what's the angle on this scam acoming?

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

Inquiry received via Vacation Timeshare and Rental website:

Message: Is your vacation resort unit (Timeshare) still available for sale? Please advise.

answered by cut/paste info again fm Vacation Timeshare and Rentals:

Aquamarine Villas
Oceanside, California, United States
Rent: Not for Rent
Buy: US$3,900 plus closing costs (more info)
Availability: Almost Any Time
Unit Size: 1 Bedroom/1 Bath (sleeps 4)
Check-In Day: Any Day
Available Season: High Season
Use Type: Annual Float Wk
Annual Maintenance Fees: US$660

This is for sale, I have clear title.

response:

Thanks for the details. Having reviewed all the information provided, I have made my offer as clearly as possible below.
1- I will be willing to pay $3,000 for your timeshare, closing will commence within the next few days.
2- I am hearing impaired in both ears and as a result, I will doing all closing formalities through my broker. I will be responsible for the closing cost and title transfer fees along with my broker fees.
3- Closing will be done through First American title transfer (www.firstam.com/title) and funds will be held in Escrow during closing.
Let me know if this works and I will inform you on the next

I've seen the "I am hearing impaired in both ears" but can't remember where this is really going ....

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...both+ears+scam




. . . all kinds of time, too many timeshares

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

Interesting, the transfer company seems to be legit claiming offices around here in Hartford,CT and Springfield, Mass. The only scam opening I see is the old one where they send a check for more and want you to give them back the difference. Maybe you should play along and see what's up.

[Spence Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Spence]

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...both+ears+scam

Was hoping for definitive info on where this was going, I do know all the standard scams with the $$$.

Interesting, the transfer company seems to be legit claiming offices around here in Hartford,CT and Springfield, Mass. The only scam opening I see is the old one where they send a check for more and want you to give them back the difference. Maybe you should play along and see what's up.

Sure, they're trying to lend legitimacy to their "offer."

Here's their latest reply:

Thanks for accepting my offer.


Please provide below information so I can mail in a deposit of $500 to hold the property. As soon as deposit is mailed in, my broker will be in touch to arrange documentation and title transfer and upon satisfaction, balance for your timeshare would be released from escrow.


Full names you want on the check
Mailing address
Phone numbers.


I shall await your feedback.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Was hoping for definitive info on where this was going, I do know all the standard scams with the $$$.
Sure, they're trying to lend legitimacy to their "offer."

I'm deaf in both ears, so will refer that to my broker.

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

Interesting, the transfer company seems to be legit claiming offices around here in Hartford,CT and Springfield, Mass. The only scam opening I see is the old one where they send a check for more and want you to give them back the difference. Maybe you should play along and see what's up.

Tony - I, personally, have played it out to see where it would go. What I posted is my personal story.

There is no connection with First American. None. Nada. Zippo. Aught. They simply use the name; if you press for contact info it gets ignored. All communication with the broker happen via e-mail, using a non-First American email account.

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

So what is the game ? They give you a $ 500 bad check and get the timeshare, or use more ploys to get personal data ?

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

So what is the game ? They give you a $ 500 bad check and get the timeshare, or use more ploys to get personal data ?

I found my old thread. I told him that I, too, was hearing-impaired and needed to do everything by e-mail. He said he wanted to mail me a deposit to hold the timeshare, and he wanted name and address. I responded that no deposit was necessary, and if he would just send me the name of his broker and the First American office where his broker was located we could the paperwork started. He refused to do so, and insisted that he needed to send in a deposit, that he had bought many timeshares and this was the standard approach.

******

So it was critical that he send me a check for deposit. He refused my offer to skip the deposit and just start the paperwork. It also wouldn't work for him to use the deposit to fund the escrow account.

From that I figure that it was most likely going to be the situation where I get a check that is for more than the amount of the deposit, with instructions to wire the excess to the broker.

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

I have received the identical offer through an ad on the same site. As soon as the hearing impaired First Am message came through I told them I could not proceed and refused any further interaction. Several OY have played along further and received the fake check. I wouldn't play along enough to send additional personal information that can be used for who knows what.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I always have something on CL. It occurs to me that I have not had any of the obvious scams for a long, long time. It used to be almost daily.

What does hearing impaired have to do with needing a broker?

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

My guess is that it will discourage phone contact (making tracing the location of the con more difficult) and perhaps make targets more sympathetic. It seems to be counter productive once the news gets out tho.


Expect blind and wheelchair identities to come.

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

I think the hearing impaired thing might prevent you from directly talking to the person making the offer since he's probably just in a boiler room somewhere.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

I think the hearing impaired thing might prevent you from directly talking to the person making the offer since he's probably just in a boiler room somewhere.

Also prevents providing a phone number, which could be traced.

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

I have received the identical offer through an ad on the same site. As soon as the hearing impaired First Am message came through I told them I could not proceed and refused any further interaction. Several OY have played along further and received the fake check. I wouldn't play along enough to send additional personal information that can be used for who knows what.

Yeah - I dropped it at the point where I would have had to send a physical address to receive the check. Didn't want to do that. I had a PO Box or a drop box at a UPS store I might have kept it going awhile longer.

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

They never want to put fake checks through the mail, they love to use DHL and drop it at the door.
I have received a couple checks this way.