Another twist to scams related to timeshare is the so called debt recovery companies this time called Patrick McCullagh Debt Management who supposedly is appointed by the resort.
Timeshare consumers receive a letter which looks very genuine indeed with all their ownership details, something that makes you think it must be real!
The letter states as follows:
Date: xxxxx
Our Client: Resort Name
Debt Case No: 4019
Outstanding Amount: £497.93
We have been authorized to collect on behalf of our clients the outstanding balance in relation to Community l Maintenance Charges.
To prevent litigation you must settle the amount of £497.93 within fourteen days (14) days of the above date.
Should you wish to discuss this matter further please telephone without delay our legal department on 0845 649 2877 during office hours 09:30-16:00 hrs Monday to Friday.
Please note failure to respond will result in a county court judgment being enforced with all additional costs accrued added to your final liability.
The payment of £497.93 is a full & final settlement and a receipt will follow.
Payment can be made by the following methods:
Bank transfer, Cheque, or Cash payment directly into your local Nat West Bank, in all cases
quoting your unique Debt Case Number listed above.
Payable to:
P. A. McCullagh
Nat West Bank
High Road
IIford
Essex
Sort code: 77-13-01
Account no: 82854760
Please note we do not accept credit/debit payments or cheque via the postal system.
When calling their resort because they were not aware of this debt, they will realize this is a fraud.
Patrick McCullagh Debt Management states the following address on the letter:
Mansion House, Riches Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 1JH
Phone: 0845 649 2877 & 0845 649 2868
Please if you have received a letter like this, do NOT pay any money towards the bank account mentioned in the letter!
Did you receive a similar letter? Please let us know by emailing us on customercare@mindtimeshare.com or placing a comment on this blog.
Mindtimeshare 
I too have had the demand letter with no ref. number etc dated 13 June 2012. There seems to have been a run of these letters around that date. Sale of time share finalized mid 2004 so is over 6 years old and no accounts have been sent so think the demand would be illegal anyway by English law, don’t know about Spanish !!!!. Further, sent them a challenge by ‘Recorded Dely’ 14 days ago and that has not been delivered by Royal Mail. I wonder why, and before finding all these details about the company tried to phone them up. Phone will not ring out just goes dead !!!!! Yes the whole lot stinks BUT WHO IF ANYBODY IS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT TO STOP THESE SH*** GETTING AWAY WITH IT and trying it on with more elderly who get scarred and perhaps pay up. I trust it is you and that mindtimeshare is not just another Spanish organisation extracting names, addresses and e-mail addresses etc from us.
Hi John , I remember spending about 3 hours trying to get thru to them without succcess – the same as you. I admit to being ‘shaken’ by the letter and nearly paid the Money. — Glad I found the site. I was prompted by BT to go on the net as they could not help me. Is there any way we can publicise this some more to stop it completely ? What about Trading Standards?
Am in the process of contacting Trading Standards. First Citizens Advise advised me to contact Essex Trading Standards which I did but because I was not a business they did not want to know and said I should contact the country wide Trading Standards office which I did. Told them the story and they said they would have a look at it and forward it on to Merseyside Trading Standards. If they thought it worth following up they would contact me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It almost feels like the Spaniards, You pass it on to me and I will pass it back to you, then you can pass it back till it all gets lost in a puff of smoke. This was only done this afternoon (3rd) so will not have had time to get filtered.
I notice in my demand letter that the bank account number is not the same as the sample one on the internet copies of the demand letter. Wonder if questions have been asked so he has changed account numbers?
Have been passed on a letter exactly as above minus a Debt Case number sent to my step father who died in 1997. As i knew nothing about this I tried to call the given phone number but got automated reply saying the person called had hung up. This alerted me to check the credentials of the so called Debt Management company and found this site – glad I did and did not bother to do anything more about it!
I can’t understand why people will stoop to these levels ?
My wife is due to retire so money will be tight.
I am really glad I didn’t send them any money – I thought in the first place , why haven’t I heard from the Resort. .We sold ours about 6 years ago . They are so efficient that I wasn’t allocated a case number , so how was I going to link up the payment and get a receipt?
Arthur says.i have received a letter from mccullagh and was concered .but having read your details I will do nothing about this letter. We did have timeshare years ago but ..sold 8 years ago.
Thanks for advice.
I should tell him to get on his bike and disappear. Owing maintenances should only be paid to resort only. Take care.
friends of mine in their Eighties have been sent a letter exactly as shown,I can now advise them that this is a scam