Police seize thousands from suspect company

Police have seized around £50,000 from the Abbey National business account of suspected scam website Zavvi Direct.

Further funds have been frozen in a holding account but it is not known where another £24,000 in payments, made via mobile phones, has gone.

With no orders currently fulfilled, people are now anxiously applying for refunds from their banks.

Computeractive began investigating the site two weeks ago after being contacted by a worried reader.

We found that the site, which went live on 4 June, had fooled people into thinking it was run by Zavvi, formerly Virgin Megastores.

Our investigations discovered that Zavvi Direct had taken over 2,500 orders, mainly for the hard-to-get Wii Fits but also other devices such as iPods, before the webhosting company took the site down on 13 June for trademark infringement.

However, the company was still sending out emails and occasionally answering a mobile phone number, telling people that it would have stock on Friday 20 June. It said people who had placed orders would receive their goods between four to five days after this. We got through on the mobile number given and a Simon Bishop confirmed this but we continued with our investigations.

We found that the company had been registered at Companies House on 6 February this year. Current appointments filed at Companies House on 18 June listed a Paul Clayton and a Stephen McClelland, both of Hove, as director and company secretary respectively.

We contacted the Paul Clayton listed but Mr Clayton told us he had no links or involvement with the company. Today his solicitors, Thomson Snell and Passmore, released this statement:

“We have been instructed by Mr Paul Clayton. His details have been fraudulently given to Companies House as a director of a company called Zavvi Direct Limited.

“Our client has been the victim of identity theft and fraud.

“Our client has no connection whatsoever with Zavvi Direct Limited of 20 Old Steine, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1EL.

“The Paul Clayton referred to on the website operated by Zavvi Direct Limited has no connection with our client. He has had no contact with Zavvi Entertainment Limited and is not connected in any way with that company either.

“In the event that there are any further queries concerning our client, they should be addressed to Martin Varley, a partner of this firm, on +44 (0)1892 510 000.”

During our investigation we also found a link between Zavvi Direct and a scam run in Kent last year. This involved an online site selling sports gear called Best Sports World. Like Zavvi Direct, it was registered as a company at Companies House.

However, when police investigated they found that the men listed as company directors had nothing to do with the site. Kent Trading Standards told us that the police found the fraudsters had stolen the men’s personal details to set up the company and make it look legitimate.

Ben Parsons, a reporter from The Argus, Brighton’s local newspaper, also rang us to say that he had gone around to Suite 16, Pavilion Business Centre, 20 Old Steine, the address given by Zavvi Direct as its business offices, only to find the offices empty and locked up.

No one has had their order fulfilled and Brighton CID is investigating this company. We have given the police all the information we have gathered during our investigation. They are also liaising with Kent police about a possible link to the Best Sports World scam.