Lately DevDosh Ltd just covered the lengthiest criminal trial to ever take place in the United Kingdom has resulted in con artist Edwin McLaren being put behind bars for 11 years. The case took place at the High Court in Glasgow and took more than 320 days to conduct.
Edwin McLaren was behind a 1.6 million GBP property scam that saw him target the fragile, old and the desperate.
McLaren posed as a financial advisor to worm his way in and gain the trust of his victims, over time he persuaded his victims to hand over the title deeds to their properties under the illusion that they would receive a large sum of money, enough clear debts or give them a better standard of living.
Neill Blundell, the head of corporate crime and investigations at Eversheds Sutherland, explains: “McLaren clearly set up a scheme designed to defraud the owners that was intricate and clever but also reasonably straight forward. It required the victims to trust him and he got their consent to pay monies into particular accounts and to transfer their ownership. That was why it worked.
“It is a lesson to us all to always probe these type of schemes to ensure their validity and also an indicator that we should take independent legal advice on anything of such importance as the ownership of our homes.”
While McLaren has been brought to justice unfortunately this is just the tip of the iceberg, as so many of the property investment scams and property frauds go unpunished, with countless people unaware they are victim until it is too late.
There are a multitude of different types of property fraud and often the financial victim is a company – perhaps a loan firm or investment firm. These investment firms will regale stories to their intended victims of the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, with the aid of phenomenal profits that can be achieved with the use of their property investment which frankly are just not possible.
Like my old man used to say “if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.”
In DevDosh Ltd opinion, there are plenty of things that a person can do stop them themselves from being a victim of property investment scam, or limit the risks at least.
Due diligence is key when it comes to any property investment company that you could potentially be working with make sure they are registered with all the relevant bodies.
Make sure the company is quite prepared to furnish you with any and all information that you need to make an educated and informed decision before you sign anything and most certainly before you had over any monies what-so-ever.
Always take independent legal advice before reaching a decision the majority of property companies do for the most part have the client best interests at heart, but this can sometimes be secondary to the commission they will earn.
And last but by no means least listen to what your instincts are telling you if for any reason it does not feel right just walk away, what’s the rush you can always come back at some point in the future once you have time to go over everything in your own time.
So in conclusion if it don’t feel right don’t do it.
If you like more information about investment, please visit DevDosh Ltd today.