On November 17, 2008, the BBC Watchdog broadcast an episode that established a strong link between the resale scammers and the bogus Holiday Pack companies. This program featured a couple who had been persuaded by an agent to pay nearly £1,000 in upfront fees to sell their Timeshare.

The scammer told the couple a few weeks later that the prospective buyer was in fact a corporate client. He added that they would have to fly to Spain for a meeting to seal the deal. The couple already paid a substantial sum but they also had to buy some plane tickets and then make their way to Spain to meet the buyer.

Upon arrival, they were met by a person who is not interested in buying their timeshare. The deal that enticed the couple who were very keen to sell their timeshare ended up being into a disaster and the only winners were the resale scam company and the con people who work for them.

The Office of Fair Trading sought evidences of timeshare resale scams to help the Spanish authorities in their enforcement actions. They published a set of guidelines to help protect consumers from these shady fraudsters. They warned timeshare owners to exercise caution if they will be approached by a company claiming to be able to sell their timeshare. Especially if these companies request an upfront fee such as an administration fee, VAT, land registry charge or insurance cover and offer them unrealistic purchase price, saying that they have a confirmed buyer waiting and who are asking you to go abroad to complete a sale.

The news may have happened a long time ago but it is a recurring story. It affects timeshare resellers and makes it all the more difficult to get rid of timeshare. However, do not lose hope. There are genuine companies out there who can help you sell your timeshare. Just don’t forget to check out first the company making the offer.