We R Blighty - Forces Charity Scam
Charity scammers who use the Armed Forces for their own gain
FEATUREDFORCES CHARITY SCAMMER
Followers of our page will remember when we had exposed similar scams in the past where the Armed Forces are used to deceive the general public into giving money, thinking it's going to help veterans. Most of these scams are set up by career scammers and criminals who just want to cash in on charity and publics generosity.
When confronted they always turn aggressive and evasive threating and name calling hoping the questions will go away as the attempt to shame and embarrass those asking legitimate questions.
over the last few weeks, a new set up has tweaked our interest.
Meet, We R Blighty manager Ben Mills
Now Ben was a veteran himself and you would have thought he would have at the very least vetted and trained his staff on how to treat and respect veterans and members of the public when asking for money...sorry DONATIONS..
On closer inspection we see a common trend as the other scammers we have exposed. Using a Fundraising company, set up by mills Called Target Fundraising services LTD. Mills set it up then resigns. Strange!
We see another common trend as Mills sets up W R Blighty with company's house and again resigns yet is still pulling the strings. Stranger still!!
On closer examination
There’s two directorships one with overdue accounts (assume a pending mandatory striking off order)
GIVE A STEP LTD - 11961822
Dissolved - Mandatory strike off 14 09.21
BEACHBODY ACADEMY LTD - 11961887
Resigned but active entry pending the strike off - accounts were overdue on 5.8.22.
And lastly for WAB - ops manager of a sort and doesn’t know what the collectors are doing or saying but has since promised to retrain them.
Back to the Chuggers.
Outside M&S north farm industrial estate Tunbridge Wells.
It's all about the money!
The typical MO of these chuggers is to target mostly the elderly and mothers as they see them as a soft target. They claim to be helping the armed forces and veterans, but in fact very little goes to help if any.
Here we see a scammer being moved off by police in Stowmarket after the chugger became aggressive towards the public for not giving.
The money simply gets swallowed up and the company which set up the venture simply dissolves just around the time accounts are due.
It's a loophole which has been exploited for years.
after a few weeks a new company starts, and the scammers start again.
Here is the account of one such veteran who asked a few questions.
I emailed the directors and ceo office at M&S, they called and I finally got out of them the name and charity number that they were given... I told them that is a completely separate company who is/was a charity who don't appear to have operated for over a year.
I have an email I received from M&S this evening confirming that's who they were told, after spending the last fortnight trying to convince me that they are registered, and their number was checked, and it was all fine... I can send it if you require, can't seem to attach it on here.
Which is a completely different entity, so why did We R Blighty give M&S a Charity number which is not registered to them?
I'm so angry that M&S let them collect for the last few weeks. I complained on Friday 4th August and the manager said he'd been asked to go move outside as he'd been inside the store for the whole week... and was told again then "it's okay its his last day".!!!
I did some investigating, and found the collector on fb- him and the collector there yesterday (who looked like one of the directors Ben Mills aka Benjamin Mills aka Benjamin William Mills) and the female director Danielle Jane are all fabulous friends, and Danielle is in a relationship with Ben. and
Adam Christian was the man I reported as he was so aggressive and threatening to shame me in front of other shoppers and passers-by.
I googled him and found 2 articles- one where him and a gang beat another man, and a few years ago it was reportedly him and his brother Jason (Adam and Jason are "friends" on fb too), masterminded an armed robbery and threatened and coerced others into doing it.
I had every right to be nervous, especially seeing him again after I was promised days before he wouldn't be back. I'm disabled and venerable and was physically shaking after him shouting in my face- I really thought he was going to hit me.
Ben Mills claims he has no Connection to Adam Christian. However,
Ben Mills three separate profiles tell a different story.
Taking the piss
We R Blighty fundraising strategy ? “Join our Lottery £10”
By joining you agree to play the Euromillions on the first draw of the month (£2.50) and the rest goes to them, you also agree to donate 25% of any winnings to them. Cheers dits
If you see them report them for harassment and obstruction. Report to the local council and show them this link.
