The Way Covert Filming Uncovered a Multi-Million Pound Timeshare Fraud

Prosecutors have labeled it as among the biggest scams of its kind in the United Kingdom.

Altogether 14 individuals have been convicted for their role in a £28 million conspiracy to swindle over 3,500 holiday ownership holders.

The victims were desperate to terminate long-standing vacation property deals and went looking for support.

A large number were aged between 60 and 80. More than 500 of them lost in excess of £10,000, and one handed over over £80,000.

Those victimized were faced aggressive sales meetings lasting up to six hours. They were out of money, possessing worthless fake "credits" and continued to be trapped in costly holiday ownership agreements they frequently were unable to use.

The Company Central to the Deception

The business at the centre of the scam was Sell My Timeshare (SMT). They took customers' funds to fund the directors' luxurious way of life of prestigious schooling, luxury homes and personal aircraft.

The man at the top of the company, Mark Rowe, was sentenced to a 90-month prison term in January for deceptive scheme.

Recently, his spouse Nicola was among the last group to receive sentencing.

She was given a 24-month suspended jail sentence at the judicial venue after admitting illegal fund handling.

This has been a long time coming and represents a huge win for the individuals who testified, the police and the Crown.

The Way the Probe Started

I first heard about SMT emerged during the summer of 2016. I was working in the investigations unit of a news organization, making current affairs features.

A friend pointed out that his mother had inherited the ownership of a holiday property in the Spanish coast and, after long-term use, had started seeking to exit the agreement.

It should be noted how widespread holiday ownership had become with British holidaymakers in the eighties and nineties.

Timeshares enabled individuals to access the equivalent unit annually, or trade their time slots with additional holders who had properties in alternative destinations. About 600,000 holiday enthusiasts took up that option.

The first timeshare rush was accompanied by a many stories about rip-off merchants mis-selling properties. They appeared frequently on investigative broadcasts.

The common holiday ownership agreement locked buyers for many years.

At that time, those investors who had enjoyed their assigned property in the resort for a long time were getting older, and many were hoping to wave goodbye to their timeshares.

Several had reduced ability to travel and found it difficult to access their properties. A few just thought they'd got all they wanted from them. And some had died, in numerous instances passing on their family members to take over the deals - including their regular contributions and maintenance fees.

The Undercover Operation Develops

It was at this point the family member had found herself. She searched the web for answers and discovered the organization, a firm whose digital platform claimed to release her from her contract.

However, having submitted funds and scheduled a consultation with them, her family smelled a rat.

Further research showed hundreds of people saying they had handed over cash and achieved no result from the service. Actually, they had lost money. A lot of it.

Our team commenced probing what was going on. It quickly became clear that there were some shady characters active in the vacation property industry.

An attorney had numerous client reports aiming to litigate against SMT.

Reporters contacted individuals who had used the firm and they each reported similar experiences. They assumed the business would purchase their timeshare away from them but when they participated in a session (for which they paid up front) they were advised there was no market for their property.

In place of that, they were pushed - actually compelled - to spend more money investing in "the firm's incentive scheme", linked to the business's umbrella group, the overarching entity.

The precise definition was rather ambiguous. They appeared to be a kind of currency, giving access to discount travel and amenities and consumer discounts.

And they were apparently "exchangeable with additional holders, some time down the line.

Committing funds immediately would result in an eventual payoff that would cover SMT's fees and result in the timeshare holder in profit, released finally from their troublesome contract.

An unrealistic promise? Certainly, that proved correct.

A 'Misleading Scam'

Based on these descriptions were correct, this was a major deception.

The technique is termed a "misleading sales."

An operator - in this case SMT - "lures the customer by advertising a particular product only to then say that's not available, pushing the client to another, inferior product or service.

This is against the law. Possessing all the testimony we had gathered, we argued to discreetly video one of the organization's sessions.

This takes time, effort, and strong justifications for why this is the only way to gather the data necessary to prove wrongdoing.

Armed with that permission, our small team arranged a appointment with one of the firm's agents in the location.

Acting as a member of the public hoping to get his mum released from her timeshare contract|holiday ownership agreement