Welcome to the start of another week with Inside Timeshare, as you can tell from the title we have news of yet more fake companies surfacing.
The first warning is a company that claims 4 offices in the Canary Islands, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and La Palma, Refund My Funds. The only address the actually give is:
Av. Ángel Guimerá 67, 38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
The telephone number is 0845 095 0080 this is a Premium Rate number and will cost you when you call.
There is not even any email address shown, the contact us page is just a form for you to fill in with your details and your situation. The term “lead generator” also springs to mind.
They have a website https://refundmyfunds.org/
Registered on 14 January 2019 and set to expire on 14 January 2020, this does not give much confidence that this could be a genuine firm. The registration details as is always usual for these sort of outfits, is hidden, so know way of knowing who is behind it.
The website itself shows very little detail with no company registration details or even linked to any registered company, which would usually be listed in the following manner: Refund my Funds is the trading name of Name of Parent Company.
They claim that they will get your money back for the purchase of a timeshare or holiday club, this is on a No Win No Fee basis. But to do the consumer will need to travel to Tenerife for a meeting to discuss the claim. No doubt this meeting will end up with another product being sold or substantial charges to cancel the membership.
The next is yet another “Fake” law firm, going by the name of Gonzalez F y Asociados, based at the following address:
16 Calle del Carmen, 28013 Madrid
They show a Spanish mobile number on the website +34 603 290 420 with the email address e/info@gonzalezfasociados.com
The website was registered on 4 January 2019 and expires on 4 January 2020, again only registered for 1 year, not a big confidence booster.
No registration details are available, so whoever is behind this “Fake” firm is hidden by a privacy protect company.
Other details on the website include a Colegio registration number 25321, the unfortunate thing is it actually belongs to a genuine lawyer called María José González Fraile, who graduated in 1985. This law firm has a website https://www.abogadagf.com/ which does show the registrar as the lawyer named.
Censo de Letrados _ Abogacía Española Maria Jose Gonzales Fraile
Once again we see a genuine lawyers credentials being “stolen” for a criminal enterprise.
The modus operandi is one we have seen before in timeshare. The case has already been won and a substantial amount has been awarded. There is only a small matter of paying a legal fee to have the money released. The figure is 9.2% of the awarded amount, this will be paid into an escrow account for the peace of mind of the client.
As is always the case once you pay this “legal fee”, “tax” or whatever they call it, that will be the last you ever hear from them.
Remember, never take anything you are told at face value, these fraudsters are well versed in telling a convincing story and getting hold of your money.
Before doing any business with a firm that has contacted you, or you have found on the internet or publication, do your homework. This can be a daunting task, especially where the company has hijacked the name of a reputable company or person.
If you need help in determining if the company is genuine, then use our contact page, we know what we are looking for and can point you in the right direction.
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