The OFT Scambuster Holiday Club Scratchcards

The OFT is taking part in a Europe-wide day of action to warn holidaymakers about Spanish bogus holiday clubs that cost tourists millions of pounds every year.

The OFT Scambusters Team are handing out information and fake holiday club scratchcards at airports including Belfast International, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Gatwick, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle and Stansted in an effort to warn holiday makers about bogus Spanish holiday clubs.

Cunningly designed to look just like those handed out by the timeshare touts that leap on the unsuspecting on the fringes of the Sunday Market the OFT scratchcards carry the teasing question, ‘Have you won a luxury holiday?’

The European Consumer Centre in Spain are supporting this initiative with representatives at the arrivals area of Tenerife South Airport and advertisements have been placed in the baggage hall of the airport as well as in the Thomas Cook and FlyBe in- flight magazines, which will be seen by thousands of holidaymakers.

The timing of this scheme is spot on as November is apparently peak hunting season for the holiday club predators. One can just imagine them rubbing their hands together as the incoming flights fly overhead and they think, ‘Hey up, another load of lambs to the slaughter!’

In these days of international press and internet access to consumer websites it is surprising that so many people still fall for these hoary old schemes. But fall they do and the average amount of money they lose per victim is over three thousands pounds. €3,500! Worse, once they’ve got in that deep, they are likely added to a suckers list and they’re contact details sold on to other scam artists.

The OFT Scambusters Team would like every holidaymaker to consider:

Holidaymakers who are approached by a scratchcard tout or who attend a presentation should consider:

• Do you have the time to sit through a lengthy sales pitch?
• Will the promises made by the salesman be in the contract and can you rely on them?
• Can you take away the contract to consider at your leisure or cancel later?
• Do you know exactly what you are getting for your money?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’, then the OFT advises to simply walk away.

To that list of mild posers I’d like to add one.

• Can you afford to lose over GBP3,000 of your hard earned cash should your new friend turn out to be a scratchcard vampire instead of the chirpy lad from Essex that he makes out to be?

See a previous post on Timeshare in Tenerife and Tenerife Timeshare – Know Before You Go – an article which outlines your rights, protections and places to seek assistance should you fall prey to these unscrupulous conmen.