Scam Alerts!
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A reader has submitted what she believes is a new timeshare scam and claims that these con artists defrauded her of more than $7,000! Details of the alleged fraud are below:
"... C&S Trust Services/Settlement was used by Enterprise Corporate Services as a escrow service. They told us we needed to pay bank charges so the money from the customer's bank account could be released. They said the buyer would reimburse the money per the contract between the buyer and broker. We payed (international wire transfer) and C&S came back and said the money had been seized by the US government while being wired to the US bank. They reestablished an account and asked us to pay another bank charge. We did and now they say the money never made it to the account. Our bank has verified that the money has been transferred successfully. Both C&S Services and Enterprise Corporate Services cannot be reached and are not answering their phones. We did ask for verification that there was an actual bank account in Mexico. C&S did send us a printout of a bank account in Mexico. This has been going on for 4 months. We lost $7100.00..." The reader submitted the following contact information for the companies and individuals who she claims scammed her out of thousands! C&S TRUST SERVICES / CS Settlement 540 WEST MADISON ST. CHICAGO, IL, 60661 PHONE: 773-409-4909 FAX: 773-654-4920 s.stein (at) cssettlement.com - Sarah Stein Enterprise Corporate Services 808 State Ave, Kansas City, KS 66101 Tel: (913) -871-4528 Toll Free: (866) -978-7013 Fax: (913) -428-0870 michael.h (at) enterprisecorporateservices.com - Michael Hernendez Real the entire Federal Bureau of Investigation press release by clicking HERE..
"... A former employee of The Vacation Ownership Group LLC admitted to conspiring to defraud owners of timeshare properties by offering phony consulting services, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. She also admitted to illegally collecting unemployment benefits. Catherine Bannigan, 58, of Ventnor, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Court Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court to an information charging her with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of wire fraud. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: The Vacation Ownership Group, a/k/a VO Group LLC, had offices in Mays Landing, New Jersey, and Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, and claimed to offer consulting services to owners of timeshares, including cancelling, purchasing, and upgrading the timeshares. In 2010, Bannigan started working at the VO Group and was trained by VO Group co-owner Adam Lacerda to call customers using prepared scripts. The defendant called customers and gave them the false impression that they were working for a bank or lending institution. After hearing the Bannigan’s false representations, some customers sent checks to the VO Group. For example, Bannigan falsely told victim “JL” that a committee at the VO Group was meeting, that Bannigan had scheduled JL’s case to be heard by the committee, and that she needed to mark her complaint resolved or unresolved to induce JL to send the VO Group money. Bannigan admitted causing more than $70,000 in losses.... ... On January 23, 2013, co-owners Adam Lacerda and Ashley Lacerda and other members of the VO Group were charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and other charges. Additional members of the VO Group were also charged by criminal complaint in April 2012. To date, 12 members of the VO Group have pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. As for the Lacerdas and other defendants who have not been convicted in this case, the charges and allegations against them are merely accusations, and they are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. The mail and wire fraud conspiracy charge to which Bannigan pleaded guilty is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the gain or loss caused by the offense. The wire fraud charge is also punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine or twice the gain or loss caused by the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 4, 2013. A reader recently submitted one of the most complete records of a timeshare related scam that I've ever seen. The documents showed how the con evolved from a promise of a resale with no upfront fees- to a mexican transfer tax scam for tens of thousands of dollars. While the company names are constantly changing, these documents provide a prime example of the sophisticated lies used by a network of thieves who take advantage of timeshare owners and steal thousand of dollars. If read closely, there were emails where the con artists calling themselves Elite Property Management confused the name of the company and temporarily revert back to the name Mission Vacation, a previously discovered scam. The scheme quickly progressed from the promised sale of a timeshare, to a demand for fake transfer fees and government taxes to be wired to Mexico before the promised "payment" could be released.
