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The FTC and state consumer protection agencies have shut down dishonest timeshare resellers for bilking timeshare owners out of millions of dollars. If you’re selling a timeshare, listen carefully for the promise of lots of money quickly and a request for an upfront fee. Those are two key signs of timeshare resale scam — and someone you don’t want to do business with.     

In one recent case, Vacation Property Services claimed to represent big-name companies eager to buy timeshares for business travel and events. The company guaranteed timeshare owners hefty returns if they moved quickly on the offer. But first, the company said the owner had to pay from $500 to $2,000, via credit card, in “registration” and other fees to seal the deal.

Timeshare Resale Scams Infographic

Timeshare Resale Scams
Infographic

The company’s promises of ready buyers, fast sales, big profits and money-back guarantees turned out to be lies. What’s more, the timeshare owners were stuck with debt on their credit cards from paying the “fee” after the company told them that the sale would be complete — and that they’d have their money — by the time the credit card bill came.

If you own a timeshare, question any offers to help you resell it. Be skeptical of companies that:

  • claim the market in your area is “hot” and that they’re “overwhelmed” with buyer requests
  • say they have buyers ready to purchase your timeshare — or promise to sell your timeshare within a specific time
  • guarantee you’ll get big returns on your resale
  • require you to pay fees upfront — even if there’s the promise of a “money-back guarantee”
  • don’t provide a contract — or provide a contract that doesn’t accurately reflect conversations you had   

Read about buying and selling a timeshare, or check out our infographic to see how timeshare resale scams typically work.

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
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  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
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Danielle
January 06, 2015

In reply to by lisa

I also just received a call from the investment company in Chicago offering to buy my Unlimited Vacation Club contract. It was called Estate Exchange Group LLC. They are offering me $29,300 for a timeshare that we only paid $14,000 for. They emailed me a contract, and they already had my email address and both my work and cell phone number. This sounds like a definite scam. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is!! Won't be talking to them - that is for sure. They didn't tell me about any upfront fees yet, but I'm sure they will if I were to call back. It did say something about paying a 6% fee at closing though. NOT!
reneecochrancl…
January 19, 2015

In reply to by Danielle

We also received a call and an email with the amount of $35,200.00 offered to purchase our Unlimited Vacation Club on January 7, 2015. That is almost double what we paid for it in November, 2014. We have considered it because of not being able to see a huge savings in other travels and UVC will not cancel and refund us our $5300 that we paid at the resort...very discouraging...
marjwest
March 29, 2015

In reply to by reneecochrancl…

I have been contacted by Pentagon Management Property, LLC out of Chicago. Sales pitch sounded like a company out of FL which I reported to the FL Consumer Department and this company insisted that I contacted them about the sale which was a lie. Checking those in rental properties for the Pentagon Management Property, LLC, I see the tenants have had problems with them. I believe they are a scam and I am not sending them my money. I informed the salesperson that called I would need time to review their business rating and property and they agreed. They will not get my timeshare. I am sending all documents to the Chicago Department of Consumer Protection and Federal agencies as necessary. They need to be stopped.
hennean
April 15, 2015

In reply to by marjwest

Hi There,Thanks so much for your above message. I have been contacted by the same company and am trying to find out if they are legitimate or if they are going to lead me down a Rabbit Hole!
Al W
April 27, 2015

In reply to by marjwest

I have been contacted by Pentagon Management Propery as well. I thought this to be a legitimate offer until Michael and Emma insisted on 10% but Nader fee that I pay to them up front. tomorrow I will contact the federal authorities in Illinios. Once you look at the documents they provide you will see the less than proper appearance. The sad part is....I really do not want the time share and thought the timing was fantastic.
jrsnyder
June 07, 2015

In reply to by marjwest

If you look up the address of this "company" you will find that it's located at a Starbucks! Definite scam!
Janet from Ren…
January 21, 2015

In reply to by Danielle

Danielle, we also received this call, but they didn't offer more than we paid for the time share. Have tried to verify company and it seem legit so far. What did you find out about Estate Exchange Group?
bigdogmg
April 27, 2015

