Camper van Scam Beware

If you did make an approach to the FCA and/or your MP it may be worthwhile pointing out that not only is it a contravention of money laundering legislation to knowingly open accounts used in money laundering, or operate lax procedures which enable this to happen but, whether duped by a super criminal or through negligence, holding the account of a money launderer poses a significant financial risk to the bank.

I have mentioned generally how this can happen elsewhere, and it requires no significant skill or intelligence to do it, and this is merely the most basic way a criminal can multiply the effectiveness of a money laundering account, and using this variation the loss stops with the bank, potentially increasing the loss on each account to anything up to £50,000.

No one has actually quantified the risk of holding bank accounts used in money laundering quite simply because it shouldn't happen, but the whole world has learned the consequence of banks holding unrecorded and unquantified risk. The FCA has its head buried deep in the sand, as did its predecessor, but I'm sure that there are financial journalists who would be interested to take the matter up if they don't.

hi this is blue eyes,today I have contacted my local mp and he is going to write a letter to whom it may concern and get the ball rolling to try and get my money back from Barclays. May I also say I have been in touch with Swansea dvla as the motorhome is still getting taxed and insured and they are looking into things as well. even though the person that owns this vehicle may be innocent I think the police should go to him first and if it isn't him they should ask who he allowed into his motorhome to take the photographs. The only other other thing that is making me angry is that Barclays must have an idea who owened this account he gave me as he had been in to withdraw my money and left the £20.01 which they offered to me.

I admire your tenacity blue eyes and I understand the situation of all victims and there have been some truly awful descriptions of camper vans bought for use by disabled children which makes the crime even more despicable, but this is a recurring situation that must be stopped. I'm not going to kid you that the outlook is hopeful for you to recover your money and I know that most of the usual tactics by victims have been swatted away by the bank as if victims are paupers begging for alms. You must approach them with a much bigger bat and one that threatens repercussions and, if victims can act together, banks will want you to go away and there's only one way to do that - pay you.

So understand my tactic - you're going to your MP with your specific problem but as an example of a widespread regulatory failure by one specific bank which is widely reported and experienced by a vary large number of people. Your MP is a bigger bat, but you must raise your loss as a systemic problem within banking, and Barclays specifically. It wouldn't hurt to mention this vaguely to the generous 'book end' who offered you just short of a guinea. Sounds as if he's a fan of Dickens and the Christmas Carol. You could mention that you've passed the letter containing his offer to your MP. I have a mean and vicious wit and any bank making such an offer deserves all the venom you can muster.

You don't have to be rude, nasty or threatening. Just let him deduce that you are going to trundle on remorselessly, making his problems multiply until he does the decent thing. Bankers can be decent - I used to be one, and I'm lovely, but I was 'old school'.

hi blue eyes here I got the same letter today with the same offer so I emailed my reply straight away saying I wasn't intrested in the offer off £20.01 and told them I had sent the first letter they had sent me to my MP now im waiting for there next reply fingers crossed lets hope this has ruffled a few feathers ive also sent the account details that the scammer sent me.

hi blue eyes here I got the same letter today with the same offer so I emailed my reply straight away saying I wasn't intrested in the offer off £20.01 and told them I had sent the first letter they had sent me to my MP now im waiting for there next reply fingers crossed lets hope this has ruffled a few feathers ive also sent the account details that the scammer sent me.

hi its blue eyes I received another letter today 17th December from the bank saying that the same day I transferred the money to the Barclays bank details the scammer gave me it was withdrawn by 4.10pm and they had independently reviewed the matter and my claim against them and that they confirm that the response I received is correct. so still they offer me £20.01 they must have this person on camera as there is plenty off them in a bank and they would see who it was when they withdrew the money. they have said that I have to accept this as there final findings based on all the information they have relating to this complaint.barclays also say if I still remain dissatisfied I can refer this matter to the financial ombudsman service to review my complaint. I have been in touch with my MP waiting for his response is there anything else I can do and would you take it up with whom they have recommended im not letting this stop here I await your reply many thanks

Did they actually use the words that "you have to accept their offer" ?

I can't help but feel that by initially invoking 'customer confidentiality', which blocks any means by which you can attempt any form of redress, they then over reach themselves by going on to give legal advice in the form of an ultimatum. They shouldn't make any offer in that form.

