State Dragnet Reels In Bogus Timeshare Telemarketers

In a weeklong sweep of telemarketers who sell timeshare units, Florida officials arrested four individuals, issued 137 cease-and-desist orders and imposed $125,000 in fines.

The Sept. 13-17 crackdown targeted 67 telemarketing operations from Miami to Orlando. State agents found numerous instances of unlicensed sales people, unregistered businesses and two employees who had arrest warrants.

State Agriculture and Consumer Services Secretary Charles Bronson said one of the most common scams involves telemarketers who call timeshare owners desperate to unload property. The telemarketer informs the owner that there is a buyer for the unit if the owner is willing to quickly send the telemarketer a fee of $1,500 or more.

"Rarely in such a scenario does an actual buyer exist," Bronson said.

Meantime, Attorney General Bill McCollum's investigators were issuing subpoenas for business records of some of the businesses and launching new investigations for possible fraud.

"Fraud in the timeshare resale industry is on the rise in Florida and must be stopped," McCollum said. "Collaborative efforts such as this allow scam artists to know that these horrendous business practices will not be tolerated in this state."

To inquire about the registration status of a business or file a complaint against it, consumers can visit the department's Division of Consumer Services website at www.800helpfla.com or call 1-800-HELPFLA (1-800-435-7352).

The attorney general's office also takes complaints involving timeshare disputes, and consumers can file a complaint with that office by calling the attorney general's fraud hotline at 1-866-9NOSCAM (1-866-966-7226) or by visiting www.myfloridalegal.com.