[2010] Florida AG releases website displaying active litigation against Scammers!

[LannyPC]

A tugger previously listed a check list on a post. It listed sites such as the BBB, Attorney General, Police, and ripoffreport.com, as well as others, to contact and report fraud/scams. Does anyone have that thread? Thanks

Is this what you're looking for?

http://tug2.net/timeshare_advice/timeshare_scam_retaliation.html

 

[Judi Kozlowski]

Tele Marketers

They are all scammers. Anyone who calls you is a scammer.

This is true. If more people would hang up I would not spend half my time helping elderly people who are scammed.

 

[kanerf]

One for us

Well at least one scammer got her comeuppance:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2012/01/timeshare-resale-agent-sentenced-to-prison.html

188 Months!

 

[smileyface]

This was very helpful....Thank You!

Court Halts Business at Lauderdale Timeshare Company -by Nirvi Shah/TheMiamiHerald/Sun-Sentinel.com

Tuggers are well familiar with these timeshare scam artists doing business under a variety of names.

Surprised Nirvi listed ARDA as a resource for help selling your timeshare but not Tug.

Richard

Thank you!.....I'm still on the hunt for restitution from Global Resort Services, Fort Lauderdale.

 

[siesta]

From information on the AG's site, it states that Blue Green Resorts is currently under investigation by the Economic Crimes Division.

http://www.myfloridalegal.com/lit_ec.nsf/timeshares/F1DC2120991FCEBB852577B2006E8E21

 

[timesharepartners]

Thanks for the post

This link is a great resource. We all know how many timeshare scammers there are these days, and it's good to have this resource to investigate some of them. Thanks for posting!

 

[timeos2]

From information on the AG's site, it states that Blue Green Resorts is currently under investigation by the Economic Crimes Division.

http://www.myfloridalegal.com/lit_ec.nsf/timeshares/F1DC2120991FCEBB852577B2006E8E21

There are at least a few (WASTEGATE, WYNDHAM Hint Hint!) others that deserve a close look. But it is good to see they are at least looking at the true source of the problems. Lets hope this leads to some reforms at the least.

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

From what I can tell, MOST Wyndham resorts don't sell resales. One poster said he found a Wyndham resort that was, but it sounds like the exception.

I don't see any fraud by Wyndham corporate, other than allowing salesmen to do whatever it takes to make a sale. Yes, they sell new points for significantly higher than resale, but as economics goes, people are "willing" to pay high mortgages, so they can charge it. Just like resales... people are not willing to pay very much, so the prices stay extremely low.

TS

 

[TUGByAccident]

Rigler Realty/Vacation Property Brokers

Is anyone familiar with this company's timeshare cancellation service? Is it legit? Does it work?

www.timesharescam.org

Cancel Your Ownership.
Cancel Your Mortgage.

This Timeshare Cancellation Service option will guarantee you to get out of your timeshare within 12 months OR your money back.
100% Money Back Guarantee if your timeshare is not cancelled in 12 months or less, even if you have a timeshare mortgage!
Money Recovery Services are included.
To qualify for this service, your resort must have committed fraud and/or mislead you, which is usually the case, but not always.
Read more »

I think I qualify for this, but they require a $3,000 fee for it. They have a legit license, a good BBB rating and no complaints. Here's their info:

Tracy Rigler, Broker
Licensed Real Estate Broker License #BK641301
Tyler Stofel, Sales Agent
Licensed Real Estate Sales License #SL3250514
http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/
Melissa Dann, Office Manager
Mel Bistrican, Brokers Assistant
Scott Friedman, Brokers Assistant

 

[rickandcindy23]

DO NOT PAY anything to these scammers. Scam, pure and simple, and I hope no one believes all of this information about it. It's another way for people to get your money. Don't be fooled.

 

[TUGByAccident]

Re: Rigler Realty / Worldmark cancellation

@rickandcindy23

Since I was already scammed into upping my points, membership, etc by Worldmark by Wyndham, how do you recommend I get out of this mortgage without using a service such as Rigler Realty's?????

 

[rickandcindy23]

@rickandcindy23

Since I was already scammed into upping my points, membership, etc by Worldmark by Wyndham, how do you recommend I get out of this mortgage without using a service such as Rigler Realty's?????

You cannot get out of it without negatively affecting your credit. Why did you buy it? Because at the time it looked good to you.

That's the whole point. This company won't help you, they will indeed keep your money. I don't believe any of their promises, and I would bet they are also on the list of scammers Florida's attorney general keeps updating daily with new scammers.

If you start getting really offended by my post, then we may know where you work.

This person, Rigler, is not BBB accredited. They don't have complaints, but we all know most people don't complain, and if they are a cold-call company, as most of these are, they are truly scamming people. I wonder what Judi knows about this company. They are a dime a dozen, there are so many new ones popping up everywhere. This company claims to be around since 2004, and I am knocking on that one because BBB has only had them on their radar since mid-2011. The BBB doesn't allow timeshare sales companies to even belong to BBB because they had so many complaints.

 

[pacodemountainside]

Is anyone familiar with this company's timeshare cancellation service? Is it legit? Does it work?

www.timesharescam.org

Cancel Your Ownership.
Cancel Your Mortgage.

