The Office of Fair Trading has reportedly warned travellers returning from Spain – and especially the Canary Islands – to watch out for a speeding and parking fine con.
According to The Guardian newspaper, hundreds of travellers returning from Spain have complained about demands for fines relating to non-existent parking offences.
Many of those who received the demands had never even driven in Spain, the newspaper reports, but some still paid the fine to avoid a county court judgement, which was being threatened.
Those behind the scam are thought to have done deals with employees working at hotels and timeshare resorts, in order to obtain visitors’ details.
One reader of The Guardian is quoted as saying: “The letter demanded GBP129 and said we could not dispute anything. But we did not drive in Spain, nor were we in Gran Canaria at the date they said we were.”
Penny Boys, of the OFT, reportedly said: “This is a very convincing scam; the content and presentation of the demand letters, combined with the fact that most recipients have recently visited the destinations, makes it easy to understand how people could fall for these fraudulent claims. However, anyone receiving these letters should not send any money.”
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad
