Question 1

What are the red flags of this scam?

Accepted Answer

You never listed your timeshare for sale — the call comes out of nowhere with a buyer already waiting, using details (unit, resort, purchase price) that make them seem legitimate • They ask you to wire an upfront fee — 'transfer tax,' 'Mexican capital gains clearance,' 'closing cost deposit,' or 'earnest money bond' — before any buyer contract is signed • Payment must go to a Mexican bank account, Western Union, MoneyGram, Zelle, or gift cards — never to a licensed US title or escrow company • After each payment, a new fee materializes — the sale 'almost closed' except for one more charge, indefinitely • A second caller identifies as a Mexican government official (PROFECO), a US attorney, or an FBI agent who can resolve the situation — for another upfront fee • Exit or cancellation company charges $5,000–$28,000 upfront to legally cancel your timeshare contract — no legitimate exit company collects fees before results

Question 2

What should I do if this happened to me?

Accepted Answer

Hang up — you never listed your timeshare for sale, so there is no buyer; every subsequent fee demand is an escalating trap • No legitimate timeshare resale ever requires the seller to pay fees before closing; all legitimate fees come out of sale proceeds at a US title company • Never wire money to a foreign bank account to complete a timeshare sale — that is the cartel's collection mechanism • Verify any resale company through your state's real estate commission and the BBB; check FTC.gov for timeshare exit companies that have faced enforcement action • If you already paid: stop sending money immediately — each new demand confirms you are in an escalating advance-fee trap • Report to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI's IC3 at https://www.ic3.gov.

"Buyer ready" cold call for your timeshare is a cartel-run advance-fee trap

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Red flags

Known variants

Sources