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Government pledges to crack down on business rates fraud

This follows an investigation from our sister title Retail Express

The government has pledged to take steps to crack down on business rates fraud following investigations by Better Retailing and others into a serial scammer who cannot be identified due to legal reasons.

Since 2017, Better Retailing has repeatedly exposed the fraudster and their associates, who deceived hundreds of shop and other business owners into paying for rates savings the fraudsters failed to achieve. In some circumstances, businesses were threatened with county court action unless they paid tens of thousands of pounds. The fraudster said the claims against them were “false information”. T

he investigations by Better Retailing were discovered by the fraudster’s latest round of victims, and helped bring the convicted criminal responsible for the scams to the attention of the BBC’s Rip Off Britain and The Manchester Mill last year.

Following the coverage, several of the fraudster’s latest scam companies were banned from managing business rates claims by the Valuation Of????ice Agency. However, new company filings suggest those associated with the fraudster have attempted to skirt the ban by setting up further companies.

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One of the latest victims is Bar Etna in Manchester. Last month, representatives of the bar and Better Retailing contacted local MP Connor Rand to ask for help in stamping out rates scammers for good. In a letter to Rand, Better Retailing urged: “Please help us and others to stop this cycle of misery that is ruining the lives and businesses of honest people.”

Speaking in Parliament on 24 April, the Labour MP challenged the government to do more to protect small businesses, stating: “Bar Etna has suffered to the tune of thousands of pounds from a business rates scam. “

Thankfully, the licences of the fraudsters were suspended, but they have since changed their company name and are back scamming small businesses again. It was the fourth time they have pulled this trick. “Can we have a debate on the business rates scams crisis in our country, so that we close for good the loopholes being exploited by these con artists?”

Responding to Rand, leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell promised: “We are committed to reducing the number of these scams, and we will take steps to do that, but I will ensure [Rand] gets an update from ministers.”

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