"Judy" responds (multiple times) with apparent buyer enthusiasm...
Just received a reply from 'Judy': "Cathie,
Thank you for your response to my inquiry regarding your timeshare. I am interested in purchasing it. Is it owned by you or are you acting as a broker? I am a private buyer.
I would like you to confirm the information as on the ad such as weeks of availability for the year, your final price and any other information you think I should know. Can the resort be exchanged with any other resort?
Please respond as soon as possible as I look forward to closing soon.
Sincerely,
Judy Boulay"
I'm frustrated..how do I tell a legit inquiry from something like this? I'm trying to unload 2 timeshares for my elderly mother and I already didn't feel confident about how to do this without wasting time before the next maintenance fees are due and dealing with garbage like this. I wasn't expecting easy here, I just thought I was being cautious using this site.
Yours is really a very good question and an entirely legitimate concern. It's
not always clear and straightforward separating the sincere wheat from the bogus chaff, particularly when the ad "respondent" seems reasonably literate and asks (mostly) intelligent timeshare questions.
Generally, I'd be inclined to believe that
relatively few scammers would be so brazen as to attempt to "work" the TUG crowd, as there is just far too much knowledge, experience and healthy skepticism here for a scammer / phisher to successfully overcome. In general, it's not going to be a successful venture to bring a Little League level ball game onto a major league playing field, if you'll forgive the sports analogy.
The "color me dubious" factors in this specific instance of "judy", at least IMnsHO, is the much too-quickly expresssed interest in simultaneously "closing soon" (on at least 20 unrelated listings). The not-so-astute question of "Can the resort be exchanged with any other resorts?" also gives me pause. The latter question clearly indicates a lack of knowledge about the exchange system / process, yet it is coupled with the "want to close soon" (on about 20 timeshares) line. Personally, I just can't (...and I don't) buy it for one moment.
Add to the above the fact that "judy" has a VOIP phone # whose recording has a name which does
not match hers. Collectively,
my instincts say "phishing or scam". In either case (for me) it's "Bye, Judy".
To "smoke her out", ask for a legitimate phone # at which you can call her directly, at your own expense (from a "blocked" number, of course), in order to answer any and all questions she might have in as much detail as she might require --- and to get all of
her information for use in the preparation of a new deed, before any money even changes hands. My guess is that the silence thereafter will be quite deafening.
