A court is prosecuting eight Britons for massive fraud in the false poisoning of tourists in Majorca | Economie

Coroner No. 2 of Palma tried eight British nationals for massive fraud by falsely poisoning tourists in Mallorca. The judge charged them with alleged crimes of severe fraud and criminal organization, considering that those investigated created an organized gang that persuaded tourists to demand compensation from hotels and tour operators by inventing food poisoning. The judge estimated the amount of compensation obtained in the UK at “an amount far exceeding €200,000”, which in turn caused damage to tour operators and hotels.

In a car, which EL PAÍS had access to, the judge framed events between 2016 and 2017 when brothers Laura and Mark Edward Cameron formed an organized gang dedicated to collecting data of British tourists We were staying on an all inclusive basis in several hotels on the island of Majorca. The judge stated that those who were investigated persuaded the tourists to register “wrongly” in a form they prepared stating that they had contracted the disease during their stay in hotels, “in order to claim financial compensation in the United Kingdom.” The brothers formed an entity for the purpose of sending the data obtained to law firms in the United Kingdom with which they have a close relationship.

“The Cameron brothers hired several people to travel to different hotels and capture the personal data of tourists, among them recording data that would allow a link to hotel dining and alleged poisoning resulting from it, as well as the steps they took to follow up once they returned to the UK.” In fact, these people charged a percentage of the money that was obtained through the claim. Between 2016 and 2017 the amount of compensation obtained in the UK “significantly exceeded” 200,000 euros, according to the judge.

Based on the investigations conducted since the start of the proceedings, the judge confirms that there are many indications that a crime was committed against the eight who were investigated. Thus, it is clear that in hotels managed by Club MAC Alcúdia, out of about 800 people who lodged complaints, only 38 sought medical attention. The order asserted that “the hotels concerned had satisfactorily passed all health checks, including those of the tour operators themselves who, despite the allegations made, continued to contract with the same hotels in successive years.” For the judge, another relevant indication is that several web pages offer the possibility of obtaining compensation of up to £40,000 with a probability of 98% success and no cost to the client. He also points out that evidence was found of how the investigators organized themselves to try to attract clients, make the claim proposal and how they did the subsequent follow-up, facts that were included in the reports provided by the various investigators hired by the tour operators and hotels that contributed to the case.

The main investigation admitted in its statement in court that They collected names and phone numbers From British tourists who spent their holidays in Mallorca and then sold to UK claims and marketing firms. However, she denied that she or her staff had tried to persuade travelers to claim the establishments for compensation for illnesses. Laura Cameron confirmed that the data was sold to marketing companies who bought the names and numbers of travelers “in case something happened to them.” He said he sold the data through his company to three different companies, all based in the UK and specializing in marketing and claims, and then insisted that tourists had not been induced to complain. Cameron admitted that he was making a profit for handing over the data, for which he was earning around €5,600 for handing over nearly 1,000 names and phone numbers.

The judge ordered the dismissal of the case of a woman for whom there is insufficient evidence to follow the procedures, and three other persons whose whereabouts remain unknown. Majorca hotel association and hotel chain seem to have particular charges. The case prompted the UK to take measures such as initiation of proceedings to reduce the cost of court proceedings for tour operators by reforming the costs and pre-writing of the judicial process. In addition, the British Travel Association ABTA announced that the UK’s Ministry of Justice has banned UK-based law firms from charging “exceptionally high” fees for illness claims in overseas destinations.