Standard Life Pensions has facilitated much of the World’s worst pension fraud in the past fifteen years. It is one of UK’s biggest pension providers and is part of the huge Phoenix Group. Standard Life should have known better than to transfer hundreds of victims’ pensions into the hands of the various pension fraudsters and […]
STANDARD LIFE – STANDARD PENSION FRAUD Read More »
Isle of Man or Isle of Scam? After publishing the recent Pension Life blog about fraud operated and facilitated in Malta – it became clear there was an urgent need to shut down the rogue Maltese QROPS trustees. These firms act as the intermediary between the fraudulent secret commissions paid by the Isle of Man
ISLE OF MAN – OR ISLE OF SCAM? Read More »
21st August 2025, saw the first hearing in the Serious Fraud Office’s criminal trial of some of the players in the Store First pension scam. The pension schemes involved included bogus occupational schemes Capita Oak and Henley Retirement Benefits Scheme – as well as various SIPPS including Carey Pensions and Berkeley Burke. Appearing in the
STORE FIRST SFO FRAUD PROSECUTIONS Read More »
MALTA – THE ALTAR OF FRAUD Malta has a long history of facilitating not just massive-scale pension fraud, but all types of financial fraud as well. Recent reports indicate a sharp increase in fraud cases and financial losses in the grubby little island of Malta. A corrupt jurisdiction where neither the financial regulator nor the
MALTA – THE ALTAR OF FRAUD Read More »
Jody Smart, sole director of Continental Wealth Management, has been found guilty of fraud, deception and swindling two clients out of £370,000 and sentenced to four years and three months in prison.
CWM Fraudster Jody “Smart” Jailed in Spain Read More »
Since 2013, thousands of clients of Planet Pensions – previously known as Aktiva Wealth Management and Square Mile International Financial Services – have been scammed out of their pensions. John Ferguson and David Vilka of Planet Pensions (Square Mile/Aktiva) advised UK residents to transfer their pensions into QROPS including: The clients were conned into these
PLANET PENSIONS S.R.O. – HELL ON EARTH FOR PENSION SCAM VICTIMS Read More »
The Post Office scandal is routinely referred to as being the worst betrayal of justice in British history. It is hard to argue that there could be anything worse than what the liars and fraudsters at Post Office Limited and Fujitsu (and their various lawyers) did to hundreds of innocent sub postmasters. But the Life
POST OFFICE V LIFE OFFICE Read More »
High Court Rules in Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund Case against James Hadley and associates. In a recent High Court judgment, Judge Mr. Nicholas Thompsell found that the Cayman-Islands based Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund (TMAF) was involved in an illegal conspiracy to “extract commissions from the investments.” The defendants, who were also behind the 2013 Store
Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund Judgement Read More »
For over a decade, life offices (more accurately known as “death” offices) have been the centre of millions of pounds’ worth of destroyed pensions. So here we are going to name the top 3 worst life offices… These are just some of the things they’ve been up to: Collaborating with scammers: unregulated, rogue firms posing
TOP 3 WORST LIFE OFFICES Read More »
Spain is, sadly, the World’s capital of wealth scamming. For more than a decade, wealth planning has been perverted and converted into a commission-laden fraud. This financial crime has relieved thousands of victims of their pensions and life savings. Originally a private Swiss bank, Julius Baer now wants to diversify into the Spanish wealth market.
