HGEC Capital Ltd/Kenneth James Campbell - getting your money back
What happened?
Kenneth James Campbell, who was the sole director of HGEC Capital Ltd, orchestrated an investment scheme which claimed to invest in petroleum and natural gas extraction venture in Texas, USA.
An investigation by the Insolvency Service revealed that Campbell had been operating a Ponzi-like scheme, with hundreds of thousands of pounds paid to Campbell himself, with only around £430,000 invested in the intended scheme. It was discovered that the total loss to investors when the company folded was roughly £2.8 million.
As a result, Campbell was banned by The Court of Session in Edinburgh from being a company director for 14 years in August 2023, but unfortunately investors are still left with a huge loss.
How do you get your money back?
If you paid via UK bank transfer:
In short, if you sent the money via UK bank transfer from a bank that is signed up to the Contingent Reimbursement Model Code (CRM), you could get your money back. A list of banks that are signed up can be found here.
To be covered under the CRM code, your payments must:
Be sent from a UK bank signed up to the CRM code
Be sent on or after 28 May 2019
Sent via UK bank transfer
If you paid via credit card:
If you paid by credit card, you should have protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. This covers you as long as you paid £100 via credit card but it only covers you up to £30,000. If you paid a deposit via credit card and the rest via another method, you can still claim up to £30,000.
In simple terms, the protection applies if there is a breach of contract or misrepresentation by the retailer (in this case HGEC Capital Ltd). Therefore, you need to contact your credit card provider and explain to them:
What you were told you were getting and what you got
Any misrepresentations or lies you were told when you invested
It helps if you have solid examples and clear documentary evidence.
If your credit card provider denies your claim, that’s when Refundee can step in and help. You can also try to do a chargeback on your credit card but there are time limits for chargebacks - generally you have 120 days but we believe this is an “ongoing service” so you should generally have 540 days. Each scheme has different rules (Mastercard, Visa, American Express) and the above timelines are a guide.
How Refundee could represent you during the complaints process
Firstly, it’s the right thing to acknowledge that you can do this process yourself. Of course, doing it yourself can avoid having to incur an eventual fee.
If you would like our help, then you can Start Your Claim on our website or call us on 0204 525 4600. We will then investigate your case, let you know whether we can help, put together your case, and manage the process from beginning to end. Our fees are fair, industry-lowest, and straightforward. We only charge a fee if we’re successful, and there are no hidden or upfront costs. We charge 15% + VAT on anything you get back up to a maximum of £10,000 + VAT.
How would the process work?
Refundee manages everything for you. We begin with an investigation to understand what happened in your specific circumstances. After some paperwork, we handle your case from start to finish, working with your bank through to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
These cases can take around 6-12 months, although the process can vary in terms of duration.
Who are Refundee?
Refundee are fraud refund specialists, and you can read about what our previous customers have said about us on Trustpilot. We’ve recovered millions for fraud victims in the UK.
Refundee Ltd is a claims management company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in respect of regulated claims management activity FRN: 937096.
Registered with the Information Commissioner's Office; registration number: A8986071.
Registered office address: Refundee, 3rd Floor, 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE.
Registered as a company in England & Wales; number: 12855931.
