This is the claim made by Holborn Assets’ CEO Bob Parker: “We are professional advisers adhering to the company’s mission which is to ensure that you get quality, independent advice and service, that your money is put in the right place at the right time and that you are treated with integrity and respect. Moreover, […]
HOLBORN ASSETS (OR LIABILITIES?) Read More »
Philip Hammond’s surprise 25% tax on QROPS transfers will leave many advisers and trustees floundering as the industry tries to make some sense of the long-term consequences for expatriates and their pensions. The uncertainty of the “five-year” change of circumstances rule will leave a huge question mark over the offshore landscape. But while the industry
TRUSSED BY A QROPS TRUSTEE? Read More »
RESPONSE TO GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION ON PENSION SCAMS AND COLD CALLING BY ANGIE BROOKS OF PENSION LIFE 13.2.2017 The Government consultation has been copied below,with my comments and answers in bold. —————————— —————————— —————————— Because of the size of individual pension pots, and because people do not have to engage with their savings until much later
RESPONSE TO GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION ON PENSION SCAMS AND COLD CALLING Read More »
STM Trafalgar Pension Scam Seriously–is this yet another wind up? STM want to be voted as “National Public Champion”? All of STM’s allegedly world-leading people will have known that it was illegal to promote a UCIS to retail UK residents. Unless STM’s claims about their excellent pensions team are just a wind up? After International
STM’s Trafalgar Wind Up? Read More »
5G Futures: in May 2013 Garry John Williams and Susan Lynn Huxley were suspended as trustees of the 5G Futures pension scheme, and from trust schemes in general. Pi Consulting was appointed as the new trustee by the Pensions Regulator. About 400 people had invested a total of £20m into the 5G Futures scheme –
5G Futures – Do Your Homework! Read More »
COMPLAINT AGAINST THE PENSIONS REGULATOR RE THE ARK (AND OTHER) PENSION SCHEMES 30.12.2016 From ANGELA BROOKS OF PENSION LIFE BACKGROUND: PENSIONS REGULATOR’S OBLIGATIONS AND OBJECTIVES: ARK VICTIMS’ CIRCUMSTANCES: BACKGROUND: This official complaint is against the Pensions Regulator and other public bodies who were, or should have been, responsible for preventing pension scams and
COMPLAINT AGAINST PENSIONS REGULATOR Read More »
COMPLAINT AGAINST HMRC 30.12.2016 RE ARK PENSION AND OTHER PENSION LIBERATION SCHEMES COMPLAINANTS: VICTIMS OF PENSION SCAMS AND MEMBERS OF THE PENSION LIFE GROUP ACTION: AND MEMBERS OF THE PENSION LIFE GROUP ACTION: AND MEMBERS OF THE PENSION LIFE GROUP ACTION: BACKGROUND: HMRC’S OBLIGATIONS AND OBJECTIVES: WHAT HMRC MUST NOW DO TO PUT THINGS
COMPLAINT AGAINST HMRC – REGISTERING PENSION SCAMS Read More »
My name is Nikki Mitchell. Lets peep behind the scenes at life at Pension Life, fighting pension scams. I’m the newest member of the team. I started in June 2016 – there was a lot to learn in six months. I am PA to Angie, but most importantly I handle a wide variety of
Life at Pension Life Fighting Scams – Behind the Scenes Read More »
GUARDIAN WEALTH MANAGEMENT AND HOLBORN ASSETS A TALE OF TWO PUZZLES Don’t you just hate it when you see a puzzling situation and can’t quite put your finger on what is behind it? There are two firms in Dubai that have got me thinking these past few days and I reckon the “jungle drums” in
EYE ON DUBAI – GUARDIAN WEALTH MANAGEMENT AND HOLBORN ASSETS Read More »
Zero Tolerance approach to pension scams It is rare for me to want to copy somebody else’s work, but Dalriada Trustees’ Neil Copeland wrote a very good piece on 20th December 2016 about three “hurricanes” which hit us this year: Altmann, Brexit and Trump. With an astonishing degree of imaginative and creative inspiration, Neil referred
As Easy as A Zero Tolerance approach to pension scams Read More »
Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund – DISASTER. “Gibraltar is a highly regulated and transparent jurisdiction, coupled with the benefits of a Gibraltar-based regulatory regime.” Well, we will see won’t we!! STM is now writing to their distressed members who are invested in the suspended £20 million Trafalgar Multi-Asset fund. STM are stating: “All members who invested
