Zopa launches current account
Half a decade after pivoting from P2P lending to become a bank, Zopa has entered the UK current account market.
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The mobile-first flagship Biscuit account can be opened within minutes, with automated onboarding, with customers getting instant access to virtual cards and the ability to link external accounts.
Zopa claims Biscuit will earn customers an average £256 in cash back and interest a year, with 7.1% AER on up to £300 deposits a month, 2% AER interest on all balances, and 2% cashback on bills.
Zopa is banking on the generous terms winning over customers, with research commissioned by the bank showing that a quarter of Brits strategically chase cashback offers, while nearly one in five have multiple bank accounts and financial products in a bid to find value, dodge fees, or simply get something back for their loyalty.
A P2P lending pioneer, Zopa pivoted to become a bank in 2020 and has since amassed 1.5 million customers, lending more than £13 billion and securing two straight years of profitability.
Jaidev Janardana, CEO, Zopa Bank, says: 'Stepping into everyday banking is a natural next step in Zopa's mission to build the Home of Money for its customers. We believe that British consumers deserve better than having to constantly chase deals and accept complexity or poor experience."
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The Sun
33 minutes ago
- The Sun
Dodgy Facebook crook tried to sell me shady £80 Fire Stick… then threatened to come to my HOUSE
AS I sit and scroll through my phone, I'm being bombarded with shady adverts on Facebook offering dodgy devices with 80,000 premium channels and movies. And it didn't take long for Facebook crooks to reach out to me offering their illicit services - but this time, the criminals are going one terrifying step further. 4 4 In the message, they not only offered "24,000 channels" including Sky Sports as well as movies and series in "HD quality" - they also offered to deliver to my address and install. It might seem like great customer service, but it could put you at risk of "physical harm", experts warned me, with unscrupulous characters turning up at your door. Not only that, Brits in possession of an illegal Fire Stick could receive a £1,000 fine, while those caught selling Firesticks could face jail time. Some dodgy dealers have already been locked up for operating criminal streaming sites as part of a global crackdown, but it's the offer to come to your home address and help install the Fire Stick that'd worrying experts. Kieron Sharp, chairman at the anti-piracy organisation FACT, told The Sun: "It's alarming that criminals can openly advertise illegal streaming services and turn up at people's homes to install them. "Letting them in puts you at risk — not just physically, but digitally too." Fire Stick maker Amazon has faced criticism for not doing enough to tackle illegal streaming on its devices. The gadget's open tech is meant to give people more freedom to download apps outside Amazon's own app store, but it's also susceptible to abuse by illegal streaming operators. An Amazon spokesperson said: "Piracy is illegal, and customers should not buy these devices." It's become a major problem for broadcasters and sports bodies, estimated to cost them billions every year, and they're increasingly frustrated about the lack of action from tech companies. IPTV Crackdown Matt Hibbert, Group Director Anti-Piracy at Sky, said firms want to see faster action from big tech platforms. "We know they have the technology and the capability, now we need to see action," he told The Sun. 'I will deliver' I was approached by an account on Facebook called "Firestick updating", which randomly added me with an open profile and very clear intentions. "SALE SALE SALE SALE SALE!!!" a post on their page unashamedly reads, alongside a photo of boxes and boxes of Fire Sticks. Another image shows a rip-off of the Sky Glass interface. It continues: "£60 for year subscription. "£80 for loaded stick no shipping charges." Within minutes of accepting their friend request, I received a private message. They bragged: "I've worldwide 24,000 channels with all sports channels 80,000 daily basis updated movies and series in HD quality. 4 "You'll have everything Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple T,V Disney+, full Sky package all sports channels ppv events all Irish UK USA TV channels, movies and series on demand. When I asked if it was traceable, they responded, "No mate, not at all". What shocked me even more was that the person offered to come to my house and install it there and then. Although I didn't share my address, just my rough location, I felt quite intimidated by the offer. They wrote: "I will deliver it and set it up for you." Curiously, researching the matter on Facebook seemed to make Meta 's algorithm think I was interested in illegal streaming, and loads of very obvious ads started to appear. Illegal streaming operations usually have ties to gangs, and the money they get from it funds other serious forms of criminal activity. So the idea of having a stranger who might have dodgy links turning up at my front door was quite scary, and more so considering vulnerable people who might allow them into their homes. Jake Moore, from security firm ESET, said: "Devices sounding too good to be true and sold by someone you don't know coming to your house should be the first alarm bell, but these devices have been known to ship with viruses and other dodgy programs onboard." STRANGER DANGER