Latest news with #forgiveness
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Why I forgave the fraudster who scammed me out of £300 for fake festival tickets - after finding her by accident on TikTok
A music fan who was scammed out of £300 for fake concert tickets says she has forgiven the fraudster who conned her – after finding her by accident while browsing videos on TikTok. Bristolian music lover Laura was tricked into buying fake V Festival by one–time serial con artist Jodie Gayet, handing over £300 for two tickets worth £200 each in a deal that was too good to be true. But in an incredible stroke of fortune, she found Ms Gayet 10 years later while browsing TikTok, and reached out to say she had forgiven her after learning that the fraudster had been battling a gambling addiction. The pair met 'face–to–face' for the first time in a video call with MailOnline this week following their chance encounter via social media. Ms Gayet, from Lowestoft, tearfully admitted she had not expected forgiveness after conning Laura and others out of a total of £10,000 for non–existent tickets, for which she was given six months in prison. 'Forgiveness is not something that you ever expect to get when you did the terrible thing I did,' she said. 'I did some bad stuff, but I'm not a bad person.' For Laura, who asked us to use her first name only, it was cathartic to be able to forgive the woman who had stolen from her. She said: 'I felt really stupid and disappointed in myself back then, which passed, but to hear her story now you realise people do make mistakes.' Jodie says she turned to crime to feed a gambling addiction that began when she had a termination at 18, playing online bingo before winning a £33,000 slots jackpot. She spent £8,000 of her winnings and lost the rest chasing her next big win, which never came – so she took out loans to keep playing and cover up the loss. Working at the Chelsea Building Society in Norwich, she then pilfered the bank account of an 89–year–old man with Alzheimer's and his 95–year–old wife, believing they would not notice the money was gone. In all, she stole £19,000 from them. 'I never thought what I was doing was wrong. I wasn't stealing – I was just borrowing this money because I was going to win it back and I would pay it back, and they would never know,' she said. It wasn't long before the theft was discovered and she was sentenced to six weeks' jail time in 2011 at 21, heavily pregnant. She gave birth four days after being freed. But without proper support or counselling for her addiction she found herself craving the next big win again, setting up an account on classified ads site Gumtree with a plan to fund her gambling. She messaged someone selling real V Festival 2014 tickets – which featured the likes of the Killers and Lily Allen on its line–up – and asked for their order confirmation as proof, modifying it to add her name and an old address. Her fake ticket listing, complete with a convincing confirmation, was priced below face value to draw in victims – which is how she and Laura came to cross paths as the music fan hunted out tickets as a gift for a friend. Laura recalled: 'I think it had sold out on the official site and I was looking at eBay, Gumtree... and that's where I saw Jodie's listing.' The confirmation gave the listing an air of legitimacy, she admits. Laura also said she had been taken in by how 'engaged' Jodie was in selling the tickets – which were to be sent by post, long before the advent of the e–ticket. But after sending the cash, Laura was fobbed off with excuses that the tickets had been lost in the post. It then dawned on her that she had been scammed. 'As the event got closer the dialogue changed – her story was changing and changing and it was then that I felt a bit dim,' she admits. Half of Brits see social media as a safe place to buy tickets despite scams More than half of Brits still see social media as a 'safe space' to buy gig tickets despite the fact they offer no protection from fraudsters. A survey conducted by Get Safe Online, a UK online safety resource, found that 17 per cent of people had a negative experience buying tickets through 'unprotected' platforms. But around 54 per cent still see them as a reasonable place to buy tickets. Around 90 per cent of recent Oasis scams unfolded on social media, with fans losing an average of £346 each, according to Lloyds Bank. GSO recommends using reseller sites such as Viagogo, which is listed as a commercial partner on its website, to combat fraud. Its CEO, Tony Neate, says fans need 'safe alternatives' to social media. 'I had to phone my mum and tell her I had been scammed and I had to repurchase the tickets. But Jodie's story had been so believable.' Laura reported the scam to Action Fraud – and once again, the law caught up with Jodie, who it emerged had conned others out of £6,000 with the same trick. She was given a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for two years – but returned to court after pulling the same stunt again a year later in 2015, depriving would–be festival–goers out of another £4,000. It guaranteed her a six–month jail term, with a judge describing her as having a 'nasty dishonest streak', the Eastern Daily Press reported. Her father and brother paid victims back, the court had been told. Jodie served 12 weeks behind bars, serving the rest of her sentence on an electronic tag. It was the wake–up call she had been needing. She now admits: 'I was acting as a very selfish person. I knew what I was doing was wrong and, I'll be honest, I really didn't care what I did to get the money. 'The world could have been on fire and I wouldn't have noticed. Again, I told myself I was just borrowing this money from these people because I would win it back.' Almost a decade on, Jodie now works with anti–fraud body We Fight Fraud to help people spot potential scams, with her own story showing how easy it is to deceive people into handing over money. Among her hot tips are to avoid buying tickets on social media and not to bank transfer - instead buying from primary ticket vendors directly or from secondary resellers that have a guarantee of a refund if the ticket either doesn't arrive or isn't valid for entry. These scams have reared their heads amid the Oasis reunion tour – with mad fer it fans losing a reported £346 each buying fake tickets, according to Lloyds Bank. She shares her experiences of gambling addiction, recovery and imprisonment with 50,000 followers on TikTok – and it's there that fate saw fit to bring she and Laura together again 10 years on. Laura said: 'I was just scrolling through and she appeared on my feed telling her story of the fraud. I thought it sounded familiar... then realised that she was the person who had scammed me. The algorithm got me!' She sent Jodie a message explaining who she was, and the pair reconnected. Jodie even made reparations with a donation to the anti–knife crime charity Mikey's World, founded after teen Mikey Roynon was stabbed to death in 2023. The charity is very close to Laura's heart. And earlier this week, they spoke 'face–to–face' via a video call for the first time, joined by a MailOnline reporter. Laura said sagely: 'People make mistakes, don't they? If we were all crucified for every mistake we make there wouldn't be many of us around, would there? 'Yes, absolutely, I forgive her. It was a long time ago, and what Jodie is doing now, the fact she's working with We Fight Fraud, makes it so easy to forgive her. She only buys festival tickets from official vendors now. 'If something seems too good to be true it probably is,' she concluded. Jodie, who is now a mother to three, has also written a book, Me, Myself and My Addiction, recounting her experiences of gambling addiction and turning to crime. She hopes her story will inspire others to use their own bad experiences to do good in the world. Her voice breaking, she summed up: 'It gives a person hope that you can move on from the past and do good. 'I'm devastated by what I did, even now. I never meant to hurt Laura or any of my victims. 'But it is amazing to have her here and I'm grateful she's in my corner.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jo Wood reveals she wanted to prove she wasn't a victim after 'letting herself go' following divorce from ex-husband Ronnie
Jo Wood has revealed she wanted to prove she wasn't a victim after 'letting herself go' following her split from Ronnie Wood. The 70-year-old was married to Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie, 78, for 24 years between 1985-2011. In a new interview with The Times, Jo opened up on the heartbreak and how she picked herself back up. She explained: 'After Ronnie I found it's important to say to myself, "I'm not a victim, I can still enjoy a good life."' She added: 'When I was really brokenhearted I totally let myself go. I didn't shave my legs, I didn't shave anything. I was just miserable.' Jo recently bumped into Ronnie in a Barbados hotel. He was with his wife Sally, 47, and their twin daughters. When asked about the run-in, Jo laughed and said: 'Like my Mum used to say about my Dad, seeing him was like putting on a comfy pair of old slippers. 