Back a few days ago I received a comment from a lady named Cindy who was looking into a timeshare resale company to sell her timeshare with.
Like all things, this was a complete scammer just trying to get her money and making a big promise.
Here is what she said.
I have researched a few of these timeshare resale companies & feel that Sharp Innovations LLC just may be a legitimate company. Have you ever heard of them? They state in their contract that if they don’t sell your timeshare within 180 days they will refund your initial advertising fee of $899.00 which you pay with your credit card to further protect yourself (since most credit cards fully refund your money when the services are not met). The contract states that there are no other fees or costs. I realize I won’t be making money off my timeshare, but maybe I can pay off what I owe.
Now I’m going to be blunt with you when I say that you do not want to invest in these companies. I don’t know how many people I get coming here on a regular basis looking for some sort of list of legitimate timeshare resale companies. I can’t make it any blunter when I say that it’s not worth it.
How do I know this?
Because I’ve invested in 2 of these companies and all it got me was nothing. No offers, no buyers, and of course no return on the money I gave them. That’s right, I spent $1100 and got nothing in return.
On the other hand, I guess people ask this question because they want to believe that one of these companies is actually a truly legitimate company when they claim that they will give you your money back after 180 days.
I’ve had companies claim that they could sell my timeshare within 30 days or less and give me money back, and guess what, I’m still waiting for that day to come.
The reality is these companies do not have to sell your timeshare for any amount of time, simply because once they have your money and they put your listing up on their website they are not required to do anything else. These companies are not like real estate brokers who work for a commission to sell your property but rather as an advertiser that charges you $900 for one listing, that is way overpriced.
The List Of Timeshare Scam Companies
Now I could spend my time devising a list of all these companies that are ripoffs but I feel a list isn’t good enough. Just to say these companies are all scams is not good enough. I feel it better to let the readers of this article share their stories about these companies.
So in the comments section below share your story about how you got ripped off by these resale companies. Tell us how much money it cost you and maybe, just maybe, the person that reads this article will change their mind about just freely handing over $900 to some company that claims to be able to sell their timeshare.
Finally, if there are not many comments below you will want to check back often as the list will grow. On top of that take the time to Tweet, Google +, and share this article on Facebook, so others will learn just how bad these companies really are.
My mother listed with sharp innovations. She has made a grave mistake. She listed 3 months ago. In three months she has not heard from them once. She has called several times and can not reach her sales agent or the inventory director. She spoke with both before she gave her credit card number. She complained and tried to cancel but was told she has to wait the 6 months. I am calling her credit card company tomorrow. If she waits six months to see if the refund comes it will be late to call visa. Sharp innovations is a scam. They said they would be at a Daytona beach event. I went looking for them and they were not there!
Rhonda: I’m sorry to hear about your mothers situation. Thanks for sharing your story.
Not only were they not in Daytona , they are not located at the address provided on the contract. We stopped by there on our way through Atlanta and its a completely different business. The man I spoke to said they forward their mail for them to a FL address.
I have been called by them and checked with my credit card company. You can only dispute the charge within 60 days of purchase so if they dont deliver in 180 days their is nothing you can do. I would give the timeshare away if I could but I have not found anyone to buy it. Sharp Innovations LLC is a scam just like any other of these sites and their claim to me on the phone was they have been in business for 10 years….dont think so. I fell for one of these a couple of years ago and would do almost anything to get out – have great credit so I wont just stop paying the monthly mortgage I own so I guess I am out of luck…..
I was contacted by the ERA Timeshare Sales Company. They charged us $495.00 to supposedly sell list and sell our timeshare. Needless to say the 12 month contract ended without a sale. They guaranteed they would sell it within 12 months or we would get our money back, we would call to see if the condo had any offers and they would of course lie to us. We finally accepted that we had been ripped off. Now anytime we get a call offering to sell our condo with any amount of money to list or sell our condo, we just tell them we will be glad to sign their contract if they’re willing to take their payment at the close of Escrow. That pretty much ends the call. Do Not Pay any Money UPFRONT, big MISTAKE
Ruth, thanks for the info. I just wish it didn’t have to be at your expense though. Hopefully this will help people from making the same mistake that you did. Thanks for the comment.
For those of you interested, I have found a christian company who stands by their product, they even purchased insurance so that if your week does not get rented you will still get your maintenance paid. please contact them if you want a great company. They do not inflate the prices and tell you that you are going to get thousands of dollars for your timeshare. Its easier to figure out the universe than it is to sell a timeshare is their quote, and all of us timeshare owners know that already but we still try. This company does not sell timeshares but they do put your week on various private
websites for travel clubs, and people pay thousands of dollars for the right to rent timeshares for the cost of a maintenance fee. So this company put the both together and have found much success. Everytime I called they answered the phone and gave me full access to see all the activity on my week.
this comment is for Maryann you said you found a christian company can you
please let me know the name of the co. I have to 2 week to rent. thanks. does any
one know of a legitmet company to sell timeshare?
Any information on Sharp Timeshare from Georgia ? Thanks for any info.
My father was also scammed by Sharp Innovations LLC. He followed the letter of the agreement and requested refund 180 days out and they said he submitted his request too late. We plan to file a complaint with Gerogia Attorney General….if anyone knows the Florida address or name they operate under in FLorida, please reply as we may need to file with Florida Attorney General….also plan to report them to ARDA, whose logo appears on Sharp’s website, but they are not listed as a member. We also plan to file a civil law suit. Please post the circumstances of youR denial of refund by Sharp as we would like to consider joining forces with others to file a civil law suit against Sharp Innovations. DO NOT GIVE SHARP INNOVATIONS LLC ANY MONEY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.
I agree Cathryn people in numbers will be much more convincing to bring down an awful company like this.
Yes apparently my husband an I are victims too of Sharp Innovations. We also have a contract that we were told we had to renew again because we didn’t contact them in time. I unfortunately don’t have any information on their Florida address, but please let me know about any class action suit!
Hi–We too fell for the sales pitch by Sharp Innovations last January. Obviously, they have not sold our timeshare. Recently I’ve been contacted by several different parties. Executive Travel Services said they had a buyer for the property and all I needed to do was send some money for the escrow which would be refunded at closing. The other said HE wanted to buy the timeshare himself and had seen my ad on the internet. The problem with that the company he wanted to use to make the transfer looked shady. Direct Title and Finance has only been in business since April and the CEO can be found on “Mug Shots” websites since he has been in jail twice for beating old people up! I suggested we use someone with a better reputation and never heard back from him. Now I’m getting calls from Consumer Advocate Services in California. They say that they can get my money back from the Sharp Innovations contract because the Georgia Attorney General has shut them down for deceptive business practices and there is a fund that can be tapped to pay off people like me. Of course, they want $200 to do this for me. They also said that Sharp had sold its list of clients to Executive Travel and some other sites which may be why they were suddenly calling me. When I said I wouldn’t pay, they told me I could probably do it myself with a little internet work. I need to contact the GA Attny General and whoever is overseeing the fund. I sure would like to unload this time share!! I’ve heard that you can donate them to charity. Does anyone know if that is legit? Thanks.
Hi Debbie, thanks for sharing your story. I know exactly what you are going through because I’ve been there myself. I lost $1100 to companies like this. These companies are all scams even the ones that try to portray themselves as legit companies. So here are some things you can do.
First off, do not pay anyone money upfront to sell your timeshare. Once they have your money they will typically disappear and you won’t hear anything from them again.
Second, contact your resort and ask them if they have a buyback option. This is how I was able to get rid of mine. I originally bought my timeshare for $4500 and was able to get $400 out of it. Even if they don’t give you much or even nothing for it at least you’ll be rid of it.
Third, I’ve heard donating can work in some cases but they may require money upfront, something I highly disagree with. As a final thought you could try eBay. There is an entire section dedicated to selling your timeshare on eBay however it will cost you $70 to list it. You can learn more about it here http://pages.ebay.com/realestate/timesharesellerguide.html .
Finally, if you can’t sell it try renting your week at least you might be able to get some money for it. You can also do that on eBay as well.
I hope this helps.
Where is the lists? Or are all Timeshare companies another scam?
Hi Maryann Never got your comment back about the Christian Company. By the way I receive I phone call
from advocate group and they also told me Sharp is working under a different name in Florida I will get in
touch with the Attorney General so I can try to get my money back from them let them know their a fraud
company.
I would like to know of the company that Maryann is speaking of. I am wanting to get a legitamate company to sell my timeshare too. Thanks
I was recently contacted by Empire Management and Properties in Colorado who said they had a buyer who wanted to buy my timeshare in Cancun. I was offered a large sum of money for the timeshare. I signed a contract and was contacted by Timeshare Brokerage Firm in California to handle the closing. I had to wire money to a Notary in Mexico to handle the closing. Of course, like an idiot, I did. I was just told I had to send more money to pay Mexican taxes on the property. I am now very suspicious and believe I have been scammed. Just thought I would warn others.
Thanks for the tip Pam. I’m glad that you brought all of this to our attention. One big giveaway that this was a scam was the fact that they offered a large sum of money as this is never the case when selling your timeshare. Don’t feel bad though I fell for the same thing. At least we know who these scammers are now.
I got a call from Timeshare Hot List to rent my timeshare because we dont use it anymore. I though at first I was roped into another scam but they actually got me an offer in about 2.5 months and didn’t promise that they had a buyer upfront like i read on my warnings pop up when I log in into Hilton. My best description of them is an independant advertising company out of Orlando that advertises timeshares for large conventions and internationally and locally for families. They have a travel agency that uses the timeshare inventory as hotel space for people looking to travel. I use them every year and my only complaint would be the long hold times during high call volumes for Customer Service to check on any updates. 866-418-0607 is the line to the front desk and [email protected] is the email. Hope this helps others like me who were scammed before!!!!!!!
ive just been taken for 2,853 by First Step Funding out of Beverly Hills CA. I am so mad, They pretented to have a buyer for my timeshare. They made me and the buyer sign a purchase agreement, which was probably fake. They had me put money into TD Bank in Florida for the costs of the title work in case i would change my mind. Well guess what the money is gone. Im telling you this is a sick world we live in and i trust too many people. I dont think i can deal with this by just sitting back. I will do anything to get revenge. Please help me if you know any way to get my money back. i was told to contact the Attorney General in there State and Mine. I dont know anymore, im at the breaking point and i would like to break someones legs
Hi Bryan, I feel your pain. I’ve lost a ton of money in timeshares as well. I took a look at First Step Fundings website and they look like a fairly legitimate business, but underneath they may be a bunch of scammers, so here is what I suggest you do.
What I am about to explain is the same method I used to get $600 back from a timeshare resale company, and I also will say that their is no guarantee that this may even work for you and it may take some time, but it could be well worth the shot.
So here is what you should do.
First, set up a website. You can create a free one at squarespace.com Name your website something like First Step Funding Scam. This will help the site rank in places like Goolge and other search engines because your goal is to rank in the top 3 to 5 for the term First Step Funding. And from the way it looks in Google this is not a very competitive phrase so you shouldn’t have to much issue ranking for this term. Finally make sure you put your contact info on the site somewhere, this way the organization can call you back later.
Second, write an article describing your story of exactly what happen. Don’t just bash the company because they took your money. Instead give an honest testimony as to what really happened and how this company total took advantage of you. Be very thorough as to what happened. Also title you’re article something like Frist Step Fund: How They Ripped Me Off and Stole $2853 From Me.
Third, Once your article is up and published go to other complaint sites and share your story there and if you can link back to your article to share more of your story. Sites like yelp, BBB, Ripoff Report, consumerfinance.gov, and pissed consumer, can be great places to get the word out.
Fourth, at some point you may get a call from First Step Fundings legal department asking you to take down your website because it will obviously be bad for PR for them. This is where you ask for your money back as I did in my case in agreement to take the site down.
Fifth, if the company does not contact you, and this may happen since they my just be scammers, you be able to put up some Adsense advertising and get a portion of your money back in that way.
I hope this helps Bryan.
Has anyone heard anything about Timeshare Financial Organization? A gentleman named Allen Reeder called and told me that he had a buyer for my time share, he even sent me a letter with a bid and the buyers name on it all I had to do was pay the $1800 for the set up fees but the only way they would take money was through Money Packs which I had never heard of. He said that we could close in 72 hours. Has anyone heard of Timeshare Financial Organization.
I recently received a call from a place called JDB Enterprises claiming they also have a buyer and that they need a binders fee of 10% as security because too many people have backed out of selling their timeshare. Which for me is $1825 and I was doing research and came across this page. I really appreciate your warnings as I am unemployed and that would have been my last. The escrow or brokerage company is called Mar Chris Investments. I don’t know if they are legit but after reading these stories and looking at their website, one has the BBB logo that says click here and the link is grayed out so red flag for me and again I thank you guys.
