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First Ever GDPR notice served to Facebook !

GDPR made its highly foreseen debut back in May of this year and, until recently, the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”), who are in charge of enforcing the new regulations, had yet to issue any fines.

There had been a lot of speculation as to when the first fine would be issued and to whom, and now Facebook has been issued with the maximum fine of £500,000 under the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998. Under the terms of the legislation, companies must report data breaches to regulators within 72 hours and failures to adequately protect information can result in … Read more

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Man Charged in Singapore For Timeshare Scam

An unnamed 40-year-old man has appeared in a Singapore court to face charges for his suspected involvement in a series of timeshare recovery scams.

It is alleged that between 2014 and 2017 the 40-year-old had cheated more than 20 timeshare membership owners out of approximately $600,000 by claiming to terminate their timeshare memberships. The case was first investigated by the Consumer Association of Singapore when they received complaints from customers who had paid for services that had not been performed. The ringleader and his associates cold-called potential customers and offered unregulated unchecked services to those who had bought timeshare … Read more

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Cold-Calling Conman Jailed For 13 Years.

A man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, after he was found guilty of conspiring to con dozens of investors out of millions of pounds. Michael Nascimento, ran a call centre where investors were offered shares in fraudulent companies. But instead, the court heard, how he spent some of the proceeds of his crimes on private school tuition, Arsenal season tickets and expensive trips.

For four years, Nascimento ran a ‘Boiler Room’, another name for a high pressure call centre, where investors, many of whom were elderly and vulnerable, buy shares in companies with credible sounding names. … Read more

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Financial Ombudsman Service Tells Banks To ‘Stop Blaming Victims’ !

In their latest newsletter, the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) has warned banks to treat victims of financial fraud more fairly, instead of assuming the victim was grossly negligent and to blame.

FOS see thousands of complaints from customers, who have had money stolen from their accounts, and assesses cases where the bank and customer both say they are not responsible for the loss.

Often victims have had their life savings stolen in sophisticated scams and to make matters worse, the banks often refuse to reimburse their customers when this happens. As state-of-art scams become more prevalent and more convincing, the … Read more

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Another Successful Claim

Praetorian Legal have the pleasure of helping over 6,500 clients terminate their timeshare burdens, which often have caused years of financial hardship and stress. It is extremely rewarding to be able to help so many people, who more often than not have been through some thoroughly harrowing experiences.

Being able to provide these clients with a resolution and a successful claim is why we endeavour so hard to help owners navigate their way out of the Timeshare trap.

We have the pleasure of sharing with you yet another successful claim for compensation for one of our clients who has received … Read more

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Conmen Caught And Jailed !

Charity conman Jailed.

A lorry driver who pocketed money he raised for the young son of murdered soldier, Lee Rigby, has been jailed for two and a half years. The court heard haw Gary Gardner, raised about £24,000 but only £4,000 made its way to any charity.

Gardner put on three truck-pull events, and thousands of people attended, including Lee Rigby’s widow and son. He was convicted of two counts of fraud.

The court heard how Gardner, a lorry driver, staged events in 2013, 2014 and 2015 in the Leicestershire village. He also spent £5,000 on producing and promoting … Read more

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Latest Finance and Business News

Government saves £300m in two years by preventing fraud and error.

The government’s national Fraud Initiative (NFI) has saved over £300 million in taxpayers money, in a two year period. Chloe Smith, Minister for the Constitution, has announced over £300 million in savings, made from immobilization down on fraud and error. “We are determined to build a fairer society and stopping a small group of unscrupulous people, who break the law, will help us achieve this”.

Over the last two years, NFI has saved over £300 million in taxpayers money, the equivalent of the annual salary for 7,843 full time … Read more

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Scams We Should All Be On The Lookout For

Here are just some of the scams we should be on the lookout for.

Police are warning people over doorstep scammers who pose as ex-offenders. The scam involves people posing as previous offenders. going door to door selling items and Greater Manchester Police force are so concerned they have issued a warning. Bogus sellers are posing as reformed criminals and targeting homes in and around Greater Manchester.

Scammers have been visiting homes and telling residents that they are working as part of a probation service scheme, officers say there is no such scheme and have warned residents not to answer … Read more

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The latest headlines from the timeshare industry.

Marriott and Starwood Merge for a colossal rebrand.
The merger, which was completed on 1 August, has created the largest portfolio, with 110 Million members and over 6,500 hotels, in 127 countries and 29 brands. They are taking all of these members and brands and combining them into one. This single brand is yet to be named. The company announced their loyalty program will begin in August and will remain in place until 2019 when they change the name. Members have been advised that nothing will change immediately but everyone will be kept informed. A spokesperson for the group said … Read more

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Teletext owes customers more than £7 million in refunds

In a press release on the UK governments website, it claims teletext will face legal action if it does not pay back over £7 million to customers whose package holidays were cancelled due to the pandemic.

The Competition and Markets Authority, which is government run, opened an investigation back in February after receiving hundreds of complaints from Teletext customers. Because of the pandemic and the Limitations on travel, most of us that booked a holiday, missed out but under UK law if this happens, people should receive a full refund within 14 days. But the investigation showed customers were not … Read more

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