The number of scams regarding timeshare resales rings an alarm specifically in Florida. Florida has become a fertile soil where timeshare scams flourish. With many timeshare owners wanting to get rid of their timeshare, many resale companies are setting alluring traps for these timeshare owners.
One victim who fell for the trap was Sheila Newman, a client who became unhappy about her timeshares and decided to get her properties listed in timeshare selling websites. Two companies based in Florida responded telling her that all she needed to do was send a check since there are already buyers. It turned out to be a scam
Newman's case is nothing new. In 2009, most complaints that are mortgage related received by the Attorney General in Florida, Bill McCollum, is accounted for timeshare resales. These cases doubled in 2009 from 2008, specifically, there has been 2,719 complaints.
Another case is how a flight attendant was tricked into paying $600 upfront with a reseller, which has listed her unit for $18,000 on its website and printed fliers that she's never seen. This kind of fees can even reach to $5000.
With the cases of timeshare scams piling up, Atty. McCollum's office is reported investigating 17 companies in Florida who are engaging in anomalous practices in timeshare. The attorney general's office is said to conduct more investigations this year.
Late in 2009, two companies have been sued for allegedly accumulated $ 4 million monthly in fees alone from customers through Internet and telemarketing calls. Involved are Universal Marketing Solutions and Creative Vacation Solutions. These two were said to require "hundreds of clients" to pay $1,500 each and promising that they "would market and/or advertise their time share in an attempt to resell it, when in the truth is the time share was merely placed on a website, to which no Web traffic was directed."
The good news is that 1.6 million has been recovered out of customer refunds. The year 2009 made a record-breaking performance for consumer recoveries from timeshare.
The state of Florida being the hotbed for timeshare scams is not a surprise since there are a lot of timeshare properties found in Florida. Around 25% of timeshares are found in Florida. But these cases are not limited to the state of Florida. Attorneys general in Arkansas, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Oklahoma are also on the lookout for issues about the timeshare resale industry.
One victim who fell for the trap was Sheila Newman, a client who became unhappy about her timeshares and decided to get her properties listed in timeshare selling websites. Two companies based in Florida responded telling her that all she needed to do was send a check since there are already buyers. It turned out to be a scam
Newman's case is nothing new. In 2009, most complaints that are mortgage related received by the Attorney General in Florida, Bill McCollum, is accounted for timeshare resales. These cases doubled in 2009 from 2008, specifically, there has been 2,719 complaints.
Another case is how a flight attendant was tricked into paying $600 upfront with a reseller, which has listed her unit for $18,000 on its website and printed fliers that she's never seen. This kind of fees can even reach to $5000.
With the cases of timeshare scams piling up, Atty. McCollum's office is reported investigating 17 companies in Florida who are engaging in anomalous practices in timeshare. The attorney general's office is said to conduct more investigations this year.
Late in 2009, two companies have been sued for allegedly accumulated $ 4 million monthly in fees alone from customers through Internet and telemarketing calls. Involved are Universal Marketing Solutions and Creative Vacation Solutions. These two were said to require "hundreds of clients" to pay $1,500 each and promising that they "would market and/or advertise their time share in an attempt to resell it, when in the truth is the time share was merely placed on a website, to which no Web traffic was directed."
The good news is that 1.6 million has been recovered out of customer refunds. The year 2009 made a record-breaking performance for consumer recoveries from timeshare.
The state of Florida being the hotbed for timeshare scams is not a surprise since there are a lot of timeshare properties found in Florida. Around 25% of timeshares are found in Florida. But these cases are not limited to the state of Florida. Attorneys general in Arkansas, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Oklahoma are also on the lookout for issues about the timeshare resale industry.
Post a Comment