In reply to by Janet from Ren…

I got a call from Pentagon Mgmt Property from Chicago. They want me to sign a resale agreement, but on one line it states I need to pay a $3125 Binder fee that will be paid back to me at closing. According to the sales guy this is "normal" when dealing with a timeshare that is from Mexico. I think I will listen to others who've posted that this is a warning. No money up front.
rlaurino
May 11, 2015

In reply to by Danielle

Danielle, I received the same call this week from a company called S&S Prime advisors. They initial offer is very similar to yours and currently the title company is evaluating if I'm a good prospect for them. I'm glad I found these postings because the offer is just too good to be true.Roberto
everettEC
June 01, 2015

In reply to by rlaurino

We got a call from Joseph Ramos at S&S Prime Advisors on Thurs (3 days ago). He offered us double what we paid in an offer letter. I'm going to report them and tell him to remove my contact info from his list. Just curious what happened to you after they "evaluated" your file? We are not going farther than agreeing to see their offer.
Frank Earnest
June 06, 2015

In reply to by everettEC

I also got a call from Joseph Ramos at S&S Prime Advisor and in his follow up letter he offered us double what we paid. I replied back "Not interested. Do not contact me again" with CC to the FBI and FTC.
jazzy
May 02, 2017

In reply to by Danielle

Have you pursued this proposal? What was the end result? Your story sounds very similar to mine. No upfront fees
Zack
January 05, 2016

In reply to by lisa

Was it called Vacation Connections LLC. Out of Chicago. It would seam that they got me for $3580.00 I feel like I was taken to the cleaners on this one. Look out!! At this time I'm not sure if there is any thing I can do.
Lazyboy
August 04, 2016

In reply to by Zack

Seems alot of these "property management" places originate out of Chicago. Well planned and documents look legit. Even websites are pretty convincing. My experience was from infinity development inc. They also used transfer solutions for the handling of funds. Went through the motions with them until the "closing". And tadaa. I need to wire them 2200 bucks for a Mexican tax id. I told them I would be more than willing to have the fee taken from the closing costs but apparently it doesn't work that way. Remain suspicious of companies that require fees upfront especially when selling. My experience with selling has always been any kind of fees are taken out funds already in place for the sale. Stay safe peeps
damnscammers
August 07, 2016

In reply to by Lazyboy

My parents just got taken for $11,000 from Infinity Development Inc and Transfer Solutions. My dad is well educated and am surprised he fell for it. The websites look good, but domain name registered on 6/1/2016 right before they started cold calling people. I have filed with FTC and fraud.org to help others. Also posting their name everywhere I can to get more search results about the scams and not their website!!!
Been taken
August 22, 2016

In reply to by damnscammers

I also have been scammed by infinity development and transfer solutions they want you to pay four fees by the time you are finished. They are not at the address they give you. And they are very good scammers.
meyer
August 29, 2016

In reply to by Been taken

infinity is offering me a high sum of money.I AM GLAD I FOUND THIS WEBSITE.
abtravellers
November 09, 2016

In reply to by damnscammers

We to have been contacted by Infinity and Transfer Solutions. Thank you for confirming that they are a scam, which we have suspected all along. We are just at the stage with them where they want us to pay our transfer penalty of 5 maintenance fees to them. They are now changing all the requirements from their initial comments. We have tried without success to get any information on these creeps that we can. This is the first confirmation I have found in the past 2 months that confirms our suspicions. Thank you for that. There must be somewhere else that we can get the message out about these fraudsters.
lee
December 02, 2016

In reply to by FTC Staff

Have you received or heard any complaints on a company called Resort Planning Group? I've been getting several calls lately on my Presidential suite at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach in Cabo, Mex. I would like to sell it as we are no longer able to travel due to health reasons. I currently have it listed with "Sell My Timeshare Now", but had to pay $1,750 for the advertising costs. I've looked on their site and it is listed. Is this still a Scam? Thank you for getting back to me soonest.
Uncertain
August 08, 2016

