The main thing is a good bait
Usually it all starts with the most seemingly harmless "public opinion poll" on the street, in a supermarket, shopping mall, etc. - as far as the organizers' imagination allows. A pleasant-looking middle-aged woman will come up to you and offer to take part in the survey, not forgetting to mention that a drawing of valuable prizes will be held among the respondents.
Of course, you can politely refuse, but the questions asked are unlikely to arouse suspicion in anyone. Perhaps the future "tourist" will be asked about the mobile operator whose services he uses, maybe about what free games he prefers to play, or about the mayonnaise manufacturer whose products he prefers, or about the brand of audio equipment he would recommend to his friends. After these simple questions, the future client will be asked, as if in passing, about marital status and place of work - both his and his significant other's - writing down the home (work, mobile) phone number in case of a win and handing out a ticket with a number.
Then the person completely forgets about such an insignificant event that happened in his life. But he, it turns out, is not forgotten. The comely woman takes the information collected during working hours to the office and receives a certain fee for it. The data are analyzed, and if the respondent and his companion fit by financial standing (it will be roughly determined by their position) to participate in the process of "giving away elephants," then the phone number is passed on to young ladies with pleasant voices.
You need to know the spots! And to bait...
From this point on, an ordeal for the client's nervous system begins - the girl calls with enviable persistence and with a joyful exclamation announces that he has won a valuable prize, which he can receive by coming to the office of the company with his spouse and children, if any. Most often, people refuse the first time, but when they are called three or four times, ordinary human curiosity kicks in: what if we go? Nothing bad will happen to me anyway, but I'll be able to get some prize. It's interesting...
And so the client agrees - the girl sets the time when he should come, gives the address of the company and invites him to visit. Most often, the offices of such companies are located in the very center of the city. This instills some trust, because rent here costs a lot, and fraudsters would hardly spend so much money in vain.
Women are more often caught by such a hook, because men are by nature less curious, and few of them go to such events willingly. But if the stronger sex does "get caught," no amount of a wife's dissuasion will have an effect. Although each case is, of course, individual.
Crossing the threshold of the "travel company" (note that precisely a "company") in a not very good mood, since all the way the spouse reminded that free cheese only comes in a mousetrap, the person nevertheless remains confident that he will get something special. Here clients will be asked to present an identity document, preferably a passport. After a kind of face control, he will be handed over to the "personal assistant to the manager," called "rep" in office parlance. And this girl or young man will not fall behind until the end of the evening.
It's biting!
The client will be led into a spacious room, where he will be seated at a table - but not at the one he wants, but at the one assigned to his "guide" for the evening. Moreover, necessarily with his back to the door, so that what is happening there cannot be seen. This is where a staged show with an unpleasant outcome begins.
So, while other "lucky ones" fill the hall, the client is being thoroughly worked on by the so-called assistant manager. Whatever the guest says and no matter what he is into - the rep will also be an avid enthusiast of that very activity, be it reading classical literature, diving, or crocheting. They will immediately find many similar character traits and a common hobby.
Do not be surprised, this is not accidental, because the main task of the rep is to win trust, to become a friend to the client for the evening, because people subconsciously trust those who are close in interests more.
The main irritant all this time is the blaring music - it prevents concentration and thinking altogether. Such musical pressure also has its reason - visitors should not hear what is being said at neighboring tables. And the music, like everything else, is specially selected here - with a certain frequency that affects thought processes. But this is all the technical side of the matter.
The future "vacationers" do not even suspect all these developments of the "travel company," sitting at fairly cozy tables and sipping juice. After the hall is completely filled with invited "winners," the "second part of the Marlezon ballet" begins - a performance by the so-called manager, who explains the essence of that very family club vacation for which you were invited.
