There is without doubt a pattern emerging concerning scammers and what is the frequent reinvention of their so called companies. First off there was Suarez & Simpson which changed into Morales & Maxwell and now it would appear that the latest incarnation is Martin & Perez.
Suarez & Simpson have now gone and their website has been removed. We have no doubt that this is because they have scammed their fair share of unsuspecting “marks” and have now disappeared from the face of the earth to avoid any comeback. We would also like to think that in part it’s down to our efforts and those of Inside Timeshare over the past few months in exposing their deceitful behaviour.
Our Investigations
At TCA the first thing we check is whether the company is legally registered. A search of both Companies House in the UK and its Spanish equivalent shows no such registration. Their website was only created on the 24th July 2020, so they are barely 4 months old in age. This should immediately ring seriously large alarm bells.
Whilst on the subject of their website it looks extremely well produced but there is a reason. All of the content is a clone of the old Morales & Maxwell website, which in itself has an abundance of text and layout stolen from websites belonging to two legitimate firms namely; Ridgway Law Group in Seattle and Carbray Abogados in Barcelona.
The contact address is a rather large and impressive building in Madrid, however only the address is shown. One would assume that reference to the office number or floor as would be expected in such massive a building. This of course is all part of the scam.
Upon checking the phone number it certainly bodes a Madrid dialling code, but upon further investigation the number is a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) provided by a company called Voxbone. Voip numbers can be set up from anywhere in the world, meaning just because the dialling code is Madrid, the company could be calling from Timbuktu.
The Scam
This follows the well worn path of a cold caller announcing that there has been a court case in which the Judge has found in favour of a case against Eze Group, Monster Travel, Club Class and many others, albeit the reality is that there has never been a court case and there never will be.
It appears that the initial contact is by a Mr David Hargreaves who convinces the “mark” that their case had been heard by the Madrid Courts and they have been awarded a huge amount of money and; as with all previous such scams of this nature, the story is that Martin & Perez have been appointed by the court to trace and contact victims.
According to Mr. Hargreaves, Judge Juan Miguel Hernandez had ruled that “his (victims) civil rights had been deliberately deprived”, the Judge then awarded over 28,000€. This was to be settled immediately following the “civil action” at the court in Madrid on 29th June 2020.
So far we have found no evidence of this Madrid court case on any official websites which lists such cases and judgements. There is a genuine Juan Miguel Hernandez but according to our research he is not a judge but actually an architect; which we are sure one would agree is a considerably different profession.
The usual pattern soon emerges; some form of forward payment is requested for court costs; normally around €2,500. This will be followed by requests for further sums such as translation fees and taxes etc.. Once all charges are added together the cost may well exceed €5,000. All payments to these scammers are normally required via bank transfer and usually payable to an individual and not a company. Bank transfers also offer very little protection in law, which of course is why it is the scammers preferred payment method.
It must be remembered that there is no money anywhere to be paid because there has been no court cases. Another other point to consider would be; how can a court case take place without the knowledge of the plaintiff? No court in the world will pass judgement in favour of the plaintiff if no evidence has been given or documentation provided and certainly not when the plaintiff has had no involvement. Legal systems simply do not work that way.
The Future
Having disposed of what was Suarez & Simpson, next to disappear will be Morales & Maxwell and it won’t take long before Martin & Perez metamorphosise into some other name. Keeping up with these scam companies is becoming more and more difficult by the day and unfortunately before we expose them they have already wreaked substantial financial losses for their unsuspecting victims.
We have no doubt that this operation will carry on for some time because their business model works and whilst people keep paying them money, they will continue their ruse.
From our investigations it is apparent that real Martin Y Perez is a long established potato supplier based in Mijas on the Costa del Sol. To our knowledge they deal only in the distribution of potatoes and to date have not expanded their operations into the world of timeshare compensation claims.
So could this be a self portrait of the charming but elusive Mr David Hargreaves?
Don’t get caught out
An unfortunate fact is that the majority of calls we receive get to us after the event, in other words some form of payment has already been made. Please, before you part company with any money, do your homework first. The TCA are only a call or email away and contacting us could potentially save you thousands.
This is our contribution to this particular rogue’s gallery:
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk