Or: “We Can Rent Your Bonus Weeks!”
If a company contacts you unexpectedly claiming it already has a buyer for your timeshare—or says it can rent your timeshare, bonus weeks, or exchange weeks for a large profit—do not send money based on that phone call. This is one of the most common scams targeting timeshare owners.
The story usually ends the same way: the caller eventually asks you to pay some kind of fee before you receive the promised sale or rental proceeds.
That fee may sound official—taxes, title charges, escrow, appraisal, advertising, registration, closing costs, transfer fees, or a refundable deposit—but the label does not make the pitch legitimate.
Do not provide credit card numbers, bank account details, wire information, Social Security numbers, resort logins, or other sensitive account information to someone who contacted you unexpectedly.
Because the caller tells the owner exactly what they want to hear.
Selling a timeshare can be difficult. Many owners discover that the resale value is only a fraction of what they originally paid, and some ownerships are offered for free because future maintenance-fee obligations outweigh resale demand.
That creates the perfect opening for a scammer. An owner who has struggled to sell suddenly receives a call saying someone is ready to pay thousands—or even tens of thousands—of dollars. The offer feels like the solution they have been waiting for.
If the promised selling price is dramatically better than the real resale market, that should make you more suspicious, not less. Research actual resale value before believing an unsolicited offer.
Read the cold hard facts about what your timeshare may actually be worth.
A polished website, professional-looking documents, caller ID, a familiar company name, or a convincing salesperson does not prove legitimacy.
Scammers may claim they represent your resort, an exchange company, a closing company, a government agency, a large corporation, or another organization you recognize. They may even misuse the name of a real company or organization.
If someone claims to represent your resort or another known company, end the call and contact that organization using the phone number or website you already know to be legitimate. Do not call a number supplied by the person who contacted you.
This scam is so common that TUG created a video specifically to warn owners about it.
A scam warning should not leave an owner wondering what to do next. If your real goal is to sell, transfer, or rehome your timeshare, start with TUG’s free selling guide.
Legitimate licensed resale brokers do exist, particularly for timeshares with meaningful resale value. A real broker should be able to explain realistic market value, licensing, commissions, and how they are paid. An unsolicited promise of a waiting buyer followed by an advance fee is a very different situation.
This is another version of the same pitch. The caller may claim your ownership gives you unused bonus weeks, getaway weeks, exchange weeks, corporate weeks, or promotional inventory that can supposedly be rented for large profits.
Before believing the claim, ask a simple question: Do you actually own or control the right to rent those weeks? Contact the resort or exchange company directly and verify the rules.
If the opportunity only becomes available after you pay a registration, activation, advertising, or rental fee, treat the offer as a major warning sign.
Treat an unsolicited claim of a waiting buyer as a major scam warning, particularly when the company asks you to pay taxes, title charges, closing costs, advertising, registration, or another fee before receiving any sale proceeds.
Continue verifying independently. Some scams delay the request for money until later, when a supposed tax, transfer, escrow, government, or closing fee suddenly appears.
Do not assume bonus or exchange inventory can legally be rented. Verify the actual program rules directly with the resort or exchange company. Unsolicited promises of unusually large rental profits are a common scam pattern.
Knowing your resort, name, points, or other ownership information does not prove the caller is legitimate. Ownership data may come from public records, marketing lists, previous transactions, compromised databases, or other sources.
Search the company name on TUG and ask other owners in the free TUG forums. Also verify licensing, corporate registration, physical address, and any claimed relationship with your resort independently.
If a stranger contacts you with an amazing timeshare buyer or rental opportunity, you do not need to decide anything during that call.
Hang up. Research first. Never send money because someone promised you a windfall.If you are genuinely trying to sell your timeshare, use the free TUG selling guide and owner forums instead of trusting an unsolicited caller.
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