According Trading Standards officers, timeshare scams are prevalent in Somerset.
Officers from the Somerset County Council are currently collecting information regarding resale scams as a part of an international investigation headed by the Office of Fair Trading.

Somerset citizens have lost hundreds of pounds due to timeshare re-selling scams, yet the timeshare scammers continue to remain at large. They continue to con people, asking for even more money.

In one case, a cold-caller took £750 from an owner as a bogus “commission.” The scammer came back after a few months and asked for £1,400.

Cases of timeshare scams have increased with the recession as owners are trying to turn their timeshares into cash. During the last year, 56 consumer complaints about timeshare were received by the Somerset Trading Standards.

Owners are usually approached via telephone and offered an unrealistically high price for their timeshare. The victim is asked to pay some money in advance to guarantee the sale. But these sales are rarely completed and the victims are unable to retrieve their money.

“These scams are despicable and the perpetrators often prey on vulnerable people,” comments Cllr Anthony Trollope-Bellew of the council. “If people suspect an offer is too good to be true they should not accept and get advice as soon as possible.”
  
Source: Yeovil Express