A new scam in the making? Is Mojo + Interior Addict + KMA Republic = Made in Style?

Shopping for furniture can be a time consuming affair. We are looking for our favourites at a good price. We investigate. We try our best to find a trustworthy company. But sometimes the scam is so well done and so devious that it's not easy to discover it before it's to late.

Here we need to go several years back. In 2004 a Jason Graham started importing reproduction furniture and selling it via his company Synergy Imports LTD (i). A year later the same Jason Graham starts up another company, the internet shop Mojo Interiors Ltd (ii), selling reproduction furniture (iii).

Mojo Interiors Ltd "Under Administration - contact your credit card company"

But everything is not good in paradise. In January of 2008 you find notice that something is off. A customer at the web based fora designaddict.com writes his experiences (iv). 

David P – 21 Jan 2008DO NOT USE MOJO INTERIORS I purchased an Eames RAR rocker from Mojo that was shown on the website as being in stock and delivered within 10 days. After 8 days I tried to contact them to see when I could expect delivery and was told that it was out of stock and would take 10 weeks. I tried to cancel the order there and then, and was told a refund would be actioned. This did not happen, and a week later after repeatedly trying to call, I recieved an e-mail to sat they had 'moved some boxes in the warehouse and found one' ... I declined and asked again for my refund. This went on and on, and nobody called back after my leaving ,messages on an answerphone and sending over 40 e-mails demanding a response. Eventually, 6 phone calls through the MD on a Saturday morning where he was 'waiting for his accountant', 'just out of the office' ... etc, resulted in my being told I was going to be refunded ...... I am still waiting ....This company is dreadful, and I have had nothing but lies form the two people I have spoken to or recieved e-mails from.Never buy from this company.

So Mojo is taking the money but not delivering the goods or refunding the money? Sounds familiar doesn't it? But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Finally in February of 2009 the customers are told it is going into voluntary liquidation (v). Customers are asked to contact their credit card providers and visa, master card etc. are paying out. A company buys the assets (vi). A new company without connections to Mojo Interiors? The new company is Interior Addict Ltd, a company started in January 2009 (vii).

Interior Addict "Timeless classics delivered to your door"

Interior Addict Ltd's director is not Jason Graham but Rajinder Khatkar. We are told Interior Addict buys the assets of Mojo Interiors. Soon a web page is up and running in the UK. It goes out wide and expanded to French, Swiss, German, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian versions (viii). Maybe even Australia (ix).

Back to the commentaries on designaddict.com where its suggested that Jason Graham is involved with the new company, that it actually is him running it (x). How can we find out if he is involved with Interior Addict Ltd? A quick search reveals that Jason Graham in January of 2009 opens a profile on a recruitment page looking for SEO's, web designers, Danish speaking persons etc. (xi). Ms Khatkar and Mr Graham both answers question under full name and Interior Addict Ltd is a reference (xii). It is safe to say Jason Graham is involved with Interior Addict Ltd and the new internet store. Maybe a lot more than he has given information about?

Interior Addict Ltd has assets from Mojo Interiors and as figures show, do OK to begin with. In 2012 they open a showroom at 50-52 Commercial Street in London (xiii).

Interior Addict Ltd "In Liquidation - contact your credit card company"

Fast forward to 2014, again something is off in paradise. Some subcontractors are not getting paid and in May 2014 one of them takes them to court (xiv). Interior Addict Ltd goes into liquidation (xv). Again assets are sold to a new company. We are told that in the summer of 2014 this new company takes over the brand Interior Addict and its web shops in several countries. This time Jason Graham is officially involved with the new company KMA Republic Ltd, he is the director (xvi).

Interior Addict/KMA Republic Ltd "Under Administration - contact your credit card company"

Through out the autumn of 2014 and beginning of 2015 customers gets more and more concerned, orders are made, money is paid but no goods (xvii). Cancellations are agreed upon but no money are refunded (xviii). It's a deja vu from 2009. This time its on Trustpilot (xix). For every negative comment, loads of positive comes up. You start to wonder if these are from employees at Interior Addict? In March of 2015 a new director is appointed (xx). In March the showroom is emptied but sales are still going on. Emails and phones are to begin with answered, then silence (xxi). In April 2015 KMA Republic goes into voluntary liquidation. Again customers are asked to contact their credit card providers to get their money back (xxii). Is someone trying to make a deal again?

History repeats itself? Is this a business model?

This time the social media is more active. Customers, ex employees and subcontractors not getting paid join forces and group up (xxiii). Information is coming out. In the group former employees are telling that Jason Graham had told them to stop sending out furniture. He is saving them for his new company. He has a warehouse full of furniture, not in either Interior addicts name or KMA Republic's but one of his other companies Indigo Logistics (xxiv). In the group we hear about employees being fired without getting their last salaries (xxv). It seems history repeats itself, is it a business model?

Something else comes to light when we start digging. Looking at the terms and conditions pages on interioraddict.com the information on the company you are buying from changes from Interior Addict Ltd in December 2013 to KMA Republic Ltd in February 2014. So the takeover could not have been in summer of 2014. If you bought something in say March of 2014 you were actually buying from KMA Republic (xxvi).

We finally find proof of the strong connection between Mr Graham and Ms Khatkar. On the 27. of September 2014 they were married on Majorca (xxvii).

