Is time running out for timeshare Toni?

EXCLUSIVE by Jon Clarke & Wendy Williams

INFAMOUS Costa del Sol timeshare boss Toni Muldoon has been linked to a six million euro escort scam.

Fuengirola-based Muldoon has been named as one of the major suspects behind an internet dating fraud that has conned up to 15,000 people worldwide.

Following an international investigation, codenamed Operation Troy, Suffolk Trading Standards has arrested five people after raiding nine addresses in Britain.

But one key suspect remains at large; living right here on the Costa del Sol.

That man is Toni Muldoon, according to the Daily Mirror, which claims that he is also behind a number of ‘debt elimination’ firms.

The Olive Press has been on Muldoon’s trail for four years, writing about his businesses, which are based out of an anonymous office in central Fuengirola.

Now, we can confirm that Suffolk Trading Standards has been trying to have him arrested over the string of websites – 28 in total – many of which are registered from Spain.

But yacht-owning Muldoon – who lives in a mansion in Benalmadena and drives a Mercedes – has so far avoided being questioned over the scams.

According to a Suffolk Trading Standards inspector, the team has been frustrated by the slow speed of the Spanish police.

He told the Olive Press: “Trying to get anything done in Spain is a complete b*****d. No wonder Muldoon has survived so long! It is all very frustrating.”

He confirmed that the team had been investigating numerous websites that Muldoon is said to be behind.

“We have heard of these websites and many more that Muldoon is involved with.

“The Muldoon investigation has built up very nicely, we are waiting to meet the Spanish Police who we obviously need to get on board in order to carry out the necessary action.”

Muldoon, who was exposed for a series of timeshare scams in 2008, is said to be behind the current scam involving escort agencies – including Adorabelles, European Escorts, Date Angels, Diamond Companions and Delightful Stars.

It offers new recruits the chance of high earnings with no fees until the first job.

After a few days the budding escorts are promised a client and asked for their registration fee whereupon the client disappears and the victim never hears from the company again.

And many of the sites listed on the trading standards website – none of which give an address – are the subject of online complaints.

One such complaint referring to Candy Escorts reads: “They found me a client and I had to pay 250 euros to register.

“The same afternoon my ‘client’ was cancelled and they haven’t contacted me since.”

According to the Mirror, when they questioned the agency a spokesperson described the complaints as “absolute nonsense.”

But the newspaper has now traced the supposed agency back to Investment Marketing Management – which it claims is Muldoon’s Fuengirola-based company.

As well as escort websites the same fraudsters are said to have run a debt elimination scam where a company cold-called clients offering to eradicate debts using loopholes in the law for a cost of 500 euros.

One of these companies, Park Lane Services, was being run out of Fuengirola.

When the Olive Press investigated the companies earlier this year, we discovered they were also involved in a so-called ‘search engine optimisation (SEO) deal’, by which they promised to improve third party websites.

The Olive Press was unable to contact Muldoon this week.