Alert: Potentially fraudulent company copying SME website content

Alert: Potentially fraudulent company copying SME website content

We would like to advise parents and students who are interested in receiving information on Medical, Dental and Veterinary studies in Bulgaria from our company, Study Medicine Europe (SME), to be extremely careful that they do not become victims of a potential fraud or are exploited by another so company which:

  1. Has created a website by entirely copying the layout and content included in SME’s site
  2. Uses a similar logo to our own
  3. Has posted videos of our company (SME) on Facebook and YouTube which feature events and presentations of SME in which our students have participated
  4. Communicates through mobile phones only and arranges appointments in public areas or in a virtual office located in central London
  5. Falsely identified itself as a Bulgarian or/and a British legal entity while there is no such registration in Bulgaria or in the UK (no Companies House has been able to verify its existence)
  6. It requests deposits as advanced payments (400 GBP) into personal bank accounts in Bulgarian banks without having any corporate bank account in Bulgaria or the UK. Furthermore, payments are made without any formal contract having been signed previously

  7. Sends invoices for the aforementioned payments with a Company Registration number and a VAT number that do not exist
  8. Has the audacity to even hold an Open Day in London on the 9th of July 2016

When contacted, the ‘’company representative’’ refused to provide with any details of the ‘’company’’, their track records etc., claiming that he was not the person in charge and that that he is merely in charge of informing future students.

Several unfortunate incidents have been reported to us where students have been misled by that ‘’company’’ that is only trying to make profit without considering the true needs of students in a manner which can only be described as unprofessional and dishonest bordering criminal activities.

Taking all that into consideration, in order to protect our reputation and students’ best interest, we have already collected the necessary evidence and reported the aforementioned to the relevant UK authorities. Moreover, our legal department is currently assessing any legal actions against them.

Parents or students interested in medical studies in Bulgaria who have been in touch with this company, thinking they have been dealing with SME, are invited to contact us and we will be happy to provide them with any clarifications needed.

Additionally, SME is willing to compensate these parents or students for any loss incurred in instructing the aforementioned company with the belief they were instructing us, by offering them a discount on our service fees.