Private investigator accused of scamming death plunge tycoon Scot Young’s ex-wife in hunt for his ‘missing millions’ exposed as fantasist who rubbed shoulders with sports stars

August 21, 2015 / fullproofintelli / Leave a comment

Prolific fraudster accused of cheating businessman Scot Young’s ex-wife
He offered to help her find her former husband’s missing millions
Mrs Young paid him thousands of pounds to try and track down the cash
Mr Hill-Wood was arrested last Monday on suspicion of fraud offences
Scot Young died in mysterious circumstances after falling onto railings
He and his ex-wife were engaged in an acrimonious legal battle

By Chris Greenwood for MailOnline

Published: 06:09 EST, 20 December 2014 | Updated: 08:05 EST, 20 December 2014

Mark Hill-Wood (pictured) was arrested on suspicion of fraud last week. He has used a string of different identities to dodge the authorities and escape bitter victims

A man accused of cheating the ex-wife of bankrupt tycoon Scot Young can be unmasked as a prolific fraudster and fantasist.

Mark Hill-Wood, 50, approached Michelle Young and offered to find her former husband’s missing millions.

She handed over thousands of pounds in the hope he would be able to break the deadlock after an acrimonious eight-year legal battle.

But MailOnline can reveal Hill-Wood is a ‘Walter Mitty’ career conman.

Our investigation has uncovered that the fraudster has hidden behind a string of different identities to dodge the authorities and escape bitter victims.

He has been convicted of elaborate scams including cheating elite athletes in the run up to the Olympics and conning Harrods out of a £200,000 watch.

The discovery is yet another twist to the incredible saga of the collapse of Mr Young’s empire and the bitter dispute over his lost wealth.

His death after falling onto railings outside his £3m Marylebone penthouse home has prompted fierce speculation about what happened to his fortune.

An inquest is expected to be opened this week but it could be several months before the full circumstances of his final hours are laid bare.

Meanwhile Mrs Young, who has two grown up daughters, has indicated she will continue to fight to find her ex-husband’s money and get her £20m divorce settlement.

She has employed a team of lawyers and private eyes in her search and was contacted by Hill-Wood in July.

He told her he had set up his own private detective agency known as FullProof Intelligence, which is based at a postal box in the City.

Here Hill-Wood (left) is pictured with British Formula 1 driver David Coulthard (right). The photo was taken after Hill-Wood received a package to attend the Monaco Grand Prix

Left, Hill-Wood’s passport reveals his true identity. Right, he is pictured in Monaco during the Grand Prix. He once went by the name Philip Buffett and was labelled a ‘fantasy fraudster’ by a judge in April

Mrs Young handed over more than £14,000 but refused a request for further funds when Hill-Wood did not hand over dossiers of her ex-husband he claimed to have retrieved.

She eventually reported him to the police and detectives from Surrey arrested him last Monday on suspicion of fraud offences.

It can now be revealed that Hill-Wood was previously known as Phillip Buffett and was labelled a ‘fantasy fraudster’ by a judge in April.

Then based in Croydon, South London, he was sentenced to a two year suspended jail sentence for duping Harrods out of a £200,000 watch.

The hearing gained national attention when the judge pilloried him for wearing a Ralph Lauren shirt in the dock and asked, ‘what’s wrong with M&S?’

Reading Crown Court heard Buffett has 48 previous convictions and he was branded ‘completely unsuccessful in all that you do’.

The court was told he also cheated several companies and defrauding two men who applied to him for work under the umbrella of a company known as Uber Intelligence

One of the firms, a market leader in counter-explosive and IED products and training, was conned out of more than £27,000 pounds.

Mrs Young (left), who has two grown up daughters, has indicated she will continue to fight to find her ex-husband Scot Young’s (right) money and get her £20m divorce settlement

Scot Young’s body was found by horrified residents in Marylebone after he had fallen 60ft onto the iron railings below his flat

Mr Young’s body was found after he fell four storeys – but friends believe he would never have killed himself

In another fraud the defendant got a luxury package to watch the Monaco Grand Prix, including hospitality on the Mercedes F1 yacht.

Photographs later emerged of him posing with former British Formula 1 racing driver David Coulthard during the racing.

In the past Buffet fleeced elite British athletes with the promise of lucrative sponsorship contracts in the build up to the London Olympics in 2012.

Hill-Wood, who has previously used the names Mark Cas and Mark Castley, was banned from running a company for seven years in 2011 after other frauds.

