Timeshare owners are often contacted by people promising a buyer, a rental opportunity, or a clean exit from maintenance fees. The warning sign is usually the same: money demanded before anything real happens.
Does this affect you?
Use this if you own a timeshare in the United States and receive calls, mail, or email about selling, renting, transferring, or exiting the contract.
Recognize the resale and exit scam patterns
Both versions collect fees first, then fail to deliver.
- Do not pay fees before a sale closes. A legitimate resale professional is normally paid from the completed sale, not through upfront closing costs, transfer fees, taxes, or processing charges.
- Be skeptical of surprise buyer interest if you never listed the timeshare. A ready buyer who needs fast action is often fictional.
- Question exit companies that guarantee cancellation. No third party can guarantee a resort will release you from a binding contract.
- Watch for follow-up recovery scams. A supposed attorney, regulator, or government office may contact you after the first loss and ask for another fee to recover money.
- Search the company name plus complaints or scam, and check with the Better Business Bureau and your state attorney general.
- Read your original timeshare contract for the actual rescission period. Many cancellation windows are short and can be handled directly with the resort.
What to do if you already paid an upfront fee
Recovery is uncertain, but fast reporting helps.
- Contact your bank or card issuer and ask about disputing the charge, especially if you paid by credit card.
- Stop further payments and stop communication with anyone offering recovery for another fee.
- Contact the resort directly using its official website or owner services number to check account status and official exit options.
- File complaints with your state attorney general, the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov, and the Better Business Bureau where the company operates.
More control
Ask the resort first
Some developers offer deed-back, surrender, or official owner-exit programs, sometimes at low or no cost. Check those before paying a third party.
Resale values are often low
Many timeshares resell for far less than the original purchase price, sometimes almost nothing, because supply is high. A promise of a quick high-price resale should trigger caution.
Sources
- FTC Consumer Advice – Time-Share Resales (2025)
- American Resort Development Association ARDA – Avoiding Timeshare Exit Scams (2025)
- Better Business Bureau – Timeshare Resale and Exit Scams (2025)