While the exact number of websites keeps changing every second, there are well over 1 billion sites on the world wide web (1,197,982,359) according to the Netcraft January 2021 Web Server Survey. With domain registration and website design coming down in price it is perfectly feasible to register your name and have a small site created for about £200, compare that to the cost of a single local newspaper ad and you have a cheap marketing tool.
Unfortunately timeshare scam companies know this only too well. The difference is that the scammers don’t use their sites as a marketing tool but a device to convince suspicious prospects that the company is real. Fortunately you have the ability to sort the wheat from the chaff with a few clicks. Below we will explain how.
Doing the research
The following processes are exactly the same as used by our investigation team so we will start with the website. The domain name may be searched easily. By domain name we mean the www address, such as www.abc.co.uk, firstly you need to visit:
https://whois.domaintools.com/
In the search box type in the domain name, for the purpose of this exercise we have chosen the BBC. Their domain name is www.bbc.co.uk the search reveals that the site was registered on the 1st Jan 1996; see screen shot of the results below:
So if the BBC registered the site in 1996 and you can still access it we would have to say the BBC is a legitimate company. On the other hand, if the domain has no real age, then that should start to ring alarm bells. It is not uncommon nowadays to be able to “redact” the true owner of the site so it may not be possible to find the name or company or individual behind the site, mores the pity.
Clues on the site
Many scam companies have badly produced sites that smack of amateurism. Often they have very few pages and offer little substance. Often the scammers will “cut & past” text copy from legitimate sites, apart from destroying their trust factor, this practice is also illegal. Checking text is also easy. Select some text, right button mouse click then search Google, below is an example of how to do it, the text is taken from our sister site, Timeshare Trust:
There is a legal requirement that websites must display registration information about the company. Whist reading this article, if you scroll to the very bottom of the page you will see the following:
This confirms we are who we say and are legitimately registered. If this information is missing this should ring more alarm bells. If a company registration does not appear, you can still check whether the company is real by searching the Companies House registry. Bear in mind that many scam companies trade from Spain; we have included the Spanish search details:
UK – https://find-and-update.company- information.service.gov.uk/search/companies
Spain – http://www.infocif.es/
Some scam companies will include a supposed registration number; this may also be checked using the above sites. If you find no record of registration, steer clear.
More alarm bells should ring if no contact address is quoted; this is a very important point. Again, some scam companies quote an address which is false; this can be checked on Google maps (https://maps.google.com/) also for the UK, Endole are a good source: https://suite.endole.co.uk/explorer/browse/postcodes/
By way of example, one company we recently investigated showed an address on their website, when checked with Google maps this is what we found:
Hardly a salubrious office for what is supposed to be a “well respected” timeshare claims company.
Telephone numbers may also be searched. Bearing in mind that most scammers use Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) their numbers are hard to trace because they will not appear listed by mainstream providers i.e. BT directories but you can often confirm if the line is VOIP by searching the number here: https://www.ukphoneinfo.com/
It has to be remembered that just because a VOIP number appears to be in the UK, it could, in fact, be anywhere in the world.
Final thoughts
The internet is a wonderful source of information but also a breeding ground for mis information and in the worst cases, out and out fraud. A shiny website that looks like it’s all it’s cracked up to be may be hiding the sinister truth as to why it exists in the first place. All that glitters is not necessarily gold. Do your own due diligence before parting with any monies; don’t wait till after the event, as the saying goes:
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