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Established Titles controversy.

Established Titles Scam

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Updated Nov 29, 2022 at 12:04PM EST by Zach.

Added Nov 28, 2022 at 04:07PM EST by Phillip Hamilton.

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Overview

The Established Titles Scam refers to a controversy surrounding accusations that the company Established Titles, a frequent sponsor on YouTube videos that claims to allow people to buy a Lordship or Ladyship title alongside a plot of land in Scotland in support of the preservation of woodland areas there, is a scam. Established Titles sponsored videos by dozens of creators throughout 2022, including SomeOrdinaryGamers, Ben Shapiro and Logan Paul and claims to plant trees in Scotland with every plot of land purchased. In November 2022, YouTuber Scott Shafer posted a viral video explaining how the company is a scam, inspiring some creators to drop them as a sponsor.

History

What Is Established Titles

Established Titles, started by Katerina Yip, has been in business since as early as mid-2021. Along with offering Lordship and Ladyship packages, they also sell items, purportedly donating the money to eco-friendly projects in Scotland. In April 2021 they were selling 17th-century maps of Scotland designed by mapmaker John Speed.[1] That month, they also reportedly made charitable donations to children in Scotland.[2] In September 2021, they then reportedly started a tree-planting initiative in the country.[3] On the website's About page,[4] the business is described as follows:

Established Titles is a fun gift, meant for a good laugh and not to be taken too seriously. With the help of a few friends, we bought a few hundred acres of land in Scotland, have pledged to protect it and keep it as is forever, and plant a tree with every order we get through one of our tree planting partners.

The page further describes the origins of the company in a series of paragraphs written in old English, writing:

Having stumbled across the Scottish custom of landowners being referred to as Lairds (Scots for Lord) [Katerina Yip] bethought combining this with 1 square foot plots wouldst beest a wonderful way of preserving woodland in Scotland, while making a most wondrous gift for those looking for something special. The Lady did starteth Established Titles as a side project and currently works on Land Assets at Galton Voysey Limited as an Entrepreneur in Residence.

The website's FAQ page answers some questions about the company in more depth. One question asks, "Can I refer to myself as a Lord or Lady?" with the answer, "Yes" and "Most jurisdictions will allow you to update your title when you choose to do so." One of the entries on the website's FAQ[5] page asks, "What are souvenir plots?" explaining:

The plots of land themselves are recognised and referred to as 'souvenir plots' in Scotland. Though souvenir plots are typically too small to be registered with the Scottish Land Registry directly, we maintain our own private records and take our arrangements with our Lords and Ladies very seriously.

Scam Accusation by MedCrisis

On November 16th, 2022, Twitter[6] user @MedCrisis posted a thread accusing Established Titles of being a scam, garnering over 600 likes and 120 retweets in two weeks (shown below, left to right).


Medlife Crisis (8 dolla Ro) @MedCrisis - Nov 16 If you watch similar kinds of youtube channels to me, you might've noticed quite a lot of people being sponsored by something called "Established Titles', who have clearly really been splashing the cash on influencers lately. But...is it just a scam? SAVE THE SCOTTISH WOODLANDS Become a Lord Today 60 181 Medlife Crisis (8 dolla Ro) ✔ @MedCrisis 4:47 PM - Nov 16, 2022 - Twitter Web App 617 ponsorship for videos - 34500 US your ch +] Many of my friends have been approached as well, but been put off by the concept. I wasn't sure a lowly channel like mine would be on their radar, but sure enough I found some emails in the bin. *** *** Medlife Crisis (8 dolla Ro) @MedCrisis - Nov 16 They offer the opportunity to buy a square foot of Scottish Highlands, so that you can "officially" call yourself a Lord or Lady, based on an apparent historical custom. Scots - what say you? Lordship & Ladyship Title Packs Purchase a personal Lordship or Ladyship Title Pack with dedicated land in Scotland." Our Title Packs are based on a historic Scottish land ownership custom, where landowners have been long referred to as "Lairds, the Scottish term for "Lord", with the female equivalent being "Lady". *This is a parchase for a personal dedication for a souvenir plot of land. You may choose to title yourself with the title of Lord, Laird or Lady. Every Lordship or Ladyship title pack contributes to the preservation and protection of woodland areas in Scotland. As the intention is for the land to be kept in its natural state, we ask that all interested parties do bear this in mind. 17 6 Medlife Crisis (8 dolla Ro) @MedCrisis 129 A friend once bought me a plot of land on the Moon as a birthday present. Seems about as legally binding as this...and I'm as able to build on my Moon plot (I've lost the deeds anyway) as you are on your Scottish land, as it stipulates that you can't do anything with the land. 4:47 PM - Nov 16, 2022 - Twitter Web App