The risks of illegal streaming to your online life can also be pretty devastating. Fraud is the biggest consequence. We've heard from users who chanced it and had their bank account instantly accessed. A 46-year-old Brit - who has asked to remain anonymous - was referred to a cheap streaming site which gives users access to premium channels including Sky Sports. But shortly after entering his bank details a surge of transactions were attempted on his account totalling several thousand pounds. "A couple of friends had already done it and they had no issues," he revealed to The Sun. "It all seemed quite secure, so I didn't even think at the time. "After that, the payment was taken but there were all sorts of transactions on my bank account for quite a large amount of money which were on various times and various dates for different amounts. "It's scary really, they attempted thousands." Meta's website says the company removes "millions of violating posts and accounts every day on Facebook and Instagram", which can range from serious crime like terrorism, to sexual content not allowed on the platforms. "Most of this happens automatically, with technology working behind the scenes to remove violating content – often before anyone sees it," the company claims. When reaching out to Meta about the influx of illegal streaming ads on my Facebook profile, the examples I showed were quickly taken down. 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At the same time, it can expose consumers to the risks of data theft, fraud and malware. "The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit works with partners across law enforcement and the industry to take action against these criminal operations by utilising our full suite of enforcement options, including pursuing criminal prosecutions and serving 'cease and desist' notices to offenders." While it might seem like a tempting offer, Brits be warned - criminals behind the computer screens are not just looking to infiltrate your digital life but your home life too.
Daily Mail
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The unassuming terraced house next to an award-winning fish and chip shop is a BROTHEL - so what goes on behind closed doors, as one resident reveals: 'Punters can see into our kitchen'
Nestled close to a popular ladies hairdresser and an award-winning chippie lies this unremarkable terraced house in a small town in Derbyshire. Every day, a regular trickle of locals file past it to walk the dog, buy chips or get their hair done, unaware of what goes on inside. Even residents who live directly opposite the anonymous house in the former coal mining town of Ilkeston seem to have no idea of why men - and it is always men - regularly turn up at the front door, often looking furtive or cagey. Perhaps the first clue as to what lies within comes from the front windows which, unusually, are tinted - and then there is the sign on the front door which instructs visitors to 'please use the other entrance at rear'. A quick walk around the corner, down a side road and a left turn into a tight alleyway brings them to an unlocked gate and on heading into the small patio yard, continue past a washing line hung with bed sheets and towels to another door where a second sign asks callers to 'knock loudly' on the back door. And what awaits the male visitors who make it to this point? Those entering this portal will be met by a glamorous-looking madam who will then show them to a waiting room where one or two 'masseuses' are on hand to provide discrete personal services. Welcome to Spangles - Ilkeston's secret brothel. Located on a side street just off the town's main drag, the business, which is branded as a massage parlour but has nothing in the way of signage, has been in operation there for at least the last seven-years since moving from nearby Nottingham. It opens seven days a week at 10am and closes by 6pm. This means it is competing for any passing lunchtime trade with Kerry's Fish and Chips, two doors down on the corner - which still proudly announces how it was voted best chippie in Ilkeston in 2011. The street around Spangles is a mixture of residential and business with an accountants office, Thai restaurant and Polish supermarket as well as a legitimate massage parlour. Staff at the Headrock ladies hairdressers and the Simply Beauty parlour immediately to the left of Spangles had no idea of what lurked on the other side of their walls until this week. One woman having her hair set said: 'I just thought it was a normal house.' Yet a cursory glance at Spangles' official website would leave them with no doubts about what actually happens within. 'Experience the luxury of our exquisite massage services provided by the finest masseuses in the industry' trumpets the Spangles homepage. 'With a perfect blend of elegance and style, our talented ladies are dedicated to delivering an exceptional no-rush service that guarantees you will leave with a smile. 'Each day, we feature two or more enticing masseuses, showcasing a diverse selection of beauty—from slim and leggy blondes to voluptuous brunettes. 'Whether you prefer curvy or slim, tall or petite, our team, aged from their early 20s to late 30s, is here to cater to your desires and provide a rejuvenating experience tailored just for you. 