Just had a phone call...…. Profeco Scam!

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Thanks for that suggestion! I do know how to open and read email headers. Should have thought of that myself.
The info I got when I looked up the IP address of the sender shows it is godaddy.com
Return-Path: <asesoria@profeco-gob.mx>
Received-SPF: pass (domain of profeco-gob.mx designates 64.202.189.20 as permitted sender)

Somehow I doubt Profeco is using GoDaddy.

Still no response from the email I sent to Profeco in Mexico city but the guy who sent the email called us back tonight.

It is a scammer who is using a domain name from GoDaddy.com. Profeco doesn't make cold calls. They have a hard time responding timely to all the complaints they are receiving from timeshare fraud victims plus they handle many other consumer complaints too.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

It is a scammer who is using a domain name from GoDaddy.com. Profeco doesn't make cold calls. They have a hard time responding timely to all the complaints they are receiving from timeshare fraud victims plus they handle many other consumer complaints too.

I have updated the title of the thread - and will add a SCAM tag as well.
These swindlers are getting more and more clever!

[luv4golf Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close luv4golf]

Folks, I tell you I am so lucky I came on here and read the posts. An hour ago I contacted my bank to set up a wire transfer of just over $6,800 to pay this Underwriter Marginal Deposit so I would be paid back money that I have already been scammed out of. I can't thank each of you enough for posting this information on here.

Has anyone else been scammed by other so-called Timeshare Brokers? I have lost a ton of money over the last year and not sure how to or who to complain to. I have a feeling I am in trouble with the money loss, but want to at least warn others about it. Thanks again for these very beneficial posts!

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

You could contact the FCC and the Attorney General of the state they are located in. Florida has been getting fairly active in shutting them down. Another thing you can do is post a warning about each of them here (separate thread for each outfit). The search engines will pick them up and anyone who researches them will be forewarned.

[DavidL Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close DavidL]

I also received a phone call from PROFECO in Mexico about any complaint with Velas. I told him I was told there was no buyers remorse period in Mexico when we tried to cancel and did not find out until we gat back to the states. PROFECO took my complaint to a "judge" and a compensatory payment was rendered to me. I was then contacted again by "Adrian Peredo" who was the agent for PROFECO and said I needed to fill out a form to get the money. The form asked for a bank account number to send the money and I told him a certified check from the Bank of Mexico was fine. He later contacted me and said the money would be deposited in a bank account within 24 hrs if I gave him the account number. I went to the bank and opened a "custodial" account for $25 and sent that number to PROFECO. He called me this morning and asked me to deposit $2700 "Underwrite Marginal Deposit" to verify and authenticate the account. I told him to take the $2700 from the compensatory payment and send me the rest. I didn't have $2700 to put in the account. He asked how soon I might be able to put money in the account and I told him as soon as the check clears from Bank of Mexico. He said I would get a call from the Bank of Mexico later today. I'm not going to hold my breath. I told him all they had to do to verify my account was call the bank but I think that was a little too easy. I did send his letters to the PROFECO office found on the website to let them be aware if they were not already. The phone numbers from the emails were different from the website as well as the contact email "profeco-gob.mx" vs "profeco.gob.mx" .. big difference. Be careful. It looks like an elaborate scam. Don't give them any of your hard earned money. Like I told them a certified check would be great or they could verify my account by calling my bank. They don't need any money from me.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

I also received a phone call from PROFECO in Mexico about any complaint with Velas. I told him I was told there was no buyers remorse period in Mexico when we tried to cancel and did not find out until we gat back to the states. PROFECO took my complaint to a "judge" and a compensatory payment was rendered to me. I was then contacted again by "Adrian Peredo" who was the agent for PROFECO and said I needed to fill out a form to get the money. The form asked for a bank account number to send the money and I told him a certified check from the Bank of Mexico was fine. He later contacted me and said the money would be deposited in a bank account within 24 hrs if I gave him the account number. I went to the bank and opened a "custodial" account for $25 and sent that number to PROFECO. He called me this morning and asked me to deposit $2700 "Underwrite Marginal Deposit" to verify and authenticate the account. I told him to take the $2700 from the compensatory payment and send me the rest. I didn't have $2700 to put in the account. He asked how soon I might be able to put money in the account and I told him as soon as the check clears from Bank of Mexico. He said I would get a call from the Bank of Mexico later today. I'm not going to hold my breath. I told him all they had to do to verify my account was call the bank but I think that was a little too easy. I did send his letters to the PROFECO office found on the website to let them be aware if they were not already. The phone numbers from the emails were different from the website as well as the contact email "profeco-gob.mx" vs "profeco.gob.mx" .. big difference. Be careful. It looks like an elaborate scam. Don't give them any of your hard earned money. Like I told them a certified check would be great or they could verify my account by calling my bank. They don't need any money from me.