But he was able to get around the prohibition by simply changing his name by deed poll.

Scot Young and his fiance Noelle Reno (left and right) pictured together at social events across London. Speculation surrounding Mr Young’s death has been rampant with questions raised about his fortune

Approached at his home in Thames Ditton last night, Mr Hill-Wood declined to comment on his arrest.

Speaking through an intercom he said: ‘I think you have got your facts wrong’ but declined to elaborate or speak directly to a reporter.

Asked if Hill-Wood lived in the converted detached property, another resident replied: ‘Yes, unfortunately.’

Shown photographs of Buffet and Hill-Wood she confirmed they were her neighbour but declined to comment further.

A Surrey Police spokesman said: ‘Surrey Police is investigating an allegation of fraud at an address in Thames Ditton in October this year.

‘A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of fraud in connection with the offence on Monday December 15.

‘He was interviewed and has since been released on bail until June 2015 while the investigation continues.’

– See more at: http://www.griotglobe.com/news/18424-private-investigator-accused-of-scamming-death-plunge-tycoon-scot-young-s-ex-wife-in-hunt-for-his-missing-millions-exposed-as-fantasist-who-rubbed-shoulders-with-sports-stars.html#sthash.wPH7mXAG.dpuf

Croydon Conman Phillip Buffett or Mark Wood Hill

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 / fullproofintelli / Leave a comment

Croydon Conman Phillip Buffett walks free from court

Written by Adam Home

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Recently we featured an article on an individual called Phillip Buffett and his “Uber Intelligence” group of companies. This individual came to our attention when we were tasked by two freelancers to pursue unpaid invoices totalling over £10k.

It soon became apparent to us that the individual in question was a known fraudster, with a history of criminality and a penchant for defrauding individuals, businesses and even professional athletes. He was also already serving a seven year ban as a director for his previous frauds.

The original story “Croydon conman who fooled Harrods with a dud cheque” quickly became one of our most read and commented articles, with businesses and individuals lining up to share their tales of woe at the hands of Mr Buffett. We also received numerous calls to our offices from creditors of the various “Uber Intelligence” group of companies and even from former members of Mr Buffett’s staff.

All of these people had similar stories to share, they had supplied goods or services to Mr Buffett personally, or to one of his companies and all had struggled to recover the funds due. So you can imagine how pleased we were to hear that in May of 2013 the elusive Mr Buffett had been remanded in custody, pending a trial for defrauding Harrods out of goods worth just shy of a quarter of a million pounds.

Fast forward to April 2014, Mr Buffett sits in the dock, resplendent in a red Ralph Lauren shirt. The court hears about Mr Buffett’s 48 previous convictions for fraud and the prosecution outlines a further seven counts of fraud against businesses and individuals valued at over £119k that Mr Buffett admits. The Judge Simon Oliver, castigated Buffett and told him:

“I’ve got a psychologist’s report on you and it talks about you as a man who thinks it may be important to be perceived as important, successful and wealthy.

“Your behaviour has all the hallmarks of a Walter Mitty character. In the fantasy world in which you live you think you are rich, you think you are successful. You are neither rich nor successful. Your 48 (previous) convictions show me you are completely unsuccessful in all that you do.”

A Day in Court

The stage seemed set for Mr Buffett to once again be jailed for his crimes and for the financial suffering and hardship his actions caused his creditors to endure. Alas for those that had been defrauded, justice would not be done this day.

Judge Oliver, sitting at Reading Crown Court accepted that it would be much easier to simply send Buffett straight back to prison,but he said that prison “had not worked in the past” and it was in his opinion “a waste of state funds”.

Instead he decided to pass a sentence that he was aware some might call overly lenient and that members of the press might view as inappropriate.

Judge Oliver then announced the sentence. The repeat fraudster and convicted criminal Mr Philip Buffett received a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He also ordered Buffett, of Fairfield Road, Croydon, to carry out a paltry 200 hours of community work, to be placed under a supervision for two years, and to pay the standard victim surcharge of £120 (as a percentage of the goods and services misappropriated from creditors and businesses by Mr Buffett, this equates to approximately 0.0324%).

In addition he imposed a further directorship ban, to last for 10 years in addition to the previous seven year ban (that was roundly ignored by Mr Buffett when he set up his “Uber Intelligence” group of companies).