$1825 is a lot of money Nicole. I’d stay away from it. These deals are never legit when they want you to put this much money down. I don’t know what you situation is but if you just want to get rid of your timeshare contact your resort and ask them if they have a buyback option. This is how I got rid of my timeshare. I should warn you though you won’t get much in return for it. I paid $4500 for mine and only got $400 back in return. Some resorts may not give anything, but if you want to get rid of it this is the best way that I have found.
I wish I had known about this website before I wasted my money with 2 companies to sell my timeshare that I have never used. I did indeed list with Sharp and another I cannot remember at this time. Obviously neither of them has gotten back with me and NO I have not sold my Timeshare.
I’m sorry to hear that Barbara. I got scammed by 2 of these companies as well. I have yet to hear of anyone every successfully selling their timeshare through one of these services yet. Thanks for sharing, hopefully others will find this post and find out before it’s to late.
Hello,
My wife and I were contacted by C.R.M. Realty Investment located at:
65 West 55th St. , NY 10019
Phone 646-453-7138 Fax 646-453-7129
[email protected]
http://Www.crmrealty.net
They contacted us via email with a letter of intent to purchase our timeshare in Cancun.
They provided us with a purchasing price and terms of the deal:
Buyer will pay closing cost
Money will be held in escrow by a company chosen by the buyer but must be in the country of the property for sale (Mexico.)
8% commission paid to CRM due on day of closing
Needless to say, we are not giving any of our hard earned money to any entity. If they want a commission for the deal, they can take it out of the money from the buyer’s funds but we would still need to be cautious with signing over our property.
Has anyone heard of this company? Is this a scam as we suspect it to be? Any insight is helpful.
Thank you.
Hi Everyone. I have a slightly different issue. I listed my timeshare with a company about 2+ years ago and like everyone else, thought it was another $500.00 down the drain (I had listed it once before). However, this week I got a call from Second Hand TImeShares telling me that they got my info from a timeshare selling website and that they had a prospective buyer. My upfront cost was $599.00 for title transfer fee. Anyone heard of them or had any dealings with Second Hand Timeshare?
I have also had the ripoff done to me. JDB Enterprises sent me info on someone wanting to buy my timeshare at double what I had paid for it. Sounded good as things do go up in price. I sent them $1987 to do all the paper work which was refundable on completion as to the contract they sent. A few weeks later they needed another $3690 to finalize the sale which I sent with a little concern after talking on the phone to the company. They had told me that MAR-CHRIS INVESTMENTS were holding the money till buyer signed the transfer papers. I was to receive funds by money transfer in 2 days. As time went by which was over a week nothing happened. Talked to them over phone and they said weekend slowed things up. Then MAR-CHRIS INVESTMENTS said they needed $3690 to close the deal as Mexico needed this for taxes. No more money was sent as I was getting worried. Talked to JDB ENTERPRIZES again which was another so called agent. They said all money is totally refundable when Mexican government receives the money for taxes. Send it and get it back does not add up so told them to sent my money back that had been sent and of course it has to be passed onto someone else. Waiting for there phone call as to what they intend to do. It better be in my favour.
I’m in a hard spot right now. My husband and I sold some of our timeshare weeks to a company in LA (IBE) International Business Events. They needed money upfront for taxes so we paid it and now they are saying something went wrong and the Mexican government is wanting their cut too. Should we send them more money in the hopes of getting out full reimbursement, or just cut our losses. They sound like a legit company, but I just don’t know.
Definitely do not send the money Melanie, it is a scam. These companies will say anything to you to get you to pay up. Contact your resort and ask for a buyback offer. It may not be much or even nothing at all but at least you’ll be rid of the timeshare.
Hi Bob, I would ask for a refund ASAP because it is a scam. Do not give them anymore money. If you want to sell your timeshare contact them and ask for a buy back option. You may not get much for your timeshare but at least will be rid of it. I sunk $1100 into these kinds of scammers and I learned real fast they have no interest in helping you but rather steeling more of your money. I hope this helps.
Don’t do it, it is a scam!
We got scammed by two companies, one of them “Timeshare Hot List” and the other “Right Price Point Property, LLC.” No money back. No rentals. We got one call from each of them in a 2-year timeframe. Talk about feeling stupid! Looking at the other comments, it appears it takes twice before we get some sense. Nice to know we’re not the only ones.
Wish my fiance & I had found this site earlier. Ivan, my fiance was contacted by the scammer Allen Reeder with Timeshare Financial Organization. Unfortunately, she was instructed to purchase ‘Moneypaks’ for $1,800.00 as her ‘upfront’ costs, similar to what you stated. Then after sending that, she was told that ‘sometimes taxes have to be paid and the IRS is requiring $1,500.00 for this transaction’, which also required the purchase of ‘Moneypaks’. After sending that, then he attempted to come back, now claiming that the ‘Title company’ (alleged Closing Title Transfers, CTT) were requiring $1,000.00 in order to complete the sale, which was also to be in the order of Moneypaks.
Unfortunately, she is out $3,300.00 and attempting to get her money back as we realized what is going on. Any and all valid recommendations on how she may get her money back, would truly be greatly appreciated.
Doing some research on the TFO website, indicates that the site has only been operation for 5 months, activated in Feb 2012, there does not appear to be any valid website for Closing Title Transfers. Also upon reviewing the TFO document and the CTT documents, you can quite easily spot that the same usage of font type/color are used, in addition, the email from ‘Allen Reeder’ footer reads;
T.F.O
Sales Manager
Allen Reeder
~~ On the CTT header, it reads;
– C.T.T –
Note that this scammer has a tendency to leave off the last period in both alleged companies. Also reflecting that you’re dealing with the same lead person even though you may receive phone calls from different people.
Researching the phone numbers only points back to Ymax communications, which is evidently affiliated with MagicJack.
This fraud is increasing fast. The typical scheme involves a cold call from a timeshare broker claiming to have a buyer willing to pay big bucks. People are entice to get money and the timeshare out of their monthly expenses. The con man asks for upfront fees to complete the transaction, if they hear again from him is only to request for more money.
This is Bob again warning people before they get scammed like me. Since no more money was sent a phone call and e-mail informed me the Mexican government needed $4967 more to close the deal as it was to pay capital gains for the sale of the time share. I was to receive every dollar back. I had told them NO MORE and a few days later a company by the name of WORLD WIDE RECOVERY MANAGEMENT phoned and said they had about 30 other clients needing them to recover any money sent by others to sell time shares in Mexico. Legal lawyers that do this all the time was what I was told and they DO NOT need any retainer to start action against MAR-CHRIS INVESTMENT CORPOATION. A few days later the lawyer or so called lawyer phoned and said all funds are there but second amount I sent in was put in wrong account and they can not get it out. BIG JOKE. They said they needed another $3690 which was totally refundable within a few working days. Same story as MAR-CHRIS tried on me so just waiting for phone call from from WORLD WIDE RECOVERY MANAGEMENT to tell them NO MORE MONEY and then see what happens. Anyone dealing with these companies DONT as until I get any money I sent back they are all part of a rip off scam.
Just got phone call from WORLD WIDE RECOVERY MANAGEMENT and the so called lawyer that was going to get my money back was not the one that phoned but it was a guy from customer service and when I asked him the message was for the lawyer to phone he got hostile with his words and even worse when I asked him why they did not have a web site by that name. He hung up on me so in my opinion this company is just a part of the scam. BEWARE
Thanks for the update Bob.
I am out all money sent to the so called sellers of timeshares. MAR-CHRIS INVESTMENTS is a scamming so called company. JDB ENTERPRISES is also a scam company. WORLD WIDE RECOVERY is also scams. In my view they all sit at a long table and when they don’t get any more money they pass it to the person next to them to see what they can do. Too bad a person cannot see them in person because the money sent would be returned fast. ANYONE thinking of dealing with any of these so called companies or thinking about it DONT as they only want your money and nothing else. I will be posting this on any site I can to WARN others so they DONT help finance there cars and fancy homes like I did. There names that work for these companies are probably NON EXISTANT and just some name they pulled out of a hat.
Thanks for the info Bob.
Hi again I wrote about my experiences a while back and have lost way too much Money to several scammers in the time share selling and time share scammer recovery business. I don’t care what they say or how sincere they sound on the phone, do not send them one dime!!! You will never see your money or hear from these crooks again. Ultimately I was able to take the only legitimate option and contacted the resort which owns the time shares and asked them if they would buy it back. I had asked several years ago but they were in a building phase and said no. This time they agreed to pay me $700 for it. While I paid $28kfor it eight years ago I still had 22 years left and at $900 a year in maintenance I figure getting rid of it has saved me $20 k. Someone told me that once you sell a timeshare you can deduct the maintenance fees you paid on you income taxes. Has anyone heard of this?
Please please readers don’t fall for these scams! If everyone would hang up maybe these crooks would get discouraged and give it up!
Thanks for the awesome tips Debbie. It’s awesome to see that you’ve been able to get rid of the timeshare, I know it cost you money but like you said when you look at the money you saved it makes perfect sense, because these things are literally a trap in themselves and very hard to get rid of once you want to sell them. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
here is an update to my problem. Have not received any money back and do not expect too. I GOT SCAMMED. About a week ago I received an e-mail from RCI which is the directory that lists all resorts available once time share is purchased. They also collect money from you if you go to a different resort than the time share was purchased from. They informed me that they had been hacked into and information they had taken from me at time of purchase was with someone else. So much for the SECURE SITE they had told me they had and any information was only for them. That is how the SCAMMERS were able to get my e-mail address. It is not all there fault as I fell for the scam. If I had been informed once they were hacked into and not a MONTH LATER I may have not lost out. BEWARE
Thanks for the update Bob. It seems as if a lot of sites are getting hacked these days and worse stealing user data and ripping people off.
Has anyone heard of Magellan Securities and their alternate company Asset Guidance, location address of Houston TX. Is this another company that scams timeshare owners to sell their properties and requesting money up front. I think it is a scam, but my friend didn’t, and is on the hook for a lot of money. Is there any recourse within the state of Texas he may contact? Any information would be appreciated
I received a call from Ocean Sands Resorts stating that they have a buyer for my Diamond Resort point for an amazing price. They have sent me an “Offer to Purchase” stating that they have a deposit from a couple who live in Toronto that is being held by “Bank of America”. The offer indicates I need to send $8000.00, yes $8000.00, via Money Pak within 24 hours. Who has $8000.00 just sitting around to send within 24 hours. Also, the offer has $ amounts indicated by an A, B, C but nowhere on the one page offer are the A, B, or C descriptions clearly explained. Needless to say, I am not sending $8000.00 via Money Pak and left a message with “Robert Smith” that I am not interested in the offer/scam. Finally, the front page of the offer thanks me for contacting Ocean Sands to sell my timeshare. Surprise I never contacted these people, they cold called me. If it sounds to good to be true, hold onto your hard earned money and don’t send these scammers a penny! Thanks for this website to make those of us who would love to sell their timeshare aware of the scammers that try to take advantage of us.
Thanks for the update Nancy. These scammers will do anything to get your money, and if this helps even just one person avoid this awful scam it will have been worth it.
I just wanted to thank you for writing this blog entry. I do not have a timeshare property but my aging parents do. They were contacted by Timeshare Financial Organization. If it were not for your post and the comments, I would not have found any other reference for this company that offered to buy my parents timeshare. Their website looked legitimate. The contact number calls a person’s answering machine. I left my name asking for a call back, that I had questions about the offer my parents received. No call back. They are not listed with the Better Business Bureau. Nothing on Yelp. The link to like their Facebook page leads to Wix’s Facebook page. Back to my point, I had nothing to go on, until I found this page. I advised my parents against accepting the offer and they willingly listened. You (and Ivan and Christian) saved us a lot of trouble. So, thank you.
I’m also wondering about Asset Guidance. I was contacted by an attorney Steven Stone about selling my time share in PV. They want 4% which seems reasonable, BUT their title company is Megellan Securitites and they want $3,000 up front before recording the sale. A Ms Foster with them says it is because it is not a deeded property and it is international transaction. Not sure what to do. I do want to get rid of it, but not sure they are legitimate. I saw Gayle’s comments above and it looked like she was questioning it. Has anyone heard anything about these companies?
My parents want to sell their timeshare, but I’m not sure how, other than a broker. I’m fearful that they are going to get scammed. Even I am getting lured in by the sales pitches. What is the reputable way to offload one, if the resort does not offer a buy back program?
Thanks for the comment Stephanie. You definitely don’t want to go through a broker or timeshare resale company. Anyone that ask for a large sum of money upfront is looking to rob you blind. If your looking to sell your parent timeshare and can’t get a buy back option, the only other option I know of is eBay. Here is a guide to help you get started: http://pages.ebay.com/realestate/timesharesellerguide.html I wish I had a better option for you but their just isn’t any out there. Timeshares are just a bad deal all around when you want to sell them and their are a lot of scammers.
I would stay away from that deal. I don’t know much about these companies either but $3000 to record a sales sounds pretty drastic.
