The Timeshare Notary Scam

Are you a timeshare owner that has been told to visit a notary?

We are receiving a high number of calls from timeshare owners that have been asked to have their documents notarized so that they can be sent off to a Spanish solicitor, who are then told they will pursue a claim on their behalf. Notaries are qualified lawyers who are primarily concerned with the preparation, authentication, and notarization of documents for use in foreign countries and the verification of signatures on those documents.

There are major concerns about “cold callers” peddling stories about how a timeshare owner can pursue claims through the Spanish courts, but it is not always what it seems. To pursue a claim, the maintenance fees on the timeshare may have to be up to date or being capable of being brought up to date.

If you haven’t paid your maintenance fees for several years, or if your timeshare was purchased prior to 1999, then it is unlikely that any action in the Spanish courts would be successful. Often the “cold callers” suggest that a claim is possible, even though the company in question has been liquidated for many years, or the company was not even registered in Spain.

To pursue a claim in Spain a timeshare owner may well need their documents notarized, however, power of attorney should only be granted to a very small number of people, and the powers they are given should be relevant to the case being pursued.

We urge people to seek independent legal advice on the documents they are being asked to sign.

Have you paid in advance for the legal fees?

In order to pursue a claim, many timeshare owners are often told that they need to pay £6,000 plus in advance for their legal fees. We question that even if the solicitors existed and how much of the fee is going to the “cold caller” in commission.

If a consumer wishes to pursue a claim in Spain, they should undertake their own research before appointing a solicitor directly as this may save them a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of heartache. If you are asked to pay monies in advance, then always insist that some of this is paid on a credit card for your own protection.

Please be aware that if a “cold caller” claims you need to pay £x to terminate your timeshare first and £x to pursue a claim, that this may well be a scam. If you have not paid your maintenance fees for several years, and you have not been invoiced by the resort in the last two years, or chased for the debt, then you should speak to the resort directly before paying a “cold caller” to allegedly “terminate” your membership.

We believe some companies operating scams are falsifying their VAT details

We have evidence that some of the companies involved in timeshare related scams have been charging consumers IVA (impuesto sobre el valor añadido), which is the Spanish equivalent of VAT, yet they are not registered to charge such tax and are, therefore, committing a criminal offence.

Many of the scams being operated relate to claims against companies such as Eze Group, Monster Travel, Jive Hippo, Anfi, Club La Costa, Silverpoint and Azure. If you have bought a product from any of these companies and have paid a “cold caller” to pursue a claim, even if you have had a meeting with this supposed company over Zoom or Microsoft Teams, then please call us as it may be a scam.

Why trust us?

We won’t ask you to pay us any money in advance, we will pursue your claim under a “no win no fee” agreement, and we will only ever work in your best interests. We are also based in the UK, are a regulated business, and have been handling claims in respect of timeshares and holiday clubs for many years.

If you have been “cold called” in respect of making a claim relating to a timeshare and have paid via a credit card then please call us for advice.

Please also call us, if you have been asked to visit a notary, as we may be able to stop you losing further money.

If after looking at your documents we can help you then we will pursue a claim for compensation for you under a “no win no fee” agreement, so there will be no upfront fees to pay.