'Indulge yourself and let us take care of you!' The girls who have suitably exotic names like 'Tia', 'Isabella ' and Sienna' are pictured in various states of undress, some leave very little to the imagination while others are a little more demure, though all faces are either hidden or blurred. Spangles includes a schedule of which girls are available on which day. When MailOnline called this week, the two masseuses on duty were 39-year-old blonde Lisa, who is seen nude in her publicity photo but covers her modesty with a large coffee table book and brunette Heidi, 26 who poses topless in white and black lingerie. Both thankfully are 'fully qualified in Level 3 full body massage'. However when we called the mobile number given on the website we were told that Heidi had gone home for the day and only Lisa was available. A 15-minute 'quickie' was £60, we learned, while a half-hour session would cost £80 or £90 if the client wanted a room with an en-suite bathroom to wash up in afterwards. So is all this legal? Technically no. Under British law, a brothel is classed as any premise - be it flat, house or massage parlour - where more than one person sells sexual services. Although It is not illegal to sell sexual services or work in a brothel it is an offence to 'keep, manage, act or assist in the management of a brothel.' The sentence is a fine or seven years in prison. Assisting in the management of a brothel can include keeping books, paying bills, holding keys and handling and logging money coming in from clients. But in reality, these long-standing laws are rarely if ever enforced. This is because the latest guidance from the National Police Chiefs' Council states: 'Brothel closures and raids create a mistrust of all external agencies . . . it is difficult to rebuild trust and ultimately reduces the amount of intelligence submitted to the police and puts sex workers at greater risk.' But even if no one is going from Derbyshire police is going to be knocking on the shop door anytime soon - the stigma attached to the business, because of its nature, is obvious. A young mother who asked not to be named lives in a flat close by with her young son and said that over the course of the last two days some 20 or so men had visited the brothel. She said: 'You can tell them a mile-off. 'They do all they can to be inconspicuous. Some pretend to be on the phone and walk down the side street and pause by the alleyway. 'I see them looking around to see who is about and if anyone clocks them, they walk straight on and pretend they're going somewhere else but really they just go round the block and come back. When the coast is clear they'll go in. 'Some are in ten minutes, others come out half an hour so later. But when they emerge from the alleyway, their heads are down and they're in a rush to get away. 'I tease them sometimes and shout things like 'you dirty tramp!'. None ever look up, they're off like a shot. 'You get a mixture of blokes who go there. Some are in their 20s and 30s and others around 60. Some are good looking and well dressed and others are scruffy who look as though they've never known the sweet embrace of a woman. 'The brothel is hidden away down the bottom of the alley. People walk past that place and have no idea what's going on inside. 'I've known about it for about six or seven years - it's the only one I know of in Ilkeston. 'I think on average I must see about 10 punters visiting there a day - although I'm sure there's a lot more who go through the door. 'But I don't like it being so close to my home. I live here with my little son. I think it's appalling that such a place exists - I wish it would be shut down.' Apprentice electrician Alfie Perkins, 21, moved into a terraced house behind the brothel with his partner in February. They had no idea that sex workers were plying their trade there but Alfie said: 'We see men going in all the time. 'At first we thought it was a block of flats but the men sometimes wait in the yard for others to come out first. 'There's never any women. It makes perfect sense now that I know what that place is. 'My partner wants to get tinted windows at the back of the house because she doesn't like the fact the punters can see into our kitchen. 'To be fair, though, there's never been any trouble there whatsoever and there's not much noise from people coming or going from the premises. 'It's funny, someone told me the other day that there was a massage parlour around here…I didn't realise it was just behind us.' A trucker in his 50s who lives a few doors down from Alfie but who wished to remain anonymous said the brothel used ingenious ways to let punters know it was open for business. He told us: 'You wouldn't know it was even there, they're very, very discreet. 'There's no signage outside, no red-light or anything like that. What they do sometimes is one of the girls will drape fluorescent workmen trousers out of an upstairs window. It's a code that they're open and ready for business. 'I've walked past and seen the trousers myself several times. There's always a lot of activity at the back of my house with blokes heading in and out. 'There used to be music playing and in the summer with the windows open you'd hear it from the street. I think they got some complaints so they stopped. 'It doesn't really bother me too much that it's there. People using their services tend to keep a low profile… for obvious reasons.' Spangles has 56 reviews on Punternet - a US-based website dubbed the 'Blue Pages' or 'Thrustpilot' in which men compare experiences of various working women. The reviews - only a handful of which are less than positive - date all the way back to December 2006, when the business was based at a health spa and sauna above a parade of shops on the Derby Road near the centre of Nottingham, where it remained until 2018 before moving to Ilkeston. One punter - who calls himself 'andybaby' on Punternet - wrote: 'Spangles is great. Easy parking behind the shops where nobody can see you get out your car and enter. 