Timeshare resellers: Be careful!

Antonio Flores
23rd of August 2001

After surfing the web searching for Timeshare information I have come accross some interesting information published by the Timeshare Comsumers Association and the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe. These organisations provide any interested person in purchasing, and selling, Timeshare in Europe, with tips on how to approach a timeshare transaction, and make special reference to the risks of being defrauded in the course of the said purchase-sale.

I have read with some shock the comments made on the timeshare resellers in Spain: "It is safe to assume that almost every reseller based in Spain (including the Canaries and Balearics) is a crook" (http://www.timeshare.org.uk/tca_rescams.html). These comments, without being addressed to any particular reseller, could constitute grounds for proceeding for slander, as they certainly slanderous remarks and englobe the activity of a number of people who may be willing to make an honest living on the timeshare business.

The reading of it has coincided with the a tide of enquiries received by marbella-lawyers.com regarding a company who is reselling timeshare in Spain. The company appears to be operating as many others do: they call the timeshare owner and offer to sell the timeshare. They know exactly the resort, apartment and week number. Then they tell the seller-owner that they already have a buyer which is due to pay the full purchase price at any time. However, the seller is told that in order to cover for fees and costs, they request 700GBP (185.000 ptas.)to be transferred to them: It all seems fine, as the 185.000 Ptas. could be the introducer“s fee charged upfront, a pure business decision which you decide to accept or not. However, the seller is given assurances that the company“s solicitors will hold in escrow in their account these monies, and that the monies are not their fee for introducing the client, but to cover for costs of transaction.

Further assurances state that the 185.000 ptas. are to be refunded doubled if the buyer does not complete within six months, although the deal is close to be completed and the promised 6.500 GBP on their way to the sellers account.

Our firm intended to represent a seller in the transaction and we offered the company reselling timeshare that our account would be used as escrow: the deal never went ahead and no buyer was ever presented to my client. They were not interested in an independent advisor representing the seller, quite simply.

However, I decided to dig further, and after conducting some investigation I noted the following:

The Company, named Property Transfers S.L., is properly registered in Spain, in the Mįlaga Mercantile Registry (Company“s house). The information has been obtained from the Mercantile Registry on the 07-08-2001.
The sole administrator is Davies Matthew Wyn, and Mr. Wyn is the sole shareholder. The company started to operate on the 15-03-2001.
The registered address, according to the M.Registry, is 33A Calahonda Park, Calahonda 29649, Mijas Costa. However, the company claims in the draft contract that the registered address is Alta del Apartado Nśmero 946AP, Marbella 29600. (Funny address to anyone familiarised with the Spanish Postal service).
The company operates however not from Calahonda nor Marbella, but from some city in the UK, or at least the fax numbers on the only fax I received from the company points to that direction. (07092021478 and 07092021557, mobiles numbers both).
The company“s lawyers, Chesterton and Garcķa, don?t seem to be operating. Or rather, if they do, they must operate with difficulties from a mobile number (the number given to the sellers of timeshare) and from an inexistent address: Avda. Del Mar 23-24, Marbella. For anyone“s interest, Avda. Del Mar is a beatiful avenue with north-south direction in the centre of Marbella, with the Paseo Marķtimo ( beach promenade) ending it. The only problem is that Avda. Del Mar 23-24 does not exist, it runs up to 20 numbers, after which you can find a nice Chinese restaurant and a Travel Agency!!
I have been trying to phone my colleage Chesterton and/or Garcķa without success. Furthermore, I cannot locate him in the Mįlaga Lawyers Directory.
On a fax sent to me by Mr. Richard White, General Manager, I am told that “according to the time share consul legislation, the vendor of this transaction Mrs. ***, is charged a commission fee held to the selling of her resort facility in ***, which amount to an average fluctuating interest rate of 10%. They then go on telling me that “all necessary clearence leans on the property will be satisfied and secured by housing regulations.“ I confirm that I am not able to make any sense out of the statement.

