All Kevin Proctor, 62, hoped to do when he received a call from Susan Dalton, 66, from Brookdale in Rochdale, Lancashire, in 2014, was to make a little extra money so he could enjoy a peaceful retirement by the sea with his wife. He said Ms Dalton told him the scheme, from the fake company Regency Pensions, would offer him a safe investment with impressive returns, and Kevin would receive a £4,000 tax-free bonus if he joined the schemes.
Kevin said Ms Dalton used terminology and jargon to explain in detail what type of investments would be offered, the rate of interest, and how much Kevin could make over the period of his investment.
Kevin said: “She sounded so professional and I believed her. What she was telling me sounded good and, to be honest, I just saw pound signs in my eyes when she was talking.”
Ms Dalton sent Kevin multiple official-looking documents for him to sign which asked him to provide signatures to confirm the transfer. They also wanted him to provide a photo ID.
Before he sent the paperwork off, Kevin did have a moment of doubt.
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He said: “They asked me not to tell anyone about the £4,000 gratification payment. I did think that this was a bit dodgy and I asked them why. They told me that it was a special one-off payment that they made to their investors and they didn’t want others to know about it.”
Kevin disregarded his concern as he had booked a holiday with his wife…
