There are several scammers who pose as firms and offer financial advisory and investment services in Dubai. The numbers are increasing because of a  well thought-out plan that protects fraudsters from any legal action. Courts require evidence but what if you do not have it? What if there is no direct connection between you and the financial advisor on paper?

That is essentially what happened with me.  I was caught in a sophisticated financial scam that gave me no direct authority to sue my financial advisor. 

My financial advisor, Neil Grant, convinced investors like me to put their money in an off-shore trust that was managed by the Guardian Trust Company Ltd, owned by Philip Van Neste. Grant persuaded us to sign a power of attorney that gave him the authority to manage the trust funds on our behalf, giving him full control of our finances. 

Furthermore, there is a planned brief lapse of time between you appointing the financial advisor (through the power of attorney) and the formation of your trust. This is a smart legal tactic to show that you appointed the financial advisor before you associated with the trust. 

Do you see the loophole here? You can not point the finger at the financial advisor aka Neil Grant because of the lack of paper trail and neither can you point the finger at Guardian Trust Company Ltd aka Philip Van Neste, as you chose the financial advisor before opening a trust with Guardian.

And just like that you are now a victim of financial advisory fraud.

The trust fund was built with hidden charges designed to line Grant's and Philip Van Neste's pockets deeper with every payment that we made into the trust. 

For further information on how this bullet proof plan works, follow the link as I talk you through the system that is designed to trap investors in a trust with Guardian Trust Company Ltd as part of a long term savings plan.

The goal with writing The Great Fraud Fightback was to write it to a general reader who knows nothing about the financial advisory industry and who wants to learn more about it, before they start investing and how they can protect themselves. But it’s also an educational piece for victims of Financial Advisory Fraud and how exactly they were scammed, because it’s not black and white. By the time reader reaches the end of the book, they know what they can and cannot do about their situation. The not-knowing is what freezes people. If people are not educated about what the issues and what their options are, they feel, and are powerless. That was the problem with Neil Grant – as expats, we didn't know where to start.

Most importantly, I hope it saves people a few heartaches.  While it is too late for some, because some cases, for example are time-bound which is another technicality that they use in this industry, I am hopeful that highlighting this particular case will prevent other vulnerable, trusting people being exploited in similar ways, and prevent similar tragedies.