StreetSweeper Burns Sunpeak

There's a fair chance that anyone with an email address that has ever signed up to received penny stock picks has gotten an email recently about Sunpeaks Ventures

. This writer has received more than a dozen this week alone. In late trading Thursday, the stock of what was once a Nevada shell corporation and is now supposedly a Maryland-based vitamin maker surged 10.4% today, but

, the noted short-selling firm and reporter of financial frauds is looking into the hot stock. In the past five days alone, Sunpeak has surged appoximately 74% and in the past month, the stock has more than doubled, taking it from micro-cap status to the land of small-caps. As StreetSweeper notes, Sunpeak has been touted by the powerful Awesome Penny Stocks and that triggered an avalanche of 50 promoters across over 350 newsletters to tout Sunpeak in the past month. "...the faceless players behind APS pocketed at least $250 million on their stock promotions last year," StreetSweeper reported. Sunpeak has been looking to tout its pricy vitamin, Clotamin and even enlisted the help of former all-star NBA player Paul Silas to pitch the product. There has also been speculation the company might be close to an agreement with Portland Trailblazers

. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) began an investigation into Sunpeak's extraordinary trading activity last month and CEO Mackie Barch automatically told investors that, as the only insider who owns the stock, he still held all of his own shares, StreetSweeper reported. After Barch was able to assuage skittish investors, the promotions by Awesome Penny Stocks and others escalated, helping send Sunpeak above $1 for the first time. There's no denying the promotional tactics have worked – for now at least. StreetSweeper notes the good times probably won't last forever and Sunpeak could be in for a big fall, citing the examples of stocks previously touted by Awesome Penny Stocks including North Springs Resources

, HDI International

and Mistral Ventures

to name a few.