HMRC applied for the strike out in my case back in September 2021 - see #90. And as per my previous messages, there is no ongoing police investigation. The Sergeant informed me they're just advised to pass on any instances of this to their HMRC contact - see #161.

Please see response from Tribunal: "Having carefully considered the recent correspondence in this matter Judge XXXXX is of the view that a video case management hearing is required in order to determine how best to proceed in this matter. To that end both parties are, within 14 days of the date of this letter, directed to provide their dates to avoid for a video hearing to take place the first available date after 28 March 2022." The 14 days makes the deadline 9th March. It may be useful to learn more re post #181 in preparation.

Hi slick132 - I've DM'd who it was

I emailed my Local MP contact to who initially gave me the email for the direct contact at HMRC - Alex Buckley (venturecapitalschemes.policy@hmrc.gov.uk) - which is where my ISBC complaint came from, I presume, to provide an update, and this was their response: "Good Afternoon Mr XXXXX, I am thank you, hope you are too. I’m sorry to hear that the contact provided by HMRC didn’t go anywhere. I’m glad to hear that HMCTS have made significant progress. I also noticed that James Wild MP raised this issue during a hearing of the Public Accounts Committee in December, following a story similar to your own in the Times. I’m meeting with XXXXX (My local MP) later this week and I’ll raise your case with him again to see if there is any action he’d like to take. This would likely be putting pressure on HMRC to develop a better policy as to how it deals with the victims of tax fraud. Please continue to update me on how your case is progressing and I’ll get back to you as soon as I’ve met with XXXXX (My local MP). Best wishes," Sounds promising...

See response from ISBC: "Thank you for your email. I can confirm that we have suspended collection it will remain suspended until the matter has been decided by the Tribunal."

Brilliant, thanks slick. I appreciate your help here and will get it across now. Essentially, the letter from 12th is "Dear XXXX, Please write to us by no later than 26 January 2022 and update the Tribunal on any progress made and whether you are aware of any outstanding police action" Regards, XXXX" as mentioned in #159. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything back. Is it not worth escalating the "complaint" in the ISBC letter? The HMCTS communication is as a result of escalating and disagreeing with the original investigation into the EIS claim. The ISBC communication, I think, is from when I emailed the direct contact given to me by my MP.

Hi, just checking to see if there's any update here before I send a response. I don't want to miss the deadline.

Hi, I have to respond to HMCTS by end of today. I presume in relation to their questions about police investigation, I should say that I'm in direct contact with a sergeant at NP who is liaising and has passed across my info and updates to a senior member of HMRC? Also, make them aware of the recent letter I received to my "complaint" and that this is a ridiculous outcome, given HMRC are actually still wanting me to pay the full amount, yet are actively investigating the matter as fraud... Do I also need to reply to that "complaint" too individually, and say I want it escalating? Yes, I may be responsible for my own GG account, however, I gave access under the impression is was legitimate (which they actually mention in the letter), and that it's also HMRC's responsibility to ensure that "nominees" can't defraud HMRC, using HMRC's own system! I mean, why not request proof of EIS BEFORE paying out.....

Hi, I've received a response from HMRC regarding my original complaint... they are sticking with the theory I am still responsible for repaying the full amount. Ridiculous! See attached, @slick132 @honeybee13 @dx100uk HMRC Letter.pdf

Hi, I received a call back from the sergeant who was extremely helpful. She gave me her direct email address and requested I forward my email from HMTCS and those I previously sent to af.contact so she can review in full. I also forwarded the email from my MP which gave a direct contact at HMRC for EIS fraud queries to see if there's any match/link, etc. Will update you as soon as I learn more.

Just rang NP again this morning for an update. The case has been passed across successfully this time, however, the sergeant advised the officer on the phone to me, that all cases of this nature that are being passed from AF to NP, or given to NP direct, and just being passed from NP to HMRC "Investigation dept"? The sergeant said I just need to make HMRC aware... I informed them that my HMRC case is with Tribunal and that it's HMRC that are asking me for an update with the police investigation... but at this point, I don't think NP are even looking into it. They are aware it's a nationwide "scam" however. After giving them the news re HMRC's latest message re the investigation update, the sergeant advised the officer on the phone to me that a different sergeant responsible for fraud and suchlike may have more info, and so I was told they would ring me back later, rather than keeping me on hold etc... In summary, I think NP along with all other constabularies are just passing cases to HMRC re this, and not looking into it directly. PS: I think the reason NP didn't receive the first AF transfer is because it may have been sent to my local constabulary, not NP, given I don't actually live in NP's area. UPDATE: The officer just rang back now, and advised me that the 2nd sergeant is calling HMRC for an update now as HMRC are officially investigating this themselves, rather than NP or any other constabulary. Hopefully, the sergeant will get back to me by the end of the day - the officer confirmed i'll be receiving a direct call from her, once she's spoken to HMRC. She will then advise me how best to respond to HMRC etc as she'll have a better understanding of where they're at (obviously I'll run it by you guys first before sending incase there's anything you'd like to add) Progress...

