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Guy trying to scam my mother - what to do?
Walter
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
My mom has been trying to sell her timeshare forever. A man called up from "Vacations-and-resorts.com" saying that someone had offered to buy her timeshare for more than she paid but she needed to pay $1900 in closing costs. It breaks my heart because she thought this was such a blessing and had the family gathered around when she announced it. The trouble is, it was obviously too good to be true and she has been the target of similar scams involving her timeshare at least four times.
http://www.vacations-and-resorts.com/ Here is the URL if anyone is interested in looking but its obviously a scam. A name too vague to show up on search results, any search done for travel reservations on the page yields Wikipedia results, links go nowhere, etc. We looked up the address on google and found it to be a shopping center. After calling the trader Joe's in the center to find out where the suite number might be it turns out to be a P.O. box at a UPS store.
My mom was divorced at the age of 50, she had never had to manage her finances before and she continues to be taken advantage of - she's naive but means well. She's been involved in a couple pyramid scams, bought a 60K timeshare with the promise that it could only make her money, etc. Whoever "these people" are, they know she's susceptible and I believe her name is on a list.
This guy is going to call back tomorrow and I would like to do whatever I can to him. Call the UPS store and let them know about the P.O. box, forward information to law enforcement, keep him on the phone for hours and THEN let him know I'm aware he's a scammer. Really any little win in my column would make me feel good.
tl;dr Guy is trying to scam my mom. What can I do to help law enforcement or get even?
http://www.vacations-and-resorts.com/ Here is the URL if anyone is interested in looking but its obviously a scam. A name too vague to show up on search results, any search done for travel reservations on the page yields Wikipedia results, links go nowhere, etc. We looked up the address on google and found it to be a shopping center. After calling the trader Joe's in the center to find out where the suite number might be it turns out to be a P.O. box at a UPS store.
My mom was divorced at the age of 50, she had never had to manage her finances before and she continues to be taken advantage of - she's naive but means well. She's been involved in a couple pyramid scams, bought a 60K timeshare with the promise that it could only make her money, etc. Whoever "these people" are, they know she's susceptible and I believe her name is on a list.
This guy is going to call back tomorrow and I would like to do whatever I can to him. Call the UPS store and let them know about the P.O. box, forward information to law enforcement, keep him on the phone for hours and THEN let him know I'm aware he's a scammer. Really any little win in my column would make me feel good.
tl;dr Guy is trying to scam my mom. What can I do to help law enforcement or get even?
Walter on
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Also make sure your mom doesn't give them any money whatsoever.
What you can do is try to get rid of the timeshare before your mom falls for more scams - just ditch it at a loss, you know it's never going to sell at a profit anyway.
I considered buying a timeshare earlier this month and looked into whether this was possible just as an 'in-case I can't afford the maintenance' type deal. Most resorts will refuse to let you just give it up and will hold you responsible for finding a new buyer.
Hey look what's on the top of their list.
Back in the days of old there was a 5 day lead time before it bounced (I think it was 5 days) as it either had to be sent, faxed, or called in to the originating bank. Why it isn't instant now is beyond me.
If I deposit a cheque to my account at a bank machine it "clears" to my account, in that the amount shows up on my balance. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have access to all the funds though. I don't think I've had any kind of payment just be instantly cleared if I took it in to a teller, there's always some kind of hold.
I assume they're relying on people being careless and naive.
My experience is also in Canada, so...yeah.
Usually people need access to money before then (ie: paycheques). Most banks clear up to a certain amount and then hold the rest depending on your credibility and such.
You can always tell your bank to hold any and all cheques for your account.
Because that isn't profitable to the bank. Bounced checks are a major source of revenue.
Completely dependent on Bank Policy and/or personal preference. My bank normally doesn't clear funds immediately, but will clear up to $500 for use at the time of the deposit if you ask them too set your account that way.
Why don't you phone the police on their non-emergency line, and ask them for advice, and whether they can do anything? If you get the police telling your mother it is most likely a scam, she is more likely to believe them than you.
People can be funny about taking advice from their adult kids - after all, they watched you eat dirt as a baby!
My theory is you should always expect the worst from people. That way if they are horrible, you're not caught off-guard, and if they aren't horrible, you're pleasantly surprised. It's the silver lining of being a pessimist.
Thank you Mr. Buckley.
People like this are scum.
There's 2 scam advice threads in this forum. One is about a supposedly clever guy who fell for a scam and will not listen to advice from his friend about how it is a scam. Yours is the other.
You can tell your Mom that she is not the real dummy. The real dummy is the guy who thought he was too clever to take advice.
My wife and I are both scientists, and my wife's mother has a serious illness. She continually gets roped into false-hope neutraceuticals and homeopathic medicines. When we presented evidence that they were all bullshit, she just shut us out. What turned the page is when we started talking to her about the REAL research that was going on, how it worked, and what it could mean for her, and, if it was too far away time wise, what it could mean for people in her position. That made her feel a lot more like she was part of the decision instead of being yelled at by children.
Good luck though, it is not an easy thing to do. Just be patient and use lots of respect.
3clipse: The key to any successful marriage is a good mid-game transition.
Glad you caught it before she sent any cash.