Keep up to date with news & views about timeshare termination, mis-selling claims and compensation payable to consumers throughout the UK. Follow us here.

A conman who scammed £113 million In UK’s biggest cyber scam is jailed for 11 years.

Feezan Choudhary was jailed in 2016 for 11 years after a court heard how he had orchestrated a huge scam where he targeted 750 RBS and Lloyds customers and stole a combined total of £113 million from their accounts.

“Vishing” or “voice phishing” is a type of phone fraud in which the scammer manipulates the victim into sharing private financial information which can then be used to make cash transfers. Choudhary was dubbed “The Voice” by police because he put on Scottish, Welsh and … Read more

One family’s dream holiday turned into a nightmare after they were forced to take a ride in the back of a police car.

Police had to step in and help one family who were left stranded when they turned up at the holiday apartment to find the gates locked. This was just the start of the problems the party of seven faced during their dream trip to Spain.

The family jetted off to Alcoceber in Spain and booked two apartments through Love Holidays. They arrived at their accommodation in the evening and not able to locate keys, or find anyone … Read more

Five people have been arrested and questioned by the Serious Fraud Office in relation to alleged fraud at Patisserie Valerie. 

The arrests were made last week in a joint operation and follow the arrest and subsequent bailing of the bakery’s former finance director, Chris Marsh, last October. In a statement the Serious Fraud Office said: “On Tuesday 18 June, as part of a joint operation with Hertfordshire, Leicestershire and the Metropolitan Police Services, five individuals were arrested and interviewed in connection with the Serious Fraud Office investigation into individuals associated with Patisserie Holdings PLC.”

“Significant, and potentially fraudulent, accounting irregularities”, … Read more

Wyndham Destinations opens its first resort in Portland Oregon

Wyndham Destinations has opened its doors to its newest resort based in Oregon U.S. The Urban WorldMark by Wyndham Resorts is the company’s eighth Oregon based property and the first ever timeshare resort in the city.

CEO of Wyndham Destinations, Michael Brown attended the opening, which was attended by owners and guests. Portland marks another Urban location for the Wyndham portfolio, which also includes San Francisco, New Orleans and New York.

Michael Brown said: “With a vibrant dining scene, eclectic shopping and proximity to outdoor activities, it’s no surprise our owners … Read more

The Information Commissioners Office has fined EE £100,000 for sending millions of marketing texts without permission to do so.

Mobile giant EE has been fined £100,000 for sending millions of text messages to customers. The ICO said EE sent more than 2.5 million messages in 2018. The messages asked customers to download an app and upgrade their phones. EE also sent follow up texts to the customers who did not open the first message.

EE told the ICO that the texts were sent as service messages and because of this were no subject to the electronic marketing rules. However, the … Read more

A woman from Northern Ireland was targeted by a fraudster through Facebook, who conned her into a three year relationship.

 The victim, who wishes to remain anonymous, was lured into the relationship which started three years ago, but just three months in he started to ask for money from her.

It started with the romance fraudster asking her for money so he could send his children to England for a better education, but developed into him asking for money to invest in Ghana and Dubai. In total, she sent the man more than £300,000 which was deposited into different accounts … Read more

One families dream 4* holiday ruined after family are booked at unsuitable resort.

A family who forked out £11,600 for a dream holiday to the Dominican Republic, claim their holiday was ruined after they found cockroaches in the room, a filthy pool and drunk people vomiting in the hotel reception.

To make matters even worse, the family claim they came down with a sickness bug during their stay. Mr Hill told the Mail Online that their dream Christmas getaway was totally ruined. He said: “I’m a pretty well grounded, level headed person but even I was close to tears during … Read more

Interval International Vacation Services has announced it is adding Marriott Vacation Club Pulse in San Francisco to it’s growing exchange network. It is the newest addition to the groups portfolio and adds a new resort for those seeking urban breaks.

Marcos Agostini, Interval International Executive Vice President said: “It’s no surprise that Marriott Vacation Club has expanded into one of the most highly sought-after destinations in the world. This growth strategy clearly aligns with Interval’s research that shows members are eager to experience timeshare vacations in major metropolitan areas.”

Ed Kinney, Global Vice President said: “Marriott Vacation Club Pulse … Read more

A British holidaymaker claims he was thrown off a flight when he told cabin crew he suffered from a nut allergy.

Josh Silver from Essex was returning from a trip to Turkey with his girlfriend. He told the BBC how he was escorted off his flight back to Gatwick by Turkish police, after cabin crew staff told him it was against its policy to fly someone like him.

Mr Silver, who said he flew regularly for work, has a nut allergy which is not airborne. It only affects him if he consumes nuts. He said before leaving Gatwick he had … Read more

A mother-of-two who acted as a mule for an organised crime gang has been spared jail after she admitted multiple frauds.

The 35 year old woman from Belfast, was described in court as a vulnerable woman with a heart condition picked on by fraudsters. Joanne Rice pleaded guilty to 14 counts of fraud by false representation over a six day period in 2016.

The M&S bank accounts that were owned by a separate customer had £85,500 transferred from it into what was described as a mule account, one of which belonged to Joanne Rice. In fact, over a six … Read more