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Holiday Scratch Card Con
Posted on 07/08/2009
Community Services
Beware of the scratch card touts when visiting Spain and avoid losing your money to fraudsters.
These touts hand out free Scratchcards outside hotels and in the street. All or many of these are winning cards and you would be told you have won a prize, perhaps a free holiday, bottle of champagne etc. and you are asked to accompany the tout to a presentation. Once there, you are subject to a very hard sell to sign on the spot to buy a holiday club membership or a timeshare. Sometimes they describe the scheme as "fractional" or "shared" ownership. These presentations usually last for about 6 hours.
Timeshare lasting over 3 years is cancellable and you should not be asked to pay during the cancellation period, but timeshare is much less common nowadays. However holiday club membership has no cooling off period.
Unfortunately, some of these holiday clubs do not exist in reality. If you join and pay, they disappear together with your money.
David Bull, Head of Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards Service, said:
"If you are given a free winning scratchcard whilst on holiday, treat it with extreme suspicion, particularly if you are required to attend a presentation. If you do attend a presentation for a holiday club, fractional ownership, shared ownership or timeshare, please do not sign up immediately. If you do and pay by credit card, the card issuer is equally liable with the trader for breaches of contract. Ask for all of the paperwork to take away so that you can get legal advice on the deal. However, do you really want to spend a day of your holiday in a sales office?"
--Ends--
Notes to Editors:
One family lost £7,000.00 and two others each lost £4,000.00 to phoney holiday clubs. A fourth couple were misled into buying a £6,000.00 membership. fortunately, however, they had paid by credit card and cancelled the payment on reading the true terms back at the hotel.
Contacts:
Paul Davis 0116 305 6534
Keith Regan 0116 305 6533
www.leics.gov.uk/TradingStandards