We have prepared this presentation as a guide on how to avoid pensions scams. There is a also an anonymised case example of a client who we helped out following a scam.

2. WHAT WE DO
TLW Solicitors provide a wide range of legal services to both individuals and business clients.
TLW are specialists in the area of financial mis-selling. We are there to assist when people have been
victims of negligent or inappropriate financial advice.
Providing a comprehensive range of legal services across the UK,
we can assist with financial mis-selling in the following areas:

3. WHO WE ARE
Bringing together some of the best minds in legal practice, our team is made up of passionate and
driven individuals dedicated to providing quality legal representation.
With a wealth of experience, our lawyers focus on providing you with the best advice and support
when you need it. Committed to client care; our team of legal professionals are here to help you.
Peter has successfully
represented clients in a wide
range of areas including
personal injury, industrial
diseases, professional
negligence and commercial
litigation. Peter is responsible
for managing and overseeing
TLWs legal services.
PETER MCKENNA
Senior Partner
Alistair joined the TLW team in
2014. Alistair is a marketing
and business development
specialist with over 10 years
experience in similar roles.
Responsible for bringing work
into the firm and exploring
new opportunities.
ALISTAIR MCDONALD
Head of Marketing &
Business Development

5. A pension is something that many
work their entire lives for and it
often forms the basis of your
lifestyle into your retirement.
April 2015 saw the biggest overhaul
of pension legislation in decades
and gave millions of people greater
access to their pensions.
Unfortunately with this greater
access comes greater risk as many
will be exposed to unsuitable,
negligent or just totally fraudulent
advice which, in a matter of
minutes, could cost them what
they have worked years to earn.

6. In recent years, we have seen pension investments and scams
which have lost people hundreds of millions of pension funds
and sadly those people have no hope of ever recovering their
lost money.
As the government makes it easier to access funds, it is our belief that this problem is
only going to get worse and you have to ensure that any advice you receive is right for
you and is not simply right for the person giving you the advice.
While there is no absolute way of ensuring you do not become a victim of negligent
or fraudulent advice, there are some simple things to remember and check when
receiving pension advice:

7. Never deal with
anyone who contacts
you as a result of a
cold call, spam email
or text. Just don’t!
Many of the most successful pension
frauds of recent years have utilised
these methods to mass market and then
subject those who reply to high pressure,
aggressive sales.

8. If it sounds too
good to be true,
it probably is.
Many fraudulent schemes or high risk
investments promise high levels of
returns, certainly much higher than you
would receive from a traditional pension
scheme. The reason for this is that either
the returns are totally made up to lure
people in or the investment is so high
risk you have little chance of it ever
working.

9. Is the person giving
you advice regulated by
the Financial Conduct
Authority (‘FCA’)?
Many ‘financial advisors’ are not actually
regulated in anyway. This means pretty
much what it says, they’re not regulated,
they are not accountable, they don’t
have to adhere to any rules, you have no
comeback if something goes wrong with
the advice they give you.
You can check if an adviser or a firm are
regulated at www.fsa.gov.uk/register/

10. Schemes registered
with HMRC
Many schemes and investments will
point to the fact that the scheme has
been registered with HMRC and has a
registration number to give you peace of
mind. In reality this means nothing!
HMRC are not validating the investment,
they are not saying they have done full
due diligence they are simply putting it
on a register and giving it a registration
number, this affords you no protection as
an investor.

11. Beware of new or
recently formed
companies and make
sure you know who the
company is
Most fraudsters will have only recently
setup their company, again you can
check the company history here
www.gov.uk/government/organisations/
companies-house
If the company is new or recently formed
then despite what they tell you,
they have no track record.

12. What’s in it
for them?
Historically financial advisers who were
involved in recommending these
investments were doing so simply as
salesmen and because they received
extremely high commissions. For
example, many of the investment
schemes which have gone wrong in
recent years offered advisers 20% –
30% of the amount their client’s invested
as a commission. If someone is
recommending an investment which
sounds too good to be true, find out why,
what are they making out of it.

14. TLW are specialists in advising those who may have been the victim of negligent
or fraudulent pension advice.
If you are concerned about any investments which you may be considering or
may have invested in previously.
CONTACT US FOR FREE INITIAL ADVICE
FREEPHONE
0800 169 5925
info@tlwsolicitors.co.uk www.tlwsolicitors.co.uk