NJ Atty General going after upfront fee resale scammer "Williams Andrews Burns / WAB LLC"

[TUGBrian]

and as always, our advice stands. never ever pay a large upfront fee to sell/rent/exit/cancel/whatever your timeshare:

Acting AG Files Lawsuit Against Company Offering Timeshare Rental Services that Allegedly Defrauded Consumers

Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck and the Division of Consumer Affairs today announced the filing of a lawsuit in Essex County Superior Court against a New Jersey company and its owner for allegedly defrauding consumers who paid thousands of dollars each for timeshare rental and resale...

www.rlsmedia.com

The five-count Complaint alleges defendants collected payments in advance from consumers, in amounts ranging from $594 to $2,899, in exchange for the company’s promise to rent or resell their timeshares and provide thousands of dollars in guaranteed income or provide a full refund.

However, the Division has been unable to identify a single consumer who received any rental or sale income, and most clients seeking refunds never received their money back.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

It's too bad that the other 49 States don't climb on board and join the NJ Atty. General in pursuing scammers........



.

 

[LannyPC]

and as always, our advice stands. never ever pay a large upfront fee to sell/rent/exit/cancel/whatever your timeshare:

"However, the Division has been unable to identify a single consumer who received any rental or sale income..."


Wow! There's a shocker.

 

[LannyPC]

...in one instance, the company collected $2,865 from a 94-year-old consumer to rent a timeshare the consumer no longer owned.

 

[TUGBrian]

and an update to this case!

10million judgement against this company for ripping owners off!

Timeshare company made bogus claims, ordered to pay $10M for defrauding the elderly, state says

N.J. accused the company of tricking consumers out of money for services they never received.

www.nj.com

 

[SteveinHNL]

Timeshare company made bogus claims, ordered to pay $10M for defrauding the elderly, state says

N.J. accused the company of tricking consumers out of money for services they never received.

www.nj.com

 

[LannyPC]

Interesting article but the title of this thread is misleading. It is not a TS exit company. It's an upfront fee resale scam company. The two operate differently.

 

[SteveinHNL]

Got it thanks for explaining

 

[TUGBrian]

merged

 

[RX8]

Interesting article but the title of this thread is misleading. It is not a TS exit company. It's an upfront fee resale scam company. The two operate differently.

They certainly have used the “resale” lie in their cold calls but their website lists only two services. These services are ironic because they push the fear of timeshare scammers while being a scammer themselves.

“FRAUD RECOVERY - We help consumers get your money back from Timeshare Resale Scammers with no judgement or embarrassment.”

“FRAUD MONITORING - Similar to popular credit card monitoring system, WAB developed a proprietary way to make sure that your property remains safe.“

They set out to scam from the beginning. Their “about us” talks about how the entity was created in 1995 yet their LLC and website were created in 2018. They also have fake reviews.

While these scammers have been ordered to pay $10M we all know that all the money they brought in has been spent already. I doubt any victim gets a dime in restitution. The sad part is, that while this is an obvious scam to steal money, there is no mention of jail time.

 

[chapjim]

[snip]

While these scammers have been ordered to pay $10M we all know that all the money they brought in has been spent already. I doubt any victim gets a dime in restitution. The sad part is, that while this is an obvious scam to steal money, there is no mention of jail time.

This was a civil action, not a criminal action. Imprisonment is never the result of a civil action. For one thing, the burden of proof is higher in criminal cases (beyond a reasonable doubt). For civil cases, it is preponderance of the evidence (more likely than not). You can't send someone to prison when the burden of proof is "more likely than not."

 

[glider2]

Seems like a very shallow victory. Williams Andrews Burns LLC (WAB), and its principal, William O’Hanlon are almost certainly going to declare bankruptcy and depart New Jersey. After that what stops either from setting up shop in either of the other 49 states?