Timeshare scam crooks are causing misery (From Yeovil Express)

Timeshare scam crooks are causing misery

7:30pm Tuesday 28th July 2009

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CROOKS operating timeshare scams in Somerset are repeatedly preying on some of their victims, Trading Standards officers have warned.

Officers at Somerset County Council are collecting information about resale scams as part of an international investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.

People in Somerset have been conned out of hundreds of pounds as part of a timeshare re-selling scam, only to be approached a second time by fraudsters asking for even more money.

In one case a cold-caller took £750 from an owner as a bogus ‘commission’ or ‘administration fee’, only to come back and ask for £1,400 a few months later.

Cases of the reselling scam have increased with the economic downturn as owners try to turn their timeshares into cash. In the last year, 56 complaints about timeshares were received by Somerset Trading Standards.

Owners are approached – usually by telephone – and offered an unrealistically high price for their timeshare. The victim is asked to pay some money up front, either for administration, as commission or to guarantee the sale. The sales are rarely completed and the victim is unable to get their money back.

Anyone who is approached in this way is advised to contact Consumer Direct on 0845 4040506.

More information and advice can be found from the Association of Timeshare Owners - click on the link in our "related articles" section on this page of our website.

The council’s Cllr Anthony Trollope-Bellew said: “These scams are despicable and the perpetrators often prey on vulnerable people. If people suspect an offer is too good to be true they should not accept and get advice as soon as possible.”

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