🛡️ Victims of Pension Crime: Know Your Rights, Reclaim Your Power

“Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” — Benjamin Franklin

For too long, pension savers have suffered in silence. Hidden in complex schemes, offshore obfuscation, and regulatory inaction, financial crime against savers continues to unfold—often with devastating consequences for those who trusted the system to protect their future.

But if you’ve suffered economic loss due to a crime formally investigated or prosecuted by The Pensions Regulator (TPR), you are not just a victim—you are entitled to rights.

This article explains what you can expect from TPR as a victim of crime and how to reclaim your dignity, your voice, and your future.

🧭 What Makes You a Victim?

If you’ve suffered harm—financial, emotional, or otherwise—as a direct result of a criminal offence under investigation by TPR, you are a recognised victim under the Victims’ Code. This applies whether or not the case goes to court.

You may be:

A pension saver misled into a fraudulent transfer,
A family member bereaved by pension-related wrongdoing,
A whistleblower who suffered retaliation,
Or a witness to systematic financial misconduct.

🗣️ Your Rights Under the Victims’ Code

As a victim, you are entitled to be:

✅ Treated with dignity, compassion, and respect
✅ Informed about investigations and decisions
✅ Offered support services tailored to your needs
✅ Heard through a Victim Personal Statement
✅ Protected from intimidation and secondary harm
✅ Compensated where possible
✅ Allowed to challenge decisions not to prosecute

These are not favours—they are your legal rights.

📝 If TPR Investigates Your Case

If TPR accepts your case for criminal investigation, they will:

Contact you securely and sensitively.
Gather your statement, in your own words.
Offer language or accessibility support as needed.
Help you prepare if you are asked to give evidence in court.
Update you on the progress of the case (where legally permissible).
Apply for compensation on your behalf if a conviction is secured.

You may not always receive feedback about investigations, due to legal constraints, but your voice matters throughout the process.

💰 Compensation and Expenses

Victims may be eligible for:

Travel, accommodation, and subsistence costs when attending court.
Loss-of-earnings compensation.
Court-ordered restitution from convicted offenders.
Applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA).

Remember: you don’t need a guilty verdict to apply to CICA. Your right to redress exists irrespective of the court outcome.

🔁 Requesting a Review

If TPR decides not to prosecute—and you disagree—you have the right to request a formal review of that decision. This request must be submitted within three months of the notification.

This ensures accountability and keeps your case alive.

📞 Need Support?

You are not alone.

You can access help through:

Victim Support (England, Wales, NI, Scotland)
Witness Care Units
MoneyHelper for pension-related guidance
Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) – our AoLP-backed initiative for justice, recovery, and advocacy

⚖️ Why This Matters

At the Academy of Life Planning, we stand with victims. We believe justice in financial services must be more than theoretical. It must be lived, experienced, and enforced—especially when the stakes are as high as your life savings.

Your story can create ripples. By asserting your rights, you not only reclaim your future—you shine a light for others still in the dark.

✊ Take Action

🔗 If you believe you are a victim in a TPR criminal investigation, email: righttoreview@tpr.gov.uk
📣 Report concerns or complaints: complaints@tpr.gov.uk
📚 Learn more: gov.uk/get-support-as-a-victim-of-crime
🧭 Join our justice mission at the Academy of Life Planning: academyoflifeplanning.com

Remember: Financial crime isn’t just a numbers game—it’s personal. And the law is on your side.

About Get SAFE

Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation) was born from a simple truth: too many victims of financial abuse are left to suffer in silence.

We exist in memory of Ian Davis—for the ones who did everything right, only to be failed by the systems they trusted. We know that behind every vanished pension, every ignored complaint, and every stonewalled letter is a person—frightened, exhausted, and too often alone.

Get SAFE offers more than sympathy. We offer structure, support, and solidarity.
We provide a voice where there’s been silence, and clarity where there’s been confusion.
We stand beside those who have been exploited, not just to help them recover—but to help them reclaim their story and rebuild their future.

Because financial justice is not a luxury.
It’s a human right.

If you or someone you know has been affected by financial exploitation, we are here.
You are not alone.

Learn more at: Get SAFE (Support After Financial Exploitation).