I also found this great article by Clark Howard that talks about a new and unique way to sell your timeshare that you may want to look into. You can check it out here: http://www.clarkhoward.com/news/clarkhoward/travel/new-site-buying-and-selling-timeshares/nZtzT/
Also if you are looking for more info on what is legit and what is not Clark has some other great articles here: http://www.clarkhoward.com/categories/scams-ripoffs/timeshares/
Thanks for the comment and I hope this helps.
Thanks Eva, I’m glad to help. These scams are getting out of control especially in the timeshare industry and nobody seems to be doing much about them. Thanks for the comment, I really appreciate it.
I also have been scammed. Bluwyn management out if Las Vegas owner is Lou Curto said he had a buyer and I paid him $1839 ouch. Worst part it he dragged it on for 5 months and said closing paperwork was in the mail. Do not pay them anything.
Has anyone heard of a company called Leisure Getaways Inc.? They are offering to consolidate several timeshares that we own and convert the points to RCI points with a much lower maintenance fee but the same time available in points. It is appealing if it works as advertised. Any comments?
I’m sorry to hear that Tina, thanks for sharing.
Has anyone heard of Newton Group Transfers or Time Share Luxury? Want to get info on them before giving them any money.
Hello,
I would like to let everyone know about a solicitation I received to sell my timeshare in Mexico. I have 2 that are paid for and I own one with my mother. So I thought ok. First thing that was suspicious is that I was offered 12.9000.00 for it. “But” it was an International sale so I would need to wire $2064.00 for the taxes first. Then when they make my funding payment they will pay me back and I will be free and clear of all US taxes etc. This is the Third Coast Group out of Houston, TX They are very efficient with the emails, using the same name that are on the web site. Match fax numbers and have good follow up. However, the deal stinks to High Heaven !
FYI
Hi, I received a call last week from a company call Third Coast Group (also known as 3CG, TCG) http://www.3cgrouptx.com. They tell me there is no upfront fee and they charge 5% at closing. Received nice offer today. I hear about people complaining about upfront fee, but this says there is no upfront fees, but wondering if they will throw something else in later after we sign offer. Also how do we know the closing company is legit? Has anyone dealed with this company before and how do you check if they are one of the rare legit companies???
Been through promises but never paid any money upfront. Still own a time share with RCI and one with Fiesta American that I would love to sell. Has anyone ever heard of the Vacation Center, St. Mary’s, Georgia or Pinnacle. There has to be one out there that is legit. Any info?
I’m so glad I found this website. I was recently contacted by Allen Reeder with Property Management Plus, Inc. out of Los Angeles (sounds like he’s changed company names a few times). He made me a purchase offer for our timeshare in Mexico that was well in excess of what we paid for it, it looked very official on letterhead and everything. I did an online search of the company and they appear to have a very legitimate real estate/property management business out of Los Angeles, but we all know websites can be created from nothing. Did a little more research and came upon this site, glad to have found it. I just emailed Mr. Reeder and told him “no thanks”, wasn’t out anything at this point! Thought I’d share so that everyone would know that Reeder is apparently changing companies frequently.
That’s awesome Michelle. This is exactly why it pays to do your research. I’m glad I could help.
Does anyone happen to own a timeshare through or from Bluegreen? I have been emailing a
Barbara Rueschenberg, who tells me that she is starting a timeshare rental business and wants info about it. I could tell right from the get go that it was a scam. I am currently in conversation with this individual in hopes to lure them into an arrest. if anyone knows of this person or has been contacted by this individual, please keep the party interested in hopes that they will reveal any info about their whereabouts or their set up.
thanks,
Jesse
Does anyone happen to own a timeshare from Bluegreen? I have been emailing a
Barbara Rueschenberg, who tells me that she is starting a timeshare rental business and wants info about it. I could tell right from the get go that it was a scam. I am currently in conversation with this individual in hopes to lure them into an arrest. if anyone knows of this person or has been contacted by this individual, please keep the party interested in hopes that they will reveal any info about their whereabouts or their set up.
thanks,
Jesse
I also received a call from CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY JONES from PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PLUS INC. supposedly based out of Los Angeles. He offered five times what I paid for my time share, had an official letter head, he was very friendly, spoke well, their website looked legit however, when I searched for them on google nothing came up except a company be the same exact name in Colorado. He stated he had a buyer he referred to as OHL (Obraska Huerta Lain) which is a large company that i contacted promptly to let them know these people were involving their company name in a scam. He sent a letter of intent and is waiting for the contract to come back. The money would be put in escrow with me as a beneficiary. He said first I needed to send him money then they would send me my money via wire transfer. The whole thing just seemed a bit off. I appreciated other people posting their situations or I may have been convinced. He was very persuasive. He did provide a real estate license with California Department of Consumer Affairs, which seems legitimate but something just doesn’t feel right. I contacted the building manager of where their main office is located and they stated that no such company is located in the building. Do your research people! The FBI and Consumer Affairs are warning you. Go on vacation, enjoy your timeshare and don’t send anyone any money!
Signed a contract with a company in Illinois to sell my timeshare, guaranteed. Catch is they want me to pay an International Escrow Fee of $4150 into Escrow, which would be then refunded by the buyer on closing. My feeling is once I send this money I’ll never hear from them again. All other fees etc for this sale are to be paid by the buyer, supposedly. I’m sure it is a scam. Your thoughts please.
Barbara Rueschenberg contacts people proposing to buy their timeshare. Interesting that she posted on this website about being scammed herself.
Has anyone had dealings with TimeShareGroup? They are asking for 599.00 one time payment to sell my Wyndham Cypress Palms points. They say the buyer pays all closing cost and could take up to 6-9 months to sell. This is the first time I am looking into selling and am scared to death!
Has anyone dealt with a Susan Carver of Rose City Resale Group? Located in Portland Oregon. No money upfront to sell our Club Regina property for a ridiculously high price. Then there was the request for Mexican gov’t taxes, which we paid. We waited for the wire transfer of funds to our account but when it didn’t arrive we were told that the Mexican Gov’t stopped it at customs and the fee to release would be $7,000. We declined, were threatened with tales of not being able to enter Mexico if we didn’t pay. Our bank confirmed that there are no such customs’ stops. Two weeks later were told by this Susan that she had paid the fee. We waited for the funds. They haven’ t of course arrived. Informed by Susan that there were additional fees, etc. It has gotten to be amusing noting how many twists and turns can occur to bilk us of more money. By the way, many very official documents have been sent, with official like phone calls from “customs”, etc. I think this has got to be the poster child of all timeshare scams.
Hi Stephanie, I just saw your comment and I just wanted to tell you not to take the deal. This has scam written all over it. I did a deal similar to this and they promised it would be sold in 6 -9 months and that is total false. All of these companies make this claim but then they like to flip their story and say that they are just an advertising company. Any company asking you to put any money down before they sell your timeshare is a complete scam. Even Clark Howard says this on his radio show.
I hope I’m not being to dramatic for you but you get the point, these companies are a complete scam.
Hey Hubert you are correct this is a scam, please do not send that money. I know I’m sending this to you a bit late but your wallet will thank you for it. ; )
Thanks for the reply. Did not send any money. Appears the scam is they say will sell your timeshare at no cost to you, but later ask for funds to be sent for escrow to the title company, which of course then you never hear from them again.
Thank you so much for reply. I did not do it. I called Wyndham direct and the gave me companies names the are realtors and I was told because I only get 63,000 points per year I would not be able to sell it for anything. I don’t know what else to do….worst mistake of my life.
It sucks to hear that Stephanie. My timeshare was the same way, I paid far more than it was worth and when I was finally able to dump it I got less than 10 cents on the dollar for it. My only suggestion is if you want to sell it is to contact the company back you got it from and ask if they have a buyback option. This is what I did. I figured I would be further off if I just took my loses now than rather than hold onto the dream that I was going to get top dollar for it.
Best of luck Stephanie.
That’s good to hear Hubert. I fell for 2 of these scams losing around $1100 to these scammers. I was able to get the money back from one of these companies fortunately but that is a rarity.
Hi Molly, that is crazy to hear how far these scammers will go to take advantage of people. I’m glad you didn’t pay the fee and realized it was scam. So many people get caught up in these scams and don’t realize it’s all happening to them until its to late. Thanks for sharing.
It was really good reading all of the experiences that you all have been through. I have had my time share for eight years now and I tried to sell it in 2008 through a company that contacted me. I fell for the one time offer and and gave them $1000. Never heard from them again and I am once again looking to get rid of this dead weight. I am looking into SellMyTimeshareNow.com. They are asking for money upfront still, in the ballpark of $1500, but I was the one contacting them. I told them I would call back after I do some homework. They have a B+ with the BBB only because they are not a member. I still don’t trust them and just really want to get rid of this thing. Has anyone had an experience with these guys? From reading this my best option seems to be to ask for a by back option from the resort. Thanks for any feedback.
I got a call from Westwood Benson Brokers in Chicago that they had a buyer for my timeshare in Mexico. They have asked for no money stating that all expenses are paid by the buyer and I owe them a commission only after closing and I have received the funds via cashiers check. U.S. Federal Holdings in San Antonio who claims 27 years of experience in such transactions is supposedly handling the escrow. Any thoughts?
Joy omg I hope you didn’t fall for Westwood like I did! They are a scam and US Federal Holdings is a scam too! I lost ALOT of money please be aware of these guys. They look legit. They aren’t.
Dave I sold my first timeshare with sell timeshare.com but I only paid $500 to list with them and it did take 3 years to finally get a buyer after I dropped my price two times.
Joy,
I read your note/comment of December 14 , 2015 and have had a very similar experience with the folks you mentioned. I will gladly share with you the specifics of what happened, if you are kind enough to send me a message to my cell phone at (301) 787-3779, telling me your best contact telephone too.
– Chris D,
Reply to Joy who posted her blog on December 14, 215.
Joy, I had already replied to you two days back providing my cell phone number (301) 545-0525 where you can post me a text message together with your U.S. based or Mexico-based cell or mobile phone or other contact telephone. I can call you back right away with details of a very similar experience I had. Let us exchange notes on this and work together to resolve this problem
From Chris D.
See prior note to Joy’s in response to her December 14 post.
This is a reply to Holly’s first note of February 19, 2016 at 2:30 PM. As I mentioned to Joy, I had a very similar experience and would like to have a word with you on how you got out of it. Please send me a text message to (301) 787-3779 right away providing me the best telephone number where I can reach you. — Chris D. Would be great if you can do it right away.
Has anyone had any experience with Best Day as a buyer of timeshare and Realty Linc out of Louisville, CO as the Escrow Agent in trying to sell a timeshare in Mexico?
Hi everyone! WARNING! Metropolitan Title and Escrow Services, Scam!
Here’s another one: I was contacted by a young guy names Joseph from SERVICE PROPERTY MANAGEMNT GROUP. He asked if I was interested in selling my time share. Sure… He asked the description and details about the time share. I gave him the info. He then sent me a nice offer letter, about four times what I paid for the TS. (sounding familiar) Of course this sounds great and I am only seeing $$$. Today, I received the contract from the Escrow company. All looks fine, no upfront fees, in my mind, I have already bought the new motorcycle 🙂
I call David Fuentes, Senior Escrow Officer, Metropolitan Title and escrow Services, LLC., 50 South Streele street, Suite 250, Denver, CO 80209, Phone (303) 954-4862 (so none of us fall for this) I went over the contract with him and asked about the buyer, he said this guy is buying lots of time shares.(?) (I am still trying to figure out a business angle for buying time shares way over market value, but that’s for another day) I ask him: When will this close, I mean I have to buy my new motorcycle while the weather is nice,,. right? He said it would be very quick, then off handedly said that we will go to closing and I will provide him with the foreign investor tax paper or something like that from the Mexican IRS. Huh? I don’t have anything like that and have never heard of anything like that. He offered to call SAP to see if they had it on file for me. He called back, big surprise, they did not have it on file and I will have to pay 12% of the sale price, upfront, but get it back once the sale has gone through. I have been thinking about this all afternoon, then did a web search and found this blog. THANK YOU! Now I can’t buy that bike…. 🙂 You saved me over $3,000 and I can’t thank you enough. I don’t have that type of money and probably would have borrowed it from someone… You guys are all awesome!!!!
I received a letter from Newton Group Transfers telling me that I am “pre-qualified” to permanently eliminate all of my timeshare obligations.
I have read all the posts from the beginning and only see one mention of this company. Has anyone dealt with them? If so, what was the result? Thanks in advance for any info.
Has anyone heard of Capital One Services Group, Inc.? I was contacted by Christian Flores Lopez about selling my Fiesta Americana, Los Cabos timeshare. He sent a letter of intent for me to sign and return to him. Their website looks legit of course. I told him I absolutely would never send a dime upfront and informed him of another scam I almost fell for until they said I needed to pay Mexico taxes before I could get my money. I did not send them any money, and they called back several times until I threatened to call the Attorney General in their state. Capital One Services Group, Inc. charges 8% commission.
I came to this website in the hopes of seeing a list of scammers to see if their name was on the list. Where does one find out about companies? Capital One Services Group, Inc. was incorporated in 2005, and I can’t find anything negative about them on the internet.