Fraud in Spain – Julius Baer Read More »
Our last blog in this series recreated the offshore pension scam process. We covered the set up and hard sell. The slick salesman prepared the unwitting victim and convinced him his pension would be better off out of the UK. The silver-tongued spiv, Darren, posing as an adviser, conned his new client with no problem
Pension Scams Explained – Stage 2 Read More »
I don’t often disagree with highly-regarded pensions expert Henry Tapper. Too much respect and awe. But his recent blog: “The Balls of Old Bailey” (about Andrew Bailey) merits a polite argument. It has made me cross – not cross with Henry, per se. But cross with the failure of Britain’s culture, government, regulation and legal
THE BOLLOCKS OF OLD BAILEY Read More »
On the web of pension scams It seems as though criminal convictions against pension scammers might be getting popular. More than a decade has gone by with virtually none of the usual suspects getting jailed – despite a few criminal investigations (that, so far, have not resulted in convictions). Is the system really that hopeless
The Web of Pension Scams Read More »
Every offshore pension scam starts with a “financial advisor”. Or, at least, a slick salesman posing as a financial adviser. This person can also call himself a “wealth consultant” or “senior associate”. After the scammer pretending to be an adviser, the next player is the life office. More accurately described as a “death” office, this
Pension Scams Explained Read More »
At the end of January 2022, Boris Johnson claimed he had reduced crime by 14%. Boris shocked a lot of people with this figure. But, apparently, he wasn’t talking about fraud. He’d forgotten that even some of his own constituents had been defrauded into the Ark pension scam (and that he had promised to “sort
Boris on Crime (I see no fraud!) Read More »
2021 was a tough year for everybody in the world. But for Pension Life it was especially frustrating because courts and law firms were severely held up as they got to grips with the challenges of Covid, travel restrictions and working remotely. Attending hearings and meetings by video conference was a hit-or-miss affair. The success
2021/22 Roundup for Pension Life Read More »
The world of pension and investment scams is dominated and driven by commissions on investments (usually unregulated). The scammers’ strategy is always identical: get the pensions away from the safety of a reputable pension provider and into the hands of a SIPP, a SSAS or a QROPS. One purported benefit of these types of schemes
Pension Scam Investments Read More »
haps “the end” will be just the beginning. A new dawn for an offshore financial services industry which sells proper financial advice – and not just commission-laden products.
CRIMINAL CASE AGAINST UNLICENSED FINANCIAL ADVISERS Read More »
The FCA seems to have woken up. It only took eleven years. Eleven years of laziness, torpor, disinterest and deliberately ignoring the problem. But, completely out of the blue, the FCA has suddenly got bored with crapping on bathroom floors and has decided to do a spot of rather belated regulating. The object of this
FCA Investigates Ark and AES Read More »
Utmost (formerly Generali) is proposing buying Quilter (formerly Old Mutual). The deal is due to be completed by December 2021. The agreed price is nearly half a billion pounds. It is reported that Margrethe Vestager, Vice President of the European Commission, has “approved” this acquisition. The “approval” by the European Commission of this deal is
Utmost Fraud approved by EU Commission Read More »
Brev at Bond Review has been doing the FCA’s job for it for more than four years. He (or she) has warned the public on the excellent Bond Review blog about the dangers of investment scams in the form of “bonds”. While the FCA have sat around doing little of any use – except keeping
Goodbye Bond Review Read More »
The following blog was written by Stephen Sefton: a Blackmore Global Victim who cares about pension scams. Stephen was scammed by David Vilka of Square Mile International Financial Services around six or seven years ago. Vilka, who had neither qualifications nor a license to provide pension or investment advice, arranged the transfer of Mr. Sefton’s
Blackmore Global pension scam victim who cares Read More »
Pension scams have been destroying lives for more than a decade. The scammers cause poverty, marriage breakdowns and even death. Death caused by stress-related illness. And death by suicide. A typical pension scam involves an unlicensed person pretending to be a financial adviser. This is illegal. But it goes on all the time, in the
Who cares about Careys and the world of pension scams? Read More »
The Spanish criminal trial of so-called “financial advisers” in Denia has exposed the widespread fraud routinely committed in offshore financial services for over a decade. This particular stage of this particular trial may be directed at just eight members of Continental Wealth Management and Premier Pension Solutions. For now. But the case – brought by
Fraud Trial Against Pension Scammers in Spain Read More »