Thank you for the help you have given me so far I will keep you informed . You have been a great help to me

Thank you for the help you have given me so far I will keep you informed . You have been a great help to me

hi this is blue eyes today 8th January I called in Barclays bank to discuss about the money I paid for the motorhome and they phoned there customer relations case manager only to be told the same as me that the offer they made me of 20.01 was correct and no more money would be offered and now the case is closed. I feel very let down by them as they must know who it is as they wrote and told me what time the money was taken from the account the fraudster set up. ive been in touch with my MP and waiting for another reply from him with the information I have sent him. I am going to the police this week with information to see if they can find out if this case is still open or closed. the bank told me to contact ombudsman which I did but I found them a waste of time all they said was they might be able to get me a 100 pound back. is there anything else I can do to keep this case going as this person needs stopping before he strikes again thank you blue eyes

I can understand that victims are focused on their personal loss, and I don't underestimate how devastating this has been to many families, but the only way this matter can be dealt with effectively is if victims and other concerned individuals contact their MP's together. Even then it's unlikely to get your money back though, if MP's can be persuaded to look in to what has become a scandalous situation, banks may decide to change their attitude to avoid more scandals being exposed.

Victims need to get organised and someone should take charge, though I'm not putting myself forward for that post, but I will support where I can.

Have you visited the Legal Beagles forum ?

There is actually a much bigger picture you probably aren't aware of and this type of scam is affecting many more people than anyone properly realises, and there are serious risks if this fraud is allowed to continue.

Last night I flagged up over 100 fraudulent adverts on Autotrader UK alone and, if I had time to look at ebay, Gumtree and the other I have little doubt fraudulent adverts posted in one day would exceed 1,000. Recently a fraud using similar tactics duped HMRC out of £500,000 and, as much as some people may make smug comments, that money comes out of the pockets of every UK taxpayer, and it isn't an isolated example.

An election isn't far off and the government is elected to protect the country and its citizens and any member of the electorate is entitled to ask their representative why the government is doing this. If this question is put to many MP's with details of how they have been defrauded you may find that the door that has been firmly slammed in your face starts to open.

The alternative is to wave goodbye to your money and watch it happen to many more people. Many people are trying to point out what is happening but change will only happen if enough people get together and raise the issue.

hi blue eyes here just thought id let you know the bank wrote and told me that they are going to do nothing more regarding my money I lost to the fraudster its either accept the £20.01 or nothing as they have closed my case. I am still contacting other people to take things further just waiting for correspondence from them. Do you know if other people that this fraudster has robbed are still fighting their cases or just giving in if they are I would love to hear from them as I think we should all get together and to approach those who are not willing to help us and keep fighting our cases or this will just keep happening to other people and we need to stop this scum.

This problem isn't going away blue eyes, far from it. If anything the risks of using any of the major ad sites are increasing and, only when people become aware of the likelihood of losing their money, and sellers stop paying to have their adverts posted, will action be taken. As long as banks and ad sites aren't losing money and are still making money, they will continue to treat their customers with disdain.

I believe that folk at the Legal Beagles forum were making contact with the media and I believe they'd like to speak to victims. I'm still working against these scammers but in a manner that is less obvious, out of necessity.

Every day dealer accounts on one major ad site are being hacked and scam adverts being posted in the names of the dealers with instructions to contact the scammer. In my opinion some of these sites are becoming toxic and of little use or value to either sellers or buyers. I wouldn't dream of using any service that doesn't care if in using it I lose my money.

Not enough people know the risks.

Only a few days ago I received a job offer through a major UK jobsite that came through a hacked employment agency account that was spammed all over the UK. It was effectively a well tried fraud that appears to be a money making deal but is a simple fraud.

Hi blue eyes here just to let you know and other people today I emailed the CEO of Barclays bank his email address is.... I think we should all fight together and try to get this bank to listen to us. I have also emailed the prime minister and contacted watchdog I will keep you informed once I get some replys

The FACT is that major international organised crime gangs are opening large numbers of bank accounts in the UK, and recruiting multiple money mules, to dispose of stolen funds from many frauds and scams they're operating which involve car scams, benefit fraud and the hacking of the web sites of banks and major stores.

This isn't a conspiracy theory and the links to the news stories can be found by anyone and I have the links saved for anyone who's interested, which doesn't appear to include the UK authorities or banks, who seem to believe that if they ignore the problem, it'll go away.

The banks and companies involved appear to believe that as long as they suffer no actual loss themselves that they have no need to be concerned. This is not only a disreputable attitude, it is also a long term folly, as criminals know that in thethe long term most lucrative targets are the banks and companies whose security they can so easily hack and breach.

Even now there are signs that the criminals are aiming for bigger returns, as scamming individuals for relatively small amounts is both time consuming and inefficient. It only takes a little more sophistication for them to aspire to much more lucrative rewards. When it happens it will only be because the authorities took no action to prevent it.

blue eyes,

I'm sorry for your loss, but this isn't the place to organize a crusade against the CEO of Barclays and post his email address here. We deal with scammers here, not real bankers.

Hi blue eyes here I would like to let you know I received an email today from antony Jenkins to say they are looking into my case for me and to let me know my MP Edward leigh has also been in touch with them they told me I will get another response from them in the next few days