Mr L and 13 additional applicants made complaints to us that the trustees of the Scheme had: mismanaged the Scheme’s funds; issued fabricated benefit statements; and caused funds transferred into the Scheme to be lost.

Mr N complained that the Northumbria Police Authority had transferred his pension fund to a new pension scheme without having conducted adequate checks and had failed to provide him with a sufficient warning against transferring. Mr N was concerned that his entire pension fund may have been lost or misappropriated.

Mr H complained that South Tyneside Council incorrectly awarded him Tier 2 ill health early retirement benefits. He said he was entitled to (more generous) Tier 1 IHER benefits.

Dr E was transferred into the QinetiQ Pension Scheme. His former pension arrangement was contracted out of the then State Earnings Related Pension Scheme. As a consequence of being contracted out of SERPS, the Scheme was required to provide Dr E with a pension that was broadly equivalent to the SERPS pension being given up.

Mr R was a deferred member of the Simons Group Pension Scheme. Mr R had received a diagnosis of terminal cancer and had contacted the Scheme administrators to discuss his options.

Mrs S’ husband, was a member of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005. Although he had made her the beneficiary of his will; he had not updated his death benefit nomination form which listed his friend as the sole beneficiary.

Mr N has a SIPP with Zurich, administered by Curtis Banks. Mr N asked Zurich/CB to transfer the SIPP fund to the RCJ Management Ltd Pension Scheme, a small self-administered pension scheme.

Ms R is a member of a small self-administered pension scheme. In 2014, Ms R transferred the benefits she had in a previous employer’s pension scheme to the SSAS. Ms R took a tax-free cash sum from the transfer amount and invested the remainder in Bitcoins.

Mrs R’s late husband had transferred from his former employer’s pension scheme in 2014. Mr R died in 2018, and it appeared Mr R may have been the victim of pension liberation fraud.

Ms H was refused an ill health retirement pension and approached us for help.