January 28/29 2021 saw the cross examination of Stephen Ward in Pension Life’s criminal case in the Denia court. Ward gave the judge an elaborate explanation as to how and why none of the Continental Wealth Management pension and investment scams were his fault. Ward provided the pension transfer “advice” to hundreds of Continental Wealth
Vicious Circle of Stephen Ward’s and Dalriada’s pension scams. Read More »
One of my all-time favourite comedy lines is Greg Davies describing his middle-aged love life as “like trying to stuff a marshmallow up a cat’s arse”. My second-favourite comedy line is “Andrew Bailey has been such a failure at the FCA, that we’re going to put him in charge of the Bank of England”. My
Paul Feeney of Quilter and the Marshmallow Regulator Read More »
In the past decade, millions of pounds of pensions and life savings have been destroyed in Spain. Much of this has involved insurance bonds (OMI, SEB and Generali) – as well as all other popular expat countries. Only by benefitting from lessons learned so painfully by those who’ve already been scammed, can new potential victims
Armed Against Pension Scams in Spain Read More »
The recent awards given to Quilter Cheviot and Quilter International by International Adviser (sponsored by Quilter) must have sickened and disgusted many Quilter (OMI/Skandia) victims. Editor Kirsten Hastings’ saccharine and gushing words of praise will have been seen as offensive in the extreme by the thousands of victims who have lost their pensions and life
Manita Khuller Award – Justice Against All Odds Read More »
Life offices who caused the death of victims and their life savings/pensions, will now face proceedings in the Spanish civil courts. Pension Life’s proceedings against the defendants are due to be launched before Christmas 2020. The defendants will be Quilter International (Ireland), SEB and Generali (which has changed its name to Utmost Wealth). In the
Spanish litigation: Quilter Ireland, SEB and Generali Read More »
Recent data obtained by Quilter (formerly Old Mutual International and Royal Skandia) under a freedom of information request has further highlighted the issue of financial education, or rather the lack of it, with many casualties of fraud ‘unaware they may have fallen victim‘ to such a scheme. Quilter plc (the well-known asset/wealth management company, “life
Quilter: Critical or Hypocritical? Read More »
International Adviser Awards create buzz around Quilter’s, FPI’s and RL360’s facilitation of investment fraud and scams. I am deeply flattered that International Adviser has invited me to enter for this year’s “Best Practice Adviser Awards”. The invitation was sitting – sparkling like a princess – in my inbox this morning. So, how could I refuse?
International Adviser Awards Read More »
RL360’s acquisition of Friends Provident International may be set to ruin even more investors internationally. It will certainly increase competition with Quilter (or Skandia, or Ann Summers or whatever OMI are calling themselves this season). The biggest question – and one which International Adviser’s Kirsten Hastings forgot to ask RL360 David Kneeshaw when she interviewed
RL360 and FPI – ’til death (or poverty) do us part Read More »
Scammers such as James Hadley and Neil Hathaway who try to hide and silence publication of their financial crimes will not succeed.
The Sound of Silence (and Deafening Disgrace) Read More »
Expat financial services jurisdictions are taking civil and criminal action against investment and pension scammers. Meanwhile, Britain is taking no action to protect British people.
Pensions, Investments, Scams and Covid 19 Read More »
Pension Life and Forsters LLP have issued proceedings in respect of the Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund. Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund This Cayman Islands-based fund is being liquidated and it is uncertain whether there will be any recovery for the victims whose pensions were invested in it. Nearly 250 STM Fidecs QROPS members stand to lose
Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund Read More »
On July 18th 2017, Slater and Gordon Lawyers wrote me the below email. Lawyer Steve Kuncewicz clearly stated that Slater and Gordon acted for their client: Blackmore Global PCC Limited; Phillip Nunn and Patrick McCreesh. The full transcript is below – complete with my comments in bold. This is a 25-page document, so I don’t
Slater and Gordon and Blackmore (poacher turned poacher) Read More »
Today, 7th April 2020, was supposed to have been the second part of the Continental Wealth Management criminal trial. Obviously, due to Coronavirus, the hearing has been postponed. For now. As soon as the pandemic is under control and life in the courts (and elsewhere) gets back to “normal”, the hearings will be rescheduled. This
Fraud and Disloyalty in Offshore Financial Services Read More »
Britain has had a series of no-hoper pensions ministers. “Pensions minister” seems to be a position where peculiar people are stuck in – as square pegs in round holes – so they are out of the way and can’t do too much damage (as in challenging the government over its shameful failure to tackle pension scams).