Will Made In Style also end up with "Under Administration - contact your credit card company" on their web site too?

For some weeks we've wondered where is he going now Mr Graham? What new company will benefit from the warehouse filled with furniture and so forth? One of the guests at their wedding is a long time friend (xxviii).

Why is this important you might ask? Because she, Miss Usha Nayee, is now the director of a brand new internet store, Made in style (xxix), started in March 2015, selling reproduction furniture (xxx). What do you think - a coincidence?

UPDATE May 2015: Made in Style has ceased trading. A notice can be found on their web page where they inform that all customers will be refunded. At least this company is honouring their obligations to their customers. 

A final note: This blog has been written after research by several members of the Facebook customer group*. Information is not provided by one source only. All information that is referred to here (and some more) has been secured, given to the UK authorities and can be presented as evidence. If you have been subjected to the same please report to Action Fraud UK regardless if you are outside the UK or have gotten a cash back from you bank/credit card company/Pay pal. 

* Interior Addict customers group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/369428203248794/
All photos are from the internet sources provided. 

PM at the end, Mr Graham is and has been involved with several companies throughout the years.

Incorp date or when he worked there	Status pt	Date status	Name	Number	Additional
2002.05.25	Dissolved		HALCYON LEISURE MANAGEMENT LIMITED * 2001.08.13 - 2004.07.27	04269406	Director until 2004.01.24
2004.10.13	Dissolved	17 July 2007	SYNERGY IMPORTS (UK) LTD	05256545	Director
2005.02.06	Active		70 BRYNLAND AVENUE MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED Incorp 28.01.2005	05346109	Was employed as director until 6.02.2006
2005.05.06	Dissolved	29.10.2010	Mojo Interiors Ltd	05445809	Director
2006.07.01	active		18 GROSVENOR PLACE BATH (MANAGEMENT) LIMITED (incorp 05.08.1986)	02043446	was employed as Director (IMPORTER) to 30 April 2010
2008.01.02.	Dissolved	18.05.2010	URBAN MOJO LIMITED	06462048	Director
2009-01-21	Liquidation		Interior Addict Ltd	06797406	??
2010-12-01	Active		Interior Addict E1 Ltd	07456828	Director
2011-08-08	Active		LIVE ICONIC LIMITED	07732949	Director
2011-09-13	Dissolved	2013-12-24	LIVE ICONIC EUROPE LIMITED	07772319	Director
2012-04-24	Dissolved	2013-10-15	LIVE ICONIC (EAST EUROPE) LIMITED	08042836	Director
2012-04-24	Dissolved	2013-12-03	LIVE ICONIC (SWEDEN) LIMITED	08042869	Director
2013-01-07	Adverse info		KMA REPUBLIC LIMITED	08348410	Director (still as of 28.4.2015
2014-02-27	Active		INDIGO LOGISTICS (UK) LIMITED	08916105	Director
2015-02-12	Active		MANAGE MY SEO LIMITED	09436387	Director

* This might be the same Jason Graham as born same year and in Bath/Brighton but since can't get whole date of birth not been confirmed. The others are confirmed being same person ref official sources.

i http://companycheck.co.uk/company/05256545
ii http://mojointeriors.co.uk/
iii http://companycheck.co.uk/company/05445809
iv http://www.designaddict.com/forum/General-discussion/Mojo-Interiors
v https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/L-58991-748900
vi Ibid
vii http://www.endole.co.uk/company/06797406/interior-addict-ltd
viii www.interioraddict.com
ix Www.interioraddict.com/au
x http://www.designaddict.com/forum/General-discussion/Mojo-Interiors
xi http://www.peopleperhour.com/job/copy-write-seo-6481
xii http://www.peopleperhour.com/job/website-content-assitant-required-22065?Members_page=3
xiii http://www.endole.co.uk/company/06797406/interior-addict-ltd
xiv https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2140793
xv https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2247193
xvi http://www.endole.co.uk/company/08348410/kma-republic-limited
xvii Trustpilot on InteriorAddict.com:https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.interioraddict.com
xviii See facebook group: Interior Addict customers group https://www.facebook.com/groups/369428203248794/
xix Trustpilot on InteriorAddict.com:https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.interioraddict.com
or other pages on trustpilot in other languages
xx http://companycheck.co.uk/company/08348410/KMA-REPUBLIC-LIMITED
xxi See facebook group: Interior Addict customers group https://www.facebook.com/groups/369428203248794/
xxii Www.interioraddict.com
xxiii https://www.facebook.com/groups/369428203248794/
xxiv http://www.datalog.co.uk/browse/detail.php/CompanyNumber/08916105/CompanyName/INDIGO+LOGISTICS+%28UK%29+LIMITED
xxv https://www.facebook.com/groups/369428203248794/
xxvi Older versions of webpages can be found at:
xxvii ttps://www.facebook.com/charmicreations/photos/a.10151962733996747.1073741831.153497901746/10152834259681747/?type=1&__mref=message_bubble
xxviii https://twitter.com/ush2012, if been deleted screenshots have been secured
xxix http://www.madeinstyle.com/uk/
xxx Ubn 3 Limited is the company behind “Made in style”, http://www.endole.co.uk/company/09445741/ubn-3-limited

http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/