Forger fears for his life
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• A freight forwarder claims he is living in fear of his life after a scam backfired in which he forged a reputable haulier's signature and hid behind his company's good repute.
In April Commercial Motor told how three North-East hauliers were owed117,000 by a Middlesborough company called Mortimer European Services (CM 27 April-3 May), The hauliers had originally been told that the director of MES was Alan Elliot However, when their invoices remained unpaid they suspected that another haulier; Chris Simpson, was behind the company Simpson had been forced into bankruptcy when an earlier company, Chris Simpson International, failed.
This week Simpson admitted to CM that he had forged Elliot's signature and used his dormant company to front his new venture. He admitted no one would work for him otherwise.
"It was a scam to get the company off the ground but I never intended to rip people off," says Simpson. He claims that the money he owes is available but is being held by his factoring company.
Elliot only got to hear of the scam when one of the hauliers owed money called him at his home in Spain. Elliot explains that MES had been a dormant company for around two years.
He has now instructed solicitors to take action against Simpson.
Simpson says he is more worried about threats he may receive. 9 regret the scam now entirely, particularly dragging Elliot's name through the mud," he says.