The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is appealing for information from the public in relation to a complex timeshare services scheme it believes was operated by an organised crime network.

This new SFO investigation is being announced after it intercepted suspected ongoing criminal activity.

In August, the SFO arrested a key suspect at Manchester Airport and searched his home address, going on to conduct four arrests of suspected accomplices and conduct three raids of properties across England the following month. The SFO was assisted by the National Crime Agency, Greater Manchester Police and Hertfordshire Constabulary in these operations.

It is suspected the companies cold called members of the public offering exit and/or compensation from timeshare or holiday clubs for an upfront fee between January 2018 and September 2024. No services are understood to have ever been provided in most cases.

People who purchased these services are then believed to have been contacted again and pressured into paying another upfront fee to recover their money on the basis that it was fraudulent.