He’s the world leader accused of personally approving murder on the streets of London. But is the president implicated in an assassination also responsible for theft on an extraordinary scale? Vladimir Putin has been accused of looting his own country. Panorama: Putin’s Secret Riches, BBC 2016
Action man, man of the people, and ruler of Russia: from the Ukraine to Syria Vladimir Putin’s influence is being felt. He’s faced countless accusations of corruption but still has record approval ratings in Russia. But should the Russia people trust Vladimir Putin? ibid.
So how rich is Vladimir Putin? … One journalist came up with a figure … ‘$40 billion.’ ibid.
Abramovich … He provided 203,000,000 [for healthcare, re-rooted to Putin’s palace] … A gift that can be explained away: a $35m yacht [2002] … The yacht was given to an offshore company: but the real owner is Vladimir Putin. ibid.
You can hardly blame Abramovich for wanting to keep on Putin’s good side. ibid.
Putin controls the super-rich in Russia. ibid.
Tonight: the fraudsters helping bogus students rip off student loans. They’re targeting private colleges backed by the government to open up higher education to all. For a cut of the student’s loan or cash fraudsters can fix everything. They’ll even help fake your coursework. Panorama: Student Loan Scandal, BBC 2017
It’s estimated that three-quarters of graduates may never pay back their student loans in full. ibid.
We investigate the criminals who con people looking for love. Catfish: the romance fraudsters who exploit the lonely. We set a trap for the criminals as we uncover a crime that takes us around the world. Panorama: Billion Pound Romance Scam, BBC 2018
Scandal in the City: we investigate the man who gambled billions and lost. The industry knew Neil Woodford was in trouble but no-one told investors. We also reveal how another money man was doing secret deals on the side. As hundreds of thousands count the cost of the Woodford scandal, we confront the man himself. Panorama: Can You Truth the Billion Pound Investors? Richard Bilton investigates, BBC 2019
That new wave of investors: those taking their own risks on the stock market. ibid.
Neil Woodford’s new fund has been a disaster. It’s lost billions. ibid.
Kent County Council tried and failed to take its money back: £260 million of pension cash. ibid.
More than 300,000 investors have their money trapped. ibid.
Some fund managers seem to be able to do as they please. ibid.
Another fund manager breaking rules designed to protect investors: his name is Mark Denning. He’s worked at one of the biggest investment companies in the world for 36 years: Capital Group manages almost $2 trillion of assets … ibid.
We go inside a criminal call centre. Footage from their own cameras shows exactly how the fraudsters work. We find the British victims that these scammers are rippers. We identify the crime boss who is making millions. And we ask Why can’t the fraudsters be held to account? Panorama: Spying on the Scammers, BBC 2020
Computer fraud is now the most common crime in the UK. But very few fraudsters are ever caught or convicted. So online vigilantes are fighting back. They call themselves scam-baiters. They pretend to fall for a scam then turn the tables on the fraudsters. ibid.
Many come from India … many of the call centres dedicated to fraud. ibid.
I’m on the trail of a new generation of criminals: they’re fuelling a fraud epidemic. Their targets are everywhere: brands, the banks, and they could be coming for you. They are openly using social media to run criminal networks. And promoting fraud as a lifestyle choice. Panorama: Hunting the Social Media Fraudsters, BBC 2021
For the social media generation there’s a gateway to crime that they hold in the palm of their hands every day. ibid.
Thousands of people put their savings in the hands of a company who offered them a comfortable retirement. Every year a billion pounds is lost in failed investment schemes. Panorama: The Billion-Pound Savings Scandal, BBC 2022
‘The way that Blackmore got a lot of investors in was offering very attractive returns: they are offering up 10% a year in investment payments.’ ibid. investigator
Took £5.5 million in investment fees from the investment pot. ibid.
There’s been a series of scandals in which the financial conduct authority was criticised for failing to protect investors. Steel workers lost thousands of pounds when they were persuaded by financial advisers to transfer out of their secure pension. While 300,000 investors lost around £1 billion in the Woodford scandal. The FCA was again criticised. And it doesn’t stop there. ibid.
Fraudsters steal billions every year. They impersonate banks and also the police. They target the vulnerable, sometimes again and again. Panorama: Cops, Cash & Fraudsters, BBC 2023
It’s estimated 40% of all crime in England and Wales is crime. ibid.
Every year, fraudsters relieve us of an estimated £5 billion. ibid.
Sam Bankman-Fried, the genius behind one of the most successful crypto companies, became one of the wealthiest men in the world in record quick time. Panorama: Downfall of the Crypto King, BBC 2023
He was once a crypto-billionaire. Now Sam Bankman-Fried is about to go on trial for money laundering and fraud. ibid. captions
No-one has lost more money more quickly than Sam Bankman-Fried. ibid.
Sam Bankman-Fried found fame after launching cryptocurrency company FTX in 2019. ibid.
‘Sam Bankman-Fried is fake just like a $3 Bill’. ibid. tweet short-seller Marc Cohodes
As FTX hosts Crypto Bahamas in April 2022 global crypto markets crash. ibid. caption
‘Complete misuse of client funds.’ ibid. critic
A Bulgarian woman has been placed on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list. Panorama: The Missing Cryptoqueen, news, BBC 2024
Cryptoqueen Accused Of Defrauding Investors of $4 Billion. ibid.
For five years the BBC has been investigating the missing cryptoqueen, a fraudster who stole billions. ibid.
She [Ruja Ignatova] may be linked to a major crime gang. ibid.
The founder of a cryptocurrency called Onecoin. ibid.
He’s fit and well but claiming disability. Benefit fraud costs the British taxpayer £1.6 billion a year. Britain on the Fiddle I, BBC 2017
The suspect drives a people carrier with a Belgium number-plate … These arrests are now becoming a regular event … A long list of suspects thought to be double-dipping. ibid.
‘I should be knighted.’ ibid. cigarette smuggler
Angel [multiple identities] has vanished – it’s what they feared. ibid.
Hunting a gang suspected of claiming benefits here to fund lives abroad. Britain on the Fiddle II
Angel didn’t come quietly. She denied all knowledge of the crime. She told investigators she’d had a stroke. ibid.
Havering Council organised a raid on Julie’s boyfriend’s house … They’re going to raid both properties … This is the man they think she’s renting it [council flat] to: ‘no indication that a female is living here.’ Britain on the Fiddle III
At court Buster pleads guilty to more than £30,000’ worth of fraud. He’s given an eight-month suspended sentence. ibid.
Tanya’s made 37 claims from 22 councils and used 4 different identities to get them … Tania Amisi has fled to Belgium … Nearly a quarter of a million pounds stolen from the public purse. ibid.
Julie gets a six-month suspended sentence, a hundred and eighty hours of community service and is evicted from her flat. ibid.