CLAYTON – A Johnston County woman lost thousands of dollars after falling victim to a timeshare scam.
A 69-year-old Clayton resident saw an ad for a luxurious timeshare at a resort in Mexico. She called the phone number and thought she was speaking with a firm handling the timeshare sale.
She agreed to purchase the timeshare, and over the course of several weeks sent four payments totaling $62,282.08
Only later did she realize there was no timeshare for sale and she had been dealing with an online scammer.
Several years ago, the Federal Trade Commission released a warning about Mexico timeshare scams.
To avoid a similar scam, research the property and contact the property manager to confirm who is handling their resale program. Research the reseller and check with the Better Business Bureau for any complaints about the company.
Some of the scams work by requesting the victim wire money to an escrow account in Mexico to handle fees and commissions. Mexico does not have the same regulations for escrow accounts as the United States. Once the money had been transferred, you won’t be able to recover it.
Is there any such thing as a timeshare that *isn’t* a scam?!?! C’mon Joco, be smarter! #BeResponsible #aFoolAndHerMoney
Yes, all timeshares are scams. Prepaid, prescheduled rent for much more time than you will be there with other tenants in and out of the same space. Just Say No..Rent a nice resort vacation house for a few days. Then go somewhere else next time.