'The editor of my novel wanted more anger but I refused. The story is not about Ronnie but I do want to send out that message: you have to forgive. It sets you free. I didn't want to be bitter and angry. You realise that chapter of your life is over and the universe has something else for you. I forgave Ronnie years ago.'' She previously told the Daily Mail's Richard Eden: 'I'd only been there a day and I walked into the hotel restaurant and there was Ronnie with his wife and kids. 'You should have seen his face when he saw me.' Ronnie is now married to theatre producer Sally, 31 years his junior, with whom he has twin daughters. Jo added: 'I'm no stalker.' Jo and Ronnie share children Leah, 46, and Tyrone. She also became stepmother to Ronnie's son Jesse, 48, from his first marriage. She is also mum to another son, Jamie, 50, from her first marriage to clothing entrepreneur Peter Greene. Jo previously shared the secret to her close relationship with her ex-husband Ronnie, whom she has remained on good terms with since their 2009 divorce. She said: 'I'd only been there a day and I walked into the hotel restaurant and there was Ronnie with his wife and kids' (Ronnie pictured with wife Sally last week) She said: 'I know that I can pick up the phone and ring him if there's anything, like, trouble or anything like that. 'But I could do that with Keith [Richards] as well. I saw Keith recently, with Patti [Hansen, his wife]. I'm fine with them all. I didn't do anything wrong! 'When you have children and grandchildren, I think it's important… I like to know that I can say, 'The kids have been, you know, even though they're grown up. Have a word with them!'' In recent years, Jo has ditched the rock-and-roll lifestyle from her marriage to Ronnie for an eco-friendly countryside cottage. Aside from WiFi, Jo said she more or less lives self-sufficiently and has traded in her days of drinking and joints for homegrown veg and is even creating a capsule supplement called Longevity to boost her health. Speaking to The Telegraph, Jo admitted that she didn't have an addictive personality which made it easier for her to walk away from the party lifestyle after it suddenly dawned on her one day that way of living wasn't what she wanted. Jo recently revealed the hilarious nickname given to her by her grandchildren as she admitted they know all about her wild drug-taking rock and roll past. The former wife of The Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood was known for embracing the party lifestyle in her younger days. And the star admitted her grandchildren are now calling her 'Gangsta Granny' after she revealed some of her past antics to them. Speaking on Good Housekeeping UK's podcast My Life in A Biscuit Tin , Jo said: 'I know I shouldn't say this, but I was in the car with them and they were giggling, two of them [grandchildren, Maggie and Kobe]. 'They went, "Gran, have you done any drugs?" I said, "Of course I have, but I don't recommend it". 'I said, "Because it didn't get me anywhere except lots of sleepless nights". Explaining how she believes it is important to be honest with your family she added: 'You can't be dishonest, because they'll find out. 'So, I tried to warn them it was a waste of time, but I was in a very special situation. So then they said, "We're going to call you Gangster Gran from now on."' She has 10 grandchildren in total, four from Jamie, two from Leah and four from Jesse.
CNET
3 days ago
- Business
- CNET
SAVE Borrowers Encouraged to Move to IBR Even Though Forgiveness Options Are Paused. Here's What's Going On
Zooey Liao/CNET/Getty Images Millions of SAVE borrowers seeking forgiveness have been encouraged to move their loans to an Income-Based Repayment plan -- especially since their loans will start accruing interest in about a week. But now forgiveness through IBR is paused, at least for the time being. The Federal Student Aid website says student loan forgiveness through IBR is on hold while the Education Department updates its system to recalculate eligible payments. "IBR forgiveness will resume once those updates are completed," said an FAQ section updated July 9. The key question is how the Education Department counts payments made under the Saving on a Valuable Education repayment plan, which was struck down by the courts earlier this year. Borrowers on the IBR can have the payments they made on other income-driven repayment plans (including SAVE, PAYE and ICR) count toward their IBR forgiveness. But one of SAVE's features allowed borrowers to count months in certain types of forbearance when they didn't make payments, according to student loan expert Mark Kantrowitz. "The decision of the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals blocks these additional deferments and forbearances from counting toward forgiveness," he said in an email. "So the US Department of Education will need to make changes to the qualifying payment counts." Student loan forgiveness options have dwindled considerably during President Donald Trump's second administration. IBR is currently the only repayment plan available that offers a path to forgiveness to existing borrowers. Eligible student loan borrowers can receive forgiveness after 20 or 25 years' worth of payments on the income-driven student loan repayment plan, depending on when they took out their loan. We'll explain what could happen with IBR, and what you should do if you're waiting for student loan forgiveness. Read more: SAVE Student Loan Borrowers: You Don't Have to Move to IBR by Aug. 1, but You May Want to: Here's How to Decide Is student loan forgiveness going away? Multiple paths to student loan forgiveness have disappeared in the past year. ICR, PAYE and SAVE plans are no longer eligible for forgiveness directly, following the court ruling in February that Congress exceeded its authority by approving them. Since IBR was created under a different rule, it wasn't affected by the court's ruling. Forgiveness through IBR should be safe for now. But it's understandable that borrowers -- deciphering confusing and misleading information as they wait for forgiveness -- may be skeptical of the Education Department's reassurances that IBR forgiveness is coming back. After February's court decision, the application for income-driven repayment plans was removed from the federal student loan site, causing concern among borrowers. But it was made available again a month later with revisions. This could, in theory, be a similar scenario, where the IBR forgiveness will resume at a later date. When will IBR forgiveness come back? Though the Education Department calls it "temporary," there's no indication how long the IBR pause will last. With a backlog of 1.5 million applications for repayment plans and huge swaths of the Department of Education staff wiped out, it's unclear how long it could take to resolve the payment recalculation. The Washington Post reported that several student loan servicers have said the Education Department hasn't asked them to process loan forgiveness for any borrowers since mid-January. "This not only affects the loan servicers, but also the US Department of Education, since final approval of loan forgiveness is handled in-house," Kantrowitz said. The Department of Education didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Are there other options for forgiveness besides IBR? Besides IBR, existing borrowers will have another option next year under the new Republican-backed law passed earlier this month: the Repayment Assistance Plan. The new Repayment Assistance Plan could offer slightly lower monthly payments for some borrowers, but the plan calls for 30 years of qualifying payments before loans are forgiven, compared with the 20 to 25 years under the current IBR. So you'll end up paying more in interest over time. Anyone who takes out student loans after July 2026 will have just two repayment options: RAP and the standard repayment plan. Should I still apply for IBR if I'm a SAVE borrower? Millions of borrowers enrolled in SAVE will start accruing interest on their loans again starting Aug. 1. However, payments remain on hold while your loans are in a general forbearance, which could last until mid-2026. You aren't required to switch plans until then, although interest will pile up during that time. However, if you decide to switch, you can compare other income-driven repayment plan options using the Federal Student Aid loan simulator. You can apply to switch to an IDR on the FSA website to restart payments that count toward forgiveness. If you do apply for a new plan, expect the application to take several months to process due to the backlog, Kantrowitz said. The Department has been encouraging SAVE borrowers to switch to IBR, which could mean an even higher volume of applicants as the Aug. 1 deadline approaches. What should I do if I'm enrolled in an IBR? If you're enrolled in an IBR and near or past the payment threshold to be eligible for loan forgiveness, Kantrowitz advises you to continue making payments until you receive notification that your loans have been forgiven, which should happen automatically. "Any excess payments will be refunded," he said. "They could switch into a general forbearance, but there's a risk that they've counted their qualifying payments incorrectly. It is better to just continue making payments."
