Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday’s ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. 

G.J. writes: I have been contacted by Alex Dickson & Sons Ltd, who claim they can recover funds from a failed £38,000 investment I made. 

They say the money is held in escrow, and they are requesting payment of £9,000.

I am naturally cautious. The company does appear legitimate, though.

Tony Hetherington replies: The company is legitimate but whoever is using its name is definitely illegitimate. You were contacted by John Moore, who describes himself as head of sales at Alex Dickson & Sons. He gives his office address as 18 Cornmarket in Belfast, his phone number as 0333 880 9050, and his website as adsamgroup.com.

Moore – if that is his real name – says that to recover the £38,000 you lost in an unsuccessful investment, there is an ‘escrow release charge’. He explains: ‘Since your escrow was set up on a 25-year term, and you are drawing down funds early, a release fee applies.’

Flower power: The website at adsamgroup.com claims Alex Dickson & Sons has a ‘rich history’

This is complete rubbish. Even if it exists, an escrow account is a temporary arrangement in which cash is held while two parties trade with each other – it is not a 25-year fixed-term investment.

In a further lie, Moore adds: ‘You can be assured that your payment is fully protected under UK investor protection laws, covering up to £85,000 of investor capital.’

But the £9,000 ‘release fee’ he demandsis not investor capital, so evenin a genuine deal, it would not be protected.

The website at adsamgroup.com claims Alex Dickson & Sons has a ‘rich history’.

It continues: ‘Established on December 5, 1900, in the heart of Belfast, we have over a century of experience navigating the complexities of the investment landscape.’

True, the company does have a rich history, and it was formed in the year 1900. But it is a private company that holds investments for the Dickson family – they ran very successful garden centres and nurseries so famous for their roses that they were recognised by the Royal Family.

The website is a fake. It was set up in January, with fees paid for just one year, indicating the crooks running it do not intend to stick around.

The genuine company is controlled by Mrs Inge Rowan, who had no idea that its name was being used as part of a fraud.

When I described the website to her, she was puzzled. ‘That sounds a bit funny’, she told me. ‘I am a bit suspicious about this.’

The website means absolutely nothing to her, she added.

But perhaps John Moore, or anyone else at the firm, could explain – so I called their 0333 880 9050 number. The phone was answered by a jolly-sounding man who gave his name as Chris. I asked, are you Alex Dickson & Sons Ltd? ‘Correct,’ he replied. And you are in Belfast?

‘Correct’. And you are at 18 Cornmarket in Belfast? ‘Right.’ And you have been growing roses for the past century? ‘You have obviously got the wrong people.’

But hang on, you are using the company registration for the rose growers? ‘Right.’ So are you the real Alex Dickson & Sons Ltd, or are you a clone? ‘We are the real company.’ And then Chris hung up.

So, sorry Chris, but the truth is that your company is a clone and you are a crook. I hope after today that all the work you have put into setting up a website, paying for a non-geographic phone line, and then contacting people who have lost money, is a total waste of your cash.

This time, you are the loser.

Threatening: A letter warned Eon would apply for a court warrant to disconnect the meter

Debt collectors are chasing me… for someone else’s bills

P.M. writes: I am an 82-year-old retired newsagent, and I am being pursued for debt by Eon. 

The debt is not ours, but the demands began in 2022 and they have now reached a total of £16,376.

Tony Hetherington replies: You sent me a series of demands and correspondence going back to 2022, when an urgent notice from Eon claimed you owed £3,400 in unpaid electricity bills.

The letter warned you Eon would apply for a court warrant to disconnect your meter. But you are not an Eon customer. Your electricity supplier is British Gas. You explained this, but the demands kept arriving and getting bigger. 

The explanation is you live in a flat above a shop, which you own but leased out on terms which say the shopkeeper pays for a separate electricity supply. Whoever rented the shop failed to pay and Eon wanted to make you responsible.

After a couple of months, an Eon spokesman told me: ‘We have acknowledged the error and apologised for not dealing with the matter sooner. We cancelled all charges in Mr M’s name.’ There is also £200 on its way to you from Eon as a ‘gesture of goodwill’.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.