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It has been described as one of the largest frauds of its nature in the Britain.

In all 14 individuals have been found guilty for their part in a multi-million pound scheme to swindle over 3,500 timeshare holders.

The affected individuals were keen to get out of decades-old timeshare contracts and sought out assistance.

A large number were aged between 60 and 80. In excess of 500 of them lost more than £10,000, and one individual handed over more than £80,000.

Those targeted were faced intense sales meetings continuing for six hours. They were financially worse off, holding worthless fake "credits" and remained bound by high-priced timeshare contracts they frequently were unable to use.

The Business Central to the Scam

The company at the core of the fraud was Sell My Timeshare (SMT). They took clients' cash to fund the directors' luxurious standard of living of prestigious schooling, luxury homes and exclusive air travel.

The leader at the top of the organization, Mark Rowe, was given a seven and a half year sentence in January for fraudulent conspiracy.

On Friday, his wife Nicola was part of the concluding cases to hear their sentences.

She was handed a two-year deferred imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court after confessing to financial crime.

The outcome represents a lengthy process and signifies a significant success for the victims who came forward, the authorities and the Crown.

The Way the Inquiry Was Initiated

The initial awareness of SMT was in the that particular year. I was working in the investigations unit of a broadcasting service, creating documentary features.

A friend pointed out that his mum had taken over the ownership of a vacation unit in the Spanish coast and, after long-term use, had started seeking to exit the deal.

It's worth mentioning how popular timeshares had become with English tourists in the 1980s and 1990s.

Holiday ownership allowed individuals to access the equivalent unit each season, or exchange their weeks with additional holders who had properties in alternative destinations. Roughly 600,000 holiday enthusiasts took up that chance.

The initial boom was linked to a lot of accounts about unscrupulous sellers fraudulently marketing properties. They were regularly featured on public interest shows.

The common timeshare contract bound owners for many years.

By 2016, those holders who had experienced their assigned property in the sunshine for decades were getting older, and a significant number were hoping to end their association to their timeshares.

A number had reduced ability to travel and found it difficult to access their apartments. A few just felt they'd enjoyed sufficient use from them. And some had died, in many cases passing on their loved ones to inherit the agreements - plus their regular contributions and maintenance fees.

The Covert Probe Unfolds

This was the situation the family member had found herself. She searched the web for options and discovered SMT, a business whose online presence assured to release her from her deal.

However, having made a payment and booked a meeting with them, her relatives became suspicious.

Further research uncovered hundreds of people claiming they had submitted funds and achieved no result in return. Actually, they had lost money. Significant sums.

Our team started looking into what was happening. It soon emerged that there were some shady characters active in the vacation property industry.

One lawyer had many grievance cases preparing to take action against the company.

Reporters contacted people who had engaged the company and they each reported similar experiences. They thought the business would purchase their timeshare from them but when they attended a meeting (for which they submitted funds initially) they were advised there was no market for their property.

In place of that, they were persuaded - actually coerced - to commit further cash investing in "the company's points system", associated with the organization's holding firm, the parent organization.

The nature of these rewards was rather ambiguous. They appeared to be a type of exchange medium, offering cheaper vacations and amenities and consumer discounts.

And they were apparently "transferable with additional holders, eventually.

Committing funds up front now would result in an long-term benefit that would cover SMT's fees and leave the investor with a gain, freed at last from their pesky deal.

Too good to be true? Indeed, it was.

A 'Deceptive Scheme'

Assuming these reports were correct, this was a massive scam.

The technique is termed a "deceptive marketing."

Someone - specifically the organization - "baits" the consumer by advertising a defined offering only to then state it cannot be provided, steering the individual to an alternative, lesser offering.

Such practices are unlawful. Armed with all the testimony we had collected, we presented the rationale to discreetly video one of the firm's consultations.

The process requires dedication, work, and clear arguments for why this is the only way to gather the data necessary to prove wrongdoing.

Once authorized, our compact group organized a consultation with one of the organization's staff in the English town.

Acting as a member of the public hoping to help his mother free from her timeshare contract|holiday ownership agreement