On an improvised board, he will draw some diagrams supposedly helping to understand what the exclusive innovation offered today is. We will not delve into the essence of the difference between units and weeks in different seasons, which determine the price of apartments. That is a matter for tourism industry specialists. For even greater effect, a video is shown (sometimes they even say that it was filmed by your predecessors at some resort) and, by the way, not of very high quality, about the sun, the sea, and luxurious rest conditions. Usually after such a spectacle, especially on chilly autumn days or, worse, freezing winter ones, people perk up. After all, everyone wants to bask in the sun.
This is exactly where the climax comes - if the rep fails to persuade the client now, then most likely, he will never be able to do it at all. And to prevent this from happening, the assistant manager works with all his might. Clients are shown a catalog with photographs of the apartments and hotels in which they are located, and fictional stories are told about the sights the rep has visited. Then one of the managers approaches the clients, introduces himself, and answers any questions that arise.
All that is required from the client is to pay the money for these apartments. Here and now. In extreme cases, at his home in half an hour. By that time, few people remember the gift promised earlier, but, oddly enough, it will be there, although it will most likely no longer bring joy...
While the visitors are somewhere in the high flight of their dreams of a fairy-tale vacation, the show organizers show another film. And the host manager reminds several times that you can only purchase temporary use of apartments abroad at this very moment, assuring that you will not be able to get into the same presentation a second time. And even if you come tomorrow with a bag of money, no one will be able to buy anything here.
The fish is caught
The music is booming, the rep, without stopping, talks about exotic foreign destinations. And if at least someone in the family has 'taken the bait,' then work at that table boils up even more - the manager, lawyer, etc. come running one by one to 'work on' the other half of the family.
At the same time, the first pop of opening champagne sounds, the music dies down, and the manager solemnly announces that the first deal has been made - everyone present congratulates the 'pioneers' with applause. And this is again part of the show - these are not buyers at all, but on the contrary, they are people who, according to the rep and the manager, cannot possibly spend even a small amount of money on such an event. They are simply given a contract to sign, according to which the client has the right to come and buy the apartments within a certain time (they don't pay any money now), and it is understood that this doesn't happen later either. But the fake purchase has its effect - the herd instinct kicks in, excuse me, and following the first 'lucky ones,' real payers already declare their purchase.
Most often, people do not come with thousands of dollars to vague events, so the 'capture group' for your money goes to visit. Moreover, the person who 'took the bait' is seated in the front seat, and the one who still has common sense is in the back - to continue working on him.
But far from all those present at the 'elephant giveaway' even have the required amounts at home, so without much ado, the organizers shake out of modern Pinocchios the finances they have. Here is how it happens.
In case of a flat refusal to pay big money, the organizers bring out the promised prizes. Each visitor at the entrance showed a tear-off ticket, which is where it all began at the ill-fated survey, its number was copied and entered into a 'computer' that was supposed to randomly determine who would get which prize.
The 'computer' turns out to be more than fair - all visitors get the same prizes, although the gift book also lists a stereo system and a home theater. I think everyone has already guessed that this is... yes, exactly vouchers to one of the resorts shown earlier. According to the rep, absolutely everything in this trip is free, but there is one point. In order for this prize to be registered in your name, you must deposit only $100 as a deposit.
Often it is this amount that visitors to 'travel companies' part with. And in this case, the technique of getting home (if, due to some 'misunderstanding,' the required amount was not found in their pockets) is identical. But some lucky ones still manage to escape from the tenacious rep's claws without losses.
Epilogue
After the client loses money, awareness of what happened slowly comes to him, but unfortunately, nothing can be returned. And if this is the most terrible event that has happened in the lives of the victims, then they can be congratulated. It is clear that no one will go anywhere, but the memory of 'family club vacation' will remain fresh for a long time.
You should not be offended by reps; they are just small cogs in the 'apartment sales' machine and themselves know very little about the 'product.' Most often, students and newcomers work there, who cling to any opportunity to earn money. They are promised a percentage for a completed deal, but few actually get anything, and they are thrown out (not fired, but literally thrown out) of such companies very easily and quickly - for the slightest failure in the 'sales' process. So it is not desirable to work there either, although... It all depends on your moral convictions.