{"id":29900,"date":"2025-10-19T06:09:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T10:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=29900"},"modified":"2025-10-19T06:09:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T10:09:23","slug":"secret-filming-exposed-a-28m-timeshare-fraud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2025\/10\/19\/secret-filming-exposed-a-28m-timeshare-fraud\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret filming exposed a \u00a328m timeshare fraud"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p><strong><span class=\"ssrcss-vd0pba-TextContributorName epw3ir01\">By: Craig Williams &#8211; <\/span><span class=\"ssrcss-c4qnun-Text ee66fvo4\">BBC Scotland<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">It has been described by prosecutors as one of the largest frauds of its kind in the UK.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A total of 14 people have been convicted for their part in a \u00a328m conspiracy to defraud more than 3,500 timeshare owners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The victims were desperate to get out of decades-old timeshare contracts and went looking for help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Most were aged between 60 and 80. More than 500 of them lost over \u00a310,000, and one handed over more than \u00a380,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Those targeted were subjected to high-pressure sales meetings lasting up to six hours. They were left out of pocket, owning useless fake &#8220;credits&#8221; and still locked into expensive timeshare contracts they often could no longer use.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1n2i08q-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo2\">\n<ul class=\"ssrcss-10i4vve-LinksGrid e3eyuya1\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-ou7fgx-PromoItem e3eyuya0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1t3sjik-Promo e1vyq2e80\" data-testid=\"promo\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oxzfb3-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-85qg85-PromoContent exn3ah912\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-espw6b-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah99\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cvgvxg47gl6o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Ruthless timeshare fraud robbed elderly of savings<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-ou7fgx-PromoItem e3eyuya0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1t3sjik-Promo e1vyq2e80\" data-testid=\"promo\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oxzfb3-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-85qg85-PromoContent exn3ah912\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-espw6b-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah99\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-scotland-37690840\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Secret filming reveals timeshare woes<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The company at the centre of the fraud was Sell My Timeshare (SMT). They took people&#8217;s money to fund the owners&#8217; lavish lifestyle of private schools, millionaire mansions and private jets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The man at the top of the company, Mark Rowe, was given a seven-and-half year sentence in January for conspiracy to defraud.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">On Friday, his wife Nicola was one of the final three to hear their sentences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">She received a two-year suspended jail sentence at Southwark Crown Court after pleading guilty to money laundering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">This has been a long time coming and represents a huge win for the people who spoke out, the police and prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Nine years ago, I made a programme for the\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/p04cq60h\">BBC Scotland Investigates<\/a>\u00a0strand which exposed through secret filming the way SMT fleeced its victims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Almost a decade on, the end of the criminal process brings some closure to those who were ripped off. But it&#8217;s worth knowing how the fraudsters were able to get away with it for so long.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_29901\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29901\" style=\"width: 542px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tenerife-Adeje-beach.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-29901\" src=\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tenerife-Adeje-beach.jpg\" alt=\"Tenerife beach\" width=\"542\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tenerife-Adeje-beach.jpg 542w, https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tenerife-Adeje-beach-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-29901\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sell My Timeshare (SMT) was based in Tenerife, with other offices throughout England<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">I first heard about SMT in the summer of 2016. I was working in the investigations unit of BBC Scotland News, making current affairs and investigative documentaries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A friend mentioned that his mum had inherited the use of a timeshare apartment in Spain and, after years of holidays there, had begun looking to get out of the contract.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It&#8217;s worth mentioning here how popular timeshares had become with British holidaymakers in the 1980s and 1990s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Timeshares allowed people to access the same accommodation every year, or swap their weeks with other owners who had properties in other resorts. About 600,000 sun-lovers took up that opportunity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The first timeshare rush was accompanied by a lot of stories about rip-off merchants mis-selling properties. They became a staple of consumer and investigative TV programmes such as Watchdog and The Cook Report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The typical timeshare contract tied investors in for decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">By 2016, those owners who had enjoyed their guaranteed place in the sun for 20 or 30 years were ageing, and many were looking to wave goodbye to their timeshares.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Some had declining mobility and couldn&#8217;t get to their properties. Some just felt they&#8217;d got all they wanted from them. And some had died, in many cases leaving their loved ones to inherit the contracts &#8211; including their annual payments and maintenance fees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10wcwg8-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-12gl1u2-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-5qhnvt-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg.webp 800w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/970\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/3fdb\/live\/aaf78de0-ab4c-11f0-86b3-2dd47a6542fa.jpg 800w\" alt=\"A smiling man with short brown hair in a bright yellow room. He is wearing a pink and navy striped polo shirt.\" width=\"970\" height=\"970\" \/><\/picture><\/span>Mark Rowe led the company and the fraud (Image:\u00a0 SWROCU)<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">And that&#8217;s where my friend&#8217;s mum had found herself. She searched the web for answers and found SMT, a company whose website promised to get her out of her contract.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But, having paid a fee and booked a meeting with them, her family smelled a rat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Further research revealed hundreds of people saying they had paid money and got nothing out of it. In fact, they had lost money. A lot of it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Our team began investigating what was going on. It quickly became clear that there were some shady characters operating in the timeshare resale sector.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">One lawyer had hundreds of individual complaints waiting to sue SMT.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">We spoke to people who had used the firm and they all told the same story. They thought the company would buy their property off them but when they went to a consultation (for which they paid up front) they were told there was no re-sale value.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Instead, they were encouraged &#8211; in fact pressured &#8211; to spend more money investing in &#8220;Monster Rewards&#8221;, named after the outfit&#8217;s parent company, Monster Travel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">What exactly these were was not exactly clear. They sounded like a kind of currency, giving access to discount travel and services and shopping deals<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">And they were apparently &#8220;tradable&#8221; with other owners, some time down the line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Investing money up front now would result in an eventual payoff that would cover SMT&#8217;s fees and leave the property owner in profit, freed at last from their pesky contract.