We've given Refundee a new look, learn more.
Refundee recovers £145,000 from building purchase scam
Published September 2, 20260 min read
Amount lost
£185,955
Amount recovered
£145,000
Duration
9 months
Our client was the victim of a well known building scam, where they were tricked into paying for incomplete, unnecessary and bad quality work that was done to their home.
The rogue trader conducted the same scam to a number of individuals and claimed they were a building expert with years of experience. The reality was that the work was not to a good standard, they added unnecessary charges onto the work, and made the buildings unsafe.
The client came to us after losing money, and also having to pay for legitimate builders to come in and fix the mess that was made by the scammers.
The victim came to us after the bank rejected their claim
Our client initially reported this to their bank, who unfortunately rejected the case and claimed that it was a civil case and there is nothing they can do.
We conducted a thorough review and spoke to multiple victims affected by the same scam. We pursued the case with the Financial Ombudsman Service and submitted a detailed report proving that this was fraud and our client should be refunded.
After some time, the investigator at the FOS agreed with our report and instructed the bank to refund our client. They were able to recover their money from a devastating experience that affected their house and their finances.
Summary
A rogue trader charged our client £185,955 for incomplete, unnecessary and unsafe work, then the bank called it a civil matter. We spoke to other victims of the same scam, proved to the Financial Ombudsman that it was fraud and recovered £145,000.
New here? We're Refundee.
We help victims of fraud get their money back from their bank. FCA regulated. No win, no fee.
Recent recoveries
Impersonation Scam
Refundee recovers £26,000 for client who fell victim to a Richard Branson impersonation scam
An online advert showing a Richard Branson impersonator promised to teach our client how to trade. After several deposits that appeared to grow, the scammers demanded withdrawal fees our client could not pay. We escalated to the Financial Ombudsman and recovered £26,000 of the £32,000 lost.
Published Date
Impersonation Scam
Refundee recovers £63,000 for celebrity impersonation scam victim
A video of a well-known celebrity promoting an investment drew our client into a fake trading platform. An early withdrawal built trust, then scammers demanded fees to release the profit and cut contact. The bank rejected the claim. We escalated to the Financial Ombudsman and recovered £63,000.
Published Date
Impersonation Scam
Refundee recovers £13,000 for HMRC impersonation scam victim
Letters bearing HMRC branding told our client they owed overdue tax and faced criminal proceedings. The phone number led to scammers, who demanded immediate payment or the police would be called. We built the case under APP fraud rules, escalated to the Financial Ombudsman and recovered £13,000.
Published Date