Has anyone heard of any scams with, SellMyTimeShareNow? I contacted them to sell 2 separate weeks
(I was talked into a second week don’t judge). Any how, the lady I spoke with said it was normally $1798 for them to take care of everything for 12 months, but since I had multiple to sell it would be $1498 each but I would only have to put down $998 each up front and pay the rest after a sell, she even said I could do one at a time. She told me 2 different quotes to sell, one was high and she said it could be on the market for a long time, maybe years. The second price she said was more reasonable and more likely to sell within the year. They also, say if it doesn’t sell in 12 months then they will pay for it themselves to list it another 12 months. Has anyone done this and been successful or been scammed? I looked on BBB but they aren’t a member I found a consumer website most reviews were positive but said sometimes it might not sell until you drop the price several times. Thanks for any information!
Hi Eliza, if they are asking you to put down $998 to sell your timeeshare it’s a scam. You should never have to put money down to close a deal.
Patti
I was contacted yesterday by Capital One Services Group offering way more money for my Sunset Group Timeshare at Tres Rios. Your right….their websight looks first rate. They haven’t asked for money yet……will stay tuned.
Has anyone ever used these Timeshare Exit companies to get out of a contract? We have a lawyer working on ours now for $500 plus costs and tax. Hope it works
Hello,
I am speaking to Capital One Services Group Inc now regards a Mexican Riviera Maya timeshare. It made clear from my side there would be no upfront fees for any services until the the escrow was closed, funds transferred to all parties. Furthermore, there have been reported there is a deduction of all kinds of fees to a whole bunch of parties including the Mexican Govt,, taxes, 8% etc,, making the net profit extremely low. Are these costs entirely legitimate? Or, is there some way they deduct fees to illegitimately add profit to the Capital One and skim? I’d like to see their CA real estate brokerage license, and the individual real estate li
One concern I have is the Evolution Capital Corporation, handling the escrow doesn’t have a California escrow license number nor a business address in CA. I’ve asked for business info on both companies to insure everything is above board.
Chris
I’m still speaking with them. This is the situation:
– we bought a timeshare at the Sunset Lagoon.
– we were told we had to go to another property to check it out. Tres Rios.
– after a 6 hour (90 minutes) high pressure sales we upgraded to the Tres Tios.
– when the deal was done, they handed us back the Sunset Lagoon property as a gift that would never cost us anything unless we used it. ( just got the 5 year maintenance fee).
– though it was a few years ago, we feel dupped. They say theere is now way out of these contracts and we told them we’re not paying anymore. The property has gone way down hill.
– suddenly we get a great offer from Capital one service group…..saying that they have a buyer that wants to purchase our units. They say the company currently owns 20% of the Sunset group and wants to own more so its buying up all available units. I pointed out that online these units are selling at $2500 (Sunset Lagoon) and $110000(Tres Rios).
– they are offering $23000 (Sunset Lagoon)
And $75000 for Tres Rios. Less their 8% Commision after we get paid.
I’ve had my lawyer look their offer to purchase and so far everything looks OK. Of course we are very sceptical but I’d like to see what their angle is if it’s all fake.
Anybody else have any dealings with them?
Hi Derreck, I don’t want to get your hopes up but I had a company do exactly the same thing to me claiming they could get me far more than I purchase the unit for. The reason I say this is because nobody buys a timeshare for this kind of money. It’s almost unheard of. So I would be very leary of this.
My question is are they are asking for any kind of upfront fee? If not this may be legit but I would have your lawyer double check the contract before you do anything. The last thing you want to do at this point is throw more money away on something that is already a lost cause.
Keep us posted on how this turns out.
Yes…watching this very closely. We are very upfront that we are not paying for anything upfront,lol. So far they have not asked. My lawyer even told them that they would use an escrow account of our choice. They didn’t like that but did not say that it was out of the question. I’m quite sure this is a scam and just want to find out what their up to.
I’m in the middle of trying to get out of these two timeshares for nothing, let alone someone trying to pay me for them.
I’ll keep you posted.
I have been also contacted by Capital one services group with exact same reasoning that a mexican is trying to increase his share in Sunset and offered the same amount you have listed.
Looking for some inputs.
Hi Derrick and Christopher,
We’re having the EXACT same conversation with Capital One Services Group, Inc. They called us a little over a month ago and offered us a larger sum of money than what we paid for the timeshare and said they had a buyer, but wouldn’t share who the buyer was when we requested several times.
Early on in the discussions we tried to poke holes in their stories but we weren’t able to find any – even called several legal and license boards in the state of CA where they say they are registered and nothing came up negative.
It’s been a few weeks since you’ve posted and we’re curious where you netted out with them and if it was in fact a scam.
Please let us know if you’re able, we’d like to either move forward and recoup some of the moneys we spent on the timeshare OR post about this jerks all over every board and report them to every possible place we can report them to.
Thank you for this article, these posts and your transparency in all the issues surrounding innocent people and their timeshares.
We have also been in conversation with and have an offer from Capital One services group for our timeshare for approximately 4 times what we paid for it almost 10 years ago. At first there was no upfront fees, costs, or anything like that. But now they are asking us to transfer $3,500 into BBVA Bancomer Bank with a beneficiary name of Miguel Angel Andrade Uscanga. Of course now we are very suspicious and have no intentions of wiring any funds into this bank. Has anyone else had this type of dealings with these people ? Three of the names that we are talking to are Daniel King, Michael Carson and Alan Brown…???
Friends and fellow Mexican Time Share owners looking to sell through Capital One Services Group. It’s curious different names are being used. I’m speaking to some named Daniel Walkers, at ext. 216, James Parker, who states his position is a broker, and Michael Carson, who states he’s a manager. I’ve not yet heard of an Alan Brown or Daniel King, which raises a small question but not a significant one.
They are using Evolution Capital Corp, based in the SF Bay area, to complete the transactions, I’ve been speaking to Mr. Alan Chavez, who is an escrow agent.
Both Capital One Services Group and Evolution Capital Corp do have legitimate AZ State Licenses in their respective fields. Neither shows any complaints as yet.
Everything has largely proceeded relatively smoothly. But, here are my concerns:
1. A real estate company must show their CA state broker ID on the website, literature, contracts and such by law. All agents should be listed on the website with their CA real estate license number as do ReMax, Realty One, Berkshire Hathaway, etc.. These are very important laws. Why are these protocols not being followed?
2. In dealing with Mr. Chavez with the escrow company, he acknowledged that Capital One made a significant error in not point out the Mexican Govt requires capital gains taxes on the sale of property or timeshares. This is a factual statement, and you can check it out yourself. However, COSG, didn’t disclose this, and not more funds are being requested prior to close of escrow. They say a deal has been struck with the buyer to reimburse at close of escrow. I sternly pointed out to Michael w/ COSG, this is an enormous error and fumble.
My conclusions thus far are this. the “broker” COSG is either new at these transactions or there is some form of misconduct taking place. The fact that capital gains are required by the MX govt seems normal while there are some gaps in professional conduct.
Please share your thoughts, concerns and experiences. And, I’ll keep everyone posted as well.
Hello Everyone. This is an update regarding the people pretending to be broker dealers for timeshares in Mexico. I’ve done a little more research today. I’ve spoken to the authorized CA real estate license whose number is being used by Capital One Services Group(see below). I further researched Evolution Capital Corporation Inc(ECCI) as well. I am told by several parties mentioned below, they are are scams. I just checked out the address for ECCI when speaking to John Andreini, the legal owner of the property address of ECCI’s supposed business operations. He stated it’s a residential condominium address in SF, CA. He said no escrow company is using this address.
I spoke to a Mr. Seyed Hosseini, the legal owner of a CA based real estate company, License ID:
01508018, attached to this company, Capital One who said they stolen his company real estate ID to promote this scam. He has reported it to the CA Dept of Real Estate office in Sacramento, CA. They have opened an investigating into the license theft and fraud.
According to Mr. Hosseini, no one should be doing any business with Capital One Services Group who are using his real estate ID.
This requires much more research and investigation.
I spoke to one attorney here in Phoenix today, who shared a very cautionary story about another person who was involved in the same type of program. Because of attorney client privilege, he couldn’t disclose who the “timeshare broker” was, but stated the same scenario yielded no funds to the seller after payment of upfront “taxes” and “RFC Mexican taxpayer ID” funds. Once all funds had been transferred from the seller. the broker company stopped calling him back or taking his calls. The couple never received any proceeds what so ever. When the attorney checked the address of the broker on the correspondence, there was no such company at that address. Everything was fictitious.
Everyone should ask for proof of Identity, a real estate license(actual copy posted to their website) and any other assurances. These companies apparently are stealing the identities of companies, licenses and names. It’s a well organized criminal enterprise crossing state lines and country boundaries.
Right now, my guard is 100% raised regards paying any funds or cooperating without proof of company address, employee ID’s and verification of business status.
Let’s share factual information based on actual research.
The SF bay area realtor, whose property address was fraudulently used as the escrow address in the Timeshare resale scheme sent me this article which everyone should read, share and widely distribute.
http://www.dre.ca.gov/files/pdf/ca/2013/ConsumerAlert_LatestTimeshareFraud_Feb2013.pdf
Thank you thank you!!! I have been trying to prove Capitol one service group was a fraud. I have spent hours on line and this was the first info I got to prove it. I did look up seyed hosseini number I was going to call tomorrow. No need now. Capitol one is calling me 3 times a day for me to sign the contract. I will lead them on for as long as I need to get more info on who these fraudsters are. I want to see them put in jail. James Parker wanted to meet me personally to shake his hand on the deal. Let’s slap some hand cuffs on them. I will set the meeting up if we can get some law inforcement people in the great state of California to do the honors of putting Daniel Walters and James Parker in jail.
As you can see these bastards have mad me lose lots of sleep! Let’s get this info out there.
Everyone who has been approached by Capital One should be contacting the CA Dept of Real Estate special investigations unit to file a complaint since they’re using a stolen brokerage ID. Several complaints have been lodged already. Writing angry notes is pointless unless you take action. One investigator working on this is Mr. Mead at 559.445.6290. Also, since it’s interstate crime and fraud, contact the FBI LA office, where a complaint can also be filed.
Organized, consistent action is what gets results.
We just got a written offer today from Capital one Service Group for our Sunset Resorts time share in Playa del Carmen. They offered us $31,950 for a time share that we purchased on the 2nd hand market 10 years ago for $4000. I knew this had to be a scam. Thank you for posting all of this information.
If you want to sell your time share, try listing it with “RedWeek”. You won’t get an outrageous offer but they are a legitament company that advertises timeshares for sell for a fair fee. They get buyers and sellers together and then the Price is decided between buyer and seller. I’ve bought 2 timeshares through Red Week and both purchases went very smoothly and both escrow’s were handled by legal US escrow company’s. My sister who is a real estate broken referred me to Red Week.
This response is directed to everyone who may have paid or was asked to pay alleged Mexican Taxes in advance of close of escrow for a timeshare resale with any supposed company. The FBI Los Angeles office shared with me this morning, everyone should file a complaint on the following agency website. http://www.Ic3.gov, then search for complaint form. This allows the FBI to gather sufficient intel.
In speaking with the CA DRE, special investigator in S. CA she said there are some concerns this could be part of a money scam which is generating income for terrorists and/or ISIS. I was told there is a memo, Everyone must report this to protect others and to protect the USA from potential terrorist activities.
Update and an interesting email we received from COSG: So we received an email stating that this group was cancelling our sales agreement since we did not following through with sending the $3,500 to the Mexican bank per their request. That we needed to call or legal action would take place, as they were still due their 8% commission fee of $2,792. I called them just to see what they would say and the man I talked to going by the named Bruce Carter basically said the same thing that serious action action is their only option if we dont send the money. I then asked him if he knew a Mr. Seyed Hosseinni…at first he hesitated and acted like he didnt know…then he mysteriously lost phone contact with me..?? I called back and Daniel King answered and said Mr. Carter will call you right back. .?? A few minutes later he did call and said “oh he is the owner of our company”. I then said I would like to speak with him. He said he is very busy. I said I can take his phone call anytime day or night. He then said either Mr. Hosseinni or himself would call back in 15 minutes. Its been 2 days and no call back and I have left 2 more messages with them. I then called Mr. Mead with the CA DRE mentioned earlier in this post and had conversation with him letting him know about the emails and conversations that took place. He took the information to log in to the case # however he did say he is not the actual investigator on this case and that it is a lady named Catherine Russell. I think now I will just block their number and email and fill out all of the appropriate complaint forms and make the necessary calls against these terrible people.
Anyone heard of Expeditions Group? http://www.expeditionsgroup.com My mother has been approached by them and Capital One Services Group for her timeshare.