This Timeshare Cancellation Service option will guarantee you to get out of your timeshare within 12 months OR your money back.
100% Money Back Guarantee if your timeshare is not cancelled in 12 months or less, even if you have a timeshare mortgage!
Money Recovery Services are included.
To qualify for this service, your resort must have committed fraud and/or mislead you, which is usually the case, but not always.
Read more »

I think I qualify for this, but they require a $3,000 fee for it. They have a legit license, a good BBB rating and no complaints. Here's their info:

Tracy Rigler, Broker
Licensed Real Estate Broker License #BK641301
Tyler Stofel, Sales Agent
Licensed Real Estate Sales License #SL3250514
http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/
Melissa Dann, Office Manager
Mel Bistrican, Brokers Assistant
Scott Friedman, Brokers Assistant

A couple observations.

If time share is paid for, just offer here for free and will pay $1,000 bonus to expedite transaction. No need to spend $3,000.

If big mortgage state you will pay say $300 cash(10%) and put rest in escrow account. Then like any closing when deal is complete they get other $2,700. Of course, they will say we have expenses to pay to which you reply then if you spend how can you refund after a year?

While no one disputes major misrepresentation, lies and probably fraud what do you have to prove? Sales people will not let you keep one scrap of paper. In real estate must in writing and Developer has your written agreement that this contract supercedes any thing any one said or showed you and if Wyndham has you inital several paragrahs specifically saying no one said any of the lies you were told, like an investment, can rent and make money, bonus weeks, fantastic usage, waiver of maintenace fees, etc.

If ME, I would make sure I have a couple good credit cards, not planning on any car or house financing for a couple years, open a home equity credit line, etc. and take a couple year hit on credit score. There is a lot less stigma attached to a default these days. No more seven year wipeouts.

This assumes you have exhausted all the other remedies suggested on various threads here.

 

[TUGByAccident]

Rigler Realty etc

Not sure what you're implying about where I must work if I'm offended... since I'm unemployed....
I initially contacted them to inquire about selling the membership. They then asked me questions and proposed this option.
I looked through the Florida AG's website, but didn't find them. Can you send me a link of the list?

BTW - Where do YOU work?

 

[TUGByAccident]

A couple observations.

If time share is paid for, just offer here for free and will pay $1,000 bonus to expedite transaction. No need to spend $3,000.

If big mortgage state you will pay say $300 cash(10%) and put rest in escrow account. Then like any closing when deal is complete they get other $2,700. Of course, they will say we have expenses to pay to which you reply then if you spend how can you refund after a year?

While no one disputes major misrepresentation, lies and probably fraud what do you have to prove? Sales people will not let you keep one scrap of paper. In real estate must in writing and Developer has your written agreement that this contract supercedes any thing any one said or showed you and if Wyndham has you inital several paragrahs specifically saying no one said any of the lies you were told, like an investment, can rent and make money, bonus weeks, fantastic usage, waiver of maintenace fees, etc.

If ME, I would make sure I have a couple good credit cards, not planning on any car or house financing for a couple years, open a home equity credit line, etc. and take a couple year hit on credit score. There is a lot less stigma attached to a default these days. No more seven year wipeouts.

This assumes you have exhausted all the other remedies suggested on various threads here.

Thanks for the info Paco. I'm new to this site. Can you point me in the direction of what else I should try that you are referring to from this site?
And definitely, if this is indeed a scam, defaulting is an option I will have to consider...

 

[TUGByAccident]

You cannot get out of it without negatively affecting your credit. Why did you buy it? Because at the time it looked good to you.

That's the whole point. This company won't help you, they will indeed keep your money. I don't believe any of their promises, and I would bet they are also on the list of scammers Florida's attorney general keeps updating daily with new scammers.

If you start getting really offended by my post, then we may know where you work.

This person, Rigler, is not BBB accredited. They don't have complaints, but we all know most people don't complain, and if they are a cold-call company, as most of these are, they are truly scamming people. I wonder what Judi knows about this company. They are a dime a dozen, there are so many new ones popping up everywhere. This company claims to be around since 2004, and I am knocking on that one because BBB has only had them on their radar since mid-2011. The BBB doesn't allow timeshare sales companies to even belong to BBB because they had so many complaints.

The contract that they sent me by email (I couldn't figure out how to attach a PDF to this message - is there some way?) uses different names:
Orlando Ventures, LLC, dba Helping Timeshare Owners also written as a logo: Help4TSO

It also has this weird clause:

TRAVEL CLUB: Once you are in the process of canceling your ownership, you may not be able to utilize your Resort. For this reason, Orlando Ventures, LLC, dba Helping Timeshare Owners will provide you with a free a 1-year membership to Elite Destinations. We will provide you with a Login and Password so you can have access to any Resort offered through RCI. You will be able to see how cheap you can stay at your same Resort and compare it to what you are currently paying. This service has a value of $7,999.00 and you will receive this with our services. www.vacationfulfillment.com
HERE IS THE DEFAULT LOGIN: 10174267 & PASSWORD: Drive5 (case sensitive).