Hello and to TS4Ms.

YES, YOU ARE BEING SCAMMED

You are obviously smart and realize this - but thanks for posting as a warning to others.

Do not give anyone any money. Do not give out bank account information.

ALWAYS verify independently that people are who they say they are and do not click thru any links they provide.

There is a 5 day cooling off/rescind period in Mexico.

They are LYING to you if the say "This does not apply to us, we are a vacation club" THEY ARE LYING.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

I am SO happy for you that you saved yourself $6,800 dollars and not got scammed.

May I ask what your timeshare is in Mexico? Some are easy to dispose of and some are not. Have you contacted your resort to find out if they will take it back for free? They may do it if it is paid off and you are current with your maintenance fees.

We own at a resort where owners sell the remainder of their contracts around the pool to other owners or their guests and have the paperwork done in the office while they are still there. Our resort cooperates with their owners and everyone is happy. I did it once myself at another resort in Nuevo Vallarta so it can be done.

Other resorts may do the same thing too but some resorts have very high transfer fees and then it becomes much more difficult to do.

You could ask for a name of a broker here who is trust worthy and does business in Mexico too. I haven't looked into that myself but others may know.

There are scam artists out there who make you believe that they are calling you from Profeco. Profeco is a consumer agency in Mexico but they will handle timeshare fraud complaints also.

Profeco is very understaffed so they will never ever make cold calls to supposedly help you with a timeshare you have bought and are trying to unload. They buy your name from a list broker.

Profeco has a website in multiple languages but it is very hard to navigate and even find a valid phone number or email address.

http://www.profeco.gob.mx/english.htm

Trip Advisor is a better source for the latest phone number and email address as I finally found it here.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g1...omplaints.html

[paulajane57 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close paulajane57]

I was just given the name of someone to call in Oregon that told me they DID get their money back Over $200,000 Do you imagine she is part of the scam too? She said she was afraid, but she also talked to a reference and finally decided to do it. Is there anyone out there that might be reading this that DID get their money back? When I asked the Profeco guy about these blogs, he said the people that are blogging are people that weren't brave enough to send the money which I figure is another 'good line'. I'm about to quit playing with this but I lost my life savings, Over $300,000 (yes I was that gullable) and would do anything to get it back. Just wonder no one is saying good things if this is 'true'

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

I was just given the name of someone to call in Oregon that told me they DID get their money back Over $200,000 Do you imagine she is part of the scam too? She said she was afraid, but she also talked to a reference and finally decided to do it. Is there anyone out there that might be reading this that DID get their money back? When I asked the Profeco guy about these blogs, he said the people that are blogging are people that weren't brave enough to send the money which I figure is another 'good line'. I'm about to quit playing with this but I lost my life savings, Over $300,000 (yes I was that gullable) and would do anything to get it back. Just wonder no one is saying good things if this is 'true'

Excuse my harshness if this comes across the wrong way. But I want to be blunt.

The people who are running these scams know that the most gullible mark is someone who has already been scammed. They are looking for people who have an innate susceptibility to their cons, and people who have been conned multiple times are the marks they are looking for. Because those are the people who they know are easily snookered. Those are the people who, by their natures, are most susceptible to their pitches. If you truly have lost $300,000 you need to realize that in their eyes you are just a sap, ripe for being taken advantage of.

Might that person in Oregon be just a plant??? Of course! How do you even know the person is even in Oregon??? How do you know they aren't a plant???

The people who run these operations typically clear on the order of $1 million per year. Don't you think they can afford to set up a shill somewhere to vouch for them if it only costs them a few thousand dollars to do so???

****

If you have any remaining hopes that this might be legitimate, why don't you try contacting Profeco directly?? Or have someone with a bit of computer check the internet headers on your e-mails to verify that the correspondence is truly coming from Profeco and isn't spoofed?