Medlife Crisis (8 dolla Ro) @MedCrisis - Nov 16 If it's a scheme to protect woodland, there are much more at-threat areas to protect, and it isn't a charity, so it's unclear what your money is being spent on. I don't know much about them. But I'm just kind of surprised to see many reputable youtubers taking spots from them. 13 9 Medlife Crisis (8 dolla Ro) @MedCrisis Registrant: Galton Voysey Unit C, 27th Floor Grandion Plaza 32 Cheung Sha Wan Road ai Chi Kok long Kong ... 193 Thanks for your answers, some interesting stuff. The company is Chinese, with no apparent affiliation to anything Scottish at all. I'm informed that if you attempt to visit the website from a Scottish IP address, it doesn't even show up properly. Who Owns Established Titles? 1:44 AM - Nov 17, 2022 - Twitter Web App *** Established Titles is a relatively new player in this space, and is, without doubt, the most cynical scam we have come cross. A slick website, managed by a team of Chinese entrepreneurs working at Galton Voysey. This product is as Scottish as Covid-19 and about as toxic too. If you have purchased from them, then you should probably ask for you honey back Medlife Crisis (8 dolla Ro) @MedCrisis Having done a bit more research, I think one can safely conclude that this is a scam. It's very possible that your favourite youtuber who has advertised them was not aware, so let them know. It's also possible they knew, and were happy to take a big ol' haggis stuffed with cash. What we know about Established Titles (updated March 2022) 1. Established Titles traded for at least 7 months (between April 2020 and November 2020) from a website with no company name. Their website has now been updated and states that the company behind the website is Galton Voysey Limited. 2. Their Trustpilot reviews are revealing. Please read them here before buying. Whilst you're looking at their Trustpilot review page, have a giggle at their contact address on there (it's listed as Dumfries, DG2 8AW, United Kingdom). Dumfries is a town of some 32000 people. You have to wonder whether they don't want to be found and contacted? 3. The only address on their website is Lessendrum, Huntly, AB54 6XR, Scotland. This would appear to be an area of land from which they purport to sell their souvenir plots. It doesn't appear to be the postal address of a building to which post can be delivered and therefore cannot be the registered address of any company. 4. The only named person on the website is Ms Katerina Yip, although this appears to be a spoof page written for the purposes of providing amusement rather than information for customers. 5. Although they are charging $50, the standard offering is only a downloadable certificate. Anything printed costs $30 extra and a frame costs an additional $59! 6. They have been promoting a 80% discount "sale" on their website for over a year now, so make of that what you will. 7. It seems they are only pretending to have a presence in Scotland. There is no way of telling if they've ever even visited the country. : 1:44 AM - Nov 17, 2022- Twitter Web App


Scott Shafer's "Established Titles Scam" Video

On November 23rd, 2022, YouTuber[7] Scott Shafer posted a video titled, "Established Titles Scam -YouTube's BIGGEST Con! Graham Stephan & Andrei Jikh." In the video, he shows several clips of YouTubers advertising Established Titles on their videos and proceeds to describe how he believes the company is a scam.

He begins the video by claiming they aren't selling you land at all, instead selling a "gag gift" known as a souvenir plot. He then details how there is a law in Scotland that does not allow plots of land as small as what Established Titles offers to be sold. He adds that if you were to go to Scotland to claim the land, you "would be laughed at because you don't actually own anything," Established Titles still owns it.

Shafer then disputes the claim that you can use "Lord," "Laird" or "Lady" as an official title after purchasing the land, citing an official statement from "the highest court in Scotland" to prove this. He goes on to claim that Established Titles does not plant trees with every purchase. Instead, they donate money to a tree-planting company called One Tree Planted and have purportedly never provided evidence that they do so. According to Shafer, the land that the company owns is already part of a protected plot and therefore does not help the environment.

After explaining this, Shafer looks deeper into the company's founder, Katerina Yip, showcasing her LinkedIn[8] profile. According to her profile, she is based out of Hong Kong and is "Co-Founder & President at fail ventures" and a board member at Galton Voysey and Trifecta Retail Ventures. According to Shafer, Fail Ventures is responsible for numerous "scammy" e-commerce sites, including DealDash, Galton Voysey, Kamikoto Knives and Established Titles. Kamikoto Knives also sponsors YouTuber videos. DealDash has been sued in the past for running what NBC News[9] reported as "perverse lotteries."

Shafer's video proceeded to gain over 2.1 million views in four days, largely helping to spread awareness of the controversy online (seen below).



At one point, Scott Shafer had a list of the names of all known YouTubers who have been sponsored by Established Titles pinned to the video.[10] The list has been removed, but Shafer posted an unlisted, 12-minute long video to YouTube[11] on November 26th where he shows clips of dozens of YouTubers promoting Established Titles, including the timestamped list in a pinned comment, garnering over 48,000 views in two days (shown below). In the description, he discourages anyone from using the list to harass creators.



Established Titles' Response

On November 24th, 2022, Established Titles emailed a response letter to their frequent YouTube partners responding to the claims that they're a scam, calling the accusations an "unfounded attack based on bogus claims." They refute claims that they're a scam and say creators are spreading these rumors for views. They also write that the "attack" undermines their work, writing, "In the past two years, we have done more tangible work in donating to plant over 2 million trees," although they offer no evidence for this.