 

[Timeshare Von]

<<snipped>>

It also has this weird clause:

TRAVEL CLUB: Once you are in the process of canceling your ownership, you may not be able to utilize your Resort. For this reason, Orlando Ventures, LLC, dba Helping Timeshare Owners will provide you with a free a 1-year membership to Elite Destinations. We will provide you with a Login and Password so you can have access to any Resort offered through RCI. You will be able to see how cheap you can stay at your same Resort and compare it to what you are currently paying. This service has a value of $7,999.00 and you will receive this with our services. www.vacationfulfillment.com
HERE IS THE DEFAULT LOGIN: 10174267 & PASSWORD: Drive5 (case sensitive).

What a huge red flag! Don't walk but run from this people! More shyster mumbo jumbo. You give us $3,000 and we'll give you access to a service worth $7,999? They must think "once a sucker . . . always a sucker" !

 

[TUGByAccident]

What a huge red flag! Don't walk but run from this people! More shyster mumbo jumbo. You give us $3,000 and we'll give you access to a service worth $7,999? They must think "once a sucker . . . always a sucker" !

I'm glad I found this site!

 

[rickandcindy23]

BTW - Where do YOU work?

Not for an upfront-fee site that provides a travel club for their $3,000 upfront fee and then says, "We gave you a product worth $7,999 for your $3,000." :rofl: Von is right, and we talk about it a lot here. Timeshare scammers think we are suckers because we own timeshare, so they think we will fall for anything. Little do they know.

 

[TUGByAccident]

Paco's reference to other remedies?

A couple observations.

This assumes you have exhausted all the other remedies suggested on various threads here.

I'm still interested in learning of any other remedies.

 

[pacodemountainside]

I'm still interested in learning of any other remedies.

If you look at the top of this or any thread there are 9 options. The seventh from left is search. Just click on this and plug in key words like resale, scammers, company name, relief companies, etc.

There are too many posts daily to keep track of all.

Based on subsequent posts they are NOT "BBB" accredited and offer of $7,999 value package I would run! It appears to ME they are giving you a $89 RCI membership and you can use for last call and get-a-ways. Also, DBAs are big red flag! Can change daily to confuse BBB and AG!

Just remember, no one here wants any money unless posting in rental or sale section.

 

[rico2on2]

Practically every resale or listing company I've contacted or has contacted me, wants some kind of up-front fee. If they are all scammers, then there is little hope of selling or otherwise getting out of a timeshare that I can't really use. Is that it?

 

[DeniseM]

Practically every resale or listing company I've contacted or has contacted me, wants some kind of up-front fee. If they are all scammers, then there is little hope of selling or otherwise getting out of a timeshare that I can't really use. Is that it?

There are reputable timeshare brokers who charge a commission after the sale - similar to real estate brokers, but their commission is $1,000 plus, and they don't accept timeshare listings, unless they think there is a market to sell them. In today's market, most timeshares won't even sell for enough to cover the commission.

If your timeshare is paid off, you may be able to give it away yourself, very inexpensively:

Please consider giving your timeshare away to a private individual who would like to own it, before you spend a cent with an upfront fee company.

Why?
-You can give it away yourself for nearly no cost.
-You can control the transfer process to make sure it is truly transferred out of your name.
-You won't have to deal with companies that may or may not be Legit.
-You can transfer it to a private individual who will be happy to have it for their own use.
-You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you ended your ownership legally and ethically.

There are TWO places on TUG where you can give away your TS's for free (no charge for the Ads.) THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT - SO YOU SHOULD POST IN BOTH AREAS. There are other cheap and free sites on the internet, as well.

TUG Marketplace - the only cost is your TUG membership - $15 (List it for $1 and it will automatically go in the Bargain Basement Ads.)

Bargain Deals - Totally FREE! - just write a simple post with all the pertinent info. In your post, include the following info.:

-resort name
-unit size
-season owned
-maintenance fee
-current reservations​

To make it more attractive I would:

1) Pay the 2012/2013 maintenance fees and don't ask for reimbursement.

2) Pay for the title transfer (you can get a simple title transfer with no escrow or title search for about $100.) Many Tuggers (including me) have been using Legal Timeshare Transfers, a no frills document preparation company, and they are receiving good reviews on TUG.:

Legal Timeshare Transfers/Ready Legal
Lisa Short and Mary Pless
http://legaltimesharetransfers.com/
1.706.969.8906

3) Reserve a popular holiday week in 2012/13 for the new owner

4) Instead of paying a fee to a rescue company - consider offering a cash incentive to the new owner.

5) Here is the very important step that most people miss: Come back to TUG once a week and add more info. to your thread - this will bump it to the top of the page.​

Good luck!

 

[MelissaM]

Has anyone heard of M&M Management Group 800 N. Olive St Dallas Texas 75201? They have contacted us on several occasions to provide renters or buy our timeshare property. We wonder if they are a legitimate company?

 

[Sandy VDH]

http://www.myfloridalegal.com/timeshares


check the box on the left for company names and current description of the Florida AG's office actions towards them

There is no longer a box on the left. Is there anyone who can clarify where to find this list.