OECI to Aggressively Combat Naked Short Selling of OTC Bulletin Board Stocks

August 06, 2003 (PRLEAP.COM) Business News
Toronto – Orbit E-Commerce, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: OECI), Orbit E-Commerce Inc. ("OECI' or the "Company') today declared its intention to aggressively combat naked short selling of OTC Bulletin Board stock. This is expected to improve stability in the value of its stock and improve long-term investor confidence in the market.

OECI is asking its shareholders and the shareholders of all other OTC Bulletin Board companies affected by naked short selling to demand delivery of their stock certificates from their brokers. A list of companies known to be affected is posted on OECI's web site: www.orbitecommerce.com. Also on this web site, investors will find a form letter to send their brokers requesting delivery of their stock certificates as well as related information of interest to affected parties. All shareholders should be aware that they are entitled to receive their certificates and these can be held by the shareholder or their designated broker.

The Company expects this process to bring into the "open' the extent of naked short selling and to force naked short sellers to "cover' their sales as investors who have, in theory, "purchased' stock from these short sellers will now need the actual certificates. Investors and/or their brokers are encouraged to contact their company's investor relations representatives if they encounter any difficulties acquiring their stock certificates. OECI shareholders should e-mail all relevant information to the Company at info@orbitecommerce if they have problems acquiring their stock certificates.

To be clear, OECI is of the view that short selling, as opposed to naked short selling, is a legitimate stock trading activity that involves borrowing and selling stock to be purchased at a later date. On the other hand, naked short selling involves selling shares, without actually borrowing them (i.e., without cover). With a naked short sale, there is no stock available for transfer to the buyer (as no stock was actually borrowed or is ultimately purchased to complete the transaction). This is the reason shareholders are unable to acquire physical possession of their purchased stock and why OECI has received the complaints referred to above. With naked shorting, there is no tangible limit to the number of shares that may be sold, which means that the price of the stock can only go in one direction – down – regardless of any good news produced by the company. This obviously negatively affects investors with long positions and impacts on their companies' ability to raise funds, which means expansion is difficult and business opportunities cannot be considered. Moreover, until there is pressure to deliver the stock certificate, naked short sellers profit on their sale is 100%.

Naked shorting has been a significant issue for OECI and its shareholders (and hundreds of other OTC BB listing companies) for approximately two years. OECI has received numerous complaints from many shareholders and stock brokers that they are unable to obtain physical possession of their share certificates. The Company, on behalf of these shareholders has complained to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC'), the National Association of Securities Dealers ("NASD'), and the Depository Trust Company ("DTC'), which maintains an electronic database of shares in their possession. OECI believes that it is the rapid growth in electronic trading (vs. trading in certificates) in recent years that has allowed the problem of naked shorting to expand exponentially.

Therefore, to address the problem, OECI is now calling on its shareholders and those of other affected OTC Bulletin Board companies to demand delivery of their stock certificates and thereby cause the elimination of naked shorting on their stock. It is expected that the immediate result of this pressure will be demand for stock as naked short sellers scramble to cover their position – likely causing a short term increase in price. Ultimately, once the market is cleansed of naked short sellers, the price of the stock will more accurately reflect only the performance of the company and the systemic factors that affect all stocks over time – not the actions of market manipulators taking advantage of flaws in the electronic trading system.

Over the coming weeks and months, OECI intends to raise the profile of this issue with a regular release of information and to bring this problem to the attention of the financial media. OECI will also be investigating the potential of bringing legal action against the individuals that carry out this activity and those organizations that facilitate them. OECI invites comments and support from all those affected by this problem.

About Orbit E-Commerce Inc.:
Orbit E-Commerce Inc. (OECI) is bringing new ideas to the communications marketplace. By combining Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technologies with a proprietary network design, OECI offers residential and business consumers unique, bundled communication services, which are now available for the first time from a single provider. Orbit\'s technology allows it to provide bundled services at very competitive pricing compared to traditional telecommunications companies.
OECI HOLDS 49% OF Phoenix TelNet LLC, a private Delaware registered company whose major asset is an extensive Voice Over the Internet Protocol (VoIP) long distance telecommunications network with points of presence located in 24 of the largest urban centres in the United States and Toronto, in Canada.

OECI Contact Information:
Douglas Lloyd (CEO)
Orbit E-Commerce Inc.
14845 Yonge Street
Aurora, Ontario
L4G 6H8

Telephone: (416) 850-7139
E-Mail: info@orbitecommerce.com

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy any securities of Orbit E-Commerce, Inc., nor shall there be any sale of any such security in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This and other news releases from Orbit E-Commerce may contain forward-looking statements with respect to the outlook for earnings and revenues, other future financial or business performance, strategies and expectations. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as \"believe,\" \"expect,\" \"estimate,\" \"potential,\" or future/conditional verbs such as \"will,\" \"should\" and \"could\" or variations of such words and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. However, their absence does not mean that the statement is not forward-looking.