I have wona holiday - what kind of scam is this...

[nogginthenog]

a few weeks ago at Malaga airport I took part in s survey of some kind or other. I quickly realised this could well be an information harvesting exercise, but they didn't ask anything too personal, and I was in demob spririt, so I humored the nice lady and completed the survey. I have just had a call saying I have 'won' a holiday, naturally I am highly sceptical about this, but would like to seek PH advice on what kind of scam this is. The call I took said I have won a holiday - flights & accommodation, or accommodation only if I prefer to stay in the UK ( so it can't be a timeshare trap ? ) . I have to call a freephone number, and it is indeed an 0800 number ( 0800 988 9900 ) so not a premium-rate trap.

Any thoughts?

[AB]

Freephone number, what have you got to lose?

[illmonkey]

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/0800988990...

21 pages to read, but I think you'll get just gist after the first comment

Edited by illmonkey on Thursday 9th July 12:11

[eldar]

Timeshare scam

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/0800988990...

[Romanymagic]

Could still be timeshare, as the UK holds many timeshare locations, typically around the Lake District, New Forest, Docklands etc.

They will get you!

[Scotfox]

nogginthenog said:

a few weeks ago at Malaga airport I took part in s survey of some kind or other. I quickly realised this could well be an information harvesting exercise, but they didn't ask anything too personal, and I was in demob spririt, so I humored the nice lady and completed the survey. I have just had a call saying I have 'won' a holiday, naturally I am highly sceptical about this, but would like to seek PH advice on what kind of scam this is. The call I took said I have won a holiday - flights & accommodation, or accommodation only if I prefer to stay in the UK ( so it can't be a timeshare trap ? ) . I have to call a freephone number, and it is indeed an 0800 number ( 0800 988 9900 ) so not a premium-rate trap.

Any thoughts?

Most likely is timeshare or whatever they call it now. You'll probably find that your free holiday is on the condition that you attend a seminar when your there where you'll be given a very hard sell.

[tim2100]

It is a timeshare trap.

You will need to go to a 'meeting' local to you. then they give you the tickets and try and sell you the timeshare when out there. apparantly you can just say no and they will allow you to have your 'free' holiday.

I won as well but never went to the meeting.

[john_p]

Is it a free holiday that you receive when you buy another holiday at the same time?

Or.. perhaps they ship you off to a Timeshare Indoctrination Facility and won't let you out until you've signed up to hire a Spanish apartment for the next 185 years.

[GregE240]

It is a time share trap.

You will be asked while you are away to attend some hard sell presentation. If you are strong willed enough, just walk away.

My folks have done this a few times, my old man loves a challenge like this. In fact, they got kicked out of one in Italy because they got recognised from a previous holiday!!

[merc_man]

Just typing that number into google would have given you all the answers you required. Why ask here unless you tried that first?

[Adam B]

if you are strong-willed individual these can be a laugh, went to one in Cyprus (think I got a free meal out of it) just as I was curious

they gave up after an hour or so, really was just like Glengarry Glen Ross

[nogginthenog]

Timeshare trap it is then! Thanks, I will tell the family to unpack their bucket & spades.....

[mechsympathy]

I've done a couple. Got a free meal out of one and 4 nights in a hotel out of the other. The pushy sales people are fking awful though and I wouldn't do another one.

[AB]

Go to the meeting and enjoy your free holiday. I do one regularly. Used to do one once a year for free Disney tickets!

[Soovy]

mechsympathy said:

I've done a couple. Got a free meal out of one and 4 nights in a hotel out of the other. The pushy sales people are fking awful though and I wouldn't do another one.

It's a bit like SAS Are You Tough Enough.


I was. Free there days in the sun and enough beer to float the Queen Mary.

[kaese]

AB said:

Go to the meeting and enjoy your free holiday. I do one regularly. Used to do one once a year for free Disney tickets!

How hard IS the sell on these things? Is it quite easy to walk away with the free holiday/tickets without investing in the timeshare?

[Soovy]

kaese said:

AB said:

Go to the meeting and enjoy your free holiday. I do one regularly. Used to do one once a year for free Disney tickets!

How hard IS the sell on these things? Is it quite easy to walk away with the free holiday/tickets without investing in the timeshare?

No.

You need to have some serious people management skills to stop them from making it a misery.

[mechsympathy]

Soovy said:

It's a bit like SAS Are You Tough Enough.

They really didn't seem to understand why we weren't interested in spending £12k plus "running expenses" on a week in a portakabin luxury lodge in the back of beyond.

[Man-At-Arms]

did they want your bank account number first ?

[AB]

Soovy said:

kaese said:

AB said:

Go to the meeting and enjoy your free holiday. I do one regularly. Used to do one once a year for free Disney tickets!

How hard IS the sell on these things? Is it quite easy to walk away with the free holiday/tickets without investing in the timeshare?

No.

You need to have some serious people management skills to stop them from making it a misery.

Very easy, you just need a thick skin. These people know you are only there for a free ticket/meal/holiday etc so the sell is incredibly hard as the leads are very cold.

Walk away at the end, happy days.