Time Share Scam Alert for Vacation Marketing Group and Vector Financial Systems

[MaryEvanovich]

Hi I'm hoping for help getting the word out, that Vacation Marketing Group and Vector Financial Systems both out of NJ USA have scammed us out of $513,766.24.

This process has taken almost 1-1/2 years and 100s of hours of phone calls and emails and letters, including "Statements" from banks and other organizations that appeared real but were not.

It started with a call to buy our timeshare, but we had to pay Mexican taxes and fees before the anonymous 'buyer' cancelled the deal, leaving us the the cost of 'unwinding' it.

Then it became a business deal where we could buy timeshares with the broker cheap and resell them at a huge profit. I was promised millions.

Months of back and forth phone calls asking for more money and getting more empty promises. We are in our 80s and it's been mentally exhausting.

I was asked to pay another $150,000 to get my money back. I had to sell my rental property and my condo but only cleared $38,000. Surprisingly they said that was enough and took that, too.

I've been waiting for months to get my money back and am not literally broke, I have nothing left.

In hindsight I should've known it was too good to be true, but there was just enough real stuff to keep me convinced despite some friends and family telling me it was an obvious scam. And it is.

We are now living in my son's basement while my husband is trying to find work. This is in sharp contrast to the comfort we had of retirement with savings and rental income.

I have filed a report with the FBI and would like to spread the word that other people should beware of the following:

Abraham Goldman
Vector Financial Systems
http://www.vectorfinancialsystems.com/ but previously used https://vectorfinancialsystemsinc.com/
404 Madison Ave
Lakewood, NJ 08701-3214
(732) 743-9210
BBB Page: https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/lakewood/...es/vector-financial-systems-inc-0221-90222890

Michael Martin, Robert Mackintosh & Greg Morris
Vacation Marketing Group
http://vacationmarketinggroupllc.net/ but previously used https://vacationmarketinggroup.net/
219 Hamilton Ave
Trenton, NJ 08609-2705
(609) 710-0450
BBB Page: https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/trenton/p...keting/vacation-marketing-group-0221-90222954

Please help us spread the word so other people don't get robbed of their life's savings and hard work. We are almost in our 80s and will not recover from this.

Mary and Mark
Carson, CA USA

 

[dioxide45]

Hi I'm hoping for help getting the word out, that Vacation Marketing Group and Vector Financial Systems both out of NJ USA have scammed us out of $513,766.24.

This process has taken almost 1-1/2 years and 100s of hours of phone calls and emails and letters, including "Statements" from banks and other organizations that appeared real but were not.

It started with a call to buy our timeshare, but we had to pay Mexican taxes and fees before the anonymous 'buyer' cancelled the deal, leaving us the the cost of 'unwinding' it.

Then it became a business deal where we could buy timeshares with the broker cheap and resell them at a huge profit. I was promised millions.

Months of back and forth phone calls asking for more money and getting more empty promises. We are in our 80s and it's been mentally exhausting.

I was asked to pay another $150,000 to get my money back. I had to sell my rental property and my condo but only cleared $38,000. Surprisingly they said that was enough and took that, too.

I've been waiting for months to get my money back and am not literally broke, I have nothing left.

In hindsight I should've known it was too good to be true, but there was just enough real stuff to keep me convinced despite some friends and family telling me it was an obvious scam. And it is.

We are now living in my son's basement while my husband is trying to find work. This is in sharp contrast to the comfort we had of retirement with savings and rental income.

I have filed a report with the FBI and would like to spread the word that other people should beware of the following:

Abraham Goldman
Vector Financial Systems
http://www.vectorfinancialsystems.com/ but previously used https://vectorfinancialsystemsinc.com/
404 Madison Ave
Lakewood, NJ 08701-3214
(732) 743-9210
BBB Page: https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/lakewood/...es/vector-financial-systems-inc-0221-90222890

Michael Martin, Robert Mackintosh & Greg Morris
Vacation Marketing Group
http://vacationmarketinggroupllc.net/ but previously used https://vacationmarketinggroup.net/
219 Hamilton Ave
Trenton, NJ 08609-2705
(609) 710-0450
BBB Page: https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/trenton/p...keting/vacation-marketing-group-0221-90222954

Please help us spread the word so other people don't get robbed of their life's savings and hard work. We are almost in our 80s and will not recover from this.

Mary and Mark
Carson, CA USA

Sorry this happened to you. This seems to fit the M.O. of the Mexican Cartel scams that were reported in the news the past year. Also often referred to as pig slaughtering scams. I suspect the companies you think you were working with, and listed here, aren't necessarily the ones you were really involved with. These scams will use the names of legitimate companies to try and look legitimate but aren't.

 

[RX8]

So sorry you have been scammed. While advising the world to watch out for these two entities is admirable, the sad truth is that scammers have likely moved on to a new fake name.