STM FIDECS QROPS and Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund Disaster (Suspended) Read More »
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pension-scams/pensions-scams-consultation So what makes a pension or investment scam? Unfortunately, the scammers don’t wear “I’m a fox” teeshirts, and the victims don’t know the questions to ask and even if they did, they probably wouldn’t understand the answers. Only by looking at individual case studies can the public learn what to look out for –
Government Consultation on Pension and Investment Scams (The Square Mile) Read More »
John Ferguson, Square Mile Financial Services http://www.lillywhiteint.com/about-us.html I am worried about the whereabouts of John Ferguson of Lillywhite International and Square Mile Financial Services (Czech Republic). The last I heard he was boarding a long-haul flight on 23rd November 2016 to an unknown destination. His solicitor assured me Mr. Ferguson would get back to me
AVIVA – CAMPAIGN AGAINST PENSION SCAMS Pension Life – representing hundreds of victims of pension scams – has been engaging with ceding providers to seek a solution to the failures of regulation and the law which continue to fail to halt the success of scams and scammers. One of the earliest pioneers and champions of
AVIVA – CAMPAIGN AGAINST PENSION SCAMS Read More »
Can I have a word please? In fact – can I have three words? free loophole sophisticated Now, these are not just any old words – they are the keys the scammers use to unlock victims’ savings and make huge amounts of money out of destroying innocent people’s retirement income: http://www.professionaladviser.com/professional-adviser/feature/2441535/revealed-the-top-three-watchwords-in-pension-liberation-scams Let´s look at these
Three words about pension scams Read More »
The Scorpion Campaign was the Pensions Regulator’s attempt to warn the public and the industry against pension liberation scams. It wasn’t a bad try, but it failed. It was a bit like trying to stop a herd of stampeding elephants with a whoopee cushion. Henry Tapper, pensions actuary and dedicated blogger on pensions, posted this:
Scorpion Campaign and Henry Tapper Read More »
JUSTICE MORGAN’S MAD MISTAKE (IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE, CHANCERY DIVISION) This judgement makes the law not just an ass, but a whole herd of donkeys. Dear Justice Morgan I refer to your judgment in the matter of Donna-Marie Hughes and Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Case Number CH/2015/0377 on 19th February 2016.
The 487 Ark victims have gone through pure hell since the Pensions Regulator appointed Dalriada Trustees to the Ark schemes. First they discovered from Justice Bean in the High Court that the scheme was a “fraud on the power of investment” and then they discovered that HMRC were going to try to tax loans at
Dalriada Standstill Agreement for Ark Scheme Victims Read More »
Incartus Investment Pension Scheme has been placed in the hands of Dalriada Trustees by the Pensions Regulator.We’ve seen some horrendous pension and investment scams, but until Dalriada completes the investigation into this scheme, we won’t know how bad this one is. When I first published my blog on Incartus, the scheme’s solicitors, CANTER LEVIN & BERK,
Incartus Investment Pension Scheme – in the hands of Dalriada Trustees Read More »
TRAFALGAR MULTI ASSET FUND (SUSPENDED) After the disasters of failed pension schemes Capita Oak, Henley and Westminster (aggregate of £20 million lost to over 500 victims through investments in Store First store pods – wound up by the Insolvency Service), there are now concerns about the suspended Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund of £20 million. The
Trafalgar Multi Asset Fund Read More »
HOW THE KJK INVESTMENTS AND G LOANS PENSION LIBERATION SCAM WORKED Members were told their pensions would be transferred into a SIPP managed by Corporate and Professional SIPP providers and a separate loan would be arranged through G Loans which was certified to be non-taxable by Optimum Tax Solutions. Now the victims are facing 55%
