The claim, brought jointly with Humphries Kerstetter solicitors, was publicised this weekend and has attracted an overwhelmingly positive response from victims across the country.

The Sunday Times, Daily Mail and Daily Express have all covered news of the Meta group claim, which is one of the most significant legal challenges to Meta’s handling of fraudulent advertising in the UK.

Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert website has also reported on the group legal claim.

The claim centres on the systematic use of Facebook and Instagram to serve fraudulent investment advertisements to UK consumers – including deepfake videos of well-known figures such as Martin Lewis – which directed victims to investment scams resulting in significant financial losses.

Martin Richardson said: “These are not random frauds that happened to use social media. Meta’s advertising platforms were the vehicle through which victims were targeted and deceived, often repeatedly. The scale of what has happened is enormous and Meta has both the means and the responsibility to have done more to prevent it.”

The law firms have spent months bringing the Meta group claim together to help scam victims. The more people who come forward, the stronger the group action becomes.

Every year, tens of thousands of British consumers are scammed out of their savings after responding to fraudulent advertisements on Facebook and Instagram promoting fake investment schemes, cryptocurrency fraud, and bogus financial products. 

The human cost is devastating: an initial sign-up process run by Richardson Hartley Law, which has already signed up hundreds of victims to join the claim, found that the average loss per victim stands at around £37,000, often representing life savings accumulated over decades. Despite the scale of the harm, neither the British Government nor its regulators have moved decisively to hold Meta to account, leaving victims with nowhere to turn.

Earlier this month money guru Martin Lewis and consumer champions Which? wrote to the Prime Minister Keir Starmer demanding urgent action against the plague of online fraud. “Major online platforms are not just hosting criminal activity, they are actively profiting from it,” the letter stated.

The law firms say that they hope by bringing this group action it will help to incentivise Meta to address scam adverts shown on Facebook and Instagram.

The case follows a series of explosive Reuters investigations using Meta’s own internal documents, which claimed that the company had knowingly profited from fraudulent advertising. The report claimed that if Meta suspected an advert was fraudulent then it would charge the scammers more money and only took down the offending advert it was 95% certain it was a fraud.

Toby Starr, Partner at Humphries Kerstetter, which is currently running an adtech claim against Google, said: “The internal documents uncovered by Reuters go to the very core of what Meta knew, when it knew it, and what it chose to do – or not do – about it. When a company repeatedly makes decisions that harm a vast number of individuals through the same course of conduct, those individuals have every right to seek collective redress. The strength of the evidence here is significant, and we intend to use it.”

At the heart of the case is Meta’s sophisticated tracking and targeting infrastructure; a system the two firms say has been used to deliver fraudulent investment schemes, fake cryptocurrency products, and bogus financial promotions to the consumers most vulnerable to them with chilling precision.

The action is being pursued on a no-win, no-fee basis. Anyone who lost £2,000 or more after responding to a fraudulent advertisement on Facebook or Instagram in the past six years may be eligible to join.

Read the some of the media coverage of the claim:

• The Sunday Times
• Daily Mail
• Daily Express
• Money Saving Expert

If you lost money to a scam advert on Facebook or Instagram, visit www.metagroupclaims.co.uk.

The post Meta Group Claim- National Media appeared first on Richardson Hartley Law.

Our client Paul Sampson told of the devastating effects of the fraud had had on his life, leaving him homeless and, at times, being forced to sleep in his car.

The sophisticated scam included a very detailed business proposal which we have spent months investigating and proving that every facet and promise was untrue.

Barclays have initially rejected Mr Sampson’s claim under their fraud reimbursement scheme, saying that the investment loss was outside the six year limitation period.

We are currently representing Mr Sampson to the Financial Ombudsman Service to say that the post-concussion syndrome that suffered as a result of head injuries meant it was not possible for him to understand that he had been defrauded.

We got Mr Sampson a diagnosis from Dr Az Hakeem, a Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director of Psyche Clinic based in Harley Street, London.

He told the media: “Post concussion syndrome destroys cognitive functions that are needed to recognise fraud.

“Fraud detection requires a person to notice inconsistencies, question what they have been told, and conclude they have been deliberately deceived.

“Memory fragmentation means earlier representations cannot be held in mind long enough to compare against later events.

“The syndrome in this case was also co-presented with depression and anxiety which was exacerbated by the betrayal and Mr Sampson’s own personal experiences. This further suppressed the cognitive vigilance fraud recognition demands.

“Reading about a comparable fraud suddenly provided the framework the brain could not independently construct. Mr Sampson was not generating new reasoning – he was borrowing it. That single moment of external clarity, cutting through years of neurological fog, is entirely consistent with this condition.”

Speaking of Mr Sampson’s investment loss, Martin Richardson, senior partner at Richardson Hartley Law, said: “We’ve managed to prove that every part of the business proposal given to Mr Sampson was fictious. 

It appears that they saw a vulnerability in Paul and took advantage. 

“Mr Sampson’s love of the military was also exploited as they claimed part of his role would be to help veterans.

“This was a well planned and well executed strategy to take all of Paul’s savings. It’s ruined his life.

“We believe that there’s a very strong argument to say that the only reason Paul didn’t bring his claim within the six year limitation period was because of the post concussion syndrome that he suffers from. This is backed up by the psychiatrist’s report.