The scammer company names come and go daily. Once word starts getting out about their scam, they start fresh with the same exact scam but under a new name, always one step ahead of bad reviews and complaints. These scammers are likely operating outside of the US, and out of reach of any legal consequences. As mentioned above, this scam is likely run by the Mexican cartels.

Calling out the individual scam company names is not always effective because the names change so often. Therefore, the best warning to the public is to make them aware of the MANY red flags. Knowing these red flags, and hanging up when receiving a cold call, will always protect your money.

The link below will reinforce/support your warning above.

Was I contacted by a Scammer to Sell or Rent my Timeshare?

A checklist for owners to determine if a Timeshare company is legitimate or a scam

tug2.net

 

[MaryEvanovich]

So sorry you have been scammed. While advising the world to watch out for these two entities is admirable, the sad truth is that scammers have likely moved on to a new fake name.

The scammer company names come and go daily. Once word starts getting out about their scam, they start fresh with the same exact scam but under a new name, always one step ahead of bad reviews and complaints. These scammers are likely operating outside of the US, and out of reach of any legal consequences. As mentioned above, this scam is likely run by the Mexican cartels.

Calling out the individual scam company names is not always effective because the names change so often. Therefore, the best warning to the public is to make them aware of the MANY red flags. Knowing these red flags, and hanging up when receiving a cold call, will always protect your money.

The link below will reinforce/support your warning above.

Was I contacted by a Scammer to Sell or Rent my Timeshare?

A checklist for owners to determine if a Timeshare company is legitimate or a scam

tug2.net

I would tend to agree but even after a year and a half their websites are phone numbers are still active, and if you do a search for those names you'll find the BBB reports but nothing clearly pointing out that they are scammers.

Also, they updated the website address that the BBB has on file but kept their name, phone number and address so if I can get enought information online if someone searches they will see a reason to be afraid. I with I had that.

My hopes with a few posts and reviews is that when people search their company name they will find my story and avoid the same fate. I don't know how we are going to survive this.

 

[MaryEvanovich]

Sorry this happened to you. This seems to fit the M.O. of the Mexican Cartel scams that were reported in the news the past year. Also often referred to as pig slaughtering scams. I suspect the companies you think you were working with, and listed here, aren't necessarily the ones you were really involved with. These scams will use the names of legitimate companies to try and look legitimate but aren't.

My grandson is good with computers and he said these companies are probably shell companies but they are actively marketing and calling folks so I figure it could help someone. He showed me the google map and their office addresses are just houses.

 

[MaryEvanovich]

Hi I posted this as a reply in an older message board conversation but it was suggested that I make it it's own [thread].

I'm sharing my story in hopes of helping someone else not fall victim. Vacation Marketing Group and Vector Financial Systems have scammed us out of $513,766.24.​

They are still actively calling and scamming people using these 'employee' names and company names, phone numbers and addresses, so hopefully someone with search yahoo or google and find this post before becoming their next victim

This process has taken almost 1-1/2 years and 100s of hours of phone calls and emails and letters, including "Statements" from banks and other organizations that appeared real but were not.

I now know that this is a common scam, and I blame myself for falling for it because in hindsight it was foolish and too good to be true, but during the scam it's like I was hypnotized and couldn't NOT believe it.

It started with a call to buy our timeshare, but we had to pay Mexican taxes and fees before the anonymous 'buyer' cancelled the deal, leaving us the cost of 'unwinding' it.
Then it became a business deal where we could buy timeshares with the broker cheap and resell them at a huge profit. I was promised millions.

Months of back and forth phone calls asking for more money and getting more empty promises. We are in our 80s and it's been mentally exhausting.

I was asked to pay another $150,000 to get my money back. I had to sell my rental property and my condo but only cleared $38,000. Surprisingly they said that was enough and took that, too.

I've now been waiting for months to get my money back and literally have nothing left.

We are now living in my son's basement while my husband is trying to find work (interview at walmart for a greeter position, but he's on oxygen so it's hard to get around).

This is in sharp contrast to the comfort we had of retirement with savings and rental income.

I have filed a report with the FBI and would like to spread the word that other people should beware of the following:

Abraham Goldman
Vector Financial Systems
http://www.vectorfinancialsystems.com/ but previously used https://vectorfinancialsystemsinc.com/
404 Madison Ave
Lakewood, NJ 08701-3214
(732) 743-9210
BBB Page: https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/lakewood/...es/vector-financial-systems-inc-0221-90222890

Michael Martin, Robert Mackintosh & Greg Morris
Vacation Marketing Group
http://vacationmarketinggroupllc.net/ but previously used https://vacationmarketinggroup.net/
219 Hamilton Ave
Trenton, NJ 08609-2705
(609) 710-0450
BBB Page: https://www.bbb.org/us/nj/trenton/p...keting/vacation-marketing-group-0221-90222954

Please help us spread the word so other people don't get robbed of their life's savings and hard work.