KJK Investments and G Loans Pension Liberation Scam Read More »
THE WAY THE WINDSOR PENSIONS PENSION LIBERATION SCAM WORKED Members were persuaded to transfer their pension into a QROPS and with a hefty transfer fee of at least 10%. The rest was liberated with no attempt to even try to clock the transaction in a “loan” vehicle. In fact, the transfers never went anywhere near
Windsor Pensions Pension Liberation Scam Read More »
HOW THE WESTMINSTER PENSION SCAM WORKED The Westminster pension scam was administered by Stephen Ward among others. Same sponsoring employer as Capita Oak i.e. R. P. Medplant Ltd. Cyprus. Same transfer administration spreadsheet using the same colours, spelling mistakes, names etc. The trustee of the Westminster pension scam was Thames Trustees. The trustee of the
Westminster Pension Scam – R. P. Medplant Read More »
SALMON ENTERPRISES PENSION SCAM – THE WAY THE SCHEME WORKED James Lau, allegedly a financial adviser with Wightman Fletcher McCabe operating from an office in the Regus building, Great Pultney Street, Bank London. Lau explained the Salmon Enterprises pension scam to clients using a series of diagrams that members could release funds from a pension
Salmon Enterprises Pension Scam – how it all worked Read More »
THE WAY THE PENNINES PENSION SCAM WORKED Members were targeted by “Cash From Pensions” and persuaded to transfer into Pennines to get an “unconnected loan” once they had transferred into the Pennines scheme which was invested in Hedge Capital. The scheme is now in the hands of Dalriada Trustees. There were around 143 victims with
Pennines Pension Scam: How it worked Read More »
HOW THE LONDON QUANTUM PENSION SCAM WORKED The London Quantum pension scam was the brainchild of Stephen Ward. Ward’s firm Dorrixo Alliance was the trustee and administrator of the scheme. Dorrixo was also trustee for a number of other pension liberation scams such as Headforte and Southlands which were used for “loans” when Evergreen got
London Quantum Pension Scam: How it worked Read More »
HENLEY PENSION SCAM THE WAY THE SCHEME WORKED This was the “sister” scheme to Capita Oak, whose trustee was Imperial Trustee Services. The Henley trustee was Omni Trustees. Both Omni and Imperial were wound up by the Insolvency Service in the summer of 2015 and the two schemes had around £20m invested in Store First
Henley Pension Scam Read More »
EVERGREEN RETIREMENT TRUST QROPS PENSION SCAM AND MARAZION LOANS THE WAY THE SCAM WORKED When Ark got shut down in June 2011, Stephen Ward flew to New Zealand and set up the Evergreen NZ QROPS liberation scam with Simon Swallow of Charter Square. Ward also set up a “loan” company in Cyprus called Marazion. He
Evergreen QROPS Pension Scam and Marazion Loans Read More »
DORRIXO Alliance is a pension trustee firm (for London Quantum among various others) run by Stephen Ward and his sidekick Anthony Salih THE WAY THE SCAM WORKED Dorrixo was a pension scheme administration and trustee company set up by Stephen Ward. It was the trustee for at least a couple of schemes – possibly dozens
London Quantum – Dorrixo Alliance Pension Trustee Read More »
ARK PENSION SCAM – THE WAY THE SCHEME WORKED: Six “occupational” schemes were used: Lancaster; Portman; Cranborne Star; Woodcroft House; Tallton Place and Grosvenor Parade. Each scheme had to have less than 100 members to stay under tPR’s inspection radar. Member A would transfer their £100k pension to – say – Lancaster; Member B would
ARK Pension Scam: How it worked Read More »
All pension scam victims experience profound misery, worry, stress and sleepless nights. Few have the strength to speak out and tell the world what it is like to be the victim of this despicable financial crime. I asked David King, one of the Ark victims, to write his story: “Firstly without you and your team
Pension scam victim David King describes his misery Read More »
Pension Liberation – ruining thousands of lives. HMRC pursues the victims of pension liberation fraud and not the pension liberation fraudsters. This has got to change.
