Sunday 29 January 2012

Highland Titles Glencoe Estates Are Quite Willing To Lie

Lets be blunt about this, Lochaber Highland Estates (CI) Limited / Highland Titles are quite willing to tell outright barefaced lies in order to make their profit, here is lie number one. Some direct quotations from their own marketing material and company representatives.

Lets just confine ourselves to one provable lie for now, there are plenty more for later!

Some quotations from Alex Flewitt from Lochaber Highland Estates (CI) Limited, Highland Titles on Australian Television
"For as little as $50 you can purchase one square foot of land in Scotland up in our Highlands up in Glencoe"
"For as little as 50 Australian dollars for one square foot of land in Glencoe in Scotland" 
 "A few years ago we acquired a considerable amount of land in Glencoe"
And from the Highland Titles website on the FAQ page under  Is This Really Legal (29/01/2012).
"You are truly purchasing a Scottish Highland Estate in Glencoe, Scotland" 
I think it fair to say that by now everyone has the distinct idea that the land for sale is in the actual real Glencoe Scotland. That would be very wrong, Lochaber Highland Estates (CI) Limited / Highland Titles at time of writing do not I think own any land at all in Glencoe, so I don't really see how they can legally be selling any land in Glencoe.

Are they selling land in Glencoe which does not belong to them then? Not that I know of, but it wouldn't entirely surprise me if they were!

What they have done is taken a bit of the land they do own and just called it Glencoe Wood! It is miles from the real Glencoe Scotland and has never been know locally as Glencoe anything. To say that the land they have for sale is in Glencoe is an outright lie designed to boost profits pure and simple.

Why would they do that?  Probably pure greed, Glencoe Scotland is well know throughout the world and makes for a much better sales pitch than say Glendour Forest (the commonly know name for this part) a place nobody outside of the immediate area anybody has ever heard of.

Lord of Glendour Forest just doesn't have much going for it nor would it persuade so many people to part with their cash.


Map showing locations of Glencoe and Highland Titles Glencoe Wood. As can be seen Glencoe Wood is nowhere near the actual Glencoe!!


As it stands at 29/01/2012, if you thought you had ever bought a piece of land from  Lochaber Highland Estates (CI) Limited or Highland Titles (the same company) in Glencoe Scotland, you did not, it was a lie. That fact alone makes this a scam.

Ask yourself this, do you really want to buy anything from liars? Would you trust anything else that Highland Titles say? Personally when I find out somebody is lying, I am very suspicious about anything else they say.

What can you do if you thought you bought a piece of land in Glencoe and have now found out you did not? First thing to do is ask for your money back. Second thing to do is inform Trading Standards in Scotland, yes you can do this even if you live abroad, and they will be delighted to hear from you. I'm not sure what they can realistically do about it, but it won't do any harm to let them know you have been cheated.

The Highland CouncilTransport, Environmental & Community Services
Trading Standards Unit
38 Harbour Road
Inverness
IV1 1UF
Tel: 01463 228700
Fax: 01463 223723
Email: trading.standards@highland.gov.uk
Website: http://www.highland.gov.uk/businessinformation/tradingstandards

Saturday 28 January 2012

Is It Legal Or Not To Call Yourself Laird, Lord or Lady

This is really where I started from and indeed provided me with the first key to unlocking some of the confusion, and uncovering how the scam works.

So lets ask the question and see where it goes.

Is it or is it not legal to call oneself Laird, Lord, or Lady by fact of owning a small piece of land in the UK?

All of the people selling these "plots with titles" claim it is legal. Well, that is one way of putting it, and putting it that way makes it appear that there is a law somewhere which says specifically that it is legal. There is no such law, it does not exist anywhere in the UK period. So saying that it is legal isn't exactly wrong, but it is very misleading, and deliberately so.

Let's put it another way and say it the other way round, it is not illegal do so. That puts an entirely different slant on the matter, one which the purveyors of these titles would rather you not think about! As soon as you think about it as not being illegal the penny drops. If you care to investigate you will find that the law neither says it is legal or illegal. There is no law which says specifically that it is illegal.

The law actually has nothing to say about the legality of it one way or the other, so by saying it is legal, what the seller actually means, is that it is not specifically illegal, but that does not sound as good, does it? They are in effect saying it is legal because it is not specifically illegal!

A cowboy builder can take advantage of a pensioner showing signs of demetia by charging thousands of pounds for a few hours work. This morally repulsive behaviour relies on the confusion and lack of knowledge of the victim, it is not however illegal. In the same way I believe Lochaber Higland Estates, Highland Titles etc. rely on lack of knowledge, confusion, and misinformation to good effect (for them!), and to greatly enhance their ill gotten profits.

