Alert over Spanish driving scam

Motorists have been tricked by the 'convincing' letters

British holidaymakers returning from Spain and the Canary Islands are being targeted by a fake driving fines scam.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) said it had received a number of complaints from tourists who have received bogus demands for payment.

Spanish firm Drayes, purporting to act for the Spanish Justice department, is demanding fines of Euro 129 (£86). The letters detail traffic offences allegedly committed while the recipients were in Spain.

The OFT said it believed information about tourists' movements was being obtained through timeshare lists.

Court threat

The letters appear to be official documents, displaying a crest, reference numbers, and citing legislation that does not in fact exist.

This is a very convincing scam Penny Boys, OFT

They threaten Britons with a County Court Judgement if they do not pay up.

The precise nature of the alleged traffic violations are not specified in the letter, which includes a bank slip to make the payment.

The OFT said the letters had been issued by a Spanish company named Drayes, (Deuda Recuadar Alguacil Y Exigir Servicios), which was also operating under the names Mccree (Medio Corte Credito Recoudado Estobar Exigir) and White.

Penny Boys, executive director of the OFT, said: "This is a very convincing scam: the content and presentation of the demand letters combined with the fact that most recipients have recently visited the destinations, make it easy to understand how people could fall for these fraudulent claims."

The OFT is advising people who have received one of the letters, and want to check if the alleged offence is genuine, to contact:

Direccion General de Trafico, Josefa Valcarcel 28, 28071 Madrid. Tel: [phone]/8413; Fax [phone], e-mail: [e-mail] or visit its website (see website link on right).