All the information provided in this letter can be proved by documentary evidence: I trust timeshare sellers can use the above information to make the decision whether to use the services of Property Transfers S.L. or await a safer opportunity to sell.

Discuss this Article

Lawbird Lawyer Says:

Thu, Feb 5th 2009, 13:48
Six britons arrested for Costa del Sol timeshare scam By h.b. - Feb 2, 2009 - 12:28 AM The six, a manager and five telesales operators have not been named. National Police from Mįlaga have arrested six British people in Fuengirola for defrauding other Britons in the fraudulent resale of timeshare property in the province of Mįlaga. The manager and five telesales operators offered timeshares on the Costa del Sol for one or several weeks across many years, for large amounts of money. It seems the same timeshare rights were resold to different buyers several times, according to a statement from the main police station in Mįlaga. The case started after a complaint from a British person about a company based in Alhaurķn el Grande. The company used several different names and closed down, only to reopen in Fuengirola. The six arrested will appear in court shortly. Source: Typically Spanish
john smith Says:

Wed, Oct 7th 2009, 18:23
i have just had a fone call 4 actually from international global services a false name probably jessica hill .who after selling my tshare for an unbelievable price for me she say she wants a security deposit of 1300 euros returnable after the deal is done ha ha beware international global services another dodgy timeshare resale company .
Brenda Perth 27/10/09 Says:

Tue, Oct 27th 2009, 21:24
Received phone call from IGS offering to sell my timeshare. Within a few days buyer was found offering to pay well over my asking price, but I had to pay 1300 Euros surity before the transaction could be completed. Would be refunded on receipt of deeds. Told them to take cost from the payment for timeshare but " according to Spanish Law this was not possible". You can probably guess I told her NO Way. I'm a tightfisted scot, after all!
Lawbird Lawyer Says:

Wed, Oct 28th 2009, 09:22
Dear Madam, We wrote an article almost a decade ago on this scam: Timeshare resellers: Be careful - 23rd August 2001 It's impressive how this scam just goes on and on from one decade onto the next. Yours faithfully, Raymundo Larraķn Nesbitt
idiot Says:

Mon, Nov 9th 2009, 21:08
i too have been caught out and paid money to sell the timeshare and nothing has come about yet!! i now have contact with molina valero for tax that should have been paid in first year should i pay this or not? do advise me as it all seems genuine or is it i cant afford to loose £3500
Lawbird Lawyer Says:

Tue, Nov 10th 2009, 09:18
Dear Sir or Madam, Molina Valero is a scam, yes. You have a thread on them here: http://www.marbella-lawyers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=810
Unregistered Says:

Tue, Nov 10th 2009, 10:48
new resale scam office openning on the costa it has 80 lines and will have two shifts the company name is COMPANY LAW it has been set up Del and Tracey Rainbow how many more times are they going to get a way with it
cbs enquirer Says:

Thu, Dec 3rd 2009, 00:10
I have just had a very tempting offer of a very good price for my timeshare from International Global Services. Usual story of a buyer already interested. But this time they insist that there is no up front payment at all. I will receive the full payment before sending off the deeds by courier. Sounds too good to be true. Any advice or similar experience?
Unregistered Says:

Thu, Dec 3rd 2009, 16:54
Take it with a pinch of salt. ..There will be a catch somewere. Ask yourself were do they get these so called buyers from ?
Naive Mike Says:

Mon, Jan 4th 2010, 23:17
Hello, I got scammed by Property Transfers S.L. around 10 years ago and lost ca. £600. My anger still burns and I would love to get even with Mr. Richard White or whoever they are. Regards Mike
GKB Says:

Mon, Jan 11th 2010, 21:38
Beware, another company called Odyssey Group Consultants based in Majorca is claiming quick sales at V. High resale values, contact name of Jessica Hill, suggested that they found a buyer prepared to pay serious money (circa £20K), but needed £1250 up front which would be refunded following transfer of ownership documents. Very persistant, even said that the buyer was still on holiday and would come into the office, Mr Ward however was not very convincing. Treat as if the plague!
Peter Guntrip Says:

