Scammers banned for selling £3m of bogus holidays

Two men behind a holiday internet booking scam have been disqualified from being company directors for 10 years.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) imposed the ban after it found the men, Nigel Moore of Chester, UK, and Paul Charleston of Las Palmeiras, Spain, had charged as much as £6,000 per person and made a total of £3m for non-existent holidays.

In a press statement, the DTI said: "Members of the public were tempted to sales presentations by the offer of a 'free' holiday. Once there, they were persuaded to pay as much as £6,000 to purchase a so-called 'key' - a user name and password - giving access to websites which were said to offer incredible savings on holiday accommodation."

However, the information that the men provided was bogus and the holiday savings did not match those promised at the sales presentations.

The DTI traced money from 1,200 victims to bank accounts of CCH International Limited in Gibraltar and Spain. Nearly £414,000 went to Gibraltar, of which £234,065 was paid to Paul Charleston.

The companies owned by the men, Callmasters UK Limited, CCH International Limited, Intersun Limited, Leisuremasters Limited, Mediterranean Marketing Limited and Travelmasters Limited, were ordered into compulsory liquidation by the High Court at the end of 2002.