All fraud articles
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NewsSchemes told to tighten defences as pension fraud losses hit £17.6m
UK savers lost £17.6m to pension fraud in 2024, according to Action Fraud, as the Pensions Regulator warns trustees and administrators to ensure they do as much as possible to combat scams and support members.
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NewsFCA raises concerns over pension transfer incentives
In a wide-ranging study of life insurers’ pension provision, the regulator has urged providers to ensure they are well resourced to support efficient transfers while also protecting savers from scams.
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NewsOmbudsman shutters ‘dishonesty’ unit after funding ends
The Pensions Dishonesty Unit directed redress to fraud victims worth more than £40m – but much of this failed to reach the victims due to court appeals and bankruptcies.
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NewsHow artificial intelligence can help win the war against pension scams
The Pensions Regulator and the Pension Scams Action Group have developed an artificial intelligence tool to help identify and shut down websites that are attempting to defraud people of their pension savings.
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NewsTPR prosecutes owner of Norton Motorcycles
Dalriada pursues compensation for 255 members who transferred from other pension schemes
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NewsTrustee pair receive suspended sentences for illegal loans
On the go: Two pension trustees who pleaded guilty to making illegal loans from a company pension scheme to its employer have received suspended prison sentences.
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NewsEx-trustee pleads not guilty to illegal pension investing
On the go: Former trustee David Boardman has pleaded not guilty to six counts of making illegal investments, in a prosecution brought by the Pensions Regulator.
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NewsDerbyshire among funds at risk in £138mn solar farm scandal
The Derbyshire Pension Fund is among a number of public sector institutions with members’ money invested in a scandal-hit council investment project that has seen £138mn in public money go missing.
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NewsMaPS unclear on origin for half of amber flag scam warnings
On the go: Nearly half (44 per cent) of scam guidance sessions in the past three months have been triggered despite the Money and Pensions Service not knowing why the amber flag was raised to begin with, according to data obtained via freedom of information act request by Quilter.
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NewsScams action group gets six-figure budget to tackle fraud
On the go: The Pension Scams Action Group, a renamed and revamped Project Bloom, is to get a six-figure budget to tackle scams across the next year, with the prospect of more to come.
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NewsWaiting times a problem as demand for Pensions Ombudsman rises
The Pensions Ombudsman has been successful in its application for additional funding, part of which will go towards establishing its new pensions dishonesty unit, and tackling customer waiting times as demand is expected to rise by at least 10 per cent over the next year.
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NewsPPF to cover costs of scheme Fraud Compensation Fund claims
The Department for Work and Pensions is consulting on regulatory amendments that would allow the Pension Protection Fund to make interim payments to cover scheme fees and costs during Fraud Compensation Fund claims, and remove a loophole regarding child dependants.
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NewsPair of ‘advisers’ jailed over £20mn pension fraud
On the go: Two “advisers” who convinced hundreds of pension holders to transfer their pots into self-invested personal pensions, and then unknowingly put them into risky investments as part of a £20mn fraud, have been jailed.
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NewsOmbudsman’s anti-scam unit working on 48 cases
On the go: The Pensions Ombudsman’s new anti-scams unit, launched in November, is currently working on 48 cases with assets of more than £40mn under consideration.
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NewsGovt writes off £483,000 as Aon completes Maxwell scheme wind-up
Aon has overseen the wind-up of the AGB Pension Scheme, the last of the so-called “Maxwell pension schemes” supported by Aon Trustees Limited, with the aid of a £483,294 write-off by the government.
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NewsOpperman rebuffs Timms’ FAS criticism
On the go: Prior to his resignation, pensions minister Guy Opperman rejected Work and Pensions Committee chair Sir Stephen Timms’ criticisms over the Financial Assistance Scheme compensation cap.
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NewsDWP fails to end transfer ‘war’ between PensionBee and providers
Attempts by the Department for Work and Pensions and the Pensions Regulator to clarify the intent behind rules governing pension transfers have failed to settle the matter between PensionBee and providers it accused of wrongdoing, as critics say intent does not trump law.
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NewsTPR considers regulatory action in Norton Motorcycles case
On the go: The Pensions Regulator is considering taking regulatory action against Stuart Garner, former owner of Norton Motorcycles, its chief executive has revealed.
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PodcastsPodcast: Partial AE reform should be prioritised before long-term fix
Podcast: The absence of auto-enrolment reform from the Queen’s speech means the government will be hard-pressed to meet its middle-of-the-decade deadline to achieve it. The priority should be getting the most important parts done as quickly as possible, and introducing the rest of the 2017 reform proposals enacted longer-term. Sackers partner Helen Ball and Mark Ormston, chair of the Industry Policy Committee at the Pensions Administration Standards Association, discuss auto-enrolment, online safety and the proposed value for money framework.
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NewsNo AE reform, but Queen’s Speech measures spark protests
There was no mention of automatic enrolment reform in the Queen’s Speech, but bills around local boycotts, online safety and a revamped audit and reporting framework will all impact the industry, experts have said.