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Martin & Perez:  One of many fake law firms targeting previous victims
Martin & Perez: One of many fake law firms targeting previous victims

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Timeshare fraud victims callously re-targeted by new criminal organisations

Consumer organisations appalled as fake law firms actively target previous fraud victims by illegally buying data from other criminals

Fraudsters

Many timeshare owners are desperate to escape the expense of their membership, with its restrictions and ever increasing annual fees.

Unfortunately there no end of fraudsters ready to charge them money for this service, only to disappear after payment. The hapless timeshare owners are then left even worse off than before.

"People are desperate," says Steven Warner a timeshare claims expert at European Consumer Claims (ECC). "The timeshare industry just hasn't kept pace with the rest of the travel sector and members find themselves having paid a lot of money for a restrictive model of holidaying, coupled with annual fees that are at least the same as regular holidays. Timeshare owners will try anything to escape this situation. Not knowing where to turn, members often put their faith in strangers who promise help, and sadly lose even more money by doing so."

Sickening

The Timeshare Consumer Association (TCA) recently reported on a sickening new variation of this fraud. They received a call from a Cambridge lady called Mandy, concerned about her elderly neighbour, Philip, who had paid money to a firm identifying as Martin & Perez (M&P).

M&P had told Philip that he was being contacted because he was a victim of another organisation called Key Properties Town Advisory (KPTA), and that a judge in a recent court case against KTPA had awarded Philip a settlement of €28k.

Predictably, Philip had to pay £2600 in fees to M&P who insisted that the payment was made by bank transfer (meaning that he eschewed the protection of a credit card payment). Vulnerable, 82 year old Philip lost this money because fraudsters identified him as an easy target, having fallen for a different scam years before.

Investigation

It only took the TCA only took a brief investigation to find that Martin & Perez are fraudsters. M&P are not registered a company in Spain or the UK. The court case had never happened. The Martin & Perez website is a clone of known crooks Maxwell & Morales, and a call from the TCA staff member to the M&P company phone number resulted in panicked scurrying at the other end of the line. TCA called back only to be cut off again.

David Hargreaves, the alleged name of the solicitor who spoke with Philip has no online presence at all, except as a lawyer working for the State Solicitor's office in Perth, Western Australia. The TCA confirmed that this is not the same man.

Martin & Perez are fraudsters. One criminal organisation among hundreds.

Advice

"Unfortunately there will always be vultures ready to take advantage of people's misfortune," comments Andrew Cooper, the CEO of

European Consumer Claims. "These organisations have no morals or empathy and will steal from anyone they can. It is essential that timeshare owners get advice from a dependable source before giving money to anyone offering to help. Either from a well established timeshare claims firm, or one of the independent consumer associations who help owners with timeshare related problems.

"There is also a new 'Timeshare Trust' website where suspect law firms can be checked before committing to any financial transactions."



ECC provides timeshare claims services, expert advice and help.

E: info@ecc-eu.com

E (for media enquiries): mark.jobling@ecc-eu.com

T: 0800 6101 512 / 0203 6704 616

Monday to Friday: 9am-8pm. Saturday/Sunday closed

Follow European Consumer Claims on Facebook here

Follow European Consumer Claims on Twitter here

Follow European Consumer Claims on LinkedIn here

Follow Andrew Cooper (CEO of European Consumer Claims) on Twitter here

European Consumer Claims (ECC)


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Mark Jobling

Press contact Communications Director Communication +442039962044 European Consumer Claims

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Timeshare Advice Centre is entirely independent of the Timeshare "industry bodies" and the Timeshare resorts/groups that fund them, so we offer genuine, unbiased advice.

Timeshare Advice Centre has its UK Office in Henley-on-Thames, supported by a network of regional offices throughout the UK.

We are a genuinely independent organisation with no connection to the Timeshare "Industry bodies", Resorts, Management Groups, "Resellers" or Exchange networks which benefit (directly or indirectly) from the Timeshare fees that you pay - so the advice and help we offer is genuinely unbiased.

The team at Timeshare Advice Centre have a wealth of experience in all types of timeshare, points and "fractional" schemes and has the legal means of releasing you from unwanted contracts and/or claiming compensation for mis-selling.

Timeshare Advice Centre (TAC)
The Old Boathouse, 26 Thameside,
Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 2LJ,
UK