*** WARNING *** Phillip Paar Wealth Management
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alittleowl
Posts: 62 Forumite
This company is running a boilerroom scam where they claim that they are investing your money in shares. They have a professional-looking website, smooth sales people (a man calliing himself David Cambridge) and once you sign up with them you have access to a "portal" where you can see how well your "investment" is performing. They will also give you a fake FCA registration number and point you to a fake, cloned FCA site to "check" their registration.
These *******s have tricked my 75-year old mum out of £1000 over a month ago and they were pressuring her to increase her "investment" to £5000 as soon as possible. Luckily she told me about it and, with a bit of googling I discovered the truth. She now cannot get hold of anyone and cannot withdraw her money. They have been reported to Action Fraud and she has reported it to her bank but it seems unlikely she'll get anything back.
Please don't even think about handing over any money to them!
These *******s have tricked my 75-year old mum out of £1000 over a month ago and they were pressuring her to increase her "investment" to £5000 as soon as possible. Luckily she told me about it and, with a bit of googling I discovered the truth. She now cannot get hold of anyone and cannot withdraw her money. They have been reported to Action Fraud and she has reported it to her bank but it seems unlikely she'll get anything back.
Please don't even think about handing over any money to them!
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Scum praying on the elderly.ITS NOT EASY TO GET EVERYTHING WRONG ,I HAVE TO WORK HARD TO DO IT!0
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How did they get your Mum's contact details?
It's really hard trying to let elderly parents retain their independence but still protect them from people like these.
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We don't know, that's something of a cause for concern. They knew her email address as well as her mobile and landline numbers. Of course now they know her address so she's concerned that they're going to turn up at her house. The police have reassured her that that's extremely unlikely as they might well not be in the country despite appearing to phone from a London number.
The London address on their website doesn't exist and none of the people on their "About us" page appear to exist either. We're just hoping the bank will be kind enough to reimburse her but I don't hold much hope.How did they get your Mum's contact details?
It's really hard trying to let elderly parents retain their independence but still protect them from people like these.0 -
Get a call blocker phone such as a BT 8600. it won't stop a really persistent caller but will put off many cold callers. You may need to programme it for her with essential numbers you want to come through.
She could be on a 'suckers list' now so there is a better than even chance she may get more of these or even get a call from a 'fraud recovery' scam.0 -
This happened to a relative of mine.Different company.
Lots of smooth talking, the relative in question was a lot younger than your mum and thought he was pretty smart. They never did tell me how much they lost.1 -
Thank you all. I've told her she could now be targeted by people claiming to be able to recover her money so she should trust no-one who phones her, no matter how convincing they are or how much information they know about her case. It's a very sad situation. She is distraught 0
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Initially smooth website but actually the work of an afternoon in wordpress, a free let's encrypt certificate and a domain registered 15th July this year.
Can you let me know where you saw their FCA reg number as it isn't on the website. If they are claiming FCA registration it may be easier to get them shut down as actionfraud may take some time limping into inaction.
If it's on a document can you scan it in and post here.1 -
Yes, it didn't take me long to work out that the site's a very thin piece of work built with WordPress and that none of the "reviewers" or "staff" actually exist, or at least, none of them have social media profiles, which is unlikely.
I've been on the phone to the FCA this morning and have given them all the details. Mum was sent the supposed registration number in an email with a link to a cloned "FCA" website: which appears to have been taken down. I've also phoned Citizens Advice, and I've put her on the CIFAS register to hopefully protect her against identity fraud. She's reported her passport as stolen as she'd sent them a copy of that as part of the application process.
She's a former primary school headmistress and is usually nobody's fool. She knew not to believe people who phone up claiming to be from Microsoft, the HMRC etc. but this sick depraved individual had somehow got enough detail about her, her former workplace, where she lives and so on that over a period of a few weeks he managed to build up her trust and convince her he was genuine.Initially smooth website but actually the work of an afternoon in wordpress, a free let's encrypt certificate and a domain registered 15th July this year.
Can you let me know where you saw their FCA reg number as it isn't on the website. If they are claiming FCA registration it may be easier to get them shut down as actionfraud may take some time limping into inaction.
If it's on a document can you scan it in and post here.0 -
alittleowl wrote: »Yes, it didn't take me long to work out that the site's a very thin piece of work built with WordPress and that none of the "reviewers" or "staff" actually exist, or at least, none of them have social media profiles, which is unlikely.
I've been on the phone to the FCA this morning and have given them all the details. Mum was sent the supposed registration number in an email with a link to a cloned "FCA" website: which appears to have been taken down. I've also phoned Citizens Advice, and I've put her on the CIFAS register to hopefully protect her against identity fraud. She's reported her passport as stolen as she'd sent them a copy of that as part of the application process.
She's a former primary school headmistress and is usually nobody's fool. She knew not to believe people who phone up claiming to be from Microsoft, the HMRC etc. but this sick depraved individual had somehow got enough detail about her, her former workplace, where she lives and so on that over a period of a few weeks he managed to build up her trust and convince her he was genuine.
What was it that made her believe they legitimately had her details?
There is a website in that name currently active1 -
What was it that made her believe they legitimately had her details?
He claimed that he was the father of a child who had attended the school where she was head before she retired. That was over ten years ago but Mum remembers the family and therefore thought she was talking to the real David Cambridge. He knew all sorts of stuff about the school and its staff, which can be found on the school's website of course. But he also knew that she now volunteers at the local food bank too and claimed to have mutual acquaintances there.
As well as Action Fraud I contacted the local police force on Tuesday because she's elderly and was scared for her safety: they've now spoken to the real David Cambridge and are certain it's not him running a scam on the side so this scumbag has impersonated him for his own sick personal gain.
It's all extremely creepy. The amount of effort they've put into profiling Mum and finding her back story is frightening. She was in the local paper when she retired so we think that might be how they started gathering information about her. I've now contacted Age Concern too, and am trying to persuade her to talk to the local newspaper in order to get the word out, but she's so embarrassed and scared of attracting more publicity that I don't think she'll do that.0
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