Is convicted ex accountant Darren Upton practicing?

[moggy]

Having been with Dynamo for three years or so, I'm torn about whether to stay or go elsewhere or realise that I should just do it myself since I'm not sure I have the trust in the accounting profession any more.

The annoying / sad thing is that Darren gave good advice, and as you have said, the service level at Dynamo has definitely declined since he left (I am getting fed up with having to tell my accountant why they are wrong and I am right!). If he'd come back honestly and openly then I might have given him a second chance as long as he stayed well away from the actual money.

Having just read the previous thread from 2010 and seeing a few people giving advice to contractors telling them get out and take your accounts elsewhere as it sounded risky.. i wonder if there was any of those that ignored that advice as the service had always been great.. but then went on to regret it..

[mudskipper]

So did Darren Upton up until the day he went to jail.

I know this. It's a hard one to reconcile.

[blacjac]

Personal comment - Darren Roberts seemed good - personable, friendly and helpful, and gave sound and accurate advice.

So did Darren Upton up until the day he went to jail.
When the news broke on here about him being arrested I immediately contacted him to ask what was going on and he told me that it was utter nonsense and that his solicitors were involved with the owners of CUK.
Even after he had been arrested he couldn't stop himself from telling lies.

That man will always be very personable, friendly and helpful.
While he is helping himself to the contents of your bank account.

[Fred Bloggs]

Interesting reading here

More Misery for Contractor Accountant - Contractor Weekly

It appears he was removed from the student register of ACCA way back in 1999 for "dishonesty".

"In 2009 he dishonestly stated on his student registration form that he had never been the subject of disciplinary action by another professional body whereas he had been removed from the student register of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) 10 years earlier for dishonesty;"

Wow! good find. Leopards and spots? I guess it's genetically programmed in some people. They see an opportunity to lie for personal gain and just can't stop themselves. Incredible story this is becoming.

[DaveB]

5) Make sure you have access to all your HMRC accounts online as well.

I only registered access for corporation tax this week so at least I can see the figures and make a payment through their portal rather than relying on an email with details of which account to pay into.

VAT can be set up as a direct debit, you only need to check the details once when you do it.

For CT your bank should already have the details of the various HMRC accounts available. You should get the choice to pay a business or organisation or to pay a new person or business. Choose the former and you should get a searchable pre-populated list that includes all the relevant HMRC accounts by name (Cumbernald, Shipley etc).

[DeludedKitten]

How can you protect yourself against his next incarnation?

1) Make sure your accountant has a digital footprint - it was apparent that, apart from a linkedin profile with a cartoon picture, there were no traces of Darren Roberts online.
2) Is your accountant a director of the firm he's representing? (especially for small firms)
3) Is your accountant ICAEW or CIOT registered (many aren't - not necessarily a problem)
4) Register for Companies House alerts when documents are filed - check them and make sure you know what is going on with your business.

5) Make sure you have access to all your HMRC accounts online as well.

I only registered access for corporation tax this week so at least I can see the figures and make a payment through their portal rather than relying on an email with details of which account to pay into.

[DeludedKitten]

I guess their customers need to make up their own minds.

Having been with Dynamo for three years or so, I'm torn about whether to stay or go elsewhere or realise that I should just do it myself since I'm not sure I have the trust in the accounting profession any more.

The annoying / sad thing is that Darren gave good advice, and as you have said, the service level at Dynamo has definitely declined since he left (I am getting fed up with having to tell my accountant why they are wrong and I am right!). If he'd come back honestly and openly then I might have given him a second chance as long as he stayed well away from the actual money.

[northernladuk]

What a piece of work he is!

[DaveB]

Interesting reading here

More Misery for Contractor Accountant - Contractor Weekly

It appears he was removed from the student register of ACCA way back in 1999 for "dishonesty".

"In 2009 he dishonestly stated on his student registration form that he had never been the subject of disciplinary action by another professional body whereas he had been removed from the student register of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) 10 years earlier for dishonesty;"

So what we have is a pattern of dishonest behavior going back 20 years.

As with most con artists, he appears to have been outwardly personable, approachable and credible in what he said.

[mudskipper]

Previous to the fraud case he was also investigated and fined for running an unlicensed ForEx investment fund. He was subsequently made bankrupt by the FSA after failing to keep up repayments to investors.

https://citywire.co.uk/wealth-manage...nkrupt/a524206

Not directly relevant to this issue but does indicate a pattern of dishonest activity.

Interesting reading here

More Misery for Contractor Accountant - Contractor Weekly

It appears he was removed from the student register of ACCA way back in 1999 for "dishonesty".

"In 2009 he dishonestly stated on his student registration form that he had never been the subject of disciplinary action by another professional body whereas he had been removed from the student register of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) 10 years earlier for dishonesty;"