posted 4th March 2024
About 50% of timeshare exit and claim scams are carried out by criminals who have contacted their victims out of the blue; the other half are conducted by unregulated companies that take upfront fees. How do we know this? We receive thousands of calls every year from timeshare owners who have either already been scammed or are in the process of falling for one.
There are several timeshare exit and timeshare claim scams to look out for, which are listed below. If you have lost money in a timeshare scam and want to get your money back, get in touch. Our advice and guidance are free, and if you require to legally exit your timeshare or make a timeshare compensation claim, we do not charge any upfront fees.
1. The Club La Costa Claim Exit and Claim Scam.
One of the most common scams we come across is when Club La Costa members are told they qualify for compensation and need to pay upfront legal fees to take advantage of the opportunity! Some victims pay over £20,000, believing they will receive a huge compensation payment. These scams usually occur on Zoom calls with ex-timeshare salespeople who seem professional and above board. These long-winded and convincing presentations give the impression that the liquidation of Club La Costa, lack of availability, and legality and jurisdiction of payments almost guarantee compensation.
At this point, the only successful final decision made by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) and the High Court is for Club La Costa Fractional Members (FPOC) that took out a point of sale loan with banks such as Barclays, Shawbrook, and Hitachi. If you paid off your loan within the last six years or are still paying it, you qualify for compensation. This compensation can be claimed through us without paying any upfront fees.
2. The Timeshare Maintenance Fee Debt Scam.
If you have received a call from a company or agency telling you that they are calling to collect outstanding maintenance fees, it is a scam. These calls are designed to scare you into believing that debt collectors will be turning up to your front door for outstanding fees. Scare tactics commonly used by these criminals are that you are on the 'timeshare register', that another company has taken over from who you originally purchased from, and that your timeshare wasn't legally cancelled.
This particular scam can seem very intimidating and have severe consequences. If you or a family member or friend have been approached or lost money to one of these companies, get in touch. The vast majority of money we recover for victims is from this type of timeshare scam. In most cases there isn't a debt to answer for and no further action or payments are necessary.
3. Recovery Room Fraud.
It isn't uncommon that many of the clients we help have been scammed multiple times. This is because the same criminal organisation calls them back using a different name. This has led to some of our clients paying over £60,000 to the same people, for fake timeshare exit and claim services. Each time the victim was told that the money from the previous scam would be recovered. This is a classic tactic used by criminals operating recovery room fraud.
The IP addresses of the websites used in these scams generally leads us back to the same criminal organisation and individuals. Avoiding timeshare scams is often easier said than done, as many of the victims are elderly and vulnerable. If you need help and advice, please get in touch. A quick phone call to us could save you from losing a small fortune.
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