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Too good to be true? Well, yes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o1fzgd-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\" data-component=\"subheadline-block\">\n<h2 id=\"A-baitandswitch-scam\" class=\"ssrcss-pbttu9-Heading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span role=\"text\">A &#8216;bait-and-switch&#8217; scam<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">If these accounts were true, this was a massive scam.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It&#8217;s what is called a &#8220;bait-and-switch&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Someone &#8211; in this case SMT &#8211; &#8220;baits&#8221; the customer by advertising a particular product or service only to then say that&#8217;s not available, pushing the client towards another, inferior, product or service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">That&#8217;s illegal. Armed with all the testimony we had collected, we made the case to secretly film one of the company&#8217;s meetings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">This takes time, effort, and clear arguments for why this is the only way to gather the information needed to prove wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Armed with that permission, our small team set up a meeting with one of the company&#8217;s representatives in Stratford-Upon-Avon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Posing as a member of the public hoping to get his mum out of her timeshare contract, our presenter, the personal finance journalist Fergus Muirhead, filmed the entire three-hour encounter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">And everything went exactly as we&#8217;d been told.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">For a start, Fergus was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, designed to stop him revealing anything that was discussed in the meeting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Any idea the company would be able to sell the (fictional) property was soon dismissed. The only way out of it would be through Monster Rewards &#8211; and to get them, he would have to cough up \u00a36,740 on the spot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In the great traditions of British journalism, we made our excuses and left.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10wcwg8-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-12gl1u2-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-sft8a2-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/1920\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/5a35\/live\/8ccafb80-aa94-11f0-ba75-093eca1ac29b.jpg 976w\" alt=\"A book of Monster Reward vouchers stating 'Food and Drink worth \u00a316,000'\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" \/><\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Victims were persuaded to buy so-called Monster Rewards which were &#8220;worthless&#8221;<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">We broadcast the programme on 24 October 2016.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In the run up to transmission we gave SMT a right of reply to our allegations about their illegal business practices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">They denied any wrongdoing and questioned both the transparency and probity of our sources. They said our allegations were defamatory and they reserved the right to pursue legal action against the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">What they didn&#8217;t know, until the moment\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-scotland-37690840\">we published the online news piece<\/a>\u00a0ahead of transmission, was that we had everything on tape.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">We never heard from them again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Within days of broadcast, we were contacted by police who were already investigating SMT. They were looking to get hold of our footage of the recorded meeting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">As journalists, we have to be careful about handing over to the police material which we have collected for our reporting. We must remain independent, and the BBC will not normally hand over unused material in such circumstances without a court order.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">So we waited until they were granted a court order for the material, which we then complied with. And that was the last we heard of the matter for the next three-and-half years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1n2i08q-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo2\">\n<ul class=\"ssrcss-10i4vve-LinksGrid e3eyuya1\">\n<li class=\"ssrcss-ou7fgx-PromoItem e3eyuya0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1t3sjik-Promo e1vyq2e80\" data-testid=\"promo\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oxzfb3-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-85qg85-PromoContent exn3ah912\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-espw6b-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah99\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/business-42909256\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">The unwanted holiday homes owners can&#8217;t give away<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ssrcss-ou7fgx-PromoItem e3eyuya0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1t3sjik-Promo e1vyq2e80\" data-testid=\"promo\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oxzfb3-PromoCompact e18gnqux0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-85qg85-PromoContent exn3ah912\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-espw6b-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1sen9vx-PromoHeadline exn3ah99\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/programmes\/p04cq60h\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span aria-hidden=\"false\">Fergus Muirhead explains why timeshares became so attractive to British holidaymakers<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">As the nation headed towards the first Covid lockdown in February 2020, we were informed that 19 people connected to the firm had been arrested.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Fergus and I were asked to give witness statements. We spent the next five-and-a-half years never knowing whether we would be called, or knowing what was going on.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It was only with the end of the judicial process this week that we learned there had been four trials over two years at Southwark Crown Court in London. Reporting restrictions were in place until the final guilty pleas were lodged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In total, there were 14 convictions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Among those was 60-year-old Josephine Cuthill-Fox, the woman we filmed in 2016. She received 24 months&#8217; imprisonment, suspended for two years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will now, under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA), turn to pursuing the money and assets gained by the defendants through their crimes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">This story isn&#8217;t over yet.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c33pelk6pmlo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-suhx0k-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5p6v2-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">By: Craig Williams &#8211; BBC Scotland It has been described by prosecutors as one of the largest frauds of its kind in the UK. A total of 14 people have been convicted for their part <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2025\/10\/19\/secret-filming-exposed-a-28m-timeshare-fraud\/\" title=\"Secret filming exposed a \u00a328m timeshare fraud\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[11719,676,1746,305,11720,11718,5552,1077,11717,4821,933,6146,1156,11716],"class_list":{"0":"post-29900","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-uk","9":"tag-bait-and-switch","10":"tag-conspiracy-to-defraud","11":"tag-crown-prosecution-service","12":"tag-fraud","13":"tag-monster-rewards","14":"tag-monster-travel","15":"tag-proceeds-of-crime-act","16":"tag-scotland","17":"tag-sell-my-timeshare","18":"tag-southwark-crown-court","19":"tag-spain","20":"tag-stratford-upon-avon","21":"tag-tenerife","22":"tag-timeshare","23":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29900","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29900"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29903,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29900\/revisions\/29903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29902"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}