Anyone heard of TESCO Texas (Timeshare Equity Services Company of Texas). They contacted me about my TS in Cabo San Lucas. They say a Mexican buyer want to purchase my timeshare to use as a bonus or perk for their employees. They say buyer purchases them 5 at a time. They have offered $18,900 for something I paid $15,000 for 8 years ago on a 30 year time period. They want me to pay the taxes first either in person or by using an agent. They sent me a form from SAT and gave me some instructions regarding wiring the money to their agent in Mexico who would pay the taxes and then I would be reimbursed at the time of sale. The transaction would “fund” within 72 hours and I either get my money via cashiers check or wire transfer. They would then send a Fedx package with all the transfer documents and I would have 14 days to complete and send back. Then I would pay their 5% commission. Sounds fishy to me that I get paid BEOFRE signing documents to transfer ownership. I called ResortCom and they weren’t very helpful.
I think I’m going to sit tight and not do anything until I can do more research but it sounds like a scam in line with everything else I ‘ve read here. Any comments?
Anyone being asked to pay a commission to an organization operating outside the law need not worry. These organizations are stealing the legal ID of actual, licensed CA real estate agents. The CA Dept of Real Estate, DRE, has put out a public bulletin in March of 2016 warning the public not to participate in these fraudulent scams. I have spoken at length to both realtors who confirmed their ID has been stolen to perpetrate this fraud.
Ask for proof of their personal ID, a copy of their individual and broker licenses, proof they are operating from the addresses shown on the website and ask them to mail all documents from their address. When proof is asked for, they will be unable to verify this.
Also, all timeshare owners who are contacted by these companies are highly encouraged to contact the FBI at their website to file a formal complaint http://www.Ic3.gov, I was asked to do so by an FBI employee in order for plenty of evidence to be collected in order to take action against this and other organizations like it. There is some reason to believe this possibly connected to MX cartels and/or terrorist activity trying to raise money from unwitting Americans and Canadians. This was shared with me by a special investigator at the CA DRE last week.
I was told by an attorney several weeks ago never has he once heard of a successful timeshare resale since his firm has dozens upon dozens of clients who have been defrauded. This is a widespread, fraudulent scam.
My girlfriend and I were contacted by Capital One Services Group. Everything sounded too good to be true- until we were told that the money in the escrow provided by Evolution Capital Corporation would not be available until we wired money into Mexico.
The money was for someone who works for the Mexican version of the IRS to handle all paperwork associated with an RFC number. Miguel Angel Andrade Uscanga was the name of this person in Mexico. I was told by the person at capital one that he was recently in a car accident and in critical condition. When we continued to ask questions about their legitimacy, they threatened a lawsuit of 8%.
In the beginning, Annie Bell assured me that we would make a little extra money. 2 phrases stood out as just not sounding right: “maybe you make $1,000 and celebrate with a nice steak and champagne dinner.” Later, in a separate conversation, “This will work outi n your favor. Who couldnt use a little extra money around the holidays for Christmas shopping?” Both of those sounded like sales phrases from timeshare salesmen, not a real estate broker.
When I accused them of being a scam, Annie Bell threatened lawsuit before trying to clear her and her company’s name. James Parker assured me they wanted to complete this deal. He said he “wasn’t sure what I saw on the internet that had me spooked and looking for a boogie man.”
The brokers we spoke to at COSG were: Annie Bell, James Parker, and i got an email from Michael Carson. I asked them several direct questions, Annie Bell told me that “Fridays are busy” and she “doesn’t have time for that mumbo-jumbo.”
Alan Chavez was the person at evolution. And also Juan Francisco Ponce.
In Mexico was the aforementioned Miguel Angel Andrade Uscanga and his partner Cristian Padilla Munguia.
Also google evolution’s address and capital one’s address. Why don’t either come up on google maps? Why do both look like they’re not what they say they are?…
Adam, Christine and anyone else reading this post: There are a tiny number of legitimate timeshare resale companies, but Capital One Services Group is not one of them. Read my previous posts over the past month to see the facts.
Timeshare owners who are being approached by Capital One Services Group, or any similar company asking you to prepay funds for RFC, Tax ID’s, Mexican capital gains or the like are clearly fraudulent. I’ve been advised by the CA DRE to file a complaint with the FBI, FTC and US Postal Inspector to help investigate these scams. Today, I filed a lengthy complaint with the FBI at this website address: https://www.ic3.gov/complaint/splash.aspx
These fraudulent “companies ” are organized crime, using the telephone, internet, email and US Postal system to commit theft of funds from citizens.
The normal resale process doesn’t require prepayments, upfront fees, false addresses, sending funds outside the US. Furthermore, legitimate companies follow best practices regulated by state dept of real state agencies and the federal guidelines governing any similar transactions. Be very wary, cautious and notify investigative authorities mentioned above. Do not waste your time with the BBB, local chambers of commerce and such. This is an organized, sophisticated interstate criminal activity.
I have been contacted by Service Property Management Group. They have a web site which includes a physical address and local phone in MO. and KS. They sent a contract and are saying the only fee is a 5% commission paid from me to them after I receive my money. Is anyone familiar with this company?
A good rule of thumb in dealing with any resale of any real estate or timeshare interest:
If you’re dealing with someone long distance via telephone, fax and or email, it’s always a huge red flag from step one. Every legitimate realtor and broker is issued a national NMLS # at a federal level which must appear in all business cards, letters, email, flyers, websites and contracts. This information along with a face to face vetting allows you to protect yourself from fraud, deceit and theft of your assets. Do NOT trust any party who is using methods which aren’t mirroring what state and federal govt real estate bureaus use to manage the behavior of agents. What I’m reading here in some of these posts are just good people being far too trusting of skilled con men and women.
As an attorney I spoke to with 40 years of experience shared last month, “not one of these transactions I’ve advised on has paid clients their proceeds. They’re all fake, Don’t deal with them at all!”
Let’s all work together to report their activities to the FBI, FTC and US Postal Inspector. Let’s put the crooks out of business by raising the bar high enough, they’re unable to take advantage of any more hard working, honest people.
Beware of Capital One Services Group and Evolution Capital Corporation. They are both scams. They are using real, actual CA RE licensees as the front but they are not legitimate companies. Do not give them a dime. The complaints are pouring in with the authorities apparently – the scam seems to be escalating so beware.
Well, as the old saying goes if it’s too good to be true, it’s not true!! I’ve also been speaking with Annie Bell and James Parker at Capital One Services Group as well as Alan Chavez and Juan whatever… I pride myself on doing my homework and being suspicious so here’s my story .. I went on lint to the secretary of state website to verify Annie Bell’s license, I looked up the companies found their websites and talk ad nauseam to them about the details, Yes, I did wire the funds for the RFC # but then they told me the person associated with handling that account in Mexico got in a terrible accident so they were sending the money back to me, and they did! They said that the account needed to be closed because another person needed to take over the account and a new account would be created with his name associated with it. So, of course I sent out the wire again. Now according to all my conversations I’m supposed to close on Friday…….. Hmmmmm
I too have been contacted by Capital One Services Group and Evolution Capital, (the escrow company) After the paperwork was signed the “agent” from COSP contacted me and said that the escrow company required funds up front to aquire an RFC#, Taxes. legal and registration, customs clearance on money transfer in international currency (all to be reimbursed) and finally the bank holding the escrow funds required a 20% cash payment of the full amount which would be refunded (by the bank) after proof that the wire transfer reached the seller. This amount could not be kept back from the funds and had to be received by the bank BBVABancomer before funds would be released. Strangely enough this amount could not be wired to Bancomer but had to go through another agent of Evolution. I also spoke to Mr. Hosseini the rightful owner of Capital One and one of the businesses in 1173 N Red Gum and one of the other addresses on that street and they say there is no Capital One Services Group in the building.
Good luck for Friday, do not be surprised if you get a call, probably today, saying they got notification through the lawyer that the Mexican government require a further payment to pay the State tax on property and that it will be reimbursed by the buyer, but they cannot close until it is received. Mr. Uscagna is the gentleman supposedly in the accident, Mr. Mungula was his replacement and they are now using Ramon Rosas Leyva.
To All Readers and new posting Timeshare owners. Use the highest measure of conduct any local real estate or escrow company would provide services with. And, you will find 99% of these resale TimeShare companies, such as, Capital One Services Group lacking. They’re interested in taking your money through clever schemes but are in fact fraudulent. The only way to protect yourself is through rigorous common sense, research like you’re doing by reading these posts.
No matter what fraudulent company name they use, no matter what supposed “agent” name you’re given, no matter what $500.00 website they’ve created, you can see IF you’re diligent, what the true motives are because the process does not protect you under state and federal law because of how they’re conducting business. NEVER pay anything in advance. NEVER agree to send money out of the country under the guise of some non-US tax ID # or capital gains. It’s all fraudulent ways to take you’re hard earned money.
The FBI, FTC and state depts of real estate, especially California, have issued warnings on their websites about these scams. And, Home Land Security along with the FBI is working to investigate these because their is likely a connect to either MX cartels and/or terrorist organizations raising money through defrauding American citizens.
Ask yourself, “How did they hook me?” Answer, “I wanted to make money, often more than paid for the TimeShare, by reselling it.” They’re appealing to your financial pain and desire to get rid of these TS’s. Once your desire has been triggered, it’s easy to hear what you want to hear. I spoke to a real estate agent in S. CA whose license is being falsely used by Capital One Services Group who actually told me sellers call him and argue about how this is a real transaction, knowing they’re stealing the legitimate CA state realtors ID/license number. Can you see how people are being hooked?
Report any suspicious activity to the FBI at http://www.IC3.org as well as to the FTC and US Postal Inspector website complaint pages. We must protect one another, ourselves and the USA from int’l crooks.
I also have been contacted by Capital one and two Evolution, aD continue to be. Charles Wright from Capital One is starting to get aggressive because i stopped returning his calls.
I want to thank you, Christopher et al for the info on this site.
If you want to test a potential Timeshare resale company’s legitimacy, do a stress test by repeatedly asking uncomfortable questions asking for third party legitimacy.
Also, pay a local private investigator to go by their place of business, walking in and ask a few questions of the staff. The $100.00 you pay a PI is money well spent rather than wasting hard earned investment money paid to frauds and scams like these supposed Capital One Group Timeshare companies. They’re actually illegitimate, fake companies who don’t operate at the alleged address, steal the identities of legitimate companies and use false names to conceal their real identity.
I want to thank all who have done countless hours investigating Capital One Services Group, Inc., and then caring enough about others to take the time to come back to this site and report your findings.
.
You are factual without getting overly emotional, and this gives credibility to your research and reporting.
It is not just US citizens that are being targeted by this company, but Canadian residents also. I was also skeptical when this company started contacting my parents about their timeshare that they had originally purchased in 1991, In 1996 they returned to Mexico in an attempt to sell their TS in person. Instead they were talked into upgrading and adding a second week onto their timeshare. When the maintenance fees started to climb every year (started out at $45 US/ year), they decided to do the honorable thing and pay out the time share in full (over $17,000) and no longer pay the maintenance fees. They then told the hotel they could take their unit back, and resell it to someone else because they didn’t want it anymore. Of course, the hotel did not go for this, and then my parents started getting threats from collection agencies, etc. My dad told them he would not be paying them another cent, as he owed them nothing… he had already paid in full.
After awhile, he stopped hearing from anyone, and at one point he did try to sell the TS legitimately with a company that others have experienced. Where they ask for a fee upfront in order to sell… but it never does, and you never hear from them again after they get your money.
Fast forward to October/ November of this year, 2016, and my mom (who now has Alzheimer’s), has been receiving phone calls regularly,(at least 3 to 4 days per week, and sometimes up to 3 times in a day from a women named Alicia Garcia representing herself as a Broker Agent for Capital One Services Group. I asked my mom to get the women to call myself (her daughter), but she told her she couldn’t do that, that I would have to contact her. A few weeks later, because she wasn’t getting anywhere with my mother, she was willing to give her contact number out, ( 1-866-978-7401 ext. 204.) I called, no surprises that an answering machine picked up, and I proceeded to leave a detailed message requesting that she return my call. She never did,
Just today, I happen to be home for Christmas vacation, and “Alicia” called. My mom handed the call over to me. I had a pleasant conversation with her, and I asked her various questions. Questions such as to why their company was willing to pay $47,000 US dollars (that’s a lot of money to us Canadians at the moment!) for a time share that my parents had walked away from, and could never get rid of years prior.
She had an answer for everything. I wrote things down, and told her I would be doing some research on their company, and she agreed with me that this would be a good idea!! She obviously doesn’t know about this site! She is requesting that my parents sign their Letter of Intent, and fax them the details of the original sale and ownership contract that they had signed with the hotel in Mexico. She assured me that they already had a buyer interested in the unit, and not to worry as they were willing to pay the $47,000 because that is how much it is worth today.
After I got off the phone, I picked up my laptop to start my investigation… and I thank you all for this site… you have saved my parents and I from further heartache. It is a little sad that that little glimmer of hope has been snuffed out that some of the wasted money couldn’t be recouped, but that is nothing compared to what we have been saved from!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you… for thoroughly doing your research so you could save me hours of doing my own.
