TATOC The Timeshare Association

If you have a cashback certificate, don't fall victim to scam that has recently come to our attention. We've been told that members of the public who purchased a holiday club membership that included a cashback offer are now receiving calls from a separate company to inform them that their cashback certificate has not been correctly registered. As a result, they are invited overseas - usually Spain or the Canaries - to find ways around the problem and this is where, at their most vulnerable, people tend to be pressured into making decisions they later regret.

Many, unfortunately, are persuaded to pay a deposit (probably non refundable) to a company they know little about. The cases we know of involve significant sums of money and we understand that victims have signed contracts in which they agree to buy timeshare points as a way of 'recouping' their cashback.

These so called solutions are clearly bogus!

The reality is that the vast majority of people with cashback certificates will not be successful in cashing these in. Most schemes are deliberately designed to make it almost impossible recoup the value of the certificate and RDO members are not permitted to offer any form of unregulated cashback.

Cashback advice:

• Never respond to cold calls
• Be warned, cashback offers tend to be used as a hook to persuade you to buy a holiday club membership
• Do not agree to travel overseas
• Don’t sign any agreements/contracts until you’ve consulted a solicitor
• Take the certificate value with a pinch of salt!

For further information or advice, contact TATOC on 0845 230 2430. TATOC would like to hear from members of the public who believe they may have been defrauded.