Pension Liberation Fraud Facts Read More »
The Pensions Regulator is a UK body set up to regulate and aid occupational pensions. They follow legislative criteria and work to improve the administration of work-based pensions. They are a valuable resource for all parties involved with pensions; trustees, employers, pension specialists and business advisers. Their latest innovation is the updating of their trustee
The Pensions Regulator: Updated Trustee Toolkit Read More »
Edward Troup 11th March 2016 Chief Executive’s Office HM Revenue & Customs 100 Parliament Street London SW1A 2BQ Dear Mr. Troup HMRC’S ROLE IN SIX-YEAR PENSION LIBERATION FRAUD Congratulations on your appointment as head of HMRC. I am sure you will have a great deal of work on your plate cleaning up the
Edward Troup HMRC’S Role in Six-Year Pension Liberation Fraud Read More »
Below is a list of the ceding pension providers (CPPs) that are currently being dealt with at Pension Life and who have been facilitating financial crime. This is not a definitive list as we are currently dealing with an ever increasing pile of protected assessments appeals to process ahead of the deadline. We will be
Ceding Pension Providers Facilitating Financial Crime Read More »
HMRC Pension LOAN WOLF I am writing to explain the rather confusing “assessment” and “further assessment” appeal situation in relation to HMRC’s “pension loan wolf” situation. Although this is specifically aimed at the Ark case, it will also apply in most – if not all – other cases. In a nutshell, the assessments
HMRC Pension Loan Wolf Read More »
£19m worth of Pensions from 476 people lost though two schemes – Pennines and Mendip. Pennines and Mendip: Hedge Capital Investments Ltd, Hedge Capital Investment Group Plc and Hedge Capital Ltd were introducers or the financial advisers who proposed the schemes Pennines and Mendip as suitable schemes for 476. The end result was that
Pennines and Mendip Pension Liberation Scams Read More »
Dear Mr. Crabb – latest DWP Secretary Congratulations on your appointment as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions – DWP. I wish you well, and would ask you to engage urgently with the Ark Class Action representing hundreds of victims of pension fraud as we urgently need your help and support as we have
Crabb New Secretary of DWP Read More »
Pension scams have been a very clear and present danger since large-scale pension liberation fraud was unleashed on British pension holders on A day. Victims lose a life time of savings and face onerous unauthorised payment tax charges of up to 55% by HMRC. The latest one to come to our attention is a pension
KJK Investments Ltd. & G Loans Ltd. Another Pension Scam Revealed Read More »
A DAY – The WHEN, WHAT, WHO, HOW, & WHERE Pension tax simplification, often simply referred to as “pension simplification” and taking effect from A-day on 6 April 2006 was a policy announced in 2004 by the Labour government to rationalise the British tax system as applied to pension schemes. The aim was to reduce the complicated patchwork of legislation built up
A Day – a Starting Point to Understanding How you got scammed out of Your pension Read More »
Pension Transfers are the cornerstone of pension scams. We expect to be looked after by the law, the large financial institutions and the government institutions such as ombudsmen but when they disagree our best interests often form the debris of the squabble. If you have saved for a pension, worked for years and years earnestly
Pension Transfer decision from Ceding Provider to Pensions Ombudsman to the High Court Read More »
Protected assessment: this is what thousands of pension liberation scam victims are receiving: Pension Schemes Services Fitz Roy House Castle Meadow Road Nottingham NG2 1BD PHONE 03000 564567 WEB www.gov.uk Date 02 March 2016 Our Ref: UTR 99999 00000/XX/YYY – Ark Dear Mr. J D ARK PENSION RECIPROCATION SCHEMES TAX LIABILITY – year
HMRC Protected Assessment Read More »
The Justice Morgan Disaster was a real setback for justice for victims of pension scams and emasculated the pensions ombudsman. Shame on the High Court. Judgement in the matter of Donna-Marie Hughes and Royal London Mutual Insurance Society Case Number CH/2015/0377 on 19th February 2016 In the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division Letters to:
Justice Morgan Disaster Read More »
PASA is discrediting occupational pension schemes. On the 28 January 2016, PASA (Pension Administration Standards Association) issued a press release. They were pleased to announce that they wished to award Royal Mail with their accredited standard. Basically meaning that PASA considered Royal Mail, as a trustee for thousands of pensions, to be worthy of PASA’s
No PASA Nada? Discrediting Occupational Pension Schemes. Read More »
3 Watchwords used by Pension Scammers VISIT PENSION-LIFE.COM Pension Scammers ACA Pension Life Chairman Angie Brooks was recently quoted as revealing the top words used by pension scammers:
3 Watchwords used by Pension Scammers Read More »
Parliament debated the WASPI issue at the beginning of 2016. The culmination of months of hard work by the WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) campaigners finally arrived on 7th January 2016. Mhairi Black (SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South) asked the Government to introduce “transitional arrangements” to help the hundreds of thousands of
WASPI Debate in Parliament 7th January 2016 With Mhairi Black Read More »
The well-written and informative epistles by Frances Coppola, Henry Tapper, Joan Bakewell, Paul Lewis etc., remind me of the tale of the five blind men and the elephant: “Five blind men stood in a ring around an elephant, and were asked to describe it. Each in turn reached out and touched the animal and
WASPI and The Five Blind Men Read More »
Now that the Ark scheme accounts are audited and published on the Dalriada website, I have summarised them below and also attached the summarised spreadsheet separately. You can view each individual scheme’s accounts for yourself here: http://dalriadatrustees.co.uk/ark/ The most notable features are: 1. HMRC have issued demands on the scheme itself in the form of a
The 2015 Ark schemes’ accounts Read More »
