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Timeshare conman convicted
July 15, 2009 • Malaga • 9 Comments
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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COSTA del Sol-based timeshare conman Garry Leigh has been convicted of 11 counts of fraud.
The seasoned fraudster, who has a string of shady companies along the coast, has been fined £29,000 at Reading Magistrates Court.
His company Incentive Leisure Group UK, based in Fuengirola, was found guilty of conning clients over the value of a so-called ‘cashback scheme’.
He was also found guilty of claiming the scheme was run by an independent lawyer.
Leigh – who started his crime career launching pyramid schemes in the UK – is now starting a new project to sell holidays through ‘a customer-to-customer social marketing scheme’, another apparent pyramid scheme.
Registered in Gibraltar, the Olive Press can reveal, that its 0870 phone number goes straight through to the switchboard of Timelinx, another one of Leigh’s famous timeshare companies.
Hooded men
It offers the chance to “make great money and enjoy fantastic savings”, all for a one-off joining fee of £12,000.
Leigh, 46, and his business partner Keith Barker, 38, were both ordered to pay an extra £26,000 to cover the cost of the Trading Standards’ prosecution.
Tanned Leigh – who was once viciously assaulted in his own office in broad daylight by hooded men – had been facing 36 counts of fraud.
But the case took a dramatic twist when Leigh unexpectedly pleaded guilty to the 11 most serious charges.
Leigh and Barker enticed unsuspecting clients to ‘90-minute presentations’ with the promise of a holiday or finding a buyer for their unwanted timeshares.
The sales pitches often lasted five hours, with victims being persuaded to pay for membership of Spanish-based Designer Way Vacation Club after being told they would get their money returned through a cashback scheme.
The fraudulent duo admitted to lying about the likely value of the cashback and claims that the scheme was run by an independent lawyer.
Leigh, brother-in-law and former employer of convicted murderer Tony King, aka the Costa Killer, has been operating on the Costa del Sol for over a decade.
He started making his fortune in the 1990s, when he and his father, Tom, ran a UK-based pyramid-selling scheme FPW Club.
They advertised with the slogan ‘Turn £140 into £600 as many times as you like! It’s as simple as that! No catch, no limits.’
Unfortunately for Leigh, there finally has been a catch.
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The Mirror Newspaper’s tribute to timeshare conman Garry Leigh
Leigh also acted as Site Manager for Claymore Consultants
and administrado unico for Bayview Holiday Sales.
He operated the Masterson Cashback scheme at Mijas Costa and purchased Timeshare weeks as part of his Sales Promotion.
Payment is still awaited for his purchases and the Cashback.
It’s just right to give justice to the victims of timeshare frauds. That’s why the timeshare industry had a bad reputation nowadays because of these scams. As a result, there are more owners wanting to get rid of their timeshares.
“Sounds like he might be getting a Time Share for prison”
The Timeshare Consumers Association (“TCA”) have set up a compensation group for vistims of holiday clubs, including Incentive Lesiure Group and Club Class Holidays/Concierge.
Sandy Grey
TCA
If you purchased a timeshare in Spain or its islands after October 1994, you may be entitled to up to 100% of your money refunded, even if the original company you purchased from is no longer trading under the 1994 European timeshare directive.
Claims Directive main sponsor works on a No Win No Fee basis.
Claims Directive is another timeshare scam company.
Withdraw their post is my best advice.
Is this the same company as Timelinx
They are still operating in uk, Do not touch them. they pay your maintence fee for a while then send back your certificate’s saying they are unable to transfer. So your stuck with them + a new holiday club!!!
I haven’t found ANY TIMESHARE RESELLERS or ANYONE that says they can help you get out from under the timeshare trustworthy. NEVER!!! give them a credit card number or send them any money. THEY will take your money and you will never get any results. Here lately I have been contacted by many of these scammers saying that I can pay them anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 and they will take it back and I will be free of it. Do not believe them. Until you can find some company that will truly sell your timeshare with NO UP FRONT FEE, you are better off, renting your own unit yourself. The resort gets about 40% if you let them rent it. Contact your POA of your resort and talk to them. They may take it back with a nominal fee. According to an attorney, if they truly want your property, and they truly have a buyer, they will sell it and take their fee after the sale. This CAN BE DONE but they do not want to do it that way because they know they don’t get paid till it is sold. They would have to work harder if they had to wait to get their money after the sale. So they try and get the money up front and then they become slackers with a non-caring attitude.