Pension Fraud Tax Epidemic Read More »
This landmark Continental Wealth Management criminal case will inevitably shine a much-needed spotlight on the issue of offshore financial services generally. CWM was just one example (albeit an extreme one) of an international financial services culture which generally disadvantages and/or defrauds consumers. The cause of this culture is a combination of the obsession with the insurance bond cartel; the total reliance on (hidden) commission; the practice of churning (investing the same sum of money as often as possible to generate as much commission as possible) and the view that the client’s money and interests are secondary to the adviser’s.
CWM Criminal Case and Business Plan Read More »
Will new chancellor Richi Sunak have the balls to dump Andrew Bailey? Will he understand what needs to be done to reform the FCA? Will he make a name for himself as a hero or just hopeless?
Chancellor must dump Andrew Bailey Read More »
Blackmore is two scams for the price of one: Blackmore Bond and Blackmore Global Fund. Both run by Phillip Nunn and Patrick McCreesh of Blackmore Group. Blackmore Bond is a “loan” scheme (bond) which has conned £25 million out of hundreds of victims and is now in default. Blackmore Global is an “investment” scam which
Blackmore Scam by Nunn & McCreesh Read More »
The routine “sale” of insurance bonds (whether the clients need them or not – which 99% of the time they don’t) is illegal in Spain. Undoubtedly this will be similar or identical in other jurisdictions. The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that insurance bonds are invalid for the purpose of holding investments. But still the scammers continue to flog them indiscriminately – purely for the fat commissions.
CWM Criminal Trial 24th February 2020 Read More »
Meghan and Harry – the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – are having a tough time (and are running away from home). Their sadness and confusion is because they have no purpose or passion in life. So I am offering them an interesting and satisfying challenge: taking on and championing the cause of pension scam
Meghan and Harry’s New Challenge: Pension Scams Read More »
Pension and investment scams have flourished on the Costa Blanca for more than ten years. As each scam gets shut down, the scammers set up new ones – scammers never change their spots. They need new victims constantly – so the public must always be vigilant.
Pension Scammers in Spain – CWM must be a lesson to all Read More »
As the decade comes to a close, it is clearer than ever that victims of investment fraud need justice. The dirtiest stain on society is that of pension and investment fraud. Scammers have made fortunes out of pension and investment scams in the UK and across the globe – in all leading expat jurisdictions. With
Victims of Investment Fraud need Justice Read More »
FCA and FOS continue to dismay and disgust; CWM criminal case set to change offshore financial services; Forged dealing instructions epidemic; Offshore advisory firms without an investment license. It now emerges that on top of a failed “City Watchdog” (the Federated Consolidation of Apathy) we also have not just one, but two failed ombudsmen. The
Pension Life – Pension File November 2019 Read More »
I’ve been asked by a number of Park First investors to help them decide how to vote in the forthcoming vote – 25th November 2019. There are many options and decisions, with communications coming out from various related and interested parties. It is understandable that investors have some difficult choices and are being given conflicting
Normally a great fan of FT Adviser – and their excellent, independent journalists – I was horrified at the recent “Guide to Structured Products” (particularly the section on how risky they are by Craig Rickman). Noting that this article can be used towards CPD credits, I was astonished that so little attention was paid to
How risky are structured products – and fireworks? Read More »
While Dalriada Trustees and Pinsent Masons count their handsome earnings, HMRC prepare to ruin the victims with unauthorised tax charges from the Ark pension liberation scam. Dalriada Trustees were appointed by the Pensions Regulator on 31st May 2011 to take over the six Ark schemes: Cranbourne; Grosvenor, Tallton Place, Lancaster, Portman and Woodcroft. Designed, set
Dalriada Trustees – Ark Pension Liberation Scam Read More »
“Best of times. Worst of times. Age of wisdom and foolishness. Epoch of belief and incredulity. Season of light and darkness. Spring of hope; winter of despair.” You would be forgiven for thinking the above was written about the world of pensions and investments (by someone far more eloquent than me). However, it was written
A Tale of Two Investments Read More »
