Serious Fraud

It's almost always the case that privately funded criminal solicitors and barristers have better success rates in defending clients against serious fraud charges rather than those choosing to have legal aid.

Working on a Serious Fraud case

In additional to “How we work on a case” we work with a few very select law firms who specialise in serious fraud. The selection of such firms is based upon years of experience of working within criminal law and in building up strong working relationships with those who are dedicated to achieving the best result for their clients.

The firms, which we personally select to work with, have a proven track record of success in representing defendants who face serious and complex fraud charges. We are extremely skilled in conducting a wide range of defence enquires at any stage of an investigation or court proceedings. We have extensive experience in carrying out surveillance and this expertise enables us to trace and contact potential witnesses for the defence with ease.

Our skill set combined with our associate law firms’, and the instruction of expert counsel, enables us to create the most effective legal defence team, tailored to meet the needs of an individual client and consequently achieve optimum results.

Serious Fraud, often referred to as white-collar crime, is an area that has seen a boom in the last few years. Not a day goes by without a large fraud case hitting the headlines.

There are a multitude of regulatory bodies with the power to investigate and prosecute such cases including the Financial Services Authority (FSA), the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA). If you find yourself subject to their scrutiny, you need someone to turn to who you can trust and who can read the regulatory landscape like the back of their hand.

Here is a quick rundown of the main areas that come under the fraud umbrella:

Missing Trader Intra Community (MTIC)

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) keep tabs on all things VAT. Missing Trader Intra Community (MTIC) is a type of fraud that many traders find themselves accused of.  HMRC will allege that the VAT claimed back on the sale of goods outside the UK is not warranted because the goods were imported into the country without the input tax being paid. Mobile phones and other high value small volume goods commonly attract the attention of HMRC officers and VAT Tribunals have seen an enormous rise in their caseload since HMRC tried to deny output tax reclaims on goods sold outside the UK.

Other VAT frauds work on similar lines, either by avoiding paying excise duties or by falsely claiming repayments on items purported to be sold outside the UK. Highly taxed goods such as cigarettes and alcohol goods are also common targets for HMRC investigation.

Mortgage Fraud

Mortgage fraud prosecution is also on the rise after the 2008 crash as insurance companies lobby the Crown in an attempt try to reclaim losses sustained and look for someone carry the burden of self certificated buy-to-let mortgages.

Insider Dealing

Insider Dealing is a very specific offence under Financial Services and Markets Act, where people with information, which is not in the public domain, are said to be distorting the market by gaining an unfair advantage by using the information they have for financial gain (hence the name ‘Insider Dealing’).

Boiler Room Fraud

Boiler Room Fraud/Ponzi - where worthless shares or other investments are sold to investors who receive minimal dividends on a sporadic basis. The scheme can only last as long as new investors are recruited because in reality there is no investment, so there are no returns so new investors’ money is recycled out to older investors and the majority is taken by the organisers of the scheme.