Warning signs of a timeshare exit scam
The patterns regulators have warned about for years, in plain language, so you can recognize them before you pay anyone, including us.
Timeshare owners who want out are a well-known target. The Federal Trade Commission, state attorneys general, and the Better Business Bureau have all published warnings about exit and resale fraud, and the patterns repeat. Here they are in plain language. They apply to anyone asking for your money, and that includes us.
The warning signs
- A guarantee of a result. No company decides whether a resort accepts a request. Anyone who guarantees your contract will be cancelled is promising something they do not control.
- Pressure to decide today. Deadline offers, countdowns, and "this price is only good on this call" are sales tactics, not features of a legitimate process. A real process will still be there next week.
- Unsolicited contact. A call, letter, or email you did not ask for, from someone who already seems to know about your timeshare, is a classic opening. Owner lists are bought and sold.
- Fear as the pitch. Warnings that your family will be burdened, or that fees will rise forever, are designed to rush you. The FTC has charged exit operators specifically for frightening owners with claims about what their heirs would inherit.
- Advice to stop making your payments. Missing payments can have consequences of its own, and a company that tells you to stop while it "works on your case" is shifting the risk to you. Nothing in our program tells you to stop paying.
- A buyer who is waiting. The resale version of the scam: someone claims to have a buyer lined up for your timeshare and needs an upfront fee to close. The buyer does not exist.
- Vague answers about what they actually do. If you cannot get a clear description of the steps, who performs them, and in whose name letters are sent, you are being sold a feeling rather than a service.
- Big upfront fees with the details in the fine print. Read the contract and the refund terms before paying. The headline guarantee and the conditions underneath it are often very different documents.
What a legitimate option looks like
It tells you what it is and what it is not. It does not promise an outcome. It explains what you will be asked to do. Its price, terms, and refund policy are published where you can read them before you pay. It does not mind you taking a week to think.
Where to report a scam
The FTC takes reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov. Your state attorney general's office also takes consumer complaints, and if a timeshare is in Florida, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation regulates timeshare sales and resale there.
About us, measured by the same list
Donthirean Exit Company sells a self-directed education program. No outcome is promised. We do not contact your resort or act for you. We are not attorneys and give no legal advice. Our price, Terms of Service, and Refund Policy are published on this site, and there is nothing to sign or pay before you call.