Home Local News Bogus lawyers jailed for care fees scam

Bogus lawyers jailed for care fees scam

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A heartless gang who targeted unsuspecting pensioners by pretending to be experts in wills and trusts have been jailed.

Warrington Trading Standards have supported five local residents who had been targeted by the group, who operated from an address in Nottingham.

Posing as ‘Legal Consultants’, they visited elderly victims in their own homes and convinced them that they could protect their property and savings from future care home fees by putting them into ‘Trust’ documents.

They even told scare stories and used high pressure sales techniques to convince residents to make the upfront payment of £2,000 for what they called a ‘Family Prosperity Trust’ or ‘Estate Preservation Trusts’.

Warrington Trading Standards, who have been working to reassure residents that had fallen victim to the scam, were able to explain that independent legal advice from Nottingham Trading Standards confirmed that these trusts offered no protection from care home fees. In some situations, the trust documents could actually make their financial position even worse.

In Warrington alone, £7,279 was paid over to the scammers but all residents affected were able to provide witness statements which proved to be key in the prosecution case.

One local resident affected by the scam, said: “I would encourage anyone who is approached in such a situation to consult with their solicitor and also discuss it with their family. I was fortunate enough that I managed to stop the cheque in time.”

While another resident commented: “It seemed genuine and a really good idea. I’d advise anyone who receives a call like this, to ignore it. If you want something like this, I’d advise anyone to go and look for it themselves rather than respond to a cold call.”

In total, the gang conned £1.2 million out of their victims across the country. Nottinghamshire County Council’s Trading Standards team successfully prosecuted eight people who committed the fraud trading under the names “Inheritance Protection Services”, “Inheritance & Probate Solutions Ltd” and “Goldstar Law Ltd.”  All three operated from rented units in Newark, but used postal addresses in London.

Joseph Graham Croft, Matthew Appleyard and Alan Appleyard, who ran the business and Joy Bell who posed as their ‘Head of Legal’ all admitted to Fraudulent Trading and Legal Services Act offences. Adrian Large, Adam Nichols, Paul Fox and Paul Gorman who posed as ‘Legal Consultants’ all admitted offences under the Fraud Act.

Cllr Judith Guthrie, executive board member for environment and public protection said: “Victims of this crime were given no warning that this could happen, and were told that the trusts were risk-free. There will always be unscrupulous traders who will take advantage of the fact that people are living longer, and as a council we are committed to protecting vulnerable residents from these despicable crimes.”

Peter Astley, assistant director for regulation and public protection, said:

“The scammers tricked these residents into believing that they were dealing with an established and regulated law firm and this was simply not the case. Cheques written by local residents were cashed within hours of the sale taking place, which meant that they had no chance to think things over or consults with their families. Complaints and cancellations were also routinely ignored.

“Our advice is to not deal with individuals or companies who call you out of the blue to try to sell you something or claiming you have won a prize. If a salesman has made an appointment to see you at home then ensure you have a friend or family member with you. If they do put you under pressure to sign up immediately then refuse to do so, ask them to leave and report the incident to trading standards.”

If you feel you are being targeted by cold-callers, call your local Citizens’ Advice Bureau or contact trading standards on 03454 04 05 06.

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