The red flags that went off, were: Why they were willing to pay so much money for something that really is worth next to nothing and almost impossible to even give away?… the proverbial “Too good to be true.”
Why if it was legitimate; were they willing to persist so hard and so long to “give” my parents $47,000 US dollars, and all they wanted was an 8% cut in return. Heck if a sale is taking months to try to close, why not move on to another willing seller?
Why they couldn’t give any details about the TS unit that the “buyer” wanted. If they truly had a buyer for my parents timeshare, they would have all the details before I had to provide it to them! A buyer who’s going to pay $47,000 for something knows exactly what it is their purchasing, don’t they?
Anyways, needles to say this is where we bail from this offer… live and learn. It is sad that there is so much money to be made in fraudulent ways… but thanks to you, they didn’t make a cent off of us!
Good job, it is much appreciated!
I have once again received a “pre-qualified” letter to eliminate my timeshare obligation. A year ago I asked if anyone had heard of the Newton Group Transfers company. I went to the BBB web site in Michigan and they have an A+ rating. I have read the 59 favorable and 13 unfavorable posts.
I really want to get rid of this timeshare burden. So, please, if you have had dealings with this company, let me know.
Further update to my saga…well after my money was returned to my bank , which was before I knew all this, I sent out the wire again for the RFC.
Of course capital one now says they haven’t received the wire for some ridiculous technical reason. My bank has tried to do a trace and a recall on the wire but to no end. I don’t expect to see that money back. However in the meantime I still get call from capital one Annie Bell and Mr Carson who say they are trying to straighten everything out and close in the sale of my timeshares.
At this point I just yes them so I can see what else they’ll say. Pulling together evidence for the FBI.
On another note I called Mr Husseini as well and he said he’s probably gonna have to change the name of his company since the scammers stole it.
Has anyone heard of “Certified Travel Consultants” OR Universal Marketing LLC???? My husband got a call from them the end of 2016. They said they contact folks like us who do not use all their points and wind up losing them. They claim to buy the points outright OR rent the points and work with companies like Expedia, Travelocity, etc for people who book vacations through these companies.
We did not bite.
We do have 30,000 point we want to sell because we are older and are traveling less, but we want to make sure whoever we deal with is legit!!
I tried researching but didn’t come up with much.
If anyone know ANYTHING about the companies I spoke of, PLEASE let me know,
Judith, I also received a letter from Newton Group and have seen the same info from BBB. I have not seen anything else from them and don’t know what they actually do. They are clear that the do not a timeshare sales company or a real estate listing agency. I haven’t figured out what they do however. I did not see any information about them on the Michigan Attorney General’s office, which is probably a good sign. They also have a “corporate office” about a mile from my home in the Phoenix area. I plan on checking that out this afternoon and will update this list. I’ll see if it’s just a mail box location.
I received a Letter Of Intent from Capital One Services Group, Inc. for $17,000, which is almost 3 times what I paid for the timeshare. My agent is Jefrey M. Henderson. I googled the company name and couldn’t find any negative posts. But I happened upon this site which indicates this is a scam. Thank you so much for the postings. They almost had me.
They are nothing but common thieves and crooks who pray on people that just want to get out of timeshares. I would not be surprised, as they have far too much information, if they are not the people who sold the timeshares in the first place .
Has anyone actually closed a deal with Capital One Services Group? If so, please share the details. Thanks,
I too have been contacted by Capital One Service Group Inc. By a man name Gregory F Brown.
Representative Gregory Foster Brown at 1-866-978-7401 EXT- 238.
N Red Gum Street, Anaheim, CA 92806
http://www.capitaloneservicesgroup.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 1-866-978-7401
Fax: 1-714-509-1786
Which is interesting because I read someone else’s also were contacted by a Mr. Brown but not Gregory Brown.
I have five timeshare at the Royal Sunset and Hacienda Tres Rios. They wanted $4000.00 for the title company. I did sign two of their letters of intent of Capital One Services Group, Inc offers. But did not sent any money. Had a meeting with supposably a Mr. Gonzalez 1-866-978-7401 EXT- 234 the main man. I did record the whole conversation.
I have done so much research as well and came across so little until I found this site through another unhappy individual
Like everybody has always said if it sounds to good to be true then it is more than likely not true. The total I was being offered at this point was $145,820.00 and they where still reassessing 1 of the 5 property I questioned as far as the amount being too low.
This would have not have been the first time I’ve been ripped off trying to sell my timeshares.
I was also ripped off in 2009 by Premier Market Solutions. In the total amount of $1495.00. With the understanding that if they did not sell within a period of time. I would be guaranteed to get a full refund. Of course that was after 60 days of the allowed time for my credit card company to get a refund!
I like to also thank everybody that’s going to all the trouble to log their experiences with Capital One Service Group Inc plus all the other ripoff timeshare representative companies. They’re supposed to be contacting me on this Monday for me to wire the money and further information.
The story I got from them is pretty much the same story as everyone else. Of course there’s always something a little different. When you’re dishonest and lie you never tell the same story.
I would love to find out how to bust this group of thieves. So if anybody has any ideas on what I should do at this point please feel free to let me know.
Thank you
Robbin
All of these types of timeshare resale companies are a scam if:
1. If they offer more than you paid
2. They use addresses which are or were occupied by another legitimate company. (Ask them to mail the offer the same day post marked from that address.)
3. They ask you to make deposits or payments of any kind in advance. A huge red flag.
4. They cannot provide a local business license, real estate brokerage or other license verifying ID and authority to transact business.
5. Check against state and local licensing agencies, and you’ll find them to be scams for sure.
6. If you even consider doing business, then do the following. Hire a local private investigator to drive by, stop in and vet them. The couple of hundred dollars you pay is well worth it just for a basic check.
Capital One Services Group, and all anyone transacting timeshare resale in this way is clearly a fraud. The CA State Dept of Real Estate has published a warning about doing business with any company like them.
Protect yourself by using sound, solid and good judgement. Don’t let greed nor the desire to recover losses in a timeshare trigger another huge loss through supporting organized crime. Steer clear.
Stay alert.
I too am engaged with Capitol One Services Group. The first red flag was their email address, it goes to [email protected]….. But I have a dedicated account manager, how would a single email account be used for everything. I actually had a phone call with my agent, her name is Angela Adams and she sounded very professional and walked me through the entire process. She said I would need an RFC ID and that I could get it at a local consulate. When I contacted the consulate they said they do not provide this service. I then spoke with Angela again and she said they have a legal service that will handle this for me and that it would be $3,200 and I would be reimbursed for it. This is when I started to email Mexican Tax Lawyers and they said you never need a RFC Tax ID to sell a timeshare and they are tax free anyway. Then I found this site, my heart sank as I thought this was a real opportunity – You know, there is something to be said about the amount of fraud going on in Mexico – but this one takes the cake!
Here’s a new one based on what I’m reading….Resort Capital out of Los Angeles CA. (previously DBA as Jerry Morrison) . We were given a fair offer for our Hilton Timeshare – lower than what we paid, but in the ballpark. We were sent via e-mail, a contract and told that the closing would be with a local closing company. But first we need to pay $840 fees for title and legal fees. This is pre-paid and will be reimbursed at closing. We have approximately 48 hours to sign the document and send this check to Resort Capital 8721 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 1098 Los Angeles, CA 90069 via overnight Fed Ex.
Interestingly, the person that sent the contract via email did not list her brokerage ID information, or address(Kim Crenshaw is her name) nor did the person that contacted my husband, Andy Allen out of New Orleans, give any address/id/name of local closing company etc… I have asked my husband to contact Andy Allen back and ask him for this very public information (address, Brokerage ID etc…) Also to let him know that NO money will be pre-paid as in every real estate transaction all fees come out at closing (except the good faith “hand” money that the buyer puts down – which this particular buyer supposedly put down $2500) so we would appreciate the fees being taken out at the closing and they can collect THEIR title and legal fees then.
I am “wishful” that this is a legitimate company and will update this post once I hear back from the respective parties with their Professional Identification information. I work in a real estate related field and throughout any real estate transaction (commercial, residential, timeshare etc…) everyone needs to have some type of certification, licensure etc… which are public information so you can check their legitimacy.
The fact that these documents came to us without addresses of the people who contacted us is a Red Flag to being with. Then add the fact that they want $840 without an itemization of costs is another Red Flag. Also – there is NO information on this company that I can find on the BBB site or the general web. If ANYONE has any information about them, I’d appreciate some heads up.
Until then – – – No money will be sent and if it does turn out to be legit, I will definitely let you know. Thanks for all the posts – great job everyone.
Deb Again – UPDATE on Resort Capital… Sorry to say – they are NOT legit. I contacted Andy Allen in the New Orleans office who ended up being aggressive and kind of abrupt when I asked him to provide me with the assurances needed to proceed with the sale of our property. Here’s what I wanted to know: 1) Why the BBB address and company name were different than the headquarters address on the contract that was sent to us. 2) Where is their T.I.D. number if they are doing a valid business, they should have a Tax ID #. 3) Why can’t they roll in the Pre-paid amount into the closing costs ? 4) Who is the “local” closing company so I can make sure they are legit. 5) What is a broker license # for anyone in their office since they are the middle man for selling real estate – it’s required (even if the B.S. he was shoveling was “because they are selling timeshare…..it’s not needed”) 5) Where is their website ? They claim to have been in business for 18 years but no reviews, no website, no way to prove who anyone is.
I will be asking these very same questions to ANYONE I come in contact with that claims to be a broker for timeshare selling. No money will be put out ahead of a closing. I don’t care what the client tells me or the brokering company. They can make their money at the END of the sale – not at the beginning.
I wish I had better news – but at least I didn’t lose anything in the process. Our timeshare is with Hilton – so we’re happy enough to keep it for now.
I have read with great interest all of the above comments. I was contacted by Isaac Greenfield of First Allied Properties in New York. I had been trying to sell my Timeshare at Tres Rios in Mexico back to the resort. I was offered 3 times what I paid, but the catch is that I also had to send US$4675 to cover taxes in Mexico. I will have the discussion with Mr. Greenfield on Monday, but now feel that I am well armed with all the right questions. Thanks for all your input
Hi Judy, selling your timeshare is going to be tough. It was for me and I have yet to find a legit company that resells timeshares. If a company requires you to pay money upfront to sell your timeshare it’s not legit. They will take your money and run. I found out this the hard way twice.
My best advice for selling your timeshare is to ask if the resort has a buy back option. This is what I did to get out from under it. The only problem is you’ll only get around 10 cents on the dollar at best. In my situation I had to take a $4000 loss on it but it meant no more maintenance fees and that was fine with me.
I hope this helps.
Being asked to advance payments which you will allegedly be reimburse for is a classic scam method used by criminals to defraud you of hard earned funds. These companies change names, supposed addresses, phone numbers and create websites at a small cost of several hundred dollars to make themselves look legitimate.
No dealer, broker or agent can legally ask for upfront fees or fund in the US. It’s a violation of the federal guidelines.
Walk away, don’t answer their calls, while considering yourself saved a massive amount of challenges.
I promise you this is a scam. I went through it
Is IBEX, INC one of these scammers? Out of Glenview IL
I am in the middle of discussions with IBEX, INC right now and am also wondering if anyone has heard of them as scammers??
Probably
Theyre all very sophisticated.
Do you know the address of this company? If you do can you find proof that they are actually at that location? Just because it’s listed on their website doesn’t mean they really exist. I actually used google earth and called a business near there and was able to confirm that the company wasn’t there. Also the name of the brokerage firm acting as selling agent along with the name of the title company were all real but those companies identities had been stolen by the scammers. My scammers were Capital One Services Group and Evolution Title.
There are no known legit companies that are successfully re-selling timeshares. They get your money by telling you that you need a tax id from the country where your Tim share is in order to complete the sale. They want you to wire the money. In the end they’ll create confusion about the wire having never been recorded for the account in that country.
Even when you call them out on the scam they don’t get intimidated. They stand their ground.
It’s all too easy and too good to be true so believe me it’s not. It’s a scam.
Also, the Real Estate brokerage firm should have licenses for all of the people they have you speaking with. Ask for the broker license # and the license #’s of each of the people you speak with. Then ask for them to video conference you or even FaceTime and ask them to send you a copy of their drivers license with photo. They’ll come up with reasons why they can’t. At this point you know they’re scammers because they should be able to provide all of that information without hesitation.
Is Ibex a scam, do you know. I just had a call from them today, interesting to see how much money they are offering, Their story today is that they are buying back for one of the resort owners. It will be interesting to see how much they offer for this worthless piece of real estate.
Yes IBEX is a scam, they will seem very legit and are very sophisticated but in the end they ask for you to send them a wire transfer for a tax or some fee that they will show you has been deposited into the escrow account and this is the scam your money will be gone.
