In recent years, consumer-focused websites and programs have expanded their investigative efforts on timeshare fraud. Timeshare relief has deservedly received special attention. Although a decrease in criminal activity within the industry will take time, a strong message is being sent. In the past, it’s taken a multitude of complaints to bring attention to a typical timeshare property resale scam. But today, different platforms are working together, for the consumer by studying complaint trends that help lead them to misconduct.
2019 has been a busy year for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in this regard. They’ve made it a priority to act on the complaints they receive, especially from timeshare owners. We just published a news article covering the Bureau’s plan to target relief agencies in southwest Missouri. It’s apparent the BBB now understands just how troublesome and costly owning a timeshare can be. Like us, they too want owners to learn about deception before it’s experienced.
Portland-Area Company Fails at Selling Timeshares
At the end of May, the Northwest Pacific BBB had an alert to share with consumers as well. They’ve officially categorized M&T Property Management as an operational timeshare scam in Portland, Oregon. After investigating the agency and analyzing the lack of their rebuttals, the BBB determined M&T is simply acting as a timeshare property resale company. There’s essentially no evidence showing the company actually knows how to help timeshare owners sell their property or offload their contract.
According to the report, M&T has gone above and beyond to make their company seem real. Their website and other online profiles are full of misleading statements, inaccurate business information and phony credentials. Come to find out, the operation doesn’t even have proper licensing for property management, real estate, escrow and construction in the state of Oregon. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The BBB confirmed that M&T also stole the identity of a recently closed company in Oregon in order to deceive victims.
Even the Oregon Real Estate Agency attempted to contact M&T with no prevail. After further research, investigators believe the timeshare property resale scam is also connected to another fraudulent operation in Seattle by the name of Beach Property Management. They’re purportedly utilizing the same verbiage that M&T used on their website and in their contracts. At this point, it’s hard to tell how many co-conspirators are actually involved.
The BBB clearly wants the public to know how misleading timeshare exit fraud can be. Not every business claiming to offer real estate investment or brokerage services can actually help you. No matter how good the solution sounds, you have to be sure before handing over thousands of dollars for something you know little about. M&T Property Management hasn’t even been in business one year and their customers are already screaming fraud. With almost $37K in total losses already reported, it’s a shame so many people fell for the timeshare property resale scam.
You Can Easily Avoid Timeshare Resale Fraud.
Even when a website seems official, there are always telling signs when it comes to identifying fraud. A majority of the fractional owners that fell for this scam had some sort of interaction with the company online. If they would have looked at the online registry for the business or it’s online domain (web address), they would have found that M&T barely got started in August of 2018. Since the company didn’t possess a proven reputation for reselling timeshare properties, consumers should have already been skeptical.
No one has to be a victim of timeshare resale fraud. But consumers need to take the time to research their options before they attempt to resell a timeshare property. By doing your homework, you’ll easily find out that most timeshares are un-sellable anyways. The non-existent market should tell you all you need to know about businesses claiming to be experts at selling timeshare properties.
If you or someone you know has endured a timeshare property resale scam, you can always file a report with the BBB or reach out to other consumer protection programs for assistance. If you’re tired of trying to sell your timeshare and are ready to legally cancel your agreement, you’re more than welcome to schedule a FREE consultation or proceed with the qualification form below.
