Monday 11 January 2010

Back to the Academies International scam

Its been about six months since I blogged about Academies International, they were an organisation who nabbed my CV off Reed.co.uk and phoned up offering a guaranteed job if I went for one of their training schemes. I went along and merrily signed up to a £9,000 loan taken out on my behalf.

Anyhoo, that blog entry has consistently been really popular, with literally hundreds of folk searching on google for it.

There's a whole handful of websites attached to Academies International now including The Financial Training Academy, The Financial Recruitment Academy, The Business Development Academy, The Vocational Training Academy, The Technology Recruitment Academy, The Technology Training Academy and The Application Development Academy. The sites all look very similar and there's a load of overlap in the people they have leaving testimonials about how neat the company is.

I've been wondering how much these testimonial folk exist in real life, are they on Facebook or google? These are their names:-
  • Carley Watson
  • Kuldeep Wassel
  • Jamal Khan
  • Steven Clark
  • Scot Williams
  • Kazi Jubaer
  • John Wright
  • Kantilal Tywol
  • Rabab Halabi
  • Wayne Li
  • Abdullah Jama
  • Cara Richardson
  • Xu Li
  • Pete Banks
  • Matthew Sulivan
  • Fiona Brown
  • Sharifa Marshall
  • Jennifer Matthews
  • Riddhima Moothoo
  • Matthew McCarthy
  • Jakub Jez
  • Neil Turnnidge
  • Henry Costa
  • Martin Pluck
  • Mitchell Hayes
  • Joseph Davies
  • Sairan Mosadegh
  • Ahad Miah
That blog post last summer has garnered 22 comments so far, a record for this blog. Folk sharing their stories, mostly the same deal of phonecall referring to details on an old CV and then offering a guaranteed job.
Its true about what they are saying about the Business development acandamy, or the financial acadamy, or what ever they want to call it. i attended the course for 10 weeks, and i spent more then 8 000 pounds, for a promise i that was lie from the begining. i couldnt belive i fell for such a scam. i am trying my best to get my money back if that is possible. i would want an advice from any one who also a victiem to this crim, if there is any one who has a way to help me to get my money back. i am a 22 year old man who has quite his job, to get a better oppotrunity in the IT field, and now i am flat broke, with no money for food travel or bills. and am struglling to cope with the stress on my mind, if there is any one out there who can help me to do something about it.. i am very upset and i dont have any words to describe how am feeling.
Some people left advice in their comments, this from iyah:-
I contacted the Guardian, and they said I should report it to Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06. They will log it and if there are others then this may get picked up by the most relevant Trading Standards Office, but that was the only advice they could give me.

Maybe if we all report them, it will be picked up?
I contacted the Guardian too, but it was a futile gesture.

Rather interestingly former employees of Academies International also left comments:-
i was also a manager until i realised what they got up to there

they are sexist bullies who think employing young women will somehow get men especially to buy

yes it is a load of crap

there are no jobs

and now they are going downhill trust me!! ppl have them sussed now

7 comments:

  1. I have just found this Blog about Academies International. Unfortunately I have found it too late because I was signed up to their course and debt in May 2009 at their Manchester office. However, I am glad that I have found this blog because it has reinforced my concerns that Academies International / TFTA / BDA has acted illegally. Therefore, I am hoping I can get the loan that was taken out by Academies International through a scheme they had set up with Barclays Partner Finance cancelled due to the fact that I have been mis-sold a service and a loan.

    Any help or comments would be very much appreciated

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really can't believe that I fell for their spiel. I was desparate and whilst I am now almost fully qualified (the trainers are legit, and very good), I could've been trained by an employer for next to nothing. It boils my blood knowing that I have to spend the next 4 or so years paying for this folly. My only satisfaction is that the industry is picking up, and the jobs are out there again.

    DO NOT BE TAKEN IN BY THEM!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Guys, those of you victims of this horrendous scam, keep in touch with the Dayily Mirror investigation team and follow their instructions throughly and be persistant! don't give up just yet!! fingers crossed you will get your money back! check these out at the below links !

    http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2010/10/why-did-barclays-agree-to-fund.html#more

    http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2010/02/no-refund-from-the-financial-t.html

    Good luck to all of us!

    shame on the scumbags from the FTA/BDA:AJ Gani, Rafi Ahmad Bhatti!!! Shame on to over complacent Barclays Partner finance,too!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wonder what scam Mr Bhatti & crew are running now? a reliable source tells me they are running bogus management courses aimed at students from Pakistan/India.
    these guys will never stop scamming

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey guys good news me and other friends who attended the BDA/FTA IT course back in 2009 we have got confirmation from the Barclays that as a gusture of good will, (ye of course, trying to cover their stink ass...) they are offering us to cancell the credit agreement done through this scam mongers! advice is simple: never give up keep trying , since this scam well publicised by now and everyone knows how disgusting they are!!! our especial thanks goes to Nick Sommerland from Dayily Mirror Investigation team, without their ongoing support this would be possible! keep in touch with them and hopefully , those of you had been affected in this horror will get your money back!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey guys good news me and other friends who attended the BDA/FTA IT course back in 2009 we have got confirmation from the Barclays that as a gusture of good will, (ye of course, trying to cover their stink ass...) they are offering us to cancell the credit agreement done through this scam mongers! advice is simple: never give up keep trying , since this scam well publicised by now and everyone knows how disgusting they are!!! our especial thanks goes to Nick Sommerland from Dayily Mirror Investigation team, without their ongoing support this would be possible! keep in touch with them and hopefully , those of you had been affected in this horror will get your money back!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello there
    I did training in 2009 with FTA in central London and still paying high interest and debt for stinkers!
    Anyone could advise me where to go to get my wasted money recovered? I am single mum and need an urgent help
    Can anyone, anyone at all help me?

    ReplyDelete