Time Share Scam-Resort Members Association "Eliminating" Maintenance Fees May Cost Thousands

LABELLE, FL. -- If you have received a letter from Resort Members Association, with an offer to "participate in a program that may eliminate Maintenance Fees for timeshare owners," beware you may be getting scammed. Mailings are going out by the thousands to mailboxes around the country from a company called Resort Members Association of San Pedro, California. The "offer" says it's "only available to a select group of owners." It's postmarked from Fullerton, Ca. with a return address of 1621 West 25th St. Suite 157, San Pedro, Ca. The company has offices in Orlando, Florida and Torrance, California at 2239 West 190 Street, and according to one BBB complainant, allegedly is an unregistered fictitious name for the real company, Time Share Relief, Inc. whose owners are Paco Gray and Nicholas Worlds, both of Tampa, Fl. This is a typical mailing, usually trying to get you to come to a local hotel for a high pressure sales presentation where in the end, you will be writing a check for fees to allow the company to either buy or market your time share resort condo. They will not give you any information over the phone, but pressure callers to come in person to their hotel presentation. A clue to a possible scam is the letter is unsigned. There is no record of the company being registered at the Secretary of State's office in California or Florida, where we received the letter. Another clue is they claim the offer is "For a limited time," and give a cut off date to call their phone number (888) 242-8706. The phone number apparently changes depending on when you receive the letter. A second letter received showed (888) 453-9461 and included an "account number" of 9109206 under the heading of "Annual Association Notice" and again with a date to call them by. The Central Florida Better Business Bureau and Southern California BBB says the company, is not accredited and has had 10 complaints about sales and advertising tactics since May 2012. According to BBB records Resort Members Association began business in March 2012. The operations manager is listed as Robert Podlesni and the company is listed as a title company. Many people report getting mailings and phone calls from the company even though they don't own a time share and there is an allegation that it's website may contain malicious code.