Seriously!! How many times do you have to be told not to pay an upfront fee!!!! UGH!!! I am new to this and have figured this out quickly!!
Those paying upfront fees and getting scammed, in some cases multiple times, are not familiar with TUG. In fact, I would suspect that some have limited to no internet access.
When the timeshare has become a burden it is easy to believe the scammers (who can be VERY convincing) and drop your guard. Afterall, the scammers reaffirm what the owner WANTS to believe - that their timeshare IS worth money and that the original salesperson was RIGHT when they said it was a good investment.