Hi, just a quick update. I had to put in a query with Action Fraud (they call it a "complaint"), as NFIB never sent across the details of my case to Northumbria Police, or at least NP didn't receive it and had no recollection of my case when I called (they didn't even realise there was a af.contact@northumbria.pnn.police.uk mailbox...) I received a reply yesterday from Action Fraud saying: "Dear XXXX, Following your recent enquiry #XXXXX, we would like to update you with the following response: Thank you for your message. I have asked the NFIB to resend the report to Northumbria Police. Kind regards" So hopefully, NP now have it and will contact me very soon. I will keep chasing if not. On the tax appeal front, I received a letter/email from Tax Appeals Tribunal just now, saying: "Please write to us by no later than 26 January 2022 and update the Tribunal on any progress made and whether you are aware of any outstanding police action." Obviously a LOT has happened between their last communication with me and articles have been published online, etc. I believe when you ring AF, they've also changed their IVR message to state they're aware of tax/HMRC scams which is interesting... 03001232040 if you want to see. I'm just wondering what I should tell the Tax Appeals Tribunal, given a lot has happened since.

Further reply from the Bailiff when I asked what was next: "I would advise that you seek legal advice , you can reissue the warrant to a new address, if you have a further address for the defendant . Or you may wish to enforce the judgement by another means. Again if you are thinking of a different kind of enforcement , I would advise some kind of legal advise, if your not sure on how to proceed ."

Ah I see - I'll contact NP via phone around midday. PS: here is a response I got from the Court Bailiff this morning: "The warrant has been returned to the office as fast tax rebates ltd is no longer at this address" No surprise.

Hi, I haven't said anything like that to them - from what I've received, or lack of a reply in this case, they haven't explicitly told me they have refused to investigate it. AF have passed it to the Northumbria Police, I just haven't heard from them yet. They haven't declined to investigate as far as I am aware, so I would presume it's still ongoing/about to start? I'm going to chase up the police from when I called last week as I've not heard anything. At least this time, I can say i've called once and was told I'd hear back, etc, and I even have a direct NP reference this time. Or am I missing something?

Hi, I've sent 5 emails so far, each replying to myself, explaining the whole situation, this CAG forum, my ICO response, MCOL/Judgment/Warrant progress, the BBC programme, LITRG post, etc. My latest email was the Warrant update, with details of the reference number, and warrant number, etc. And i've not yet been given a direct contact at NP - just the officer I spoke to on the phone said he'd chase to see who it is. They they'll email/ring me. But as mentioned above, I do have a direct reference number for NP now, which I included the AF reference in the message, so they're all linked. I can always ring up using the NP reference if I still don't hear.

Hi, Just as an update, the Warrant office has emailed back to me and informed me my Warrant is being issued by Newcastle Civil & Family Courts and Tribunals Centre, who i've contacted direct and requested an update, as I've still not had one. Not a useful email I received, but hey ho. Also, I rang Northumbria Police ("NP") direct and they couldn't find anything under my name... which is odd and annoying. So, I filled in their online form located: Report an Incident : Online Services : Northumbria Police SERVICES.NORTHUMBRIA.POLICE.UK and included my AF reference. The officer on the phone was very helpful - I gave him my email, the date my original email was sent (following referral from AF), my number, etc, and he said he's going to look into it. I now have a direct reference number for NP too, which is useful. Will let you know if I hear anything.

I’ve passed the link on to them. And no problem, I’ll keep an eye out for the DM.

Is it worth me sending this link to police, to highlight the scale of the fraud that’s been done and the attention it’s getting? I have an email thread with them. By email thread, I mean they haven’t replied yet; but I’ll reply to myself.

I've followed on from my email to the police with proof of ICO's decision saying this, and with my Warrant letter proof - which proves ignorance towards MCO claim and Judgment.