I got a call from Ibex,Inc ( 1-866=978-5102) that one of the owners of Royal Sunset wanted to by my membership along with a couple hundred other peoples membership to increase his % of holdings. Their website looks real, but saying that i would need a RFC from mexico @ a cost of $4700 brought up a red flag. They said I would be reimbursed i was not comfortable giving them any money. I checked on google earth the address for 2646 compass Rd , Glenview ,IL USA but it showed no business there. I than called Glenview city hall to ask if IBEX had a office at that address or even in their city and they said no. They wanted to know why and I explained the reason and they said I was the 4th person to tell the exact same story. So IBEX IS A SCAM.
Anyone had any dealings with National one realty llc?
I am so devastated right now. Today 5-2-17 and just found this website. I am out 21000. to Capital One Service Group, Inc. I have never been scammed and pride myself on sniffin it out. These guys are the BEST of the WORST. Thanks for all this research. And if people are still doing dealings with them, I pray you find this info fast.
All time share resale including Capital One Services Group are indeed scams. Everything about their operation as I’ve outlined in the greatest of detail is a scam from beginning to end. The hook is the Time share owners greed, or desire to make a big profit.
I’d recommend contacting the FBI website to report that matter as I did back in November of 2016. The more cases are reported, the greater opportunity for the FBI to act. I’ve posted a link along with copious details regarding Capital One Services Group, and their fake escrow company. Never, ever send money to any company in a real estate or time share transaction in advance. They pay you, not visa versa.
Has anyone dealt with Peachtree Solutions Group? I am leery of them wanting $11,000 upfront .
It’s a scam Gail. Do not pay them the money. You will not get anything in return for it. I fell for two of these scams. Anyone that ask for money upfront before they sell your timeshare will do nothing but rip you off. If you want to sell your timeshare contact your resort and see if they have a buyback option.
Read the copious posts I and others have spend time writing.
I fell for a Timeshare Resale scam, too. Cost me nearly $6,000. Has anyone else had any dealings or contact from Sunshine Timeshares, Inc. or Lifetime Vacations Group? Both are out of Florida.
If so, let me know and I’ll go into detail about how they were shut down by Florida Atty.. General – moved next door and set up shop again. Saddest part to me was that CitiCard wouldn’t refund the charges even after I sent all the legal documents.
Has anyone heard of Oakwood Property Management out of Seattle? They are using Escrow One Inc. 1546 NW 56th St, Seattle WA.
They want to buy my one week timeshare at the Mayan Palace.
Thank you!!!
Read through the comments! ALL OF THESE COMPANIES ARE SCAMS. 100% OF THEM.
Linda, can you please email me the documents that you are talking about re Lifetime vacations in Fl? My story is listed below and I am so upset and keep blaming myself for being so stupid :(. The sad part is that I was able to sell my timeshare on my own and they are still refusing to refund me the money. I have filed a complaint with BBB and also disputing the charges with my CC company but I am losing hope pretty quickly of ever seeing my money again. Any help from anyone would be appreciated.
PLEASE DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM COMPANY. I was initially approached by Liza Stonecipher, from LIFETIME VACATIONS (florida) that she will be able to sell my timeshare in Mexico within 30 days at the most for a fee of $1000.00. I was later approached by Mariann who claimed that she worked specifically with big corporations who are looking to buy timeshares for their executives for tax benefits and for an additional $3498, she will be able to sell my timeshare much quicker and get me rental income for the weeks that I have deposited. This was in Jan 2017 and it has been over 6 months and no word from them. Each time I called starting in Feb 2017 to express my concerns they said that everything was being done and the next auction coming up will sell the timeshare. I even drastically reduced my selling price. In March 2017, I spoke to the “manager”, Eric Etayo at length and asked him to show me proof of how many times they were advertising my timeshare and to whom they were making these presentation to? I also asked him to show me data on their supposed “successful sales” but to this day, he has not provided me with any objective data. I asked to speak to the owner of the company and he said that he was as “high up as they get” and he would not transfer me to the owner. Over time, the return of phone calls became less and less frequent and I haven’t heard from them for over a month despite multiple emails and voice messages. Without having any background in sales, I was able to sell my own timeshare for over 75% of the original asking price and Mariann said that they would refund me the $4498 that I have paid them and to this day, I have yet to see my money. The proof of final sale and transfer of ownership was emailed to them and I have not heard back from them. I am a physician who works hard and under the most stressful situations in dealing with life and death on a daily basis and hold myself to the highest ethical standards and expect others to be honest and ethical. This company is unethical, scamming people of their hard earned money and is in direct violation of their own contract since they are refusing to refund the fees I paid them despite a SUCCESSFUL sale of my timeshare with a valid proof of sale document. I really hope karma comes back to them and they are made responsible to pay back all customers that they have scammed.
Crowley Event Management from Chicago Il. …. Has any one heard of them or had any dealings with them???
They are calling saying they have a buyer for my timeshare in Mexico. They sent a letter of intent.
They say signing in it is in no way relinguishing my time share.
A person from supposedly Crowley Event Management also contacted us. Nothing checks out including the so called Title Company that is supposed to be in Jackson Ms but has only had website registered in Australia 3 months. Lots of red flags. The real Crowley Event management appears to deal only with event planning and NOT time share resales.
Has anyone used or heard of the Newton Group Transfer?
Has anyone had experience with the Newton Group Transfers? If so, how did it go?
If you are looking for a legitimate company to get out of a timeshare Vacation Select Services & Consulting, LLC is the way to go. They are A+ rated with the better business bureau and have been in business almost eight years. Their website is vacationselectservices.com
I am looking to sell a vacation package with GoGrand Getaways at the Platinum level which gives 9 weeks of time in premium accommodation.. Has anybody had dealings with Timeshares Only or can recommend an outfit that is legitimate to help with this project?
I got a letter from Newton Group Transfers for timeshare exit. I looked up the address that was on the letter and it’s a single family HOUSE. I called the ph number and the woman tried to assure me it was a legitimate business and to check out their website and BBB accreditation. I looked on their website and what sold me on the fact that it’s probably a scam…they have no address listed. Digging a little more, there are DOZENS of other “businesses” that use the same address, they just add “suite 200” to it. I wouldn’t trust this company at all. VERY suspicious!
100% of all of these time share resale companies are scammers. They hook you because of your desire to unload the obligation. But rest assured, as one attorney said to me in Nov. of 2016, “I’ve never seen one of these companies be legitimate in 30 years of practicing real estate law!”
DON’T TRUST ANY OF THEM REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY SAY.
Mexicantimeshare.com is legit. There is a business using their name but there is a difference. Make sure you have the correct one.
Saying some company is legit is completely foolish. Based on what criteria or conduct is this statement being made? False references are common with scammers. These scammers even resort to giving a phone # or two from people who claim to be previous customers, and indeed these are independent hires set up as a scrill.
My guess is this post from “Angel” is possibly a scammer as well.
Never pay for anything in advance. No upfront fees, No tax advance fees, NOTHING IN ADVANCE.
Always pay for whatever it takes to check out the address of the supposed business, even being willing to have a local Private Investigator to drop by their office to interview them. It’s money well spent.
Keep your trust meter on a 10, never taking any sales company at their word for anything. As I’ve said before, my attorney with 30 years experience said, “None of these transactions have been legitimate that he’s reviewed in several decades.”
The timeshare resale is a scam industry, one of the worst in the country. Do not ask others for advice, rather use very good judgement, and NEVER GIVE MONEY FOR ANY ADVANCE.
I dont know who you think you are Chris but you are not GOD and you DO NOT know everything.
I dont give a shit what your lawyer says. Your lawyer is not the ultimate lawyer. I dont care how long he has been a lawyer.
I am not a scammer, thank you very much. I will have you know i was extremely scammed by a sale company. Captial One Services Group. So I think i know a little bit more pain than you. 21000 to be exact.
Your blog is supposed to help people, and all you do is discourage rather than shed some positive light and directions.
Your not the only one that has been scammed
GO FUCK YOURSELF.
I haven’t seen anyone mention Spotlight. My mom is trying to sell her camping timeshare (you can stay pretty much free at any campground in the US.)
Mom called them 2 years ago. I refused to let her send any money. (She and dad were 80 at the time).
I got her charge card statement in. There was a $225 charge to her card. She said Spotlight called her and they have a buyer. HOWEVER, she needed to send the $225 for the title search and other expenses.
I contacted Discover and had the transaction cancelled. They called mom and said the sale wouldn’t go through and they needed another credit card.
She came upstairs with the phone (they both live with me). She wanted me to talk to them.
I asked her that since she had a buyer to take all the fees out of the check they would be sending mom. She said they would send the money back if it didn’t go through. She said she already had a deposit from the buyers. I asked her to send paperwork to confirm this. She said she couldn’t until she received the $225 payment.
She told me they were Better Business Bureau accredited. I called BBB and that was not true.
They prey on the elderly and that makes me so angry!
One way I have used to see if a company is legit is to contact the building where they claim to have an office and ask if the company actually has an office there. In all cases so far, I have drawn a blank – no such company in the building.
Has any one dealt with Advance Travel Inc from Phoenix AZ
Has anyone heard of or had dealings with TimeShare Elimination Transfer?
Has anyone worked with or heard of TimeShare Elimination Transfer company in Las Vegas?
Has anyone dealt with or worked with TS Elimination = TimeShare Elimination. they willing to work with us to get us out of our Timeshare, $3,200 US dollars for the fee up front. Says everything is guaranteed. If they don’t sell, then 100% refunded. Sends you to the BBB site to say that they are a good company, great reviews.
So wondering how anyone felt out there about TS Elimination.
I got a call back in January from TS Elimination about my time share. I was promised my money back if they couldn’t sell it. They wanted $3,500. up front. I could not pay that much so they gave me a discount and made it $2,500. I agreed and they started the process. There was a lot of paperwork from me they needed. The papers were sent in February. I didn’t hear anything for several months. Finally in late June or July I called and they said they had not received any papers. Then they said I sent the wrong papers so they hadn’t started anything yet. I was MAD. I sent the papers again as registered mail That way I know they got them. Still I heard nothing. There have been several e-mails sent and always I am promised they are working on it. This is not making me very happy.
I wondered if she had heard anything back from Time Share eliminations= TS Eliminations. I too wanted to use them and just signed a contract wandering if it’s a scam.
How can I speak with Any one that had used or is thinking of using Timeshare Compliance
Has anyone used or heard of MTG Consultants? We lost $1295 to them last year.
We have recently been contacted by Fraud Solution Services or Fraud Services Solutions. They seem to switch it up depending on who I talk to. Told me they got my name off a list they purchased from another timeshare fixit group, Premier……………………..
Fraud Solution is a family of the mom and two brothers – they said. Initially said they could help us with a deed back to Westgate Resorts for a fee of $2500. I declined. Called back again a week later and due to our circumstances the price was only $1150 – paid up front. I cannot find them anywhere on the internet and their explanation is they did not put their company online.
My husband has dementia and is unable to work. My position was eliminated in 2016; I currently work part time. That salary plus my husbands social security is all we have. I am considering contacting Westgate’s deed back department. The worst case is they say NO.
I am still waiting on a reply from Time Share eliminations. The last time was in January 2019 when they said they paid my maintenance fee for this year. I sent an email with no reply and even called them. I am not very happy with this company It has been a year and four months since this was started..
Has anyone used or heard of Corporate Event Solutions? What were the results?
so I see some are relentless and go on for years under the same name.. unbelievable.
Tops-travel contacted me and said all I had to pay is 8% AFTER I receive the money. Now , thru Sandra Caela Adams attorney (to make it look good), I am told I have to pay something to the friendly Mexican Notary because the deal is over 10K$. after saying they have done the deal many times , cud not clarify the exact amount… weird. Pretty elaborate scheme and a lot of people are involved. But its all the little things that raise red flags. (not listed, webpage owner thru proxy, website loads as pdf like, address not traceable, and now a bit of cash before we go on) I think they have reached the end with me even though the beginning was quite convincing barring the high offer at the start. Dreams never die… just the dreamer.
This is certainly a scam. Don’t pay anything to them. These time share resale companies are all frauds.
Has anyone heard of R-5 Realty? They contacted us to sell our timeshare… Was wondering if they are legit?
R-5 Realty 600 Central Avenue SW Albuquerque NM 87102, Phone Number 505-303-0379
http://www.r-5realty.com; [email protected]
Would love to hear from anyone with experience with them.
Has anyone heard of International Vacation Resorts in Orlando? They contacted me to see if I want to sell my timeshare. I”d appreciate an answer.
Capital Business Evolution? Is it safe, supposed to be vetted by Better Business B and Profeco Mexico,
Thanks.
These guys contacted me:
http://www.solidcorpsolutions.com/index.html
Are them a fraud too???
Thanks!
I have been contacted by Universal Real Estate Brokerage out of NY. Buyers are from Germany and have millions to spend. Offered me more than twice what I paid. I have a vacation club…the gentleman I keep speaking to me mentioned “taxes”, but it should go thru quickly. I am waiting for the ball to drop.