Highland Titles say you can change your title using their Master Title Deed, but cannot provide any documentation showing what this is based on, it is completely without foundation.

I found some offical UK Government advice on the subject from the Home Office in the following document, http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/agencies-public-bodies/ips/passports-policy-publications/titles-included-in-passports?view=Binary This advice is applicable to the so called titles supplied by Highland Titles.

"There are companies that change an individual's name to include a title. Legal advice has been sought on this issue and the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) policy is based on the advice received.
It is clear an individual can call themselves any name they wish providing is not for a fraudulent purpose. However, it is believed there is no legal basis for a person to change their title: e.g. from Mr to Lord. It follows, therefore, that applicants have the right to change their name, for example, from Mr John Smith to Mr Sir John Smith and adopt "Sir" as an additional forename. But they cannot change their title from Mr John Smith to Sir John Smith.
As there is a right for an applicant to change their name by deed poll, the presumed title can appear on the personal details page of the passport as a forename with an observation being entered relating to the name change. An observation is required in any case where there is the potential for any name change to mislead; this includes reference to a title and to maintain the integrity of the passport.
In cases where an applicant has adopted a description of a title of nobility as a forename the observation to be entered is:
• THE REFERENCE TO .............................................. IS TO THE HOLDER'S NAME AND NOT TO THE HOLDER'S TITLE.(e.g. LORD; SIR; BARON; ETC.)
This observation should automatically be placed in the passport of any such applicant and there is no need to contact them unless the application form is completed in a way that indicates the customer believes they are applying for a change of title rather than of name. In these circumstances the applicant should be advised of how the data will be displayed in the passport and of the observation that will be entered in the document.
The above observation should also be used in all renewal applications where the children's and adult's birth names are similarly misleading, for example where names on birth certificates are registered as Princess, Prince, Earl, Duke, etc."

The real point is not whether or not it is illegal but whether or not it is true, and the answer to that is quite simple, no it is not, There is no documentary evidence which would indicate that the fact of owning land in Scotland entitles the owner of that land to any from of title. If it was true every homeowner in Scotland would be titled, but they are not.

Highland Titles said on their website "As the owner of a Scottish estate, you will have the full rights to style yourself as a Laird (Lord) or Lady. This is the same wherever you live in the world. You do not need to live in the UK or be a British citizen." If that is true you can do exactly the same thing without being a Scottish Landowner, when it comes to assumed titles there is no difference in Scottish Law between landowners and non landowners. The fact of owning land has nothing to do with the matter.

The logic of the fake title sellers goes like this, a Laird is someone who owns land in Scotland, therefore anyone who own land in Scotland is therefore a Laird, this is utter nonsense, If we apply the same logic to a King we could say that a King is someone who has a crown so anyone who has a crown is therefore a King!  Being a King involves a lot more than someone having a crown, and similarly a Laird involves a lot more than someone who merely owns land.

This is what The Court Of The Lord Lyon has to say on the matter.
"The term ‘laird’ has generally been applied to the owner of an estate, sometimes by the owner himself or, more commonly, by those living and working on the estate. It is a description rather than a title, and is not appropriate for the owner of a normal residential property, far less the owner of a small souvenir plot of land. It goes without saying that the term ‘laird’ is not synonymous with that of ‘lord’ or ‘lady’"

Can you put your Highland Titles title on a UK driving license, in a word, NO!

From a Freedom of Information request to the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency ( DVLA) UK
"When a Title deed is received requesting a change of title e.g. “Mr” to “Lord”, a check of “Who’s Who” (held on some Input teams and Business Support) or “Debretts” (held in Open Resource Centre, A Block) must be undertaken. This will establish whether the title has been ‘bought’ or has been obtained as a genuine title. If a title cannot be located in either publication it is safe to assume it has been ‘bought’. In such cases the application must be rejected for a Deed Poll or Statutory Declaration as evidence of a change of name.

'Bought’ titles do not give rights to a spouse. For example a female applicant could not claim the title of “Lady” on the strength of her husband buying a title in his name only. She must submit a Deed Poll either in her own name or as part of a joint title.

The applicant should be advised that we are following the practice of the UK Passport Agency in doing this and consequently, our procedures are subject to change in the future

The bought title (Lord, Baron etc) should form the first forename. The title code 4 or 5 should be used to suppress any other title."

Yet Highland Titles said on their website of the FAQ page under the "Can I change my bank account, credit cards, drivers license?" heading.
"Yes, we include in each gift pack the legal Master Title Deed accepted internationally to confirm your new title to your bank and any government agencies. You will be able to change your title on official documentation to Laird, Lord or Lady." (note this text has been changed on later vesions of the website)

Introduction To The Scottish Titles Buy A Title Scam

Welcome to my Lochaber Higland Estate, ok it is just a house with a garden somewhere in Lochaber, but if folks with a one square foot plot of land can say they have an estate, I think I can too!

Companies and individuals have been selling small plots of land in Scotland for years, with the promise that by so doing you can then title yourself Laird, Lord or Lady. Something happened a while back which gave me cause to investigate this arrangement. It quickly became apparent that these people are taking advantage of peoples' vanity, lack of knowledge and confusion to make quite staggering profits, for very little effort

In fact there are no Scottish landowner titles, they do not exist at all, and the whole idea is a con.

There are many companies out there offering to sell land and titles, I don't have time to investigate them all. I'd like to initially confine myself to just one company, perhaps the biggest one with a large marketing effort behind it. The company in question is called Lochaber Highland Estates (CI) Limited, now called Highland Tites. They operate from an offshore address in the Channel Islands at, St Annes House, Victoria St, Alderney, Channel Islands, GY9 3TA. The people behind this company are Peter Bevis, his wife Helen McGregor, Douglas Wilson, and Laura Bevis.

We have evidence of Dr Peter Bevis and family names being associated with the following companies:

Lochaber Highland Estates (CI) Limited company number 1599 - Changed to Highland Titles Ltd Highland Titles (CI) Ltd - Changed to Bought A Plot Limited in June 2016
Lochaber Highland Estates Limited (UK comapny No. SC232098 dissolved 17/10/2008 )
Quality Design (CI) Limited
Peter Bevis Trading as Quality Design
Highland Titles Ltd (Previously Lochaber Highland Estates (CI) Limited)
Tulloch Farm Ltd (SC231883) (previously known as Kerrow Properties Ltd.) (dissolved 17/05/2013)
Coastal Property Services Ltd (04441328)
Pdn Property Ltd (03301756)
Toac Ltd (SC313316 - Tulloch Outdoor Activities Centre)
Universal Check Services
Telephone Preference Register - changed to DP Services Limited (an Alderney Company) 
D P Services Limited (Alderney)
Scottish Woodland Alliance (Feeder Site For Highland Titles, probably just another Bevis company)
Tulloch Outdoor Activity Centre Ltd (name changed to Highland Activities Ltd 02 Feb 11)
Highland Activities Ltd (SC311105)
Lochaber Country Club
Peptide Delivery Network Limited, PO Box 146, Tortola, British Virgin Islands
SAR Monitoring Services
SAR Leasing Ltd (name changed to Lochaber Highland Estates Limited)
Quexus Ltd (British Virgin Islands - Owns Tulloch Farm)
Tulloch Farm Enterprises Limited - Company Number: SC457446 - Incorporated 22/08/2013
Lochaber Giftware Limited - Company Number: SC457619 - Incorporated 27/08/2013
D P Services (UK) Limited - Company Number: 08662796 - Incorporated 27/08/2013
Emerald Heritage Limited - Company Number  SC471768 -  Incorporated 27/08/2013
Highland Titles Limited - Company Number SC493850 - Incorporated 22/12/2014
Uccle Limited - Seychelles International Business Company No. 94913
Highland Titles Ltd British Virgin Islands (seen on trademark application)
Wildcat Haven Enterprises CIC Douglas Wilson (son in law of Peter Bevis) director.
Little Landowners Ltd Company number 11477641 Douglas Wilson director & secretary
The Little Land Company Limited, registered in Guernsey Company number 64451Polmear Lodge La Route de Sausmarez St Martin GUERNSEY GY4 6SG
Sanopay Limited Company number 10579361 Douglas Wilson director.
Dot Com Limited a company registered in Alderney number 1936.
Highland Titles OU registered in Estonia, number 14943194, manages HT website.
Highland Titles, PO Box 7059, Roybridge, PH31 4WA, Scotland.
Scottish Highlands - company number 69292 Guernsey. Now manages HT website. https://www.greg.gg/webCompSearchDetails.aspx?id=mQ8rpwiAzrk=&r=0&crn=
Glenacres Limited. Company Number:14864426
Rannoch Retreat Limited. Company number SC782866

The Telephone Preference Register company inferred it was a Government service where people could register to stop nuisance telephone calls, but was not an official Government website, and charged unsuspecting members of the public for something they can do themselves for free. The Advertising Standards Authority have already upheld a complaint about it. http://www.mirror.co.uk/opinion/money-opinion/p-s-investigates/fee-or-free-telephone-preference-opt-out-282769

I think that is enough for my first post, in this blog I'll continue to investigate and uncover the web of misinformation, deceit and outright lies these people spin in order to make massive profits.