Posts by admin
Director disqualification for dodgy wine dealer
Earlier this month, former wine investor William Geoffrey Mason received a 10-year company director disqualification. An Insolvency Service investigation found that Mason, 54, “abused” hundreds of thousands of pounds investors paid his company. Between 2001 and 2019, Mason’s business, William Mason Fine Wines (WMFW), received more than £445,000 in payments from investors. However, investigators concluded…
Read MoreConsumers warned over pre-paid energy scams
Britain’s leading fraud prevention service, Cifas, has warned gas and electricity customers to avoid pre-paid energy scams disguised as discounted offers. The scams have already affected over 188,000 victims, including British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, Scottish Power, and SSE customers. It’s no secret the cost of living is increasing at a startling rate. Many UK…
Read MoreWhen digital currency goes wrong Netflix documentary
Netflix’s newest true-crime offering is a cautionary tale about the world of cryptocurrency investments. Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King follows the rise and fall of Gerald Cotten, founder of the QuadrigaCX cryptocurrency exchange. The result is a gripping documentary that attempts to trace the $150million (around £115m) investors lost following Cotton’s…
Read MoreEnd of temporary insolvency measures
Last week, the Government withdrew the temporary insolvency measures introduced two years earlier to support businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Creditors could obtain winding-up petitions under the temporary legislation (enacted as part of the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020). However, the debt threshold for winding-up petitions increased to £10,000 and creditors were compelled to:…
Read MoreCybercrime: Beware of Ukraine donation scams
It is hard not to be affected by the horrific scenes of war from Ukraine that appear daily on our screens. We can only empathise with the innocent people caught in the crossfire. Most of us feel helpless, but want to help anyway we can. Consequently, there has been a global outpouring of cash and…
Read MoreDue diligence in the Dragon’s Den
Although the BBC’s long-running reality TV show Dragon’s Den has produced several business success stories, there have also been some missed opportunities. In 2007, for example, Jamaican chef Levi Roots earned a tidy sum after celebrity angel investor Peter Jones offered £50,000 for a 40% stake in his Reggae Reggae Sauce business. However, later that…
Read More