"A fool and his money are soon parted." When are you going to decide that you are longer going to be a fool? That is a decision that only you can make.

[jerrry94087 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jerrry94087]

Yes, scams now include live people on the phone. I recently read an article that there is a scam when they pretend to be a Microsoft technical support. They ask you for your password and steal your info as you talk to them on the phone, while you totally believe you talk to a legit support.

As for your case, don't hold your breath. I recommend you report this to police. Including that phone number in Oregon, and all communication that you had with them. They can maybe at least trace where your money went. But I don't think it is illegal for someone to tell somebody else that they received money when in fact they didn't.

Sorry, but you shouldn't have trusted people you never met with $300,000.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Embassy of the United States has the following warning

Here is a link to the Embassy of the United States, for Mexico. I am copying the text what I read here as it may change again but it tells you what to do and where to contact them, if you need help.

Real Estate and Timeshares:

U.S. citizens should exercise caution before entering into any commitment to purchase property in Mexico. We recommend hiring competent Mexican legal counsel to advise you because Mexican real estate law differs significantly from US law. For more information, please consult the
Consular Information Sheet for Mexico.

PROFECO, the Mexican Consumer Protection Agency, has published a brochure which gives more information about buying a timeshare in Mexico. The brochure can be accessed at PROFECO's website: http://www.profeco.gob.mx/. Follow the link for Atención al Extranjero, then "Attention to Foreigners" and the brochure entitled: "Take your Time When Buying a Timeshare."

American citizens who experience problems with timeshare companies can file a formal complaint against the company with PROFECO. PROFECO has the authority to mediate disputes, investigate consumer complains, order hearings, and, levy fines and sanctions for not appearing at hearings. All complaints by US citizens are handled by PROFECO's English-speaking office in Mexico City:

Telephone:

From Mexico: (01-55) 6090-6633 and 5090-6700, ext 1317

From the U.S.: 011-52-55-6090-6633 and 5090-6700, ext 1317

or

via email at extranjeros@profeco.gob.mx.

We strongly suggest you contact PROFECO via email to maintain a record of your communications. A telephone call cannot be verified. The Embassy can assist in filing your claim with PROFECO although we cannot act as your legal agent. American citizens can send their information by

fax:

From Mexico: (01-55) 5525-5040

From the U.S.: 011-52-55-5525-5040

or

email ccs@usembassy.net.mx

to the Embassy's Property Specialist.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Yes, scams now include live people on the phone. I recently read an article that there is a scam when they pretend to be a Microsoft technical support. They ask you for your password and steal your info as you talk to them on the phone, while you totally believe you talk to a legit support.

I had a call like that not too long ago but knew better so hung up quickly. The no-call list isn't working that well anymore but did for years.

[stevie Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close stevie]

Sounds like someone trying to use Profeco to get you to disclose bank details. Be wary.

[jerrry94087 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jerrry94087]

It is always fascinating how people can let their guards down and part with 300 grand this way.

Maintaining personal security requires some basic common sense, skills and judgement. If there is an e-mail purporting to come from some party, you should be 100% certain it actually did come from that party. You need to see where links are leading, where reply to address is leading, you should understand how internet addresses are constructed, etc. If someone is verbally vouching to you for something, you should be sure you know and trust that person, and that they aren't themselves mislead or distorted in any way, and you trust their judgement. If you are in the airport using free WiFi, maybe it's better to not go to the bank web site or unsecured e-mail, because WiFi is quite easily compromised and you may let hackers know your credentials this way.

When my e-mail client program recently told me there is a new certificate for my e-mail provider (Accept/Reject), I e-mailed them to independently verify it was them who deployed a new certificate, and they confirmed. It never hurts to check.

I wonder how simple, uneducated people can even have and keep money without being scammed in our day and age of computers, hackers and scams.

[El Dino Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close El Dino]

The so-called PROFECO scammers are still active. We played along until they announced our payout and "account activation fee" of some $5000+, which of course, we would pay now and get back later. At this point we pulled the plug and told them to stop bothering us. BTW, they were using the "profeco-gob" (dash gob) as reported, and not the profeco.gob (dot gob) from the real agency. I must say they are pretty slick but they are con men for sure.