Tue, Jan 19th 2010, 21:02
oes anyone have information on the Odyssey Group who resale timeshare. if so I would appreciate hearing about them good or bad?
Gordon Caddy Says:

Wed, Jan 20th 2010, 00:31
I have been contacted by Daniel Thompson of Odyssey Consultants today offering to buy my timeshare.He is supposed to contact me on Friday with an offer.I know he will require a refundable deposit.
mary daisy Says:

Wed, Jan 20th 2010, 18:02
i, also had an offer from Odyssey consultants. presume it is a scam?
Raymond Scott Says:

Wed, Jan 20th 2010, 19:38
Odyssey contacted me this evening. Offered me an extremely high value for my Diamond Points and wanted a decision immediately and £1250 instantly. Said they had clients sat waiting. I said I was not prepared to make an instant decision. They then backtracked and said their client could come back into the office same time tomorrow before their flight home. Do not trust them. Facts are the same - based in spain, want money upfront, not offering me any proof they are genuine, resorting back to the old trick of protected by the consumer credit act. Do not trust. Will not be giving my details to them.
Carlos Says:

Thu, Jan 21st 2010, 12:56
We got a phone call from a company named "Viajeria y Turismo", allegedly being based in Marbella, Spain. They speak German, and their "representative" appears to be from Austria. They wanted us to sell our timeshare for an absolutely astronomic prize. However, they wanted a deposit of Euro 2300 to be paid if a potential buyer would be found at the time when the buyer has transferred the selling prize on a account in Marbella. The argued that this deposit would only cover any costs arising if the seller or buyer would withdraw during the selling process. After all, they sent us a first draft of a selling contract, already with a buyer who appeared to have signed the selling contract, together with a photocopy of a receipt of a bank in Marbella, suggesting that the selling prize would already have been payed by the client. At this point, they got nasty and wanted the deposit to be paid immediately. However, we then found out that the "client" (a person living in Aberdeen, Scotland) did not exist under the address depicted on the contract. Also, we could not find a company named "Viajeria y Turismo" on the internet. I decided to called this timeshare reseling company, and the representative was rather annoyed when I confronted her with what I had found out. They said everything would be ok, and, as a "proof", referred me to to their website shown on the contract. However, when contacting that company via the "contact" link on the site, it turned out that the website belonged to another company (a online Travel Agency (www.viajeria.com)) that does no timeshare reselling, nor does this company have anything to do with Marbella). This "reselling company" simply abused the website of a correctly operating travel agency to confuse possible victims.
Yvonne Fredriksson Says:

Fri, Jan 22nd 2010, 14:55
Tack.! Vi har också blivit kontaktade av Mi Viaje (www.viajeria.com). De hade en "köpare" som vill köpa våra semesterveckor i Travel Safe Holidays, för 22.500 euro, dock ville de ha en deposition på 3.708 euro!! Vi va nära att "gå på" detta, men då jag nu har läst på er sida om den stora bluffen så hoppar vi av Vänliga hälsningar från Yvonne
Unregistered Says:

Fri, Jan 22nd 2010, 22:57
My mother, who is 83, and in poor health has also been contacted by Odyssey Consultants. She does want to dispose of one of her weeks as she is no longer well enough to travel. She said to them "if you have a buyer for my apartment what number is it"?, and of course they didn't know. They wanted her to put about £1200 up front fortunately she's no fool and realised it was a con. I was conned by a company called club class holidays over 10 years ago, with a resale scam to the tune of £4,500. I did exactly as requested sending my certificate off on the due date. They even wrote and told me I was entitled to the money but I never received a penny. I then got conned by a company who promissed to get my money back. Key Properties Town advisory, They conned me out of £1200.They didn't get me a penny and kept asking for more for solicitors fee's, I didn't inherit my mother's brains. I let it happen to me twice.
John Pearce Says:

