Verbier chalet scam
Tuesday February 9, 2010 - Email this article to a friend

Chalet Lumiere in the upmarket resort of Verbier, has 6 bedrooms, all the luxuries required and is in a central location in town.

The web site shows inviting pictures of the interior, the exterior and the views.

It has a tempting description on the home page.

"Chalet Lumiere is ideally located near to the Town centre and ski lifts, the Chalet has been finished to an exceptionally high standard and provides our guests with every conceivable comfort.

All our chalet staff have been handpicked, and the chalet staff to guest ratio ensures the service you receive is personalised and truly luxurious.

Outstanding cuisine, and selected fine wines, are complimented by a private luxury hydro therapy hot tub, gym and sauna as well as magnificent views of Verbier, and the very latest in HD Cinema as well as a Bose Music system . Chalet Lumiere is ideal for family ski groups, corporate ski breaks, or ski holidays in Verbier with friends."

Prices start at £7,500 for a week which, though pricey, is not too bad by Verbier standards. It sleeps up to 14 people.

The only problem is that it doesn't exist.

The Swiss police have released information about the con to the general public in the hope that people will be aware of the scam. Here is the bogus web site.

It's thought several groups have fallen for the con this winter alone and there have been other instances in recent years of similar scams. 

At the beginning of the winter the Tourist Office was so concerned about it that it put a warning on the home page of its web site about the scam.

"It's incredible but true," Pierre-Yves Deleze, the deputy director of the Tourist Office has told PlanetSKI.

The web site is hosted in London through a company registered in Canada.  It has been shut down several times but then it pops up again on different server.

The Verbier Tourist Office has tried to contact it but has never received an answer.

Last week the site was reportedly down, but we have just checked here at PlanetSKI and it is live again.

This winter a British couple fell victim of the scam and when they went to the Tourist Office the resort put them up in a hotel.  The couple then took up the matter with the British and Swiss authorities.

A group of Scandinavians also fell foul of the con in January.

It is unlikely anyone will be able to get their money back.

The site itself looks entirely convincing, the only thing is that there is no address or telephone number, just a fax number.

People booking over the internet are advised by the Cantonal Police to check with the tourist office that the property exists and that the company running it is reputable.

The police have released information about the con to the geneal public in the hope that people will be aware of the scam.

In a separate story here on PlanetSKI people who bought tickets for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver have been left without tickets.

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