RDO welcomes convictions of fraudsters behind £27m Monster Group scam
Resort Development Organisation (RDO) has welcomed the convictions and prison sentences issued following a series of four trials held over the past year at Southwark Crown Court. These verdicts bring to justice the criminals behind the fraudulent Monster Group scheme, which defrauded thousands of timeshare owners of approximately £27 million between 2013 and 2017. How the scam worked Operating through companies including sellmytimeshare.com and offshoots such as Monster Cruises, Monster Flight Centre, and Tenerife Expert, the fraudsters systematically targeted timeshare owners — many of them elderly — with false promises of buying their timeshares. Victims were enticed through websites like sellmytimeshare.com or contacted directly and invited to meetings, often held in Bournemouth. Upon...
Blue Diamond Resorts joins Interval exchange network with Six World-Class all-inclusive properties
Interval International, a leading travel membership company, has welcomed six luxurious all-inclusive resorts within the Blue Diamond Resorts (BDR) portfolio to its global exchange network. With exquisite beachfront locations in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, Interval International members now have access to these unique properties. Resorts include Royalton CHIC Cancun, Royalton Splash Riviera Cancun, Royalton Riviera Cancun, Royalton CHIC Punta Cana, Royalton Bavaro and Planet Hollywood Cancun. As part of this new affiliation, Prime Travelers Club by BDR members at these six resorts will join Interval International and gain access to a variety of travel and leisure benefits, including the ability...
We Are Water Foundation Kicks Off “Walkathons For Water”
We Are Water Foundation and 26 resorts managed by Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. (NYSE: HGV) in Europe and the U.K., join forces once again to kick off the second edition of their solidarity initiative "Walkathons For Water" with 21 walks in 21 European cities in Spain, U.K., France, Italy, Portugal and Austria. These charity walks will be held between July and December 2024, and will raise funds to bring water and sanitation to the most remote parts of India and Tanzania. This year, seven Walkathons will be held in Spain; nine in the U.K.; two in France; one in Italy; one in Portugal and one...
FNTC America, Ltd. (FNTCA) Announces acquisition of White Rock Group, LLC and the merger of Hayes, Johnson & Conley P.L.L.C with Eck, Collins & Richardson, PL
Orlando, Florida: FNTC America, Ltd. (FNTCA), an IQ-EQ Group company that serves the U.S. timeshare industry, announces today that it is expanding its suite of services with the acquisition of White Rock Group, LLC (WR), the title agency affiliated with Hayes, Johnson & Conley P.L.L.C (HJC). Additionally, FNTCA is pleased to announce that HJC has merged with Eck, Collins & Richardson (ECR). ECR and FNTCA have a strategic partnership that allows both businesses to provide seamless title, trustee, foreclosure, escrow and legal services to their shared clients. The transaction is effective March 13 2024. “We’re thrilled to welcome the WR team...
Timeshare exchange pioneer RCI commemorates 50th anniversary
World’s first vacation exchange company celebrates major milestone with special branding and member travel deals on 50,000+ getaways throughout 2024. RCI®, the world’s leading vacation exchange company, today commemorates its 50th Anniversary, marking 50 years since it pioneered the sharing economy by transforming the timeshare industry with the introduction of the first vacation exchange platform. To celebrate this milestone, the company is rolling out special “RCI 50” branding and a dedicated website hub, as well as offering travel deals throughout the year on 50,000+ getaways to its 3.5 million members worldwide. In honor of five decades as the leader in timeshare exchange, RCI is introducing...
Travel + Leisure Co. Continues Brand Portfolio Expansion with Acquisition of Accor Vacation Club
Travel + Leisure Co.(NYSE:TNL), the world’s leading membership and leisure travel company, announced an agreement to acquire the vacation ownership business of global hospitality giant Accor (AC:FP) for US$48.4 million. The acquisition is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024 and to be immediately accretive to Travel + Leisure Co. earnings upon completion. Under the terms of the deal, Travel + Leisure Co. will acquire Accor’s vacation ownership business, Accor Vacation Club, representing 24 resorts and nearly 30,000 members. Accor is the largest international hotel chain in the Asia Pacific with more than 1,600 hotels in operation, given the...
RCI Europe’s new addition – Circle by Melia
Club Melia, the holiday ownership arm of Spain-based Melia Hotels International has recently launched its new membership concept ‘Circle by Melia’ into Europe. Circle by Melia members have unrestricted access to Melia’s global presence, with a portfolio of more than 350 hotels and resorts. The first sales operation has now opened at the Grand Melia Palacio de Isora, in southern Tenerife, and will gradually expand into other destinations within the Canaries and Balearic Islands, as well as in mainland Spain. This is a great addition for RCI and will add more resort options for members in extremely popular destinations. ...
Multiple charges of fraud ordered by the CPS in relation to Monster Group Travel, Monster Credits, Monster Rewards and sellmytimeshare.com
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has authorised the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SW ROCU) to charge 18 people with 79 counts related to a large-scale fraud targeting timeshare owners.The 18 people have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud while being directors, sales people and administrators of the above-mentioned entities.Update 19 September 2025For details of the outcome of the court cases, go to https://rdo.org/rdo-welcomes-convictions-of-fraudsters-behind-27m-monster-group-scam/...
Timeshare veteran Frank Chapman has died
RDO is saddened to announce that industry pioneer and former RDO Board member and Chair of the UK Chapter, has died aged 91. As anyone who had to pleasure to spend time with Frank will know, he had a long, varied and fascinating career, starting with 17 years at sea, during which time he became a Master Mariner, followed by a spell selling properties in the Bahamas. In 1974 he purchased two hotels in Scotland, the Loch Rannoch Hotel in the Highlands and the Forest Hills Hotel in the Trossachs. Planning permission was sought for the construction of multi ownership lodges at...
Ex Detective Chief Superintendent Steve Reynolds to act as KwikChex Lead Investigations Consultant
With a huge increase in scams during the pandemic crisis, and growing demand from consumers for free and practical assistance, KwikChex has entered into a partnership with Steve Reynolds Consultancy, to enhance their resources. Steve is a vastly experienced investigator, with over 40 years of law enforcement experience in Essex Police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission. His assistance in collating information and presenting ‘case files’ will be invaluable in the increasing number of instances where KwikChex is asked to provide support to law enforcement agencies, government departments and regulatory authorities taking actions against unlawful activities. Steve will also provide support to...