Fri, Jan 29th 2010, 16:40
Just had a call from amey potts of odyssey consultants majorca saying they have sold my 2 weeks timeshare for £7600-00 but yes you have guessed it they want debit or credit card details to hold and take £760-00 from the account immediately to secure the deal which will be refunded on completion. How gullable are these people that believe that people pass this information on after just receiving a telephone out of the blue. Someone outhere will get caught big time be aware.
Unregistered Says:

Tue, Feb 9th 2010, 19:59
Beware, another company called Odyssey Group Consultants based in Majorca is claiming quick sales at V. High resale values, contact name of Jessica Hill, suggested that they found a buyer prepared to pay serious money (circa £20K), but needed £1250 up front which would be refunded following transfer of ownership documents. Very persistant, even said that the buyer was still on holiday and would come into the office, Mr Ward however was not very convincing. Treat as if the plague I have just been contacted by Patrick (with an Irish accent) from Odyssey Consultants wanting to sell my timeshare. I told him that someone was at the door and if he gave me his telephone number then I would phone back. This number is 0808 1293889. I then told him that I was registered with the TPS and had no intention of selling my timeshare - I then hung up. Lo and behold two minutes later he was on the phone again saying that he hadn't given me a reference number and that the telephone number that he had supplied was wrong. He said "who's the fool now?". I hung up again. The given telephone has an automated (in English) response saying 'not available'. My barge pole protects me!
Rowing Says:

Tue, Feb 9th 2010, 21:21
It's IGS again now in Majorca, who say they have a customer for our t/share and what figure would we accept. They come back an hour later with an offer nearly twice our figure, customer with them, finance waiting, but please lodge refundable£1250 deposit against us not completing contract. Persistantly rang but told them no way, I wasn't born yesterday.
Unregistered Says:

Tue, Feb 9th 2010, 22:43
I sold my timeshare through Odyssey and found them great! Yes, I had to provide a provision but as soon as I'd sent them my deeds (after receiving the money for the t/s I might add!) it was put back on my card! I've already recommended them to friends of mine who are also looking to sell! Good business all around! Mrs E Harris Doncaster
ifv Says:

Tue, Feb 9th 2010, 22:53
Yeah, sure. "Mrs E Harris", have you not thought of getting yourself a legal job? What are you going to tell your grandchildren when you grow old, that you made a living out of ripping elderly people off out of their life savings? If there's a Hell below, it is surely meant for people like you.
Unregistered Says:

Tue, Feb 16th 2010, 02:09
Mrs Harris, how long have you worked for Odyssey or should it be International Global Services!!!!!!!!
Unregistered Says:

Tue, Feb 16th 2010, 02:35
I have just been contacted by Patrick (with an Irish accent) from Odyssey Consultants wanting to sell my timeshare. I told him that someone was at the door and if he gave me his telephone number then I would phone back. This number is 0808 1293889. I then told him that I was registered with the TPS and had no intention of selling my timeshare - I then hung up. Lo and behold two minutes later he was on the phone again saying that he hadn't given me a reference number and that the telephone number that he had supplied was wrong. He said "who's the fool now?". I hung up again. The given telephone has an automated (in English) response saying 'not available'. My barge pole protects me The number you want is 08081293879 and it is also the number given out for Avant. According to posts on other warning sites on some calls they are in Mallorca and others they give an address in Andorra bur miraculously with the same phone number. Also the same names seem to appear with International Global Services. DON'T TOUCH THEM WITH A BARGE POLE.
Unregistered Says:

Wed, Mar 3rd 2010, 21:13
The number you want is 08081293879 and it is also the number given out for Avant. According to posts on other warning sites on some calls they are in Mallorca and others they give an address in Andorra bur miraculously with the same phone number. Also the same names seem to appear with International Global Services. DON'T TOUCH THEM WITH A BARGE POLE. I was contacted by Patrick and then Julie and then Amey, they said they had a buyer for my timeshare and needed 1200 up front as a retainer. I consulted my credit card company and they told me it was okay retainers are asked for all the time. They now have my money, they sent me a contract and authorisation invoice I signed contract but did not sign authorisation invoice for 1200. They ring me regularly requesting written authorisation for credit card payment as they claim they have a buyer and cannot proceed until they receive it. The retail dispute dept of my credit card company told me whether I sign it or not they have my money and the contract is for 9 months so they cannot challenge them until after 9 months. What I don't understand is, they have my money so I don't know why they keep ringing to sign authorisation form. The contract is not worth an awful lot of money about the same as we paid for the timeshare 18years ago. If it is a scam why have they not just taken my money and run???
Lawbird Lawyer Says:

Thu, Mar 4th 2010, 09:46
I was contacted by Patrick and then Julie and then Amey, they said they had a buyer for my timeshare and needed 1200 up front as a retainer. I consulted my credit card company and they told me it was okay retainers are asked for all the time. They now have my money, they sent me a contract and authorisation invoice I signed contract but did not sign authorisation invoice for 1200. They ring me regularly requesting written authorisation for credit card payment as they claim they have a buyer and cannot proceed until they receive it. The retail dispute dept of my credit card company told me whether I sign it or not they have my money and the contract is for 9 months so they cannot challenge them until after 9 months. What I don't understand is, they have my money so I don't know why they keep ringing to sign authorisation form. The contract is not worth an awful lot of money about the same as we paid for the timeshare 18years ago. If it is a scam why have they not just taken my money and run??? You can be sure it's a scam. Legitimate timeshare resale companies DO NOT ask for retainer fees. They are paid off from the sales' proceeds. As a general rule anyone cold-calling you out-of-the-blue with a potential "buyer" for your timeshare is a scam if any or all the following apply: 1. They request money for "admin" fees 2. They request a "retainer" fee 3. They request money to "secure" the deal 4. They request money to "translate" the documents etc. Remember, these con artists are top salesman, they are smooth talkers and will woo you out of you money very convincingly; after all they make a living out of it. Excerpt from the Timeshare Organisation (TCA): http://www.timeshare.org.uk/rescon.html Timeshare Resale Scam Most scams start with the BIG LIE In the Resale Scam the BIG LIE is "Your timeshare is worth X thousand pounds" when in reality it is probably worth only a fraction of that. Most timeshare weeks/points are worthless in the open market and ALL Holiday Club memberships are totally worthless, This scam has already netted the crooks over £500M - don't be another of their victims . The TCA have an (unpublished) "blacklist" of over 1,690 of these crooks - you have been warned ! 1. It usually starts with a "cold call" by someone claiming to be able to sell your week - or even claiming to have already sold your week. The amount you will receive, they say, is usually a hundred times more than the true market value of your week (although you may not know this! - talk to any of our recommended resale brokers to find out the true market price ) 2. OR it may be an advertisement in a newspaper or magazine inviting timeshare owners to register their weeks for sale. 3. OR it they may be offering you a chance to buy RCI points cheaply. 4. OR they may invite you to their offices "to complete" the sale of your timeshare 5. They may claim to be resellers or real estate agents. They may claim that they are registered in the UK. In truth, they are fraudsters. 6. OR they may claim to be setting up a compensation claim in the courts, inviting you to join, for a fee. 7. To give themselves credibility they may say that they are a registered company and invite you to check with the Spanish Companies House. Or they may invite you to talk to their lawyers. Or they claim membership of a "trade" organisation - which is no guide to safe dealing with a resale broker. The telephone numbers they give you to check will be mobile numbers, answered by one of their colleagues in the sales office! 