All pension liberation articles
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NewsPensions Ombudsman orders rogue trustees to repay £12.6mn
The Pensions Ombudsman has ordered a trio of pension scheme trustees to repay £12.6mn, after it found “multiple breaches of trust and many acts of maladministration”, which caused the loss of funds and impacted members’ pensions.
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NewsRogue trustees to pay £880,000 redress bill
Trustees of the BWFS Occupational Pension Scheme were found to have committed “multiple breaches of trust and many acts of maladministration” by the Pensions Ombudsman.
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NewsHMRC discretion on scam victims’ tax bills not justifiable, says minister
John Glen, economic secretary to the Treasury, has argued there is “no justifiable basis” for HM Revenue & Customs to use its discretion when assessing the tax treatment of pension liberation victims.
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NewsTimms probes Treasury on tax charges to pension scam victims
On the go: Work and Pensions Committee chair Stephen Timms has written to HM Treasury asking for “clarity” on the tax treatment of pension liberation victims.
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NewsPASA unveils counter-fraud guidance
On the go: The Pensions Administration Standards Association has unveiled its latest counter-fraud guidance, taking aim at scammers and looking to provide pension schemes with the tools used to counter an increase in criminal acts following the introduction of pension freedoms.
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News
New reporting requirements for trustees to prevent pension scams
On the go: The Pension Scams Industry Group has updated its code of good practice on combating pension scams, making new recommendations to trustees.
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News
Suspect in £13.7m pension fraud extradited to UK
On the go: An individual has been extradited from Spain in connection with a £13.7m pension fraud in a criminal case being brought by the Pensions Regulator.
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News
PPF fraud fund can be used to compensate scam victims
The Pension Protection Fund will be allowed to pay compensation to the victims of some pension scams, after a High Court judge ruled its Fraud Compensation Fund would apply to schemes used for pension liberation.
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News
Timms warns transfer rules ‘must be changed’
On the go: Stephen Timms, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, has warned that transfer rules are not working and must be changed if the industry is to put a stop to pension scams.
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Statutory pension transfer rights pause becomes bill amendment
A new amendment restricting the statutory right to a transfer is to be tabled to the pension schemes bill, in an attempt to combat pension scammers.
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Millions fall for pension scams amid coronavirus crisis
On the go: One in five victims of a financial scam during the coronavirus pandemic were targeted by pension fraudsters amid warnings of “low-life” scammers preying on the vulnerable
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News
True scale of pension scams unknown, says PPI
On the go: The “true scale” of pension scams remains unknown, as only a minority are reported and data is not collected in comparable ways across the industry, the Pensions Policy Institute has warned.
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News
Aviva launches online scam reporting service
On the go: Aviva has launched an online scam reporting service in response to the influx of fraudulent activity by those exploiting the coronavirus crisis and people’s vulnerability at this time.
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News
Ombudsman sides with Aegon on transfer to 'bogus' pension scheme
On the go: The Pensions Ombudsman has ruled that Aegon did not fail in its duty of care when allowing a member to transfer his savings to a “bogus employer”, once again emphasising that trustees would not be held responsible for certain historic cases of fraud.
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News
Counsell: Industry must ‘step up and protect savers’
On the go: Pension providers and trustees “must step up and protect savers using every possible means”, as the vulnerability of individuals to scams has increased due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Pensions Regulator chief executive has warned.
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Regulators warn over Covid-19 pension scams
On the go: Regulators have issued a warning that rising levels of vulnerability caused by the Covid-19 lockdown could see more savers targeted by scammers, as concerns about finances increase.
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New all-party group to tackle pension scams
On the go: A cross-party group of MPs and Lords have united to better protect pension scam victims and develop a range of policies to prevent scammers from operating.
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MPs question TPR’s action on Norton pension schemes
On the go: The chair of the Work and Pensions select committee, Labour MP Stephen Timms, has written to the Pensions Regulator questioning its action over the case of Norton Motorcycles and the three pension schemes invested in the company.
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Features
Fraud costs pensions £6bn every year
Data crunch: Almost a decade after a wave of pension liberation tax schemes hit the UK retirement sector, fraudulent activity is still having a detrimental impact on savers – costing schemes £6bn every year, according to the latest analysis.
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Pension schemes to share scams intelligence online
The Pension Scams Industry Group is working with anti-fraud organisation Cifas to launch a network of open-source information on suspicious companies and pension arrangements, which specialists say could be an important step in bringing scams under control.