Globe and Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Your daily horoscope: July 26, 2025
The more challenging the goals you set yourself for the coming year the more you will enjoy life when it all comes together and you reach levels you thought were beyond you. Why settle for a limited share of success when you can have it all? The sun in your fellow fire sign of Leo at this time of year means there are precious few things you cannot accomplish, so the responsibility is on you to aim high and do something creative this weekend. Don't give less than 100 per cent. You may not want to forgive a so-called friend for what they recently said about you but it is actually the best move by far. The last thing you need now is to be wasting time and energy on petty vendettas. Get past it and move on. This is potentially one of the most enjoyable phases of the year for you, so don't sit at home in front of the TV, get out into the world and make some waves. It is also the perfect time to make travel plans for later in the year. Before you splash a significant amount of cash on something you've had your eye on for some time you need to ask yourself two questions: Do I really need it and can I really afford it? The answer to both questions is almost certainly 'no'. The more time you spend with people who inspire you this weekend the more likely it is you will come up with productive ideas of your own. Don't look back at the old ways of doing things, look ahead and be a leader for change. The fact that you are such a practical person gives you a big advantage over some of your more woolly-minded rivals. While they are held back by wishful thinking this weekend you will be moving ahead of them in leaps and bounds. The message of the stars this weekend is that you need to rise above incidents that enrage you. The world may be unfair but there is no point getting worked up about matters that you cannot possibly change. Aim to change yourself for the better instead. A bit of sweet talk will open a lot of doors over the next 48 hours, so lay it on thick and don't worry that you may be overdoing it. The people you will be dealing with are too stupid to realize they are being shamelessly flattered. If you feel the urge to get away from your usual environment then pack an overnight bag and hit the road. You are rarely happier than when on the move and what you see and who you meet on your journey will surely delight you. A clash of wills on the work front could result in a serious falling out over the next 48 hours. Do your utmost to make sure you are on the winning side, because the planets warn there will be no prizes for coming a brave second. You may not be the most touchy-feely member of the zodiac but if you reach out to someone this weekend they will respond in kind and a strong bond will be formed between you – a partnership of equals that can never be broken. You have wasted too much time on trivial matters in recent days and must now move on to activities that bring clear rewards. Ignore those who say that making a profit is in some way immoral – they have no idea what they are talking about. Discover more about yourself at
CBS News
6 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Student loan forgiveness in the IBR plan is paused, Education Department says. Here's what to know.
Millions of people with student loans who are enrolled in a popular repayment plan are now in limbo, with the Department of Education saying it has temporarily paused forgiveness for borrowers in its income-based repayment plan, or IBR. Such plans offer a double benefit for borrowers by lowering a person's monthly loan repayment to reflect their income, while also promising to provide forgiveness after a number of years. Specifically, the government can cancel the balance of student loan after people have made payments for at least 20 years. About 40% of the roughly 33 million people repaying student loans were enrolled in one of the Education Department's four such repayment plans at the end of 2024, according to data from the National Student Loan Data System and the Government Accountability Office. But three of those programs had previously been halted by a court ruling, while forgiveness for the roughly 2 million people enrolled in the fourth — IBR — is now also paused. On Tuesday, Education Department deputy press secretary Ellen Keast told CBS MoneyWatch that the agency "has temporarily paused discharges for IBR borrowers in order to comply with ongoing court injunctions regarding the Biden Administration's illegal attempts at student loan forgiveness." The court injunctions stem from 2024 lawsuits related to the Biden administration's flagship student loan repayment plan, called the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan. That initiative, created to fix long-standing issues with the Education Department's previous income-based plans, proved popular with borrowers, with almost 8 million enrollees at the end of 2024, National Student Loan Data System data shows. Because the SAVE plan could count toward loan discharges in the IBR program, the Education Department is now temporarily halting forgiveness for enrollees in that plan. The Education Department said the loan discharges will resume at some point, but didn't provide a timeframe for when that might occur. Student loan forgiveness under three of the federal government's income-driven plans — SAVE; Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR); and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) — is currently paused after a court ruled last summer that Congress exceeded its authority in approving those plans. The legal action last year called into question whether student loan forgiveness was authorized under the federal statute that governs those plans. But the IBR plan was created under a different authority. The Education Department didn't specify a timeframe in its statement to CBS MoneyWatch. It noted that the SAVE plan allowed forbearances — when loan payments are temporarily halted or reduced — to be counted toward loan forgiveness, but that the rule was halted by the court ruling. Because of the injunction, the Education Department said it needs to recalculate how many payments made by borrowers should contribute toward repayment. "Legal IBR discharges will resume as soon as the Department is able to establish the correct payment count," said Keast of the Education Department. Yes. Borrowers in the federal IBR plan are eligible to have their student loans canceled after making payments for at least 20 years. However, some people eligible for such forgiveness have yet to see their loans canceled. They should continue making those payments, and the Education Department will eventually refund them, according to the agency. "For any borrower that makes a payment after the date of borrower eligibility, the Department will refund overpayments when the discharges resume," Keast said. Borrowers can also request forbearance from their loan servicer. In that case, interest would continue to accrue on any remaining Associated Press contributed to this report.