Get Out of Jail, Free

Now we aren’t an unreasonable company, we don’t think that debtors should be imprisoned, or sent to Australia. We appreciate that in legitimate business, sometimes things happen and people go unpaid. But these companies were, in our opinion, set up specifically for the purposes of defrauding other businesses. Why else would Mr Buffett ignore his previous and still active ban as a director? Why else would he change his name by Deed Poll if not to try and circumvent this existing ban?

In fact it appears to us, that had the convicted fraudster Philip Buffett not targeted Harrods and committed an obvious criminal offence, that the behaviour of his illegally operated limited companies may well have continued for some time as in most cases, the police are not interested in what they generally perceive as “a civil matter”.

We have said it before, and now we are saying it again, the limited company system in this country is broken. It enables fraudsters to operate with virtual impunity hiding behind the words “limited liability” and this limited liability disadvantages the honest businesses that have provided goods or services in good faith.

We would urge anyone who is approached by Philip Buffett or his pseudonyms of Mark Cas / Mark Castley / Mark Roger Castley / Mark Hill-Wood to avoid providing credit to him personally, or any company he is involved in. If you were a victim of Mr Buffett and you consider his sentence to be Unduly Lenient then you might still have time to raise your objections with the Police and CPS, more info on unduly lenient sentences can be found on the Crown Prosecution Service site here.

Anyone interested in what Mr Mark Cas/ Mark Castley/ Mark Roger Castley / Philip Buffett / Mark Hill-Wood is up to now should head on over to google and look up his brand new name Mr Mark Hill-Wood and his brand new company Fullproof Intelligence (Mr Hill-Wood is now “Trading As” Fullproof Intelligence as he is banned from being involved in the formation, running or management of a limited company until his 17 year ban has elapsed).

If you don’t have time to google then try the following links:

“Private investigator accused of scamming death plunge tycoon Scot Young’s ex-wife in hunt for his ‘missing millions’ exposed as fantasist who rubbed shoulders with sports stars” – The Daily Mail

“Fraud police focus on former MI6 spy’s role in high-stakes divorce” – The Independent

“F1 cars, Saudi royalty and hostage negotiation: serial conman Mark Hill-Wood is back in business” – The Croydon Advertiser

We will of course update this story further should new information come to light.

Mark Hill Wood – Full Proof Intelligence

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 / fullproofintelli / Leave a comment

A SERIAL fraudster dubbed a “Walter Mitty character” by a judge is back in business and claiming to run a “global” security company, with clients including a well-known music star.

FullProof Intelligence claims to advertise on F1 cars, to do business with the Saudi royal family and to have negotiated the return of a woman kidnapped while travelling to South America.

In fact, it is run by Mark Hill-Wood, a criminal fantasist from Croydon with more than 50 convictions, whose victims include Olympic athletes and Harrods.

Last April, under the name Phillip Buffett, he was handed a two-year suspended sentence after admitting numerous offences, including conning Harrods out of a £200,000 watch.

He also pleaded guilty to breaching a seven-year ban on holding a directorship, imposed in 2011 after being convicted, this time using the name Mark Cas, of conning elite athletes with the promise of lucrative sponsorship contracts in the build-up to the London Olympics.

When approached by the Advertiser this week, Mr Hill-Wood admitted circumventing that ban by operating FullProof Intelligence as a sole trader.

“I’m not a director of any limited company, but a sole trader, so I am in contravention of no court order,” he said.

FullProof Intelligence’s website makes numerous bold claims about being a “global intelligence agency” and its “years spent operating in domestic & international intelligence services”.

It says the business, which has a postal box address, has a £5m deal to provide cyber security for Saudi royalty and is looking to fill a number of well-paid positions on six-figure salaries.

The website includes testimonials from anonymous clients, such as a Magic Circle lawyer, and claims the company provides “protection and security 24/7 to a well-known singer on her worldwide tour”. It also lists a wealthy family as one of its customers.

“We gave urgent assistance to a high-net-worth family whose daughter was kidnapped whilst travelling in South America,” reads the website.

“We launched a full-scale manhunt, located her whereabouts, and negotiated skilfully and intelligently with her captors. We ensured her safe return within a fortnight.”

Fullproof’s website says it employs a team of intelligence consultants heading various “divisions” of its business including fraud, money-laundering and forensic accounting. Francois Lefebvre, who shares his name with a Napoleonic military commander, is listed as the Head of Stolen Art Recovery Division.

It also features videos purporting to show Fullproof’s impressive advertising campaigns. In one, the company’s logo can be seen on the side of a Mercedes F1 car and, in another, its branding is on a passenger jet.