8. They may also send, by fax or post, a “contract” which appears to have the name and a signature of a “buyer”. This contract is a fabrication . But even good solicitors have been taken in by them. 9. Then they will say that they need you to pay them money – amounts ranging from £300 to £3,000. The reasons for this payment are all totally fictitious – advance legal fees; a Spanish legal requirement; a “security bond”; registration of the deeds etc. etc. None are true. OR, they may invite you to visit them, in the UK, Tenerife or Spain, to collect the money from the buyer. You go to their offices expecting to return with ££££££ in your pocket – but actually return ££££££ the poorer, perhaps with membership of some bogus holiday club and a piece of paper promising enormous sums to be paid to you in 3 or 5 years time. A "Cash Back" promise that is certainly worthless. OR, they may tell you that they are lawyers and that, as a victim of an earlier fraud, you will get back the money you paid (and even some of the money that the fraudsters had promised from the sale of your timeshare). All you have to do is pay £££££. The caller may well be the same person who defrauded you the first time. OR, they may claim to be a bank holding the purchasers money on your behalf. All you have to do is send the "bank" some money. Again, the caller is probably from the same gang as previously. OR, they may claim that you need to "upgrade" your ownership to achieve a sale. Pay £1,000 to the fraudsters for the upgrade and - nothing! (an Asian version of the the scam) OR they may persuade you to "trade in" your timeshare for membership of a holiday club. Not only are holiday clubs bad news but you find that your timeshare is NOT transferred out of your name leaving you with the annual fees to pay on two membership. This is the well known "buy/sell" scam. They may pretend to be calling from the UK or the US - even giving a relevant telephone number - but are mostly calling from Spain or the Canaries using a call transfer or an international mobile number. But some ARE calling from the UK and they are just as dangerous as those calling from Spain etc. These companies are acting fraudulently. They are VERY convincing and VERY persistent, TCA advice: NEVER send any money to any company on the promise of selling your timeshare - whatever reason they might give you for paying. and certainly do not give them your credit/debit card number. NEVER send an ownership certificate, or even a copy of one. Check the true market value by talking to any of our recommended resellers - then you will know if the price quoted by the fraudster is reasonable or not. If you have already given your credit card number: Do NOT sign any written agreement that you are sent. Write to the reseller (Recorded Delivery) confirming that you contracted on a date (of the ‘phone call) for them to sell your week at a given price in a given time period (both as per ‘phone call) and that you paid by credit card and you now look forward to receiving the payment of the proceeds of sale within the time period. Totally ignore any further correspondence or ‘phone calls from the fraudster. When the time period has expired write to the reseller demanding payment of the promised amount in not more than 10 days from the date of your letter. If they fail to pay, make a claim on your credit card company under S75 of the Consumer Credit Act on the basis that you have been defrauded out of £xxx (some resellers conveniently forget to tell you that there was VAT on top of the payment!) OR issue a claim in the County Court - if the fraudster is based in England or Wales - for all your money back on the grounds of breach of contract. See Details of how to make a claim. If you paid by means other than a credit card Then you have no chance of recovering any money. Finally Please report the matter to the Office of Fair Trading Details are here. Yours sincerely,
Unregistered Says:

Thu, Mar 4th 2010, 20:21
You can be sure it's a scam. Legitimate timeshare resale companies DO NOT ask for retainer fees. They are paid off from the sales' proceeds. As a general rule anyone cold-calling you out-of-the-blue with a potential "buyer" for your timeshare is a scam if any or all the following apply: 1. They request money for "admin" fees 2. They request a "retainer" fee 3. They request money to "secure" the deal 4. They request money to "translate" the documents etc. Remember, these con artists are top salesman, they are smooth talkers and will woo you out of you money very convincingly; after all they make a living out of it. Excerpt from the Timeshare Organisation (TCA): http://www.timeshare.org.uk/rescon.html Yours sincerely, Amey just rang to say she will go ahead and process sale of time share will let you know if it is a scam she said it will take approx 5 days to contact buyer and recieve the rest of the deposit.

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