'I won £18k in online prize draw - but haven't seen a penny'

Dafydd Bayliss's Monday greeting blues cleared instantly erstwhile helium recovered retired helium had won either a BMW M3 oregon £18,000 successful an online competition.

The 31-year-old had been taking portion successful prize draws with Level Up Giveaways for 3 years, but this was his archetypal win.

A first-time purchaser adjacent to completing his location purchase, helium opted for the currency with a presumption to utilizing it for a caller room and bathroom.

"I was implicit the moon," helium said.

But his joyousness was short-lived. The HGV operator should person received his wealth successful the days afterwards. Three months on, he's not been paid a penny.

The company's responses to his requests for outgo person dried up too.

Mr Bayliss is 1 of respective radical the BBC has spoken to who accidental they person been near successful the acheronian by Level Up Giveaways.

The competitions company, from Sowerby Bridge successful West Yorkshire, has seemingly stopped paying retired prizes totalling tens of thousands of pounds.

The BBC has tried to interaction Level Up Giveaways to inquire astir the complaints of Mr Bayliss and others, but has been incapable to get a response.

The firm's website, which offered prize gully competitions including sports cars, luxury watches and adjacent gold, stopped moving astir 10 days earlier Christmas.

The steadfast besides offered a escaped introduction strategy wherever would-be winners could station an introduction to an code successful Halifax, West Yorkshire.

Mr Bayliss, from Blackwood, South Wales, bought 5 99p online entries for a gully connected 15 September.

He said helium spoke to Level Up Giveaways' manager Anton Hall, 35, implicit the telephone the time aft his win.

He remembered Mr Hall being "happy I took the cash" and confirming the wealth would beryllium successful his slope relationship wrong 2 to 3 days.

But thing arrived.

Mr Bayliss sent galore messages successful the weeks that followed and received the occasional mentation from Mr Hall, but has not received payment.

"I person benignant of fixed up," said Mr Bayliss.

"It was the archetypal clip I'd won and it was emblematic that helium stopped paying everyone.

"I person conscionable gone numb to it. I person astir apt got a 5% accidental of getting the money."

Mr Bayliss said helium had not heard from Mr Hall since 1 November, erstwhile helium told him his slope accounts were "on hold".

Mr Bayliss' mum Tina reported Level Up Giveaways to Trading Standards and Action Fraud, the nationalist reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Mrs Bayliss said she believed her son's lawsuit was "just the extremity of the iceberg".

"He's taking your wealth and not paying up - it's similar having the rug pulled retired from your feet.

"I conscionable consciousness truly aggrieved idiosyncratic is allowed to bash that."

Insurance broker Scott Boyle, from Wakefield, won £1,200 successful a Level Up Giveaways contention successful May, to beryllium paid to him implicit 12 months.

He received 5 months' worthy of payments, but they stopped successful October.

Although the institution was usually "really responsive", helium has not heard from them since October, contempt sending galore messages.

"It's disgusting," helium said.

"A batch of radical person won immense amounts of money. If I won that benignant of wealth I would beryllium perfectly devastated."

Meanwhile, Manchester-based Phill Harkins has been waiting for a 20g golden barroom helium won successful a Level Up Giveaways prize gully since 18 October.

"Something needs to beryllium done astir it due to the fact that you can't dainty radical similar this," helium said.

Mark McCorry, a edifice manager from Belfast, won £600 currency successful a gully connected 9 October.

The 36-year-old father-of-one had antecedently met radical who had won cars successful Mr Hall's competitions, starring him to judge the concern proprietor to beryllium "trustworthy".

He said the acquisition with Level Up Giveaways had near him "gutted".

A spokesperson for Trading Standards West Yorkshire told the BBC they had received 7 complaints astir Level Up Giveaways relating to prize draws, including unpaid winnings, since 2022.

The spokesperson said owed to "limited resources" the institution was not being investigated.

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said they were not allowed to remark connected inquiries relating to named individuals.

According to Companies House, Level Up Giveaways was acceptable up successful March 2019.

Its societal media pages boast of creating much than 5,000 winners and awarding £5m successful prizes.

Previously blessed customers person near stories of winning life-changing sums connected the reappraisal website Trustpilot but immoderate caller reviews are little glowing

In a video update posted connected societal media connected 6 December, Mr Hall said helium "had to instrumentality clip out".

"I was conscionable perfectly drained with idiosyncratic beingness and issues that are going connected with the business," helium continued.

Mr Hall said helium was "still trying to hole Level Up Giveaways" and added: "I bash mean to travel backmost to doing draws successful the adjacent future."

"I'm conscionable going to enactment successful my lane with the smaller prizes. I tried to tally chaotic with extravagant competitions. I'm conscionable not successful a presumption to beryllium capable to bash that.

Mr Hall apologised for a "lack of communication", but did not accidental if, oregon when, radical mightiness person their prizes.

Despite promising to interaction those chasing him "as soon arsenic possible" successful his astir caller update, nary of the radical the BBC has spoken to person heard from Mr Hall.

"He hasn't said what's really going on, it's much conscionable similar fume and mirrors," said Mr Bayliss.

Asked if helium had a connection for Mr Hall, Mr Boyle said: "Pay what radical are owed and person paid to triumph successful bully faith."

If you person been affected by Level Up Giveaways, you tin email your experiences to steve.jones06@bbc.co.uk.

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