A Fife house is linked to a debt avoidance scheme. Millions in debt are written off this way. The scheme involves fake directors and mail drops.
Dunnock House gets visits from debt collectors and police. The householder runs a real mailing service here, but many businesses use Dunnock House for bad purposes. Over one hundred firms use Atherton schemes, and Neville Taylor was banned for his part in these debt schemes.
Taylor headed up the firms as part of Atherton’s operations, earning over £270,000 for signing director forms. Then, he waited for the companies to close down. Owners were told they could avoid company debts and start fresh with a new company.
Taylor was banned for nine years in January for “repeatedly subverting” the system. Scheme leader John Irvin paid Taylor to sign up firms. Irvin runs Atherton Corporate Ltd which are based in Largs, and the Insolvency Service named Irvin as the scheme’s boss.
Smith’s ski slope business shut down, and he used Atherton’s services to do this. Seven firms linked to Irvin were shut down too. A source says the Fife house is just a mailbox that receives many letters every day from people chasing debts.
Officials visit looking for company directors who are tied to one customer. Police have visited the house several times. Taylor used “Office 15” as his business address, making it seem like a real business.
Smith now sails near Greece after using the Atherton deal that let Neville Taylor replace him as director. Fake directors like Taylor took the place of the real bosses who paid to get rid of company debts. Some then hid assets and kept going.
Creditors often give up getting their money back because assets moved and chasing debts costs more money. Much mail is collected at the house, with letters demanding payment for tax, bills, and debts. Millions in debt may have been written off there.
Creditors pay for debt recovery, wasting more money, while Taylor does not plan on paying the debt at all. Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd closed last August. In January, Taylor was banned from being a director for his part in Irvin’s scheme.
