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Be very careful – widespread property fraud

The blunt message to British people, and foreigners in general, when contemplating buying property in third-world countries, Bulgaria in particular, is watch out. Traditionally for British expats, France and Spain have been the favoured destinations for purchasing property, but lately their interested has gradually shifted towards the Balkans as new countries in the region have joined the European Union.

“Developers and real estate agents there have a more aggressive approach to property sales and our firm has dealt with hundreds of people who have encountered problems when buying property abroad,” David O'Donnell, who works for Irish-based legal firm Tom McGrath & Associates, said.

“A Bulgarian contract is hardly worth the paper that it is printed on. In some cases, buyers are signing contracts where the property is valued at much less than they are paying, in order to avoid more tax, at the behest of property agents.”

Common Bulgarian strategy is to declare a house worth, say, 130 000 euro at a meagre 20 000 or 30 000, so that once the transaction is made, the recipient of the money will not have to pay a massive tax on the whole sum to the government, but keep most of the cash for him/herself. The obvious and alarming problem with that, of course, is that Mr John Foreigner will end up with property which is officially worth on paper only 20 000 or so euro, which will have massive implications in the future.

A shocking example emanating from England is the case of ballet teacher Nichola West, who, on November 25 2008, revealed how she dramatically escaped severe physical battering after being attacked by a suspected member of the Bulgarian mafia, following her digging out a scheme around a property fraud that has robbed British and foreign investors of millions of pounds sterling.

West (42), unperturbed by warnings that matters might escalate and became a lot worse, was unafraid to return back to Bulgaria and demand an explanation and her money back from those who robbed her.

Upon arriving at the office where the transaction was made, she was confronted by two large men who threatened to kill her. She had to flee for her life and had to be helped to safety out of the country. “I was kicked and pushed about. I screamed 'slit my throat now, go on do it, that will make me front page of every newspaper in the world and next to my photo will be yours and your daughter and family can read about you – go on, kill me. I will get justice when I am dead,'” she said, as quoted by EDB24.co.uk.

After returning to England, West is expecting action from her local MP in the East Anglia town of Norwich South, Charles Clarke, that he will raise the issue of the wide-spread real estate fraud in Bulgaria in the British House of Commons.

'I want transparency in justice and in law in all EU countries and if the country is not prepared to say 'no' to organised crime, corruption, murder and more, then why are they in the EU?” West said.

“I want the government to answer to the real people, the hard-working citizens who have done what they suggested and invested, but no support or compensation scheme exists.” She also said: “How can this be allowed? Why are EU countries supporting this corrupt country and what's next?”

Meanwhile, a Bulgarian member of parliament, Atanas Atanssov, who widely acknowledges and warns of Bulgaria's rampant, chronic and deep rooted corruption record, declared that “the former communists that rule Bulgaria are fond of European money, but not European regulations. The wolf will change its fur but not its temper. I hate to say it as a Bulgarian, but corruption is rife here. It is not so much under the table as on the table.”

Ever since Bulgaria was accepted in the European Union on January 1 2007, the country has gravitated increasing interest from foreign investors who purchase property in the country, due to its low prices and predictions they would rise by more than 50 per cent in the near future – as well as the country's beautiful summer and winter resorts.