scam

Disney actor Erik von Detten is being sued for allegedly scamming an elderly couple in a bizarre precious-metals scheme.

The “Brink!” and “Princess Diaries” star — alongside Rosland Capital, a Los Angeles-based precious-metals asset management and sales firm where Detten worked as an account representative — is accused of scamming Sheila Greenberg, 85, and her husband, Norman Greenberg, 97. According to the lawsuit, filed in May, Rosland Capital and Von Detten persuaded the couple to invest more than $2 million of their retirement savings in gold coins worth only $1.3 million.

Representatives for Von Detten could not immediately be reached.

According to the court documents, obtained by The Times, the Greenbergs called the firm after seeing several Rosland Capital commercials on TV, which they claim were “designed in large part to appeal to senior citizens.”

“The advertisements warn of dire consequences facing retirees in the United States, coupled with concerns like runaway debt, inflation, political turmoil and the ever-devaluing dollar,” reads the suit. “The commercials tout the security of gold, silver and other precious metals against imminent financial chaos and tell of the benefits of ‘investing’ through Rosland Capital. Viewers are told that ‘investing’ through Rosland Capital is a way to protect hard-earned wealth.”

When the Greenbergs asked the firm for their “top advisor,” they claim they were connected with Von Detten. “They were very clear with Von Detten that they had never invested in gold or other precious metals and really knew very little about these things,” reads the suit. “They told Von Detten they were of advanced age as they thought it important to someone who was going to help them invest in gold bullion as part of their IRA. They told Von Detten that they wanted a trusted and knowledgeable advisor. And after speaking with him they were so sufficiently impressed that they disclosed that their combined Traditional IRA account balances were in excess of $2,000,000.”

According to the filing, the former teen heartthrob earned the couple’s trust, told the couple to leave the decision-making up to him, and that he was “very knowledgeable in precious metals and precious metal IRA accounts and would make very specific recommendations that meet the Greenberg’s needs.”

The Greenbergs allege that they rolled over the entirety of their traditional IRA accounts into the gold IRA, per Von Detten’s insistence. They said they paid $2,146,958.22 for gold coins worth roughly $1,360,925.00, “without any notion that in a matter of just two weeks” their retirement accounts had been sapped of more than $780,000.

After the couple’s retirement accounts were drained, they say Von Detten convinced them to invest another $114,000 through a family trust.

Rosland Capital filed for bankruptcy in July.

The actor, who also starred in the TV series “So Weird” and the 1997 film “Leave It to Beaver,” was a star on the rise through the ’90s and early aughts. His career in Hollywood fizzled out over the last two decades. According to IMDb, he acted in the 2024 thriller “My Acting Coach Nightmare” and in 2010, he voiced Sid in “Toy Story 3,” a role he also played in the 1995 original. In 2018, he joined Rosland Capital.

Scott, from Cheshire, had visited Hurghada in Egypt twice before, but a taxi ride back from a nightclub on his last trip has put him off returning to the Red Sea destination for good

A Brit has vowed never to return to an Egyptian holiday hotspot after he was scammed.

Scott, from Cheshire, had visited Hurghada in Egypt twice before, but a taxi ride back from a nightclub on his last trip has put him off returning for good. Despite being warned by holiday reps to agree to a total fare before getting in, Scott and his friends ended up paying well over the odds by the end of the ride.

“The worst part is how it’s stuck with me. I’d been to Hurghada twice before and enjoyed it, but that one journey ruined the whole holiday. You forget all the good bits, and that’s the part that stays with you. It’s put me off going back for good,” Scott told the Mirror.

The incident unfolded after an evening out in the beach resort city, which sits on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

“It was the strangest taxi journey I’ve ever experienced. We’d been told to always agree on a total price before getting in, so that’s what we did. But partway back, the driver pulled over and went off to get himself some food,” Scott explained.

When they got back to the hotel, the taxi driver announced a different, much higher price than they’d expected.

“When we finally got back to the hotel, he suddenly wanted us to pay per person. It felt like, these are tourists, we’re going to rinse them,” Scott said. The situation quickly escalated when the driver mentioned that they would call the police. Unable to speak the local language and unsure whose side the police would take, Scott focused on keeping things calm, and the group ended up paying more than they had agreed just to bring it to an end. “My friend was getting really anxious, and all I could think was, if the police turn up, who are they going to believe?” he explained .