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Scam Awareness Month 2018

‘Don’t Miss A Trick, Be Scam Aware!’

Citizens Advice, Trading Standards and partners across the consumer protection landscape are leading an anti-scam initiative throughout the month of June, for Scams Awareness Month.

The campaign is all about supporting partnerships nationally and locally to give consumers the skills and confidence to identify scams, learn how to protect themselves, their families and friends against these cruel crimes and predatory practices.

This huge cross agency initiative will include social media campaigns and community events, engaging members of the public and arming them with information to better protect themselves. It is incredibly important to … Read more

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Florida Man In Jail For Timeshare Fraud.

A 37 year old man from Orlando, Florida stands accused of running a nationwide, fraudulent Timeshare scheme from his apartment.

David Jolly has been charged with Fraud nearly $90,000. Victims say they thought he was selling their Timeshares, but it was all an elaborate hoax.

Jolly is currently being held in jail, as he could not afford the $60,000 bail bond to be released until his hearing. In the US, when a defendant is arrested and charged, a court will set a dollar amount, known as a bail bond. This is required so as to prevent criminals fleeing before they … Read more

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Brothers Behaving Badly – Timeshare Scammers Jailed

The Birmingham brothers have been ordered to pay back “Hidden Assets” or face an additional 15 months in prison.

Brothers Amarjit and Shivjit Bagharian, from Smethwick, were both jailed for seven years in February 2016 after admitting a Scheme to defraud topping £1 Million. Operating under 2 bogus companies, Sun Properties Solutions and Avon Client Services, they duped over 38 victims into handing over money in exchange for timeshare abandonment services, even promising their victims could obtain a handsome return on their investment.

However, the duo made no effort to sell timeshares, nor had any intention to do so. Instead … Read more

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UPDATE: Holiday Products Fraud, 40 Months for Prolific Conman!

Francis ‘Frank’ Madden took holidays around the Mediterranean while his businesses deceptively obtained hundreds of thousands of pounds from unsuspecting customers.

Madden, 61 from Bournemouth, has been jailed for 40 months and barred from holding a directorship for a decade! The Conman, who was jailed this week, ruled his companies with an ‘Iron Fist’, despite spending much of his time on cruises with his wife and spending thousands of pounds in doing so.

Staff at his companies, Central Marketing LTD, Glenleigh LTD and Reco Corp LTD, were instructed to cold-call hundreds of people a day inviting them to attend a … Read more

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Warning over holiday scams

As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, officials are warning the public to be extra alert when booking holidays, tickets and insurance as scammers set their sights on targeting new victims.

We are constantly being warned about the latest scams and being careful online, but the pandemic has seen the biggest increase in callous scammers looking to target people, even in the toughest of times. Since the first lockdown began over a year ago reports of scams have increased and now just as lockdown restrictions begin to ease, experts are warning we need to be even more vigilant when looking to … Read more

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The Covid Cons – What to know!

Scammers are getting increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get their hands on your personal information. As fast as a scam gets stopped in it’s tracks a new one emerges. And just as we are seeing a record number of people working from home, so too are the scammers who are taking full advantage of the current pandemic and are ruthless even in these turbulent times.

These cyber criminals are thoroughly taking advantage of coronavirus worries and coming up with more ways to con money from innocent people.

Barclays Bank recently published new figures which showed that during the first … Read more

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Timeshare trouble: is it really worth it?

If you are the sort of family or couple who enjoys taking a holiday at the same time and place every single year, year after year, then a timeshare might be right for you!

Similarly, if you do not enjoy planning your own holiday and you prefer to chose from a limited experience selection and be restricted in your choices, then a holiday club membership may suit your needs and lifestyle.

Whichever of these categories you fit into both come with an overwhelming amount of terms and conditions and fine print. And when we say fine print, we mean miniscule, … Read more

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TV and Radio Presenter Scammed out of life savings

TV and radio presenter, Helen Skelton has spoken out and revealed she lost her life savings after fraudsters fooled her over the phone.

Speaking on ITV breakfast show with Lorraine Kelly, Helen Skelton told viewers to be cautious after the busy mom of three was distracted and believed fraudsters who claimed to be calling from her bank.

She explained how the fraudsters asked a few simple questions over the phone and they gained access to her bank account and stole her entire £70,000 life savings. She explained that whilst at home looking after her children, she was called out of … Read more

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Fraudster Jailed Over Rental Scam

A fraudster has been jailed and ordered to pay back money he made in a property rental scam.

Following a series of reports to Action Fraud, Zhaker Darvesh has been jailed for conning victims into paying him thousands of pounds in deposits for rental properties. Darvesh advertised properties on Gumtree and collected deposits from victims, ranging anything from £9,500 to £3,200. Some of his victims were left in horror after arriving at properties on move-in dates only to find they had been scammed.

Darvesh would stop replying to messages, calls and emails from victims when he had received their … Read more

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