年輩の father duped into £25k 負債 by scam company 示すs Art: TONY HETHERINGTON finds 犯人 in Cyprus

• e-mail

Tony Hetherington is 財政上の Mail on Sunday's エース 捜査官／調査官, fighting readers corners, 明らかにする／漏らすing the truth that lies behind の近くにd doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to 接触する him below.?

Ms F.M. 令状s: My father, in his late 80s, has art 明らかに 価値（がある） about £78,000, 購入（する）d from 示すs Art.?

Last year he was duped into 支払う／賃金ing more than £25,000 in 料金s linked to a 約束d sale.?

He was told to 支払う／賃金 付加価値税, then 保険 costs, then bank 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金s, and finally he was told the 取引，協定 fell through.?

Tony Hetherington replies: 示すs Art was a scam when I first 警告するd against it last September. And it is still a scam today.?

Its website 誇るs: 'Since 早期に 2017, we've been the 開拓するs of 革新, setting a golden 基準 for artists, 投資家s, and galleries alike.' Not bad for an 投資 商売／仕事 whose accounts show it was 活動停止中の until 2020.

Spotted: Tony Hetherington has traced 示す Steven Smith of 示すs Art to a village called Incesu, 位置を示すd in the Turkish 共和国 of Northern Cyprus

But the lies told to 犠牲者s are worse. 示すs Art 問題／発行するd (1)偽造する／(2)徐々に進むd マスコミ 報告（する）／憶測s ? said to be from the BBC and the Daily Telegraph ? 賞賛するing a woman artist 愛称d 'Mrs Banksy', and your father, Mr W, 投資するd £15,520.

示す Steven Smith, who owns the scam company, 抗議するd that he had been given the 偽造s by someone else. I told him point blank that this did not give him the 権利 to 利益（をあげる） from 詐欺, and he returned your father's £15,520.

This was just one small part of your father's losses though. He paid £7,500 to Art 蓄える／店 and Insure 限られた／立憲的な so his pictures would be 安全な. Yet this 商売／仕事 told Companies House it was not 貿易（する）ing.?

I wonder whether it told the 税金 man the same thing. The company was compulsorily struck off last year. Who owned it? Surprise, surprise ? it was 示す Steven Smith.

Under 圧力 from 示すs Art, your father ended up 深く，強烈に in 負債. You 控訴，上告d to the banks and card issuers he used to 支払う／賃金 示すs Art. They were Lloyds Bank and M&S Bank, so I 接触するd them and 申し込む／申し出d 証拠 that the art company cheats its 投資家s.

This cannot have been an 平易な 調査 for either bank. They had to decide whether your father had been cheated over every separate 購入（する）. But the refunds began to flow. Lloyds had already decided to refund more than £13,000, it said, and then it went その上の and repaid almost £3,000 for two art 購入（する）s made as far 支援する as 2018.

M&S Bank told me it looked into 18 処理／取引s. Four 最近の 取引，協定s were refunded under chargeback 支配するs. The 残り／休憩（する） have since been 調査／捜査するd under the Section 75 消費者 保護 支配する and your father has been repaid in 十分な except for one 購入（する） which unfortunately 越えるd the £30,000 許すd by Section 75.

Lloyds 設立する some 支払い（額）s went to other companies connected to Smith. Although chargeback 支配するs did not 適用する, the bank generously repaid a その上の £27,500 as a gesture of 好意／親善. It told me: 'Keeping our 顧客s 安全な from 詐欺 is our 優先 and we have a 広大な／多数の／重要な 取引，協定 of sympath y for Mr W as the 犠牲者 of a scam.'

You told me: 'I honestly can't thank you enough for all you are doing. Dad turned 89 this week and 扱う／治療するd himself to a new 審理，公聴会 援助（する）. He has been able to （疑いを）晴らす all his 負債s, and has some left over to keep in the bank. The difference this has made to him is hard to put into words.'

One final point. When I first sounded the alarm, I 報告（する）／憶測d that 示すs Art was 新採用するing a telephone sales team, 申し込む／申し出ing 収入s totalling £120,000. The 職業s were in Northern Cyprus, and Smith explained: 'The warmer 気候 and lower expenses make it more attractive than the prices and 天候 in London.'

Now though, I can 明らかにする／漏らす the real 推論する／理由 for Smith's choice of 場所.

一方／合間...?

手配中の，お尋ね者:?示す Steven Smith

示す Steven Smith is a 手配中の，お尋ね者 man. Not for the art 詐欺 he runs, but for doing a 走者 from a 法廷，裁判所 審理，公聴会 which 宣告，判決d him to four years in 刑務所，拘置所. I traced him to a village called Incesu in the Turkish 共和国 of Northern Cyprus.

In March 2017, he was 運動ing his 範囲 Rover on the M25 in Surrey when it was in a minor 衝突／不一致 with a Renault Clio. Minutes later, the 範囲 Rover stopped at traffic lights on an 出口 slip road. A woman 乗客 got out of a Mercedes which was also at the lights, and 報告（する）／憶測s say there was an argument about the earlier 衝突／不一致.

The 範囲 Rover then 攻撃する，衝突する the woman and drove away. She was taken to hospital with 多重の broken ribs, a fractured shoulder and an 傷害 to her 脚. Police later 逮捕（する）d 示す Steven Smith for offences 含むing 運動ing while disqualified, 運動ing while uninsured and failing to stop after an 事故.

In June 2018, Smith was 罪人／有罪を宣告するd at Kingston 栄冠を与える 法廷，裁判所 of 原因（となる）ing serious 傷害 by dangerous 運動ing. He failed to appear for 宣告，判決ing, and was given a four-year 刑務所，拘置所 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 in his absence. 犠牲者s of his art scam say they have been 接触するd by police in London who are 調査／捜査するing 示すs Art.?

And police in Surrey want him so he can begin four years behind 妨げる／法廷，弁護士業s. Smith himself told me: 'Tony, this was not me. I had nothing to do with this. I myself and my team have 研究d it. Seems there is another 示す Smith with this offence.'

井戸／弁護士席, here is a police 保護／拘留 picture of 示す Steven Smith the dangerous driver. He is from the same area as 示す Steven Smith the art fraudster. And they 株 the same date of birth. What are the 半端物s?

The UK has no 国外逃亡犯人の引渡し 条約 with Northern Cyprus, though the 当局 there could kick Smith out. Or he could get on a 計画（する） and return to England. I'll 会合，会う him at the airport, and I am sure Surrey Police would be glad to …に出席する. If the police have got the wrong man, I'll even 令状 the headline myself: Art Fraudster でっちあげる，人を罪に陥れるd. How about it, 示す?

If you believe you are the 犠牲者 of 財政上の 悪事を働くこと, 令状 to Tony Hetherington at 財政上の Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because o f the high 容積／容量 of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of 初めの 文書s, which we 悔いる cannot be returned.?