If you own a timeshare in Mexico, educate and protect yourself from common telemarketing scams that are targeting timeshare owners. CAMDEN, N.J. – A former employee in the New Jersey offices of the Vacation Ownership Group LLC admitted in court to conspiring to defraud owners of timeshare properties by offering phony consulting services while also illegally collecting unemployment benefits, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Brian Corley, a/k/a “John Corley,” 28, of Little River, S.C., and formerly of Egg Harbor, N.J., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court to a charge of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and one count of mail fraud. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: The Vacation Ownership Group, a/k/a VO Group LLC, had offices in Mays Landing and Egg Harbor Township, N.J., and claimed to offer consulting services to owners of timeshares, including cancelling, purchasing and upgrading the timeshares. Corley started working at the VO Group in March 2010, where he was trained by a co-owner of the group, Adam Lacerda, to call customers using prepared scripts. Corley admitted that he would call customers and give them the false impression that he was working for a bank or lending institution, claiming he had the customer’s “complaint file” from a timeshare resort developer in front of him. Corley admitted that he regularly lied to customers in order to perpetrate the scam. Some of those customers then sent checks to the VO Group. The scheme caused more than $200,000 in losses to cnsumers. Among other things, Corley admitted that he falsely told a customer that if the customer paid $25,000 to the VO Group and exchanged timeshare points, the group would eliminate the customer’s approximately $95,000 mortgage debt with a timeshare developer. Corley also devised a separate scheme to defraud the New Jersey Department of Labor by collecting unemployment compensation benefits while working at the VO Group. He admitted to applying for and collecting unemployment compensation benefits to which he was not entitled. Court documents show Corley illegally received $16,936 as a result. Each of the two counts to which Corley pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss caused by the offense. Sentencing is currently scheduled for July 29, 2013. Read the full press release by clicking HERE. CourthouseNews.com is reporting that timeshare owner Linda J. Space has sued the owners association of her Colorado timeshare for blocking the resale of her interval ownership to an eBay buyer who purchased the future usage of the timeshare week for one dollar.
..... "At the time of the sale, Ms. Space had not used the timeshare in a while and no longer had use for the timeshare," the complaint states. "She had attempted to sell the timeshare to several other potential purchasers previously without luck. At the time of the purchase and through the present, Ms. Space had made all required management and assessment payments required by the Christie Lodge of Ms. Space as a timeshare owner. The value of the timeshare at the time was severely diminished by market conditions and by the physical conditions of The Christie Lodge. As previously stated, she had difficulty finding individuals willing to buy the timeshare. As such, she attempted to sell the unit on the eBay website, a site where potential purchasers are allowed to bid on items for sale. After an extended period of time, few bids were placed on the property. The highest bid was $1. Ms. Space did not know the winning bidder and had never met the bidder before. Ms. Space accepted this offer. In May 2012, Ms. Space notified the Association of the sale. The Association refused to acknowledge the sale. The Association stated that they would continue to bill Ms. Space for maintenance costs and for owner assessments. The Association would also not acknowledge the ownership, and not convey the benefits of ownership, to the buyer of the property found by Ms. Space...." She seeks declaratory judgment and damages for unjust enrichment, breach of its own rules, unreasonable restraint on alienation of property and interference with contract and a prospective business relationship. She is represented by Jeffrey Pederson, of Wantage, N.J. Read the complete article by clicking HERE. Recovering alcoholic Gerald William Clarke promises he's sober and eager to pay back all of the dozens of elderly people across the country he scammed in a telemarketing timeshare fraud scheme. Circuit Judge Richard Oftedal, during a hearing that concluded Tuesday, said "Bill" Clarke must pay for his crimes by being locked up for five years, followed by five years of probation and full restitution. Keeping the man out of prison solely for the purpose of making payments to the victims would show he could "buy his way out of a prison sentence," Oftedal said.
