Bit of an odd one and I have changed username for this.
It's along story but I will try and summarise without drip feeding.
Essentially my boss is a lonely older chap who has been dabbling with online dating. He appears to have become involved with a lady who is very much younger than him and, based on the photos, very attractive.
Their relationship quickly moved on to whatsapp and private emails outside of the dating website and around October time he started asking me to transfer small amounts of money to her from the business account. He does not have online banking access as he is a total technophobe and doesn't understand how it all works so myself and one other colleague have access and make payments on his instructions.
The payments started off as small amounts but have gradually increased in size and frequency. Since October the total payments we have been asked to make to this woman are just over £40K.
It's not my business, it is not my problem, he is the sole director and it is down to him. My problem is that on several occasions we have not had enough money in the current account to make these payments so he has told me to make the payments from client account. The money in client account is not our money, it is client money which is held for various reasons. Essentially this is theft.
I am convinced he is caught up in a scam, I have tried to talk to him to make him realise he is being taken for a mug but he gets defensive and tells me to mind my own business - fair enough, it isn't my business but he seems to have become so embroiled by her web of deceit that he keeps digging a deeper and deeper hole.
He has been promised by this woman that she is going to repay him. I am not entirely sure what reasons she has given for needing this money or how she intends to repay it but every time she gives a date by which she will repay him, a further excuse is given and he just has to make another payment to her so she can sort it out.
To everyone else it would be obvious - he is being made a fool of. It is quite obviously a scam.
This is having a major impact on the business as aside from client money he has been using money set aside to pay salaries at month end. We very nearly were unable to pay the staff this month we just about did it.
I am beyond frustrated and part of me wants to intervene and get the police involved in what is so obviously a dating website scam.
My issue is my colleague and I are the ones that have physically made the bank transfers. I am not so concerned about the transfers from the business account - it is the client money that concerns me. We were acting on his instructions and we both told him we thought what he was doing was wrong but at the end of the day, he is the boss and we were following orders. I am seriously worried that we will be in trouble for making the payments. Every payment made was on an emailed instruction from him.
Aside from the client money - any suggestions on how I put an end to this. He will not listen and I can't see it stopping
thanks for reading
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My Boss appears to be being scammed - can I be implicated?
41 replies
NotSayingWhatMyNameIs · 29/01/2016 14:24
OP posts:
sootica ·
29/01/2016 14:37
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