The Nightmare of a Timeshare Resale Scam
Most likely you have never heard the name Jennifer Kirk. In June, 2011, Kirk plead guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and was sentenced in 2012 to 188 months in prison. What did she do? Nothing short of running a telemarketing scheme to defraud timeshare owners who were desperate to be rid of their timeshares out of their money. With an eventual workforce of 300 people, Kirk was able, at last count, to scam 22000 people out of more than $30 million! How did she do it?
Kirk recruited telemarketing employees from drug rehab centers, believing that they would make the best liars given their propensity for lying convincingly to their families for so many years. Employees were coached to believe that as long as they lied, their ability to earn would be boundless.
The scheme was set up to run in three parts.
1. The Opener: This aspect of the scheme involved procuring illegal lists of timeshare owners with their telephone numbers. The owners were called and, using high-pressure sales techniques, were convinced that Kirk’s company could sell their timeshare at a distinct profit. Those who said yes to the proposal were then transferred to the closer.
2. The Closer: Now the prospective timeshare sellers were told that the company had a buyer ready to buy. The only thing needed was a small closing fee ranging from $1500 to $3000 which would be returned to them when the closing occurred. The fee quoted was directly dependent upon how desperate the timeshare seemed to be to sell their timeshare. However, the sole objective was to get the timeshare owner’s credit card number.
3. The Customer Service Department: The sole purpose of this department was to stall customers who had purchased the “Plan” so that they would miss their rescission period. That is, the time available to customers in most states to rescind the contract, usually 3 to 5 business days. This was done in a creative fashion with scripted lies such as telling the customer that the buyer had backed out and it would take another 30 to 60 days.
The end result of this process? The timeshare owner was scammed out of $1500 – $3000 or more and still retained ownership and liability for their timeshares!
If you recognize your plight as similar to that stated above, take heart. There are alternatives available to you which will prove fruitful in your endeavors to rid yourself of your timeshare nightmare. Consider retaining the services of a reputable timeshare attorney to help you cancel your timeshare contract. For example, the attorneys of the Aaronson Law Firm are fully capable of bringing the appropriate level of legal pressure on your timeshare developer to help you divest yourself of your timeshare. They are also able and willing to bring litigation against your timeshare developer on your behalf if it should go that far. For more information about cancelling your timeshare, please read our 5-part blog entry entitled Is It Possible For Me To Cancel My Timeshare Contract?
Instead of keeping your timeshare, which may last forever and be transferred on to your heirs, the attorneys of the Aaronson Law Firm provide your best opportunity for cancelling your timeshare forever. Contact them today for your free consultation – it’s not too late…