A video on the company’s YouTube channel shows an advert on the side of a helicopter and claims Mr Hill-Wood has a full pilot’s licence. The aircraft’s registration number reveals it to be an air ambulance based in the US. As with other videos, the branding appears to have been digitally edited into the recording.

Fullproof Intelligence also claims to be accredited by a number of official bodies. Its website features logos of five organisations including the United Nations and ADS, the aerospace and defence group which runs the Farnborough International Airshow.

When the Advertiser contacted ADS this week, a spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that Fullproof Intelligence is not a member of ADS and we have never done business with them.

“We will be contacting the company and ask them to immediately remove our logo from their website, as they have no right to use it.”

Mr Hill-Wood has since deleted reference to ADS from the site despite insisting he had permission from “several” companies to use their logos. He declined to answer when asked to identify them.

He also failed to respond when we asked for proof that the “specialists” listed on the site were real people or whether he had edited the advertising videos.

Mr Hill-Wood claims to be “senior assistant” at the FullProof Foundation, which is offering a community group £8m and promises the person who nominates them a £10,000 shopping trip.

The conman, who used to live in Thornton Heath and Croydon town centre before moving to Thames Ditton, would not comment on the foundation or respond when quizzed as to whether he had written the comments posted under his blog.

What he would say was that the Advertiser was “harassing” him, adding: “Please do not bother me again.”

UPDATE: It would appear that, on at least three occasions, Mr Hill-Wood used a service on http://www.peopleperhour.com which charged £50 to put company logos on things such as London buses, helicopters and passenger jets. He also paid £18 for ‘200 real endorsements on his LinkedIn’ page and twice paid £7 for ‘3,000 real YouTube views’ .

Fullproof Intelligence bears the hallmarks of Mark Hill-Wood’s former business ventures.

In July 2009, then calling himself Mark Cas, he set up Global Sponsorship Group in Croydon, and created a website claiming the company had a sponsorship portfolio of £35 million as well as the backing of FTSE 100 companies who wanted to sponsor athletes.

Through the website, Cas claimed to be able to match sportspeople with sponsorship deals if they paid an initial fee of £500 per individual and £1,000 for teams.

A number of athletes, including an Olympic gold medallist, signed up but none of them received the deals he promised. The police investigated and found he had no connection to any of the companies listed on his website.

He later admitted seven counts of fraud by false representation and was convicted of a further two counts. He was sentenced to three years in prison and disqualified from becoming a company director for seven years.

Mark Hill-Wood has changed his name since being convicted last April of defrauding Harrods out of a £200,000 watch.

The conman, then called Phillip Buffett, used a cheque from a closed bank account to leave the Knightsbridge store with a £216,000 Hublot, another watch, a camera and clothing worth a further £28,000.

He admitted seven counts of fraud against businesses and individuals totalling another £119,000, as well as breaching a ban on being a company director. Buffett later used the watch to get a loan of £77,000 and, the following month, flew to Monaco to watch the Formula One Grand Prix. He was arrested at Gatwick when he returned.

He cheated companies out of goods and services and defrauded freelances he had employed to work for his business, Uber Intelligence, on a short-term basis. It is thought his victims are still owed more than £150,000.

He was able to get around the directorship prohibition by changing his name by deed poll.

Judge Simon Oliver said: “I’ve got a psychologist’s report on you and it talks about you as a man who thinks it may be important to be perceived as important, successful and wealthy.

“Your behaviour has all the hallmarks of a Walter Mitty character.

“In the fantasy world in which you live you think you are rich, you think you are successful.

“You are neither rich nor successful. Your 48 [previous] convictions show me you are completely unsuccessful in all that you do.”

Buffett, then living in Fairfield Road, Croydon, was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence, and 200 hours of community work.

Career conman Mark Hill-Wood was accused of cheating the ex-wife of a bankrupt tycoon found dead on railings outside his London home.

Posing as a private investigator, he approached Michelle Young and offered to find her former husband Scot Young’s missing fortune.

Mr Young died after falling four storeys on to railings outside his penthouse flat in London on December 8 last year. According to a national newspaper, Ms Young handed over £14,000 to Mr Hill-Wood in hope of finding her husband’s money and securing a £20 million divorce settlement. She refused a request for extra money when the fraudster did not provide the information he claimed to have collected.

Mr Hill-Wood was arrested and later bailed on suspicion of fraud by detectives in Surrey.

He told the Advertiser this week that he had refunded Ms Young prior to speaking to the police.