"I'm fighting for my survival" This couple mercilessly exploits senior citizens for their life of luxury
Private jets, villas, expensive art - and thousands of defrauded pensioners: a British couple lived in luxury for years while their victims were robbed of their savings. Now the UK's biggest timeshare scam is going to court.
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- According to The Sun, a couple from the south of England scammed 28 million pounds with a timeshare scam.
- Over 3500 senior citizens lost their savings - some died before the trial.
- After six years of investigation, Mark and Nicola Rowe and their accomplices were convicted.
A house with stables, trips in a private jet, works of art by L. S. Lowry on the walls - Mark and Nicola Rowe led the perfect life of luxury. But behind the shiny façade lay a system of deception, pressure and despair: thousands of elderly people lost their entire fortune as a result.
As the British newspaper "The Sun" reports, the Rowes ran one of the biggest timeshare scams in the country for years. They posed as saviors for pensioners who wanted to get rid of their vacation ownership - and promised lucrative alternatives. In reality, they organized an elaborately orchestrated network of deception that deliberately lured victims into the trap.
Their scam was as sophisticated as it was unscrupulous: senior citizens were flown to Tenerife, accommodated in hotels with a respectable appearance - and involved in sales talks for hours on end. In modern offices with trained staff and glossy brochures, the offers looked credible. But the promised "Monster Credits", which could be used to exchange timeshares for supposed vacation discounts, were worthless.
Fraudsters left nothing to chance
Many invested their entire savings - in some cases up to 80,000 pounds, the equivalent of around 85,000 francs. A total of 3583 people are said to have been taken in by the couple. Some took out loans to finance their supposed investment in the future. The money flowed into the Rowes' luxurious lifestyle: private schools for 110,000 pounds, a villa worth two million, a private jet for 26,000 pounds per flight.
The fraudsters left nothing to chance. They used some of the loot to keep up the facade - investing in advertising, websites and employees who themselves knew nothing about the fraud. Even the British actress Julie Peasgood was hired as an advertising ambassador - without suspecting that she was promoting a fraudulent company.
Perpetrators must now stand trial
After a six-year investigation, the case has now ended at Southwark Crown Court in London. Mark Rowe was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison; the judge called him a "corrupting influence" who had left a "trail of misery". His wife Nicola, who pleaded guilty to money laundering, is due to receive her sentence this week. A further 13 accomplices received prison sentences or suspended sentences, some of which lasted several years.
One victim described the extent of the destruction to The Sun in harrowing terms: "I should be enjoying my retirement now. Instead, I'm struggling to survive. I can't even pay my rent."
Some of the victims did not live to see the verdicts - they died before the trial was completed.