More will be added to this blog as the reports come in. If have any information, please visit TWMHCHQ.
Let's light them up like we have done to similar scammers in the past
The response was typical.
In the past others thought they use such threats and misdirection tactics, but they never work. Ben is just another who thinks if he makes the same claims long enough people will believe him..........its not going to work Ben.
Things were clearly not going anywhere. Mills was unwilling to answer the killer question,
WHAT % FROM COLLECTIONS GOES TO CHARITY?
like the rest its all deflection.
Update October 2023
Ben mill claimed he would make public accounts of money collected by the end of September 2023.
He never did.
And the outcome is always the same.
Advice from a former police officer
The police won't want to get involved with making enquiries with the charity commission at the scene, but if it is pointed out to the officers that they are a CIC and not a charity, then it could be argued that they are in possession of articles for use in the course of any theft, burglary or cheat (deception). That means that the police could seize badges, buckets, ID cards, posters, etc.
They only have to ask 'Are you a charity?' and if the answer is 'No, we're a CIC.' then the word 'charity' in their motto shows that they are not at their place of abode, in possession of the said articles, then they are as guilty as if they were burglars in possession of a crowbar.
I was going to post this on the page, but it would only alert that smart arse Ben to the fact that he has fucked up. If you have a private group, perhaps you could share this with interested parties. It's what's known as a 'preventative' or 'inchoate' offence, no complainant required, doesn't attract much of a penalty, but it is a good disruptive tactic, or as my mate from Sandhurst used to call it, umbuggerance. Hope this helps.
Are the Royal British legion aware their logo is being used this way?
Update
Sent into our inbox. Yes, More damming evidence... Remember, it's only slander/libel if the slander/liable isn't true ;)
It’s a matter of public record that Mills has been registered bankrupt since 2012. No sooner had the 6 year record expired and he declared bankruptcy again in 2018. Didn’t seem to stop him attempting to register as a director of yet another failed company in 2016 though. “SAS Solutions Ltd.” I’m pretty sure that he’s walking on very thin ice by effectively running a company that collects money that’s supposed to donate to charities.
Also it appears that Mills illegally registered himself as a company director, before resigning his position in March, whilst still being banned under bankruptcy law.
See paragraph 3 of this link: https://grantsaw.com/a-bankrupt-individual-obtaining-permission-to-act-as-a-company-director
Here are just some of the locations they have been spotted at and most cases, moved on. Keep it up!
Then another 'Pop Up' Company and CIC is found, Not only neighbours of 'We 'R' Blighted' but also buddies of each other...
Update October 12th 2023
Let us guess, this will be the next one which takes over after he folds We R Blighty.
Still waiting for these accounts Ben... The ones that you promised we would see in September.
As you can see above, another of Mills' companies/charity/CIC whatever he wants it to go by today, but will change its identity by close of play tomorrow to suit his agenda.
Veterans in Need. Nice name that. I do hope you haven't copied the name of another non profit org that work in conjunction with an actual registered charity so that you can use their charity number when your bully chuggers are confronted...
No, he wouldn't do that... Would he?
Of course he has, he's done it before.
That's his MO.
Further up in our exposure we had been sent PM's about 'We R Blighty' giving M&S a similar sounding Charities name 'Blighty Giving', as their own registered charity number.
This time you'll make out you are the above already established, Veteransinneed.org.uk owned by Forces Online Charity.
The legitimate charity's website
Not to be confused with Mills' next money making scheme below
We are on to you.
Sent in
"So… reading their story’s on the Blighty website.
There’s one about his gf raising money for RBL. But they’ve called it ‘give a step’ which ironically is a name of one of Bens previously dissolved companies lol.
It seems the moneys going straight to RBL IF you use the link, but I wonder if they are pushing people to donate in the street? all for a good cause ;) "
The RBL's challenge is 11,000 steps a day, not 10,000.
The Royal British Legion also don't call it 'Give a step', That's just another of Bens dissolved companies.
