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Junk mail: David Bishop with yet another notification that he’s a ‘grand winner’ |
King’s Cross fire victim loses out in
‘prize draw’ fraud
Canadians empty survivor’s bank account
A SURVIVOR of the 1987 King’s Cross fire who fell victim to a sophisticated “prize draw” scam promising a six-figure payout is still trying to claim back his lost money.
David Bishop, 55, from Paddington, had his bank account emptied by Canadian fraudsters almost four years ago. To date, his campaign to retrieve the £700 has fallen on deaf ears and taken him on a fruitless wild goose chase.
The former postman, who has not been able to work since the horrific disaster which killed 31 people 21 years ago when a fire broke out in an escalator shaft, has been to the police, trading standards officials and even the Toronto police in Canada.
Mr Bishop said he was taken in by the bogus offer because he was so desperate for cash to fund spiralling hospital bills.
He was left with severe burns all over his body, and continues to suffer with serious medical conditions, involving travel to a number of hospitals across London every week.
When asked for a £20 release fee, he thought it was merely a technicality, and he would soon be sitting on a fortune of at least £21,000, the answer to his prayers after a long battle for compensation from the fire. Eventually he caved in to the money requests and handed over his bank account details.
“I was a broken man at the time. I really thought it was a genuine offer when I got the letter. I know people will say how could you possibly be so stupid to be taken in, but I guess I was vulnerable and desperate and just believed it.
“In many ways it has ruined my life, but more important than the money, is that it is still happening and people are still getting taken advantage of,” he said.
He only realised he had been ripped off after seeing a story in a local newspaper, and checking his bank account to discover there was nothing there.
Mr Bishop, who has lived in the area for 20 years contacted the West End Extra after seeing last week’s story that the Office of Fair Trading had identified 22 pensioners in the borough who had fallen prey to the rip-off merchants.
Mountains of junk mail, including notification of bogus sweepstake wins, regularly arrive on Mr Bishop’s doorstep. He said the Post Office can’t stop it. “It’s like they’re rubbing it in my face. Even four years after this happened I’m still getting these letters from Canada.
“There are way more than 22. They are just the people who have come forward or who really can’t afford it. I personally knew one elderly lady who jumped off a tower block when she discovered she had lost £80,000 to the scam. It is that bad but there doesn’t seem to be a way of stopping it.”
In an elaborate scam, victims are told a £500,000 cash prize has arrived in the country and that further funds must be sent to UK “agents” to release it.
The letters are very convincing, addressed to the occupant on a certificate as well as the envelope.
According to the Office of Fair Trading, which is working with Westminster police and trading standards officers, at least 22 victims have been identified, collectively losing £350,0000. The police admit they struggle to block the scam, advising recipients to throw letters straight in the bin. In Canada a number of the organisations are under joint investigation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canada’s competition bureau.
Consumer Direct can be contacted on 08454 04 05 06 |
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