Telemarketer Accused of Property Resale Scam

A federal court, at the request the Federal Trade Commission, has halted a Florida-based telemarketing operation that falsely told consumers selling their timeshare properties that they had buyers lined up for purchase.

Operating under a series of names including National Solutions LLC, the defendant charged consumers thousands of dollars in earnest money deposits and sale-related expenses. The defendants ensured consumers their payments would be refunded after their properties were sold, and that the FTC would approve the deal.

Suspicious actions by the defendant include operating out of drop mailbox in locations such as Las Vegas, Boston, and Orlando, and instructing customers to send overnight cashiers checks and money orders to complete a sales agreement.

Consumers were often not contacted after completing the sales agreement, which the FTC argued was simply a marketing contract to advertise the property. (Despite the operations alleged assertions, the FTC does not approve timeshare sales.)

In the FTCs complaint, the defendants are charged for violating the FTC Act and the FTCs Telemarketing Sales Rule for misleading consumers about having legitimate buyers for their properties, and falsely promising to repay fees and have the FTC approve the sale.

The FTC works to prevent unfair business practices, and files a complaint when it has reason to believe laws have been violated. The Commission voted 5-0 to file the complaint, which will be received by a court for a final ruling.