"That sends out the wrong message, not only to the victims of this case but to society as a whole," he said. Oftedal, however, agreed with defense attorney Jason Dalley there was legal justification to impose a sentence below the mandatory minimum term of nearly 10 years. In December, Clarke pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering, 72 counts of grand theft and three counts of petit theft. The scam had 75 victims and losses of more than $103,000 over a period of a year, Assistant State Attorney Sam Stern said. The victims were individuals who previously lost money to firms masquerading as timeshare resale businesses, according to court records. These victims were approached by callers from Clarke's operation — DeltaCorp and G. William Clarke, P.A. — and told they could get restitution checks from the Florida Attorney General's Office, in exchange for hundreds of dollars in fees payable to Clarke's companies. "The conduct is absolutely vicious," Stern said. "It does target the most vulnerable among us, seniors who live on fixed incomes." Wesley Financial Group Sued For Alleged Violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act3/21/2013
An article has been released claiming that Wesley Financial Group LLC was hit with a proposed class action Monday alleging it made unsolicited phone calls to consumers in violation of the Telephone Consumer
Protection Act. The company is being sued by California resident Timothy Barrett “Defendant, either directly or through its agents, illegally contacted plaintiff and the members of the class via their cellular telephones, thereby causing plaintiff and the class members to incur certain cellular telephone charges or reduce cellular telephone time for which plaintiff and the class members previously paid,” the complaint said. The TCPA restricts the use of unsolicited automated phone calls that are not made for emergency purposes. The proposed class includes anyone in the U.S. who received calls from Wesley without their consent in the last four years through an automatic telephone dialing system or with a prerecorded voice, according to the complaint. “Absent a class action, the plaintiff and members of the class will continue to face the potential for irreparable harm,” the suit said. “In addition, these violations of law will be allowed to proceed without remedy and defendant will likely continue such illegal conduct.” Barrett is suing for negligent and willful violations of the TCPA, and seeks undisclosed damages of at least $5 million. He and each member of the proposed class should get $2,000 in statutory damages, according to the complaint. Barrett is represented by Abbas Kazerounian of Kazerounian Law Group APC. You can find information about this attorney at http://www.kazlg.com/attorneys/abbas-kazerounian-esq/. The case is Barrett v. Wesley Financial Group LLC, case number 3:13-cv-00554, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. CAMDEN, NJ—A former employee of The Vacation Ownership Group LLC admitted today to conspiring to defraud owners of timeshare properties, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Aimee Allen, 27, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal information charging her with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Allen entered her guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: The Vacation Ownership Group, a/k/a VO Group LLC (the “VO Group”), purported to offer owners of timeshares consulting services, including timeshare cancellation services. In June 2010, Allen started working at the VO Group and was trained by VO Group managers to call customers using prepared scripts. Allen would call customers and give them the false impression that she was working for a bank or lending institution. Allen then would falsely represent that the VO Group could pay off the customers’ timeshares or have their timeshares cancelled. Allen also served as a “reference” for other VO Group employees by posing as a satisfied customer to persuade a new customer to send the VO Group money. After hearing Allen’s false representations, some customers sent checks to the VO Group. Allen admitted to causing over $200,000 in losses. On January 23, 2013, 10 other individuals who worked at the VO Group were charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and other charges. Those charges are pending before Judge Hillman. The mail and wire fraud conspiracy charge to which Allen pleaded guilty carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gain or loss caused by the offense. Sentencing is currently scheduled for June 14, 2013. U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents from the FBI’s Atlantic City Resident Agency, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge David Velazquez in Newark; and special agents from the Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Robert Panella, New York Region, for their roles in the investigation. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alyson M. Oswald and R. David Walk, Jr. of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Camden. Richard Marquette, the owner and editor of Vacation-Times.org will be a featured speaker at the next Timeshare Owners Association meeting in the Villages scheduled for March 18, 2013. Richard will be discussing timeshare rentals, and answering general questions about the timeshare industry and consumer protection efforts for Florida timeshare owners.
The Villages is one of the premier retirement communities in the United States, and boasts one of the largest and most active timeshare owners groups in the country. Meetings are held on the third Monday of every month at the Laurel Manor Recreation Center at 7pm. To learn more about the Villages Timeshare Owners Group, please visit http://thevillagestimeshareclub.com/ Richard is a regular speaker at numerous community and industry events in Florida. To have Richard speak at your next event, contact us by clicking HERE>. The FBI issued a press release providing new details in the prosecution targeting the owners and employees of the Vacation Ownership Group. Follows is an excerpt of the press release. Read the full release by clicking HERE.
"... CAMDEN, NJ—A former employee of The Vacation Ownership Group LLC admitted today to conspiring to defraud owners of timeshare properties, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced. Eric Reilly, 34, of Galloway, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Reilly entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Court Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: The Vacation Ownership Group, a/k/a VO Group LLC, purported to offer owners of timeshares consulting services, including timeshare cancellation services. In September 2010, Reilly started working at the VO Group and was trained by VO Group managers to call customers using a prepared script and regularly lie to customers. Reilly would call customers and falsely state that he was calling in response to a complaint they had made to timeshare developers and lenders. He gave customers the false impression that he was working for Wyndham Vacation Resorts, a developer of timeshare resorts. Reilly then would falsely represent that the VO Group could pay off the customers’ timeshares or have their timeshares cancelled. Reilly falsely told some customers that their credit would not be damaged if they stopped paying for their timeshares. Reilly gave some customers “references” who were actually VO Group employees posing as satisfied customers. After hearing Reilly’s false representations, some customers sent checks to the VO Group, including one customer who sent the VO Group a $31,385 check. Reilly admitted to causing more than $70,000 in losses..." |
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