BMG Browne Mackenzie = Fraud?

doingwhatican

Well, thank you for all of you help with this. I will break the news to him tomorrow that he has lost everything.

Can anyone advise of any way that I might be able to help my father get his money back - or where we can go from here.

Once again, thanks for your help.

G_M

My advice I'll repeat: see a solicitor.

Trouble is this is not usually illegal. Google 'land scams' and you get lots of info:

http://www.learnmoney.co.uk/advice/advice-87.html

http://www.propertyscam.org.uk/

http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2007/166-07

and someone who got caught:
"The boss of a £3.5million land banking scam has been banned as a company director for seven years. Timothy Wren, of Ormskirk, Lancs, bought agricultural land and sold it in strips claiming it was "very likely" that planning permission would...

Timothy Wren's seven year ban for land banking scam "

planning_officer

doingwhatican wrote: »

I think it is land without planing permission that is meant to become more valuable when permission is granted. You right, he has not seen this land, and no solicitor is involved.

Yes, that's what they tell you - what they don't tell you is that it is normally land within the Green Belt and highly unlikely to ever be granted planning permission for anything. Like others have said, there's plenty of advice on land banking schemes (which aren't illegal (as long as the company doesn't make false promises about the land) but they are, in my view, highly unethical).

ILW

It is just another scheme to get people to pay way over the odds for worthless land.
The common factor with all of them is that people expect to make loads of money by doing nothing, their own greed is what traps them. Sorry.

Bill_P_2

Thanks to Users for this information.I nearly bought 300sq.ft of the L shaped plot in Dumbarton but said "No" yesterday.Today I received a phone call from Harry at Browne Mackenzie offering to reduce the price by £300.One of their worrying suggestions is you cash in your ISA to provide the purchase price." Well out of it!

Running_Horse

Serves them right. These are victims of scammers I have little sympathy for. Land fraudsters bought fields near our village, and even put up fencing posts to divide it. The only way anyone would have made any money is by getting planning permission to ruin our lovely village. Even the council have said there is no way planning permission will ever be granted on this greenbelt. As far as I know, not one of these landbanking schemes have ever been granted planning permission, or are likely to do so.

MobileSaver

Just a heads up that Browne Mackenzie have changed their Registered Office address. Their new address is:

BROWNE MACKENZIE LIMITED
CITY TOWER 40
BASINGHALL STREET
LONDON
EC2V 5DE

Although they have updated Companies House with a new address, as of today they still have overdue accounts and annual return so one to avoid in my opinion.

Evilm

MobileSaver wrote: »

Just a heads up that Browne Mackenzie have changed their Registered Office address. Their new address is:

BROWNE MACKENZIE LIMITED
CITY TOWER 40
BASINGHALL STREET
LONDON
EC2V 5DE

Although they have updated Companies House with a new address, as of today they still have overdue accounts and annual return so one to avoid in my opinion.

That address is serviced offices. They could be there today and gone tommorow. Definitely sounds dodgy (although I am not suggesting all businesses using serviced offices are dodgy, just that I seen issues with some before).

GDB2222

It's a bit odd to say this, but I sometimes wish that I had the morals to act as a landbanker.

G_M

GDB2222 wrote: »

It's a bit odd to say this, but I sometimes wish that I had the morals to act as a landbanker.

It's the other side of the coin:
Landbanker plans to get rich quick selling cheap land.
Punter plans to get rich quick buying cheap land.

Only difference is one fails and one succeeds!