'Nice shower and changing facilities. The rooms are basic with just a massage table but they are clean.' Another client -'hxxx' - who had half an hour with two of the girl - provided a fascinating insight into trip. He wrote: 'Spangles is a really friendly place. Everyone who works there is very welcoming and the receptionist is a star. 'The rooms are rather small (barely big enough for a massage table) and the piped radio is annoying (it was quite surreal to hear the traffic report during a live lesbian sex show) but I love this place all the same. It's safe and clean.' According to the Land Registry the house that Spangles is based in belongs to former electrical contractor turned property investor Martyn Kelk. Mr Kelk, 62, bought the property for £60,000 at auction in 2018. In 2017 his then company Premier Electrical Services - which he sold a year later - was the shirt sponsor for League Two football side Notts County. He lives in a sprawling farmhouse 20-miles from Ilkeston in the Nottinghamshire village of Owthorpe. Mr Kelk is currently in Greece on holiday but he told the Mail this week of his shock: 'I had no idea that the property was being used in such a way. 'The person who runs the business and who rents the property from me is listed on my accounts as a beauty therapist. 'Once a tenant signs the lease I don't tend to hear from them unless there's a problem. I haven't been to the site for years as it's nearly an hour away from my home. 'When I bought the property, it was in a dilapidated state and I spent a year renovating it. The person who runs the business has been a tenant for about six years, I don't have the paperwork with me so I can't tell you how long the lease has left to run. 'But do I need to kick them out? A good friend of mine is a police officer, I may have to ask him for advice.' A spokeswoman for Spangles insisted they were a legitimate massage business and strongly denied that their masseuses every carry out any sexual services. They also said they had not deceived anyone over their lease.
The Sun
43 minutes ago
- The Sun
Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay protégé to shut his first ever restaurant after 11 ‘incredible' years of trading
A MICHELIN-STARRED chef has announced the closure of his debut restaurant. The founder trained under Gordon Ramsay, and at the three-Michelin-starred John-Georges in New York. 3 3 3 The Edinburgh-based Aizle is set to close later this year on September 21. Stuart Ralston first opened the restaurant on St Leonard's Street in 2014. A description in the Michelin Guide read: "The constantly evolving menu takes on a surprise tasting format and is presented to diners as 'The Harvest', a list of produce to be featured in the meal rather than exact dish names." It follows Stuart's emphasis on incorporating local and seasonal goods in his menus - with some dishes available for several weeks and "others just a few" according to Aizle's website. Their most recent 'harvest' included items like guinea fowl, black garlic, quince and salted milk which came together in a blind tasting menu. Ralston announced Aizle's closure on social media. He wrote: "When I first opened the doors on St Leonard's Street in 2014 as a young chef, Aizle was born out of a desire to build something different, challenge me as a young chef and provide a place people would choose to work. "I wanted to work with producers who really care about what they grow and make people happy with our food. "Over the past 11 years, we have moved homes, met brilliant people along the way and grown into something to be proud of." Ralston added that the closure would give him more time to focus on his other restaurants, in addition to a new project. Popular food reviewer gives his thoughts on Scotland's 'most expensive restaurant' He went on to thank the "incredible, dedicated team, past and present", and said that he hopes to continue working with them. The restaurant relocated to the Garden Room at the Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel. In 2018 it moved to a four-day week to reduce stress and staff burnout. He has since opened several other restaurants in the city, including Noto and Tipo, both of which hold Michelin Bib Gourmands and which will be unaffected by the closure. Earlier this year, his restaurant Lyla, was awarded a Michelin star. Vouchers which had been purchased for Aizle can still be redeemed at Ralston's other restaurants. Commenters on social media expressed sadness at the restaurant's closure, as well as excitement for Stuart's future projects. One wrote: "So sad I never got to eat at Aizle! And excited for all that's to come." Another said: "Such an iconic restaurant in the Edinburgh food scene." While another added: "To this day the best dining experience I've had." What is happening to the hospitality industry? By Laura McGuire, consumer reporter MANY Food and drink chains have been struggling in recently as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out. Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation. Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's closing branches. Some chains have not survived, Byron Burger fell into administration last year, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs. Pizza giant, Papa Johns is shutting down 43 of its stores soon. Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will shut sites as part of major restructuring plans