Hi Slick, Here is a response from Action Fraud I got this morning: Dear XXXXX, I am writing to inform you of the current position of your report. The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has reviewed the information you provided and has passed your report to Northumbria Police for their consideration. Please note Northumbria Police is responsible for deciding whether to commence an investigation and for providing you with further updates to your report. Northumbria Police can be contacted by email at af.contact@northumbria.pnn.police.uk or by phone 101. When you contact Northumbria Police please give them your reference number XXXXXXX. If you have any queries regarding this letter please visit www.actionfraud.police.uk/FAQ where you will find answers to most common questions. You may also submit questions which you feel are not addressed by the FAQ using our online form. You can also register on our partner website www.actionfraudalert.co.uk to receive email alerts about new and emerging crime types. Thank you again for taking the time to report this matter. We value your feedback, please visit this link and complete the survey: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/CSATDISS Yours sincerely, Head of NFIB I've emailed af.contact@northumbria.pnn.police.uk with info that I sent to the HMRC contact that my local MP gave me, in relation to how many people affected, total estimated amount, etc. Not sure if I posted this previously, but this was their response (in relation to my #137 post) Dear XXXXX Thank you for your email of 8 October 2021, sent to HM Revenue & Customs. I apologise for the delay in acknowledging your email. We are currently experiencing a high volume of work and it is important that we investigate your complaint thoroughly. A member of our specialist complaints team will aim to provide you with a full response within the next 12 weeks from the date of this email. If we are unable to respond by this time, we will write to you again. Please find attached a copy of our acknowledgement letter, a copy of our “Complain about HMRC” factsheet and a copy of our “Corresponding with HMRC by email” factsheet. Please can you confirm that you accept the risks of corresponding by email, and that you are happy to do so. Please note that no further email communications will be conducted without your consent to the email disclaimer (attached). Please note that due to the measures put in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus, we are unable to take phone calls. If you would like to contact us, you can email us on caisbcwmbcregistrationcomplaintsteam@hmrc.gov.uk Yours sincerely Complaints Registration Team Yes - i've directed around 5/6 people to sign up here although I believe only one has done so. The others have just arranged payment plans with HMRC to repay the FULL amount, not just what they received... potentially to save any hassle their end. Nothing heard back from Bailiffs or Court - I will request an update tomorrow morning, as I should have received something already. Also, nothing back from Tribunal yet either, following your/my latest response. This was also the response from the ICO, received 2nd November: 2 November 2021 Case Reference: XXXXX Dear XXXXX, Thank you for your complaint form to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in which you have complained about Fast Track Rebates Limited. The ICO’s role Part of our role is to consider complaints from individuals who believe there has been an infringement of their data protection rights. Our role is to consider whether there is an opportunity to improve the information rights practices of organisations. We may not investigate or adjudicate on every individual complaint. We will put most of our effort into dealing with matters we think give us the best opportunity to make a significant difference to an organisation’s information rights practices. It is up to us to decide whether or not we should take further action. Even where we decide that further action is not required at the moment, perhaps because the organisation has made a mistake but is working to put things right, we will keep concerns on file. This will help us over time to build a picture of an organisation’s information rights practices. Our decision will not affect your ability to enforce your rights through the courts. Our view I have considered the information available in relation to this complaint and I am of the view that Fast Track Rebates Limited has not complied with their data protection obligations. This is because… - You did not receive an appropriate response to your subject access request. - The organisation have failed to respond to you in relation to your data protection concerns. - They have also failed to respond to us in relation to this complaint despite numerous attempts, they have failed to meet their data protection obligations. Steps taken We have made numerous attempts to contact the organisation about their information rights practices. We sent a letter to the organisation via recorded Royal Mail, but it has since been returned undelivered. Email and phone numbers have also been unsuccessful and they have failed to communicate with the Information Commissioner's Office. I should clarify that our role is not to get information for individual complainants: ultimately you have recourse under the DPA to bring the matter to the courts in order to pursue this. The Information Commissioner’s role is to oversee general compliance with the DPA. In this particular case, it does not appear that it would be a proportionate use of our resources to pursue this matter further. We suggest you speak to Action Fraud if you believe they have used your details to fraudulently to make a tax rebate without your consent . You have your own separate right to take the matter to the Courts. Right to an effective judicial remedy / Right to compensation and liability [GDPR Articles 79 & 82] If you are seeking personal redress or compensation for the way an organisation has dealt with your personal information, you will need to pursue this independently through the courts or with an industry's own ombudsman or regulatory body. Please be advised that this is not a process that the ICO can assist you with. We therefore recommend that you seek independent legal advice if you wish to pursue this course of action. Yours sincerely,

I've received a response from local MP's office:

Is it worth me approaching my local MP? I know he's VERY active on social media and could potentially create awareness for more people to get involved. I am aware there have been around 20 in a similar position to me, just in a 5 mile radius from my home for starters... mainly through work/friends.

I believe they would just head to their registered address... whether or not they're given another address to try or not I don't know, but I would presume their warrant wouldn't cover that? I was told that normally they'd try an address 6 or 7 times before giving up. However, seeing as though on their first visit, it's apparent it's a rented office/forwarding office, not sure if they'll just give up.

That's still ongoing it seems. I contacted the issuer and was told I wouldn't hear anything back for a month or so, given the amount of times they try to make contact before giving up. I think there's still a week or two left of that before I hear anything.