SCAM ALERTS REGARDING TIMESHARES, INTERNET BAIT & SWITCH,
Fidelity Resource Management, LLC https://resortexit.com/ 877-218-3223 Alternate Business Name is Resort Exit. 19059 S GREENO RD SUITE D-102 FAIRHOPE, AL 36532 mailing address PO BOX 527
FAIRHOPE, AL 36532 alternate address 10 N SECTION STREET SUITE 128 FAIRHOPE, AL 36532. Their website states they have decades of experience and they certainly do. DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN SCAMMING PEOPLE out of their hard earned money. Mitch Tanner and Jerry Morrison have been doing this all over the US since 1994. Other business names they are or have been doing business as TANCOR, Inc., Keystrokes for Cash, Tancor Learning Center, Data Entry Made Easy, 82 Plantation Pointe, Suite 128 Fairhope, AL 36532 Directory Connections, Inc. in Metairie LA,, Resort Capital Incorporated in New Orleans, LA, INCORP Services Inc, MMHO, Inc., Gateway Marketing International, Inc., Marketing & Media Group, Inc. and ATM Incorporated, Resort Capital 8721 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 1098 Los Angeles, CA 90069. Mr. Morrison has been arrested multiple times for fraud, theft of property, and negotiating worthless instruments. These fraudulent “companies ” are organized crime, using the telephone, internet, email and US Postal system to commit theft of funds from hard-working citizens. Please help stop these types of criminals – file a complaint with the FBI, FTC and US Postal Inspector to help investigate these scams. Today, You can file complaint with the FBI at this website address: https://www.ic3.gov/complaint/splash.aspx.
Let’s put the crooks like JERRY LEON MORRISON JR (251-597-2666) out of business by making sure they’re unable to take advantage of any more hard-working, honest people.
Anyone heard of 180 Marketing Solutions in Atlanta? same line, more than we paid, no fees upfront, pay Mexican govt $2550, 5% commission to broker, no name of buyer, supposed certified check at closing. Sounds oddly like all the rest but different company name. No license numbers on site or sellers agreement.
This Mexican Govt fee is a scam. As I’ve stated several years ago, when another company(or the same one under a different name) asked for this exact same money, it was found to be 100% a fraud scam scheme. It’s an old con being offered again and again. DON’T CALL THEM BACK. DON’T GIVE THEM ANY MONEY.
I was just recently contacted by 180 Marketing Solutions (180MarketingSolutions.com) who “has a Buyer” for my Palace Resorts Membership in Mexico. I am definitely not sending them any money and will let you know how things proceed. Don Edwards is my contact guy there…
Thanks for all the great advice.
So, once I made it clear to 180MerketingSolutions person (Don Edwards) via an email message to him that I would not be sending any money to them “to establish a Foreign Bank Account in Mexico, the contact person would only call me and not respond to my email to explain “the process”, I was ever more suspicious. He said I could either fly to Mexico and open the account they needed me to, OR pay about $3500US for them to establish said account and get “reimbursed by the “buyer” after the sale closed. THERE WAS THE BIG RED FLAG… Mama did’t raise no fool!! and I told him that we won’t be able to make a deal and ended our call. Can you say SCAM? Company name : “180 Marketing Solutions”. I hope this helps people realize what this really is…
I was contacted by RPR INC Two Wells Fargo Center Charlotte NC 28282 Phone # 704-964-6753 toll free # 1-866-898-4933 to sell my timeshare membership in Cancun Mexico on Aug 2 2019 They had a buyer from Egypt . Chris Loya was my first contact. at RPR. A very legit contract for sale was sent to me from Excel Title LLC in Minn Minn phone # 1-800-794-4906 http://www.exceltitlellc.com or 612-589-9324. I received all the pages from the contract correctly signed by escrow officer Jeffrey Wright, Ramy Raafat the buyers Rep and myself to sign. I then needed to wire $5249 to Mexican Govt for a permit to sell property in Mexico. All the paper- work looks legit. The buyer needed to pay the Mexican government 16% Federal tax and I have received that paperwork which again looks very legit and now they say I have to pay the state tax to the State of Quintana Roo generated by sale of Vacation Club Membership and or Property. That is $9422.40USD That is where I have stopped, feeling this is a scam but do not know how it is. All movements of this deal I have paper work names and companies in USA. Everything looks very legal but just warning everyone. If any one wants to see paperwork to compare to their own I would be happy to share. If any official company would like to see the paperwork and all the legal papers I have I would be willing to share. It looks very legit so they are doing there scam very well. Nancy Spencer and Jeffrey Wright are the people at Excel Title LLC http://www.exceltitlellc.com Bill Johnson is my contact at RPR INC in Charlotte NC http://www.royaltypropertiesrealestateinc.com
Rule of thumb is this: If they’re asking for ANY FORM OF ADVANCED PAYMENT, IT’S A SCAM.
This particular scam is well known by the state of Arizona, California and other states attorney generals. They steal a legitimate real estate agent’s ID, as well as a title company. But, if you ask for correspondence mailed from that address, proof of identity and other means of verification, they can’t provide that.
If you’re thinking of hiring these scammers, pay $100 to a local private investigator to drive by the claimed address to see if they have a legitimate business office, personnel and displayed business or real estate license. I guarantee they will fail basis legitimacy tests. Shut them down by not wiring any money.
Is anyone familiar with Global Business Consultants? I have a property in Mexico and they made me an officer to sell. When I inquired, why, they mention that they work with an investor who is getting an IRS tax break. They sound legitimate as there is no money up front just the foreign investors fee and foreign transfer fee so they can conduct business in Mexico and it’s written in my contract. They plan on reimbursing me for the fee once the deal is complete. Don’t want to be caought up in anothe scam, as I have already lost $3000 with Timeshare Resale Market.
As a real estate attorney said to me in 2016, all of these resale companies are scams. If you read the comments over the past years, you’ll see confirmation of this. And, in my experience, this is indeed fact. Avoid them all.
I second Christophers last comment. DO NOT pay a resale company to sell your timeshare you will only be throwing your money away.
I have been contacted by Royalty Properties Real Estate Inc.
Based in Charlotte, NC.
They state they have a buyer for my ownership in Mexico.
Is this a Legitimate Company?
You’re asking the wrong question(s). No one can speak to the integrity or trustworthiness of a resale co. It’s the process which will to reveal TO YOU, that these companies are never legitimate. Study all of the previous posts, follow the traditional transaction process and you’ll find they’re trying break every rule. I’ve written a dozen or more posts, read them.
Global Business Consultant also contacted me to sell timeshare…. so far haven’t replied to them. Seems like a new scam. Did you sell Vee Green?
RE: 180 Marketing Solutions in Atlanta GA – SCAM company. We unfortunately lost some money to these people. DO NOT TRUST THEM
Hello Chris,
Is there a way to be in contact with Carol Walters. Her post is from Aug. 28, 2019. My experience sounds like a copy of what she posted. She offered more information on her experience. I would like to talk with her if I can possibly get her contact info.
Thank You,
I too would like to be in touch with Carol Waltens about her experience because my experience sounds similar. I am also willing to share all of the seemingly legitimate papers I have recieved..In answer to the question about Global Business Consultants, I am dealing with them now. I have send a wire transfer for $4800 and now they are asking me to send $5579 in order to complete the transaction. I am very skeptical about sending more money. I don’t know what to do now.
Has anyone heard of the Bradshaw group property management from Chicago IL? I have reported them as a scam along with GoldenCrest consulting group from Oklahoma City, OK.. to the FBI website. I have lost a lot of money through these two companies. They also claim they have an investor to buy your Mexican timeshare. They ask for money upfront and then they ask for more to pay the mexican government taxes. All of their paperwork looks legitimate. I flew to chicago and went to the address that Bradshaw Group claimed to have an office. Security and the building engineer had never heard of them. They are not at 216 Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL. Do not get involved with them…Save your money. I have been a complete idiot this year….
First, I don’t know your specifics, but like most that have come here (StumbleForward) about Legit TimeShare “buyers, have highly likely have the same experiences you have, it I am afraid you are VERY likely out the money and should DEFINITELY NOT send any more!
Second, as a dead giveaway, in my whole life of real estate transactions been involved with more than most I suspect, I have NEVER seen where a Seller puts any money upfront EVEY!
I wish you luck getting your mOney back. Definitely keep really good records and report what has happened to the FBI. It could be worth your effort in an attempt to get your money back.
I say this in the most sincere way,
Good Luck to you.
Dan R.
Has anyone heard of International Properties, Unltd, Atlanta? Got an unsolicited call from them to purchase our timeshare, no money from us, just wants us to sign the offer sheet they sent and send the first page of our contract so they can research the property. Then they will proceed with the paperwork to sign over the property.
Thoughts?
I received a call from Alliance Real Estate Advisors and they are saying that they could rent out our unused weeks at out timeshare. Has anyone heard of these guys? They say they are based out of New York. Unfortunately there are so many scammers out there it feels like you can not trust anyone!
Has anyone heard of Asset Purchasing Group LLC or Empire Title and Escrow Corporation?
Got an unsolicited call from them, offering to purchase our timeshare and no money from us. Now, I received the offer (contract) and asked me to sign within 10 days. The contract offer was signed by many names, not sure whether they are real people. Thoughts?
One way to find out if a company is legit is to contact the management of the building where the company claims to have an office. So far, I’ve never found one company that has an office where they claim to have one.
Use Google to find the building and a contact phone number or email address.
I was also contacted by Asset Purchasing Group and trying to decide if it’s legit. The suggestion of contacting the building management company is good idea. Good idea. Thanks.
Has anyone heard of Asset Purchasing Group LLC, out of Oklahoma? The are using Empire Escrow out of Colorado. The offer is like 6 times what I Paid for it.
I am dealing with Global business consultants, I have a timeshare down in mexico, before I start sending money for foreign investor permits. Has anyone heard of this company? How did it go for you?
Information on Asset Purchasing Group in Oklahoma. I contacted the Property Management company for the office location they claim to be located. I learned they are not a tenant in the building and have never been a tenant in the building. The Representative has told me they’ve asked them to remove the fraudulent address from their website and marketing materials and they have refused.
That should say all you need to know.
Be careful.
We have also been approached by Asset Purchasing/Empire Escrow and all my research so far suggests they are fakes. No real backbone (week website, no staff to answer phone calls, refusal to negotiate terms). They want the money to pay down what we still owe Vidanta instead of us repaying them directly which I prefer. So we’d lose that money plus the closing costs if they were a scam. Very suspicious.
Thanks for this blog Christopher! I’ve got a guy supposedly named ‘Hugh Jordan’ calling me from “Empire City Brokerage, 255 Cabrini Blvd, New York, NY 10040 (646) 291-8982”. He sent us a proposal to purchase our Cabo, MX timeshare for over twice what we paid for it, claiming that he represented a buyer who was interested in buying up all the timeshares at our resort. No license # on email or our “Proposal Letter”, nor on their weak website (copyright 2020 – what, a month old???).
Big Red Flag: I always adhere to the theory “If its too good to be true it usually is!!”
We actually considered it!! It is funny how GREED shows itself and somehow logical thought almost goes out the window.
BESIDES… we like our timeshare and we don’t want to part with it!!!
Stepping Away and alerting authorities. AGAIN, thank you Christopher!
We have also been contacted by ASSET PURCHASING GROUP offering us $46000 USD to LEASE a number of weeks of our time share. Apparently, there is a need for rooms for big events in Mexico and our suite will rent out for over $1300 per night (it is a nice suite…but NOT that nice). First red flag, too good to be true. He has promised us no up front fees,. Here are some points from the formal offer to lease/ terms of lease.
-provide proof of ownership and will fully cooperate with Lessee(s) research and evaluation without limitation.
-Lessor(s) shall pay maintenance/usage fee required by the Hotel Developer (and from what I have read in above comments, sounds like they want this directly vs paying the developer)
-Lessee(s) shall be contractually obligated to assume the liability of fully refunding the research and maintenance/usage fee to the Lessor(s) at closing ( my guess is that they will want you to pay this fee before the payout)
-sum of $46,655.00 USD (Fourty-six thousand six hundred, fifty-five dollars) will be paid to the Lessor(s) through a Closing Firm and Closing Agent with the Closing Company chosen by the Lessee(s) and delivered to the Lessor(s) on the selected closing date. (they choose the “firm” not us).
– A 8% commission will be charged by Asset Purchasing Group LLC., to the Lessor(s) on the date the funds are ready to be disbursed (closing date)
– The Closing Company must be licensed to do business in the United States of America, if the property is abroad, the Closing Company must also be licensed and accredited to perform closing in whichever country the property is located ( I am sure there is a big fee for this one and also that we have to pay the Mexican gov’t a “tax”.)
-Lessor(s) and Lessee(s) shall keep any negotiations and communications between the parties regarding the potential leasing of the Property confidential.
I thought I would share that we have been contacted by ASSET PURCHASING GROUP as well. I searched their domain name. They claim they have been in business for 3 years, however, there domain name is about 15 months old. Thank you David for checking out their place of business and lack there of and to all of you sharing your experience with hopes others will not fall victim to these fraudsters.
Thank you for this site, it validated my initial concerns and gut feeling.