The letter also claims that they will refund anybody who wants a refund, that the title packages are meant to be a fun gift, nothing serious, and that no new information about their company was brought to light with these accusations, writing, "We have always been clear that our certificates are based on a historic Scottish custom of calling landowners 'Laids/Lords or Ladies" […] it does not grant you the right to rule or make you a member of any royal family." The letter was shared by YouTuber[15] Internet Anarchist on November 28th after he was sent one by the company (shown below, left, response letter, right).


ESTABLISHED TITLES 24 November 2022 We have recently come under a targeted, completely unfounded attack based on bogus claims, from someone making a career out of personal attacks in an attempt to gain viewership. We deeply appreciate those creators that have come out in support for us, and people who have voiced their refusal to participate in this cruel and vicious attempt to cancel and slander us. We are also deeply shocked that he would encourage an attack on other creators, based on warping information that has already been openly shared and available from the very beginning. We ask that creators standby what they believe, and assess the claims for themselves. Established Titles is a fun gift, meant for a good laugh and we have been absolutely transparent about this from day one. To compare us to going into someone's house and stealing is deeply offensive, and not only undermines our own work, but the good work of the charities and the creators that we have worked with. In the past two years, we have done more tangible work in the preservation of the woodlands in Scotland than anyone else to our knowledge. This includes donating to plant over 2 million trees and acquiring over hundreds of acres of land and contractually committing to preserve it in its natural state. This year, we are slated to be Trees for the Future's Giving Tuesday partner, matching all donations up to $50,000. It is a shame that this attempt to cancel us will make these efforts in the future that much harder. All the funding for Established Titles has come from Galton Voysey Limited (which has been mainly funded by William Wolfram). Without this funding, we would have never been able to acquire our initial plots of land in Scotland or invest in bold marketing efforts as we have. This has led to hundreds of acres of land being conserved, and millions of trees planted, not to mention the thousands of smiles on people's faces as they gift it to their family members, loved ones, close friends, and in some cases even their pets! Galton Voysey has supported us since day one, even though they knew that their initial funding for this conservation project would most likely lead to financial loss. This year alone, Galton Voysey has made a multi-million dollar loss on Established Titles (sponsoring all those videos isn't cheap!), but has continued to give their full support as they strongly believe that Established Titles will not only grow to become a terrific business in the long run, but also a great example of how you can do well by doing good. After all, what other business of our size has planted over 2 million trees in such a short period of time, while conserving hundreds of acres of woodland? We have always hoped that all our customers enjoy the experience as much as we do - and the vast, vast majority of our Lord and Ladies do, but if they don't for whatever reason, we have always honored refund and cancellation requests fully, and we still donate to plant a tree for the order regardless. With respect to the other claims; there has been absolutely nothing 'new brought to light'. We bought a couple hundred acres of land in Scotland, have pledged to protect it and keep it as is forever, and plant a tree with every order we get through one of our tree-planting partners. We have always been clear that our certificates are based on a historic Scottish custom of calling I am American and moved to Hong Kong as a child from Paris with my family, before moving to the UK as a young adult. I moved back to Hong Kong, as many do, for my family. To use the place of my childhood as a tool in trying to create a witchhunt is mean and hurtful. We appreciate the support we have received so far from both our customers and you, our creators, and we hope you will have the strength to stand by and not join in with the mob. However, we understand that this is no easy task, and we will not hold it against you if you prefer to sit this one out. If you want to cancel any existing bookings or future contracts with us, we will accept all cancellations without question, but with great regret. Thank you, KOD

Online Response

Following Shafer's viral video, numerous YouTubers who were sponsored by Established Titles announced they were cutting ties with the company. On November 24th, 2022, YouTubers[12][13] The Quartering and SomeOrdinaryGamers responded to the video, announcing they were cutting ties, garnering over 324,000 and 600,000 views respectively in four days (shown below, left and right). On November 25th, YouTuber[14] TehMimi posted a similar video. On November 28th, YouTuber[16] Browntable announced on Twitter[16] that he was cutting ties with Established Titles.



Search Interest

External References

[1] Established Titles – Established Titles Offers 17th Century Map of the Kingdome of Scotland By Famed English Mapmaker John Speed

[2] ET – Established Titles Announces Charitable Donations to Children in Scotland

[3] ET – Established Titles Starts Tree Planting Initiative in An Effort

[4] ET – About Us

[5] ET – FAQS

[6] Twitter – MedCrisis

[7] YouTube – shafer

[8] LinkedIn – Katerina Yip

[9] NBC News – DealDash Penny Auction Sued for Running 'Perverse Lotteries'

[10] Twitter – Bowblax

[11] YouTube – Established Titles Sponsorship Video List

[12] YouTube – TheQuartering

[13] YouTube – SomeOrdinaryGamers

[14] YouTube – tehmimi

[15] YouTube – Internet Anarchist

[16] Twitter – Browntable_Ent

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