example that not all rich people are nasty shits.
Johnny Depp already has an island.
* Australian Headlines: May 2015.
Chinese Property Investment through the roof: What it really means.
Figures out this week show the Chinese are pumping money into the Australian ptoperty market like never before.
* ABC Radio:
Real eatate agents cash in on Chinese buying spree.
* The Sydney Morning Herald 2014.
Chinese property investors are pushing into Sydney & Melbourne.
And there are more stories.
None of these stories are true.
It is the FALED Australian bakning sector
And the no account Australian Main stream Media trying to kick start a seriously stagnant economy.
An economy that they have decimated.
My brother in law Paul is in real estate.