“We are currently awaiting for the Financial Ombudsman Service to determine whether Paul’s exceptional circumstance mean that his claim can still be heard, particularly as he missed the deadline by just a few weeks. We believe that refusing Paul the ability to make a fraud reimbursement claim because of the fact he suffers from a disability that meant it was not possible to bring a claim in time would be an affront to justice.

“ I’m very hopeful that the Ombudsman will use its powers to do the right thing. Barclays has already accepted that Mr Sampson has suffered a fraud and that should mean he can claim back money under the fraud reimbursement scheme signed up to by the bank.”

The investment loss story appeared in The Sunday Times, The Sun and the Daily Mail newspapers.

Have you lost money to an investment scam? If so, contact us today to see how we can help.

The post Investment Loss- National Media appeared first on Richardson Hartley Law.

The article examined the characters behind the scheme and how convincing Moneda Capital seemed as an investment opportunity.

There were no ‘too good to be true’ warning signs and investors were falsely told that their money was backed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

On top of this, investors sent their money via an FCA-regulated firm, Strowz Ltd, and were given an online platform through which they thought they could see where their money was invested.

One of our Moneda Capital clients agreed to tell the newspaper how she had lost £150,000 to the fake investment scheme. Dawn Grice was undergoing chemotherapy at the time she made the investment and the people at Moneda Capital were aware of this. We have so far recovered £85,000 for Dawn.

Richardson Hartley Law has recovered money for a number of Moneda Capital clients but believes there are scores more victims who are yet to make a reimbursement claim.

For many of our clients we are able to help them get a full reimbursement for their claim.

Jonathan Hartley, director at Richardson Hartley Law, said: “The people at Moneda Capital used every trick in the book to sign up clients and get them to part with their money.

“We believe that tens of millions of pounds were taken in this way.

“Moneda Capital was not an investment opportunity that ‘looked too good to be true’. The interest rates being offered were realistic and it appeared to be backed by the FSCS. Victims were told that their money was protected because it was being sent via an FCA-regulated company.

“We are keen to help more Moneda Capital investors recover their money.”

Find out more about Help For Moneda Capital Victims.

Read the Sunday Times investigation: The glamorous influencer, the car crash victim and a missing £150,000

If you have lost money via Moneda Capital contact us today.

The post Moneda Capital Investigation- Sunday Times appeared first on Richardson Hartley Law.

Ostin Technology Group (OST) is a Chinese-based manufacturer of LED display screens, listed on the US stock exchange.

Early in 2025, individuals presenting themselves as experienced trading professionals started targeting the public and urging them to purchase OST shares, promising substantial profits.

Facebook and Instagram adverts combined with WattsApp groups started to spread the news.

The share price initially climbed, reaching approximately $9 per share by mid-June, with further encouragement to hold positions in anticipation of the price soaring to $25.

But late in June, 2025, a coordinated effort appears to have taken place, with certain parties dumping their holdings at peak inflated prices. In contrast, thousands of retail investors — many of them inexperienced and acting in good faith — suffered devastating losses as the share price collapsed almost entirely.

We assisted The Sunday Times in detailing this case as an important cautionary tale for investors everywhere. The resulting coverage included a compelling print article alongside an insightful online feature, which used clear, effective graphics to illustrate precisely how the scheme unfolded.

One of our clients bravely shared their experience during interviews for the piece.

Our senior partner, Martin Richardson, was quoted as follows:

“Martin Richardson from Richardson Hartley Law said the firm had received more than 100 inquiries from UK investors who had purchased shares in OST after engaging with what appeared to be legitimate US-based investment management firms online. He indicated that the total number of UK victims could run into the thousands.

“As soon as the share price plummeted we started to get calls and inquiries from investors who said that they had been scammed,” he said. “This has left financial devastation for thousands of UK victims.””

Read the full story: How investors watched their money grow 1,075% — then lost it all | The Times and The Sunday Times

The post Pump and Dump Scam- Sunday Times appeared first on Richardson Hartley Law.

Colin Chudley suffered months of harrasment from scammers who stole £260,000 in a series of scams.

His wife believes that the constant pressure and distress of losing so much money led him to have a heart attack.

After we asked The Sunday Times to investigate, the newspaper uncovered the shocking extent of the intimidation Colin faced.

The harassment was so persistent that the scammers continued to contact him even after his death, still attempting to extort further payments. Their calls, recorded by the newspaper, reveal the calculated pressure these criminals exert on vulnerable victims.

In response, The Sunday Times has committed to a sustained campaign to expose the scale and sophistication of these frauds.

The newspaper wrote a column which read: “It feels as if our police are routinely out-witted by these data terrorists… We will keep exposing them until they are taken seriously by banks, regulators and ministers.”

supposed legal fees, and finally impersonating fraud‑recovery specialists. Each stage was designed to extract more money while increasing psychological pressure.

Only after media intervention did the police agree to properly investigate. Initially, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau suggested the matter had merely been passed to a local force “to consider opening an investigation,” despite clear lines of enquiry. Tens of thousands of pounds had been channeled through a money mule, whom the newspaper traced and interviewed.

Richardson Harley Law believes that Mr Chudley was failed by his bank, First Direct (HSBC), which should have detected the pattern of suspicious transactions. Its refusal so far to reimburse the family is unacceptable, and we are determined to recover the full amount for his widow.

Read the full story: Fraudsters stole £260k from Colin before he died. We called them up

The post Fraud Victim Death- Sunday Times appeared first on Richardson Hartley Law.