In reply to by Lazyboy

Lazyboy we are going through the same scenario you have mentioned. We have not had to front any money and we have received the escrow papers for signing. How did they respond? The RFC is being paid for by the buyer.
Been taken
August 25, 2016

In reply to by Uncertain

Yes that is what they say every time you pay. A few days later they want you to pay for something else. They will tell you to wire the money to Mexico. The buyer will also reimburse you the money. George moser will tell you they can't pay anything because they will lose there license. There was no license I checked ,they are not at the address that is on the contract we also have reported them to the proper authorities. Transfer solutions they sell medical eguipment,Infinity development lnc they are not listed with the real estate be. In illinois
Relieved!
April 02, 2015

In reply to by Disgusted

Great job!! I had the same situation. The company promised to reimburse the taxes after it was paid. I asked them to pay it since we were going to be paid back. They said they couldn't do that. I then asked them to send us the funds so we can pay the taxes. No response. Very curious situation.
abtravellers
November 09, 2016

In reply to by Relieved!

We just used your tactic with Richard McKinley from Infinity deveploements. We asked them to send us the 6000.00 they wanted us to send since it was to be reimbursed. He got kinda snippy and hung up. Guess he knew the jig was up.
More UVC jive
April 06, 2015

In reply to by Disgusted

Investment Group, Inc. from Chicago contacted us, too. They told us the rules of the assignment clause in our contract would not apply, because a Title Company would handle the transaction. I contacted UVC and they said this is NEVER done. They also had a 6% transaction fee.
Concerned
June 30, 2015

In reply to by More UVC jive

I too was just contacted by this Investment Affiliates Incorporated with a deal that seems too good to be true. I would really like to get out of this timeshare but very skeptical of a scam of which I think most of these are. What was your final outcome. It all sounds good so far but afraid I will email a document that will entitle them to my timeshare without getting paid. Any thoughts on this company?
FTC Staff
June 30, 2015

In reply to by Concerned

Don’t agree to anything on the phone or online until you check out the reseller. Contact the state Attorney General and local consumer protection agencies in the state where the reseller is located. Ask if any complaints are on file. You also can search online for complaints; enter the company name and the word “complaints” in a search engine and see what comes up.

Another One
September 02, 2015

In reply to by Disgusted

I've been getting calls from W&A Consulting, I haven't seen them in this blog. Has anyone heard of them? They also want to purchase my UVC membership, at the possible price of $29,500. I figured they, too, were blowing smoke, now I'm sure of it after finding this blog. A foreign company selling vacation clubs, selling our names to another foreign company, then trying to scam the buyers. You gotta love that. I actually like my membership and have gone on a half a dozen US ski trips with it for just the RCI fees. I think I'll keep it.
CeCe
June 20, 2014
I have received frequent calls from Sell my Time share. This is an agressive organization. HANG UP immediately Mr. David is a scam artist and insist that he is doing you a favor and you should be glad he even bother to call. The man harrassed me and I finally got rid of him when I told him I reported him to the FTC and Consumer Fraud. Several months later he called back using a different name...I hung up.
Tawd
June 24, 2014
they call me everyday
Brian- San Diego
June 28, 2014
Anyone heard of international corporate brokers out of Texas? Recent calls with promise of sale but requesting an upfront 10% transfer fee for my puerto Vallarta timeshare. They are sending mr a contract , more to come.
v8amigo
September 24, 2014

In reply to by Brian- San Diego

brian- we also have been contacted by ICB , i am still looking for more info
Feminmk
July 03, 2014
My recent scam experience was from Sam baker at Bell resort sales out of Amarillo, TX. He said he had a buyer for my timeshare. He only asked for $175 for title search and a tax fee. His commission was to be paid for by the buyer. I was to send the money western union to their branch in Daytona beach, fl. He would then send me the contract by fed ex. I had already received a contract by email. Needless to say I took the bait. After he received his money the company website did not exist, the company address was bogus and he does not respond to his phone or email. Seems like there should be more to this scam than $175. If anyone else has experienced this please let me know.
GaryDonD
July 08, 2014

