TS Today - Creating a Vision for the Future of Vacation Ownership Issue #142, Jul/Aug 2015

TimeSharing Today Page 48 Jul/Aug, 2015 IN THE COURTS Prison for Scammer who Scammed Timeshare Victims Again Charles Elmore writes the Protecting Your Pocket blog in The Palm Beach Post newspaper, published in West Palm Beach, FL. He covers timeshare scams often, but his February 6, 2015, blog post stands out for special mention. It deals with a scammer who sought to scam previous victims a second time. Elmore quoted prosecutors who said that Rance White, 26, of West Palm Beach, would make telemarketing calls to the victims and offer, for a fee, to “secure restitution for the earlier scam.” White received an 18-month prison sentence in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis, IL, and was ordered to pay restitu- tion of $10,919.57 for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. No Shame “White truly felt no shame,” Stephen Wigginton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, said in a statement. “Instead, White had the gall to steal from people already victimized in a timeshare resale scam. Let us all hope that his time in federal prison will put an end to his thievery.” More than 10,000 timeshare owners all over the country lodged complaints about the earlier scam, in which a telemarketer said a buyer wanted their timeshare. The telemarketer needed an upfront fee to cover closing costs, but no sale took place and the scammers kept the money. “In recent years it became Florida’s No. 1 fraud complaint, even pushing aside mortgage fraud,” Elmore reported. “Nearly 75 people have been prosecuted by feds based in Illinois alone, with one CEO, Jennifer Kirk, receiving a sentence of more than 15 years. Companies including Universal Marketing Solutions, Creative Vacation Solutions and American Marketing Group victimized more than 22,000 people IRUPLOOLRQIHGHUDORI¿FLDOVVDLG´ The [ܘ[وH

TS Today - Creating a Vision for the Future of Vacation Ownership Issue #142, Jul/Aug 2015 | Page 48