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A COMPANY linked to an Outlander star has been accused of stealing tens of hundreds of kilos from determined companies in a debt assortment rip-off, The Scottish Solar can reveal.
Actor Paul Donnelly – who performs Ronnie Sinclair in seasons 5 and 6 of the hit interval drama alongside Sam Heughan – give up as director of under-fire Vanguard Companions after it allegedly recovered the money then saved it.
A number of companies throughout the UK declare they’ve been put by monetary hell and have misplaced tens of hundreds in a rip-off after dealings with Donnelly’s former firm.
The actor, 46, was the only real director of an organization referred to as Caledonian Group Companies Restricted for over 4 and half years, which is registered in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has a subsidiary debt assortment firm named Vanguard Companions.
It’s understood that the alleged rip-off began with a enterprise permitting Vanguard to gather a debt on their behalf by signing it over to them.
Nonetheless, as soon as the debt was collected, it’s claimed that the cash was not returned to the shopper with Vanguard holding it as a substitute.
Victims of Vanguard companions
Quite a few alleged victims, who The Scottish Solar have chosen to not title, claimed Donnelly’s agency conned a complete of tens of hundreds from their companies between 2019 and 2021.
One enterprise proprietor defined that Vanguard bought in contact with them and claimed they wished to assist get better a debt of £27,000 in October 2020.
The agency paid an extra £4,984.50 in courtroom charges and claimed they acquired faux paperwork from Vanguard that confirmed them “chasing the debt”.
Nonetheless, the debtors later despatched him financial institution statements, which had been seen by the Scottish Solar, exhibiting that the complete debt was paid in quite a few instalments to Vanguard by December 2020, which he was not conscious of till April 2021.
Between December and April, emails from Vanguard Companions to the businessman, additionally seen by The Scottish Solar, clarify that they had been nonetheless attempting unsuccessfully to gather the debt.
“This scamming firm has put me by hell”
The determined businessman mentioned: “This scamming firm has put me by hell.
“It’s been nothing however three years of stress, to not point out the sensation of embarrassment of being scammed out of a lot cash.
“It makes you’re feeling silly. I’m in shock actually each day. I’ve bought psychological well being points due to him.
“They’re simply doing it time and again and it makes me sick.”
A second enterprise proprietor defined that they signed an settlement that allowed Vanguard Companions to gather a debt of £49,747.50, who additionally charged them an extra £3,780 in alleged courtroom charges in January 2021.
However no paperwork had been despatched to the corporate or their solicitors to say that courtroom proceedings had begun and nobody defined what the extra cash was used for.
It isn’t recognized whether or not the unique £49,747.50 debt was ever recovered.
The second enterprise proprietor mentioned: “They’re very efficiently taking large quantities of cash from folks.
“This man is a fairly well-known actor – the general public trusts him… It’s unbelievable that it’s been happening for therefore lengthy.”
A 3rd sufferer claimed that Vanguard was entrusted to gather a debt of £1,322 for his or her firm in April 2021 in addition to charging them an extra £450.17 in charges.
They found that their debtors paid Vanguard after they despatched over financial institution statements to point out that it had been paid in three instalments.
They mentioned: “That is ruining folks’s lives. I actually really feel for the individuals who have been accomplished out of a serious amount of cash.
“We’ve by no means seen the cash, we all know it’s been paid and nothing has been paid to us.
They’re simply conning folks.”
And a fourth enterprise proprietor instructed The Scottish Solar that Vanguard Companions bought in contact with them providing to assist gather a debt of £20,000 and charged them a complete of £2,452 in charges, however was met with radio silence after the contract was signed and the cash was transferred over in July 2019.
Every of the victims defined that getting in contact with anybody at Vanguard proved to be “unimaginable” after it turned recognized to them the debt had been collected by Vanguard.
Donnelly – who additionally appeared in BBC Scotland drama The Nest and the 2012 film The Angel’s Share – was the only real director and solely member of workers on the firm till he resigned final month on February 27, simply three days after he employed Oladimeji Wazee Jagun, from Italy.
Victims go away evaluations on Trustpilot web page
Victims have additionally claimed that quite a few faux evaluations have been arrange on the Vanguard Associate’s TrustPilot web page.
The highly-rated evaluation web site had a warning on the agency’s web page that said that they had been caught “shopping for and promoting faux evaluations”.
Pauline Smith, Head of Motion Fraud, additionally confirmed that they acquired complaints in opposition to Vanguard Companions, however they weren’t reported to a police drive for investigation.
As a result of excessive variety of studies, claims are assessed in opposition to a excessive checklist of standards, together with the vulnerability of the sufferer, which the complaints fell in need of.
The Monetary Ombudsman Service confirmed that they will solely look into complaints about companies which are regulated by the Monetary Conduct Authority.
It’s understood that Vanguard will not be regulated by the FCA.
In the summertime of 2021, Donnelly opened a brand new idea fitness center in Glasgow – with free courses for kids affected by psychological well being points and victims of home abuse.
BXNG in Milngavie is full of state-of-the-art gear and affords small-group health courses and one-to-one boxing coaching.
He additionally revealed he was launching a brand new charity, In Your Nook.
The charity helps establish those that would profit from the “empowering impression”, from skilled coaching from these within the BXNG crew, working with different charities together with Girls’s Support and Again Onside.
Final night time Donnelly mentioned he was not concerned with the Vanguard and denied any wrongdoing.
He mentioned: “I’m not the director anymore.
“I helped my pal out who has a enterprise down south and I helped him out a bit of bit and we did it for 4 years and this occurs to be a problem and I’m like ‘What the f*** is occurring? Get me to f*** off this. That is b*******.’
“So far as I used to be involved all the things’s sorted. I helped out a pal and it’s f****** backfired on me and now I appear like a c***.
“I don’t become involved with issues which are no good.
“I’m simply not a part of it anymore. It’s an excessive amount of drama.
“I’ve a charity, I’m working with Girls’s Support, I’ve not earned a f****** coin in a few yr and a half.
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