Following our original posting in February see:
(https://timeshareconsumerassociation.org.uk/2021/02/19/financiera-oficial-same-scam-different-name/).
Unfortunately this scam outfit are alive and well and still attempting to defraud innocent people out of thousands of pounds. Fortunately, this time we have been able to share further documentation they send to attempt to authenticate the supposed claim awaiting to be paid by the Spanish courts. Needless to say all the documentation is false.
The documentation
Our enquiry started with a short email to which we responded with the requisite information. This was followed by a further email from our enquirer:
Thank you for confirming that “Financiera Oficial” is fake. Yesterday I had a call from telephone number 0203 769 7359. The caller asked for my wife, who I said was unavailable.
She then hung up. I called that number and she said her name was Zoe James
calling from “Interbank UK”. She said that the courts in Spain had awarded us 48,150 euros,
but that it was locked and could I call Maria Martin to sort this out on 0034 911 985 731.
This I did and was asked for my email address, I then received the documents attached.
Searching for interbank, you just get details of bank to bank companies. The web site interbank.co.uk web site is similar to the Financiera Oficial,as it has virtually no content.
After giving an email address our enquirer received the following email from Financiera Oficial:
Dear Mr & Mrs XX,
We hope this email finds you well.
It has become apparent that you did not receive the confirmation of settlement regarding your claim held at the Audiencia Nacional – Seccion 22 (Civil), C/Santiago de Compostela 100, 28035, Madrid.
We can only but apologize for this mishap but we have had many problems with the international post, please find attached all the information that we were trying to post you.
Kind regards
Maria Martin
The two documents alluded to by Ms Martin may be downloaded here:
So time to review and comment on said documents.
As a point, Spanish courts never produce documentation in English; furthermore, they never pay compound interest only simple interest. The companies referred to being Sol Bookers and Full Circle Holidays were indeed scam companies but they went out of business more than fifteen years ago so it is totally unrealistic to believe there are any funds available to distribute. There is mention of “Keable Disputes” this scam company went out of business in 2013. The major point is that the Spanish Government is not in the habit of paying monies out of their own pocket to cover past criminal activity so one would have to ask, where is the so called settlement coming from?
The stated “Duty Registrar” has an incorrect spelling of his name, Gutierez has a double R and the real DOMINGO GUTIERREZ LOPEZ is in fact a hairdresser from Cordoba. The Judge is real but he worked as Head of Administration in court 14 in Madrid not Court No 6 as quoted. He moved to the Supreme Court in Valencia in October 2020 so it would be very difficult for him to have been the presiding Judge when the letter received was signed and dated 7th April 2021 as this was from the court in Madrid.
We have to say that the documentation provided is very convincing but is all completely fake.
Further comment
The fact that a UK telephone number has been given does not mean that they have a UK base. They are using VOIP technology which means that any global number may be purchased making it appear as if the organisation is in the UK. This may be confirmed by a search of the UK number. Ofcom records show that numbers starting 0203 769 are allocated to DIDWW Ireland Limited. DIDWW are indeed VOIP providers.
Without doubt this scam is being operated from Tenerife. The so called “Financiera Oficial” is a re brand of a team of fraudsters who, to our knowledge, have reinvented themselves at least 50 times. The Madrid number quoted is also a VOIP number and probably ends up in Tenerife.
The website
Basically there isn’t one; all you get is a single page with the name, the site, if you can call it that, was only registered on 26th Jan 2021, bad sign. Screenshot below:
A really great indication of the fact that the trust factor for this organisation is zero.
How will this scam pan out?
After time has been allowed to digest the court documents and the champagne corks are popping celebrating such a fantastic windfall, the phone will ring. The caller will say that in order for the courts to release the funds, all that needs to be paid is 10% for legal fees. With an award of some €48,150 in the offing, paying €4,815 seems a small price to pay. Once paid there is absolutely no chance of seeing the award, it just won’t happen.
We have seen evidence that the funds cannot be paid by bank transfer but will be delivered by cheque. A convincing copy of a cheque is often emailed but this also is a fake with entirely wrong IBAN details. The original cheque never arrives because it has been stolen in the post by a gang of Moroccans or Eastern Europeans or some other excuse. After a period the phones will never be answered, emails ignored and Financiera Oficial will completely disappear and metamorphosise into a completely new scam outfit.
Conclusion
We will once again quote from our previous article. To the untrained eye this is a good one, a lot more effort has been expended to add realism and evidence as to why this court case actually happened, but it didn’t! How is it that any individual may be awarded monies by a court for a case they have never heard of? Even more to the point, would it not be reasonable for a court to have some sort of communication with the plaintiff before the hearing. Courts work on evidence and in this case and others we have investigated the first the “plaintiff” knows is when they have been awarded money. Believe us when we say, courts just don’t work that way.
Albeit sophisticated, this is a scam nevertheless so stay well clear. There never has been, or will be any settlement as described by our article. One thing is for certain, you will never be a winner because as sure as God made little apples the only loser will not be the defendant, it will be you.
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