Several hundred employees would contact people from Ethical Forestry’s call centre in Bournemouth, according to the SFO.
Rather than being offered independent advice, those who agreed to proceed, entered what was described by investigators as “a closed loop”.
The firm offering the advice had been hired by Pickard, Greenaway and Laver and was paid commission on everyone they referred back to Ethical Forestry.
“In effect, once the member of the public had been convinced, out of the blue to have a pension review, they were always going to be referred back to Ethical Forestry,” explained Jason Williams.
Julie Bertelli was one of the more than 3,000 people who fell victim to the scam.
She did not have a workplace pension, but wanted to invest some money left to her by a relative to help with her retirement.
Investing in Costa Rica, as it became the first tropical country to reverse deforestation, looked like it would not only be good for the planet, but also good for her bank balance.