Timeshare Shill Definition
Noun: An accomplice of a hawker, gambler, or swindler who poses as an enthusiastic customer in order to deceive or influence others.
Once you read that definition, it becomes easy to see how this tactic is used within the timeshare industry—especially in consumer reviews, discussion forums, and social media communities like TUG. Shills are individuals who pretend to be satisfied owners or “helpful” consumers while quietly promoting a developer, resale operation, or exit company agenda.
While they are a frequent occurrence, the good news is that shills are usually easy to spot. On TUG, they are quickly identified by experienced members and moderators and dealt with appropriately, helping keep the information owners rely on accurate, unbiased, and trustworthy.
Why do shills Exist?
There is really only one reason shills exist: to manufacture legitimacy for a scam, questionable business, or otherwise terrible pitch. A single glowing “customer” review can be just enough to nudge a reader who was already on the fence—someone who may have had doubts, but now feels reassured after seeing what appears to be a positive, independent experience.
If you are not already familiar with the long-standing TUG mantra:
“NEVER PAY ANY UPFRONT FEES TO DO ANYTHING WITH YOUR TIMESHARE”
—you should be by the time you finish this article. We strongly encourage you to explore the other educational resources available in the
TUG Advice section, where these principles are explained in depth.
The reality is that you will encounter scams and highly questionable businesses in the timeshare industry. On TUG alone, there are hundreds of thousands of forum discussions where owners come to ask questions, compare experiences, and educate themselves about companies operating in this space. Because TUG has been around for decades and its forums are extremely active, these discussions often rank higher in Google and Bing search results than the companies’ own websites.
When a discussion appears prominently in search results, the company being discussed has limited options. The most common tactic is to send in a shill—someone posing as a satisfied customer—to post a glowing reply praising the company and its practices. The goal is simple: create the illusion of legitimacy. If even one potential customer sees that “someone else had a great experience,” it may be enough to tip them into moving forward.
How does TUG Fight This?
In nearly every case, companies that rely on shills leave behind clear and consistent red flags—warning signs that experienced owners know to take seriously. These red flags often include (but are not limited to):
- Claiming to have been “in business for years” while their website or online presence was created only recently
- Making unsolicited contact through cold calls, texts, or emails out of the blue
- Charging upfront fees for resale, exit, or “guaranteed” services
- Insisting on payment methods such as money orders, wire transfers, or other non-traceable forms of payment
- Making promises or guarantees that sound too good to be true
For a deeper dive into these tactics, we strongly recommend reading the detailed articles:
Thankfully, most social media posts discussing questionable companies are quickly met with responses from knowledgeable owners. These experienced owners (many of which learned on TUG) are adept at identifying red flags, cutting through misleading claims, and providing factual, real-world feedback. As a result, owners get the information they need to make informed decisions—and avoid becoming the next victim of a costly scam.
The Final Word on Timeshare Shills!
Shills participate on social media in an attempt to look like an existing customer that has been perfectly happy with their dealings and experience! Thus it becomes a thinly veiled "rebuttal" to the warnings provided by other savvy owners against doing business there.
Sadly, many folks simply want to believe the offer they are being pitched is legitimate, since in most if not all cases its exactly what they want (and need) to hear in regards to their Timeshare! Be it an amazing resale/rental price offered, a way to "exit" from their timeshare, or in more recent cases, a way for owners to get back money they had previously sent to a scammer in a form of a "recovery" scheme.
This industry is full of individuals who want nothing more than to part you and your money! There is simply no way we can educate every single Timeshare owner and make scams go away, but we have been doing it since 1993, and will continue to fight this fight for many years to come!
These scams are everywhere for one simple reason:
They work.
Every day, hundreds of owners fall for schemes that seem obvious in
hindsight, but become far more convincing when presented directly,
with urgency, pressure, and polished sales tactics.
Our hope is that the information in these articles helps timeshare
owners recognize the warning signs early and avoid becoming the next
victim.
Have questions or want a second opinion before making a decision?
You’re always welcome to visit our
Timeshare Owners Community Forums
.
With tens of thousands of owners and experienced contributors,
there’s virtually no timeshare question that hasn’t already been
asked—and answered.
Access to Ratings & Reviews of more than 5000 Timeshare resorts all over the world!
The TUGBBS online community forums consists of tens of thousands other timeshare owners and is the first, largest and most informative online Timeshare Forum on the internet!
The TUG Timeshare Marketplace is one of the largest and most visited timeshare classified ad sites on the internet with Millions of dollars in completed listings and thousands of current ads posted by owners!
TUG Advice is probably the most helpful section of the site for new buyers/sellers just getting into timesharing.