In reply to by Feminmk

Feminmk. I also received numerous emails from Mr. Baker and I also sent him about the same amount. Just like you, I haven't heard back from him and I he won't respond to emails, txt msgs, and his direct line has a "mailbox full" message. His company line lets me leave a voicemail but no return calls.
Outraged
July 08, 2014
BEWARE INTERNATIONAL LUXURY EVENTS calling from 323 786-1958. How they got my HOME number is beyond me. A guy with the last name of Simmons left a message twice. I returned the call because he spoke so fast on the phone I thought is was from my UVC membership that I own. When I called back and told him I already returned the call and left a message, asked why he was again calling and why on my home phone, he said "It's time to pull up your big girl panties and take care of business". I am now online finding out what a piece of crap business this is. As an attorney, it is my hope that some protections will be provided to those sucked in by this fast-talking, disrepectful obvious scammer who would not even tell me the name of the company he was working for. I had to google the number to find them.
another name
March 07, 2015

In reply to by Outraged

Also beware of Global Luxury events and name used was Mark Hammer.
Tommy tone
July 22, 2014
Reply company called property connect sent me letter of intent to buy my Uvc membership gave me escrow company transfer group both out of Chicago gave me a contract told me no money out of my pocket at all still scared anybody have any good advice thanks
Theshopper59
August 15, 2014

In reply to by Tommy tone

Hey Tommy, did you ever receive your money. I have had similar experience with Vacation Properties Intl from LA telling me that they have somebody to buy my timeshare......thanks, Y
Another Tommy tone
July 29, 2014
I got the same thing. Property Connect LLC in Chicago. Guy called me then sent the letter of intent. I'm here investigating if this is legit. Trying to figure this out.
BCOwner
August 12, 2014

In reply to by Another Tommy tone

We've heard from them too. It's a scam. I searched their address and then came up with a real estate company who manages the building. Their address is a vacant suite. We got so far as speaking with their escrow agent who was insisting on us paying the transfer fee by wire transfer to a bank in Mexico. We refused saying we were willing to complete the transaction but on the basis that all proceeds, including the transfer fee that they agreed to pay, would be paid to our lawyer in trust. They have phoned and objected to this but still sound professional on the phone. The challenge now is to get them to stop calling.
Another Voice
October 31, 2014

In reply to by Another Tommy tone

I heard from Property Connect also. Found three additional companies online with the identical website set-up including pictures and testimonials. When I told this to the Property Connect people they acted liked it was a surprise. They said they would investigate and get back to me. Haven't heard from them since.
Just Bob
August 07, 2014
Trying to find out if Regency Consulting Group is a reputable company, they called me about selling my timeshare.
timeshare owner
August 18, 2014
Watch out for offers to buy your timeshare from: Laura Borchers or Paul Kelleher They will send you a bad cashier's check (usually $2,900) and ask you to forward a part of the money ($2,400) to an agent Samuel Kaplan or Samuel Boas who is supposed to close the deal. You lose the money forwarded. Fortunately, I got onto the scam before sending any money.
patty
August 19, 2014
A company called Property connect offered to buy my unlimited vacation club membership for $21,000 just this week. They know too much about my contract. Someone inside unlimited is in on this and giving out member info for this scam. I received a contract and was told a wealthy Hong Kong business wanted the membership. I just would owe a 6% fee. They must be stopped. It's bad enough I bought the membership, now it has introduced more scanners into my life. Who needs this stress
maryvasquez28
November 30, 2015

In reply to by patty

I have an offered right now going on!! so it is a scam? they told me I had to pay 2700 for the cx fee from UVC!! some one please help me an tell me what is my best option!
Charlie
August 21, 2014
My husband & I were contacted by a company in Ok, Property Management,ML but after contacting the State of Ok we found out they are using this name but they are not a real company. Many complaint have been filled. They are also using another Company Ross Financials in TX, there is No such company in the state. Buyer Beware if it sounds too good it is a Fraud!
KC
September 22, 2014

In reply to by Charlie

Yes, Ross Financials is a fraud. Unfortunately I was a victim of this company as well as Managements Systems Inc.
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