Acting on a whistleblower’s information and protecting the person who provides it are different outcomes. Someone facing retaliation needs a plan for both. By Steve Conley, Founder, Academy of Life Planning3 October 2026 At the end of a Transparency Task Force event in July, Simon Andriesz explained what he wanted. An independent investigation. Parliamentary scrutiny. … Continue reading When Speaking Up Costs You Your Life Back: Lessons from Simon Andriesz’s Case
Tag: get-safe
The risk bitcoiners rarely tell you about
When you become your own bank, your family can become part of the security perimeter. By Steve Conley | Asset Recovery | 3 October 2026 Content note: this article discusses violent robbery and threats against a family. The attackers did not need to break the encryption. They broke into the house. In a BBC report … Continue reading The risk bitcoiners rarely tell you about
When Justice Expires Before the Harm Does
The banks did not prove the customers were wrong. They proved the complaints came too late. Four people complained that their banks had trapped them in unfair and unaffordable credit relationships. The banks fought back. Not merely against the complaints, but against the Financial Ombudsman Service's power to hear them. They won. Now the Ombudsman … Continue reading When Justice Expires Before the Harm Does
The Missing Citizen Layer in Financial Crime Prevention
The UK is preparing to prove that its institutions can fight financial crime. But who is helping the citizen? The UK is preparing for its 2027 evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force—the global body that assesses how effectively countries combat money laundering and terrorist financing. A July 2026 report from the RUSI UK FATF … Continue reading The Missing Citizen Layer in Financial Crime Prevention
Can Banks Prevent Suicide Without Examining Their Own Conduct?
"A "groundbreaking" new project to help tackle suicide has been launched today (10 September) by The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) – the charity founded by MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis. It brings five major banks together in a bid to find the gaps and test new ways to identify and support people in … Continue reading Can Banks Prevent Suicide Without Examining Their Own Conduct?
Know What You’re Receiving Before You Act on It
We regulate the difference between information, education, guidance, promotion and financial advice. Perhaps it is time we taught the public the difference too. BIG Checker doesn’t just ask “Is this true?”It asks “What is this, who benefits, and why should you believe it?” More than half of people who acted on financial advice they encountered … Continue reading Know What You’re Receiving Before You Act on It
Human Harm Story #1: The Judge Who Spoke Up for Justice—and Needed Protection From the Justice System
Before the harm Claire Gilham was a district judge. In her own words, she was what many people would regard as a “bog-standard district judge”: a general practitioner of the civil courts dealing with family disputes, road traffic accidents, mortgage and rent arrears, and the everyday conflicts through which ordinary people encounter the justice system. … Continue reading Human Harm Story #1: The Judge Who Spoke Up for Justice—and Needed Protection From the Justice System
When the Investigator Becomes the Target – Part II
A contemporaneous record of events following my involvement with Safe or Scam Steve Conley Why I am publishing this For several years, various websites, anonymous online reviews and social media posts have made serious allegations about me following my involvement with an organisation called Safe or Scam. Some of those allegations accuse me of operating … Continue reading When the Investigator Becomes the Target – Part II
When the Investigator Becomes the Target
Reputation attacks against people who investigate financial misconduct When people think about financial misconduct, they usually imagine the victims. The pensioner who lost their retirement savings. The family persuaded into a high-risk investment they didn't understand. The business owner who trusted the wrong people. What they rarely consider is what happens to the people who … Continue reading When the Investigator Becomes the Target
Are Banks Promoting the Right People?
When I was made redundant from RBS Group, I was told I was "not alpha male enough." At the time, I dismissed it as just another piece of corporate jargon. Looking back, it raises a much deeper question. What exactly do organisations mean when they reward people for being more "alpha"? Are they selecting for … Continue reading Are Banks Promoting the Right People?