Mary and Mark Evanovich
Carson, CA USA

 

[dioxide45]

My grandson is good with computers and he said these companies are probably shell companies but they are actively marketing and calling folks so I figure it could help someone. He showed me the google map and their office addresses are just houses.

Looking the Vector company up in the State of NJ entity search, they were incorporated in 1999. This matches up with what they say on their website. This is certainly out of the norm for these kinds of scam operations. Though they do sometimes resurrect previously dissolved entities. The website domain was just created in 2023.

 

[RX8]

I would tend to agree but even after a year and a half their websites are phone numbers are still active, and if you do a search for those names you'll find the BBB reports but nothing clearly pointing out that they are scammers.

Also, they updated the website address that the BBB has on file but kept their name, phone number and address so if I can get enought information online if someone searches they will see a reason to be afraid. I with I had that.

My hopes with a few posts and reviews is that when people search their company name they will find my story and avoid the same fate. I don't know how we are going to survive this.

The listed address on their website and on the BBB is a 4400 sq ft, 15 bedroom single family home. The BBB has an active alert that states that they have received return mail, which I assume would be the address they have on file. At any rate, the addresses are very likely fake, picked at random by the scammers from Mexico.

You stated you filed a report with the FBI. Did you file a BBB complaint? How about a compliant with the NJ Attorney General? These would help you get the word out about these scammers.

Wish we had more for you. You will survive this. You are already doing something good for others by making this scam known.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

I’m so sorry this happened to you.

 

[dioxide45]

I understand your desire to post this multiple times given the severity, but you shouldn't be posting multiple times across the forums with this.

The important thing to understand, and it sucks, is that the money is gone. Not even the FBI can get it back for you. Reporting it to the different government agencies will help them track the issue and perhaps track down the perpitrators. Though chances of that is slim also.

Don't fall for any more of this. No additional amount of money will suddenly unlock all the money you have previously sent and that the new funds will somehow get you refunded all the money. It won't work, that is part of the pig butering scam. I know of a person that fell for this for over $100,000. They have been told it was a scam. They've been shown all the videos about the Mexical cartel scams. They were still considering sending more money in hopes it would get their money returned. It won't. The people on the other end of the phone are liars and scammers.

 

[TUGBrian]

merged these into single thread.

 

[MaryEvanovich]

The listed address on their website and on the BBB is a 4400 sq ft, 15 bedroom single family home. The BBB has an active alert that states that they have received return mail, which I assume would be the address they have on file. At any rate, the addresses are very likely fake, picked at random by the scammers from Mexico.

You stated you filed a report with the FBI. Did you file a BBB complaint? How about a compliant with the NJ Attorney General? These would help you get the word out about these scammers.

Wish we had more for you. You will survive this. You are already doing something good for others by making this scam known.

Thank you RX8, and yes sir, we have filed with the BBB as well as the NJ AG. My daughter and grandson have been working on it with me for the past several weeks.

I just noticed that our reviews and complaints haven't appeared on the BBB pages for the two companies yet.
I was first contacted by these two companies in 2023, before the BBB pages had the updates. There was nothing negative about either company, which is why we wanted to get the word out so if someone else searches for their names they would be warned.

Mary

 

[MaryEvanovich]

I understand your desire to post this multiple times given the severity, but you shouldn't be posting multiple times across the forums with this.

The important thing to understand, and it sucks, is that the money is gone. Not even the FBI can get it back for you. Reporting it to the different government agencies will help them track the issue and perhaps track down the perpitrators. Though chances of that is slim also.

Don't fall for any more of this. No additional amount of money will suddenly unlock all the money you have previously sent and that the new funds will somehow get you refunded all the money. It won't work, that is part of the pig butering scam. I know of a person that fell for this for over $100,000. They have been told it was a scam. They've been shown all the videos about the Mexical cartel scams. They were still considering sending more money in hopes it would get their money returned. It won't. The people on the other end of the phone are liars and scammers.

I understand, I am very new at all of this.

And I know the money is gone, I'm just trying to help others at this point.

Mary

 

[MaryEvanovich]

Hi everyone I'm very happy to report that this page and Readit have been very helpful in stopping the fraud!!!I have received 8 messages on a Reddit page that I created with people telling me about their experience. I'm asking them to share their tales on Reddit so the scammers can get caught or at least stopped. Thank you for your kindness!!

https://www.reddit.com/r/TimeshareOwners/comments/1fa5hg2
Mary

 

[TUGBrian]

I forwarded your story to a number of journalists who specifically covered these mexican timeshare scam stories in the past as well as put it in last weeks newsletter.

hopefully every person who reads it will be one less potential victim in the future!

 

[MonicaOnVacation]

I would tend to agree but even after a year and a half their websites are phone numbers are still active, and if you do a search for those names you'll find the BBB reports but nothing clearly pointing out that they are scammers.

Also, they updated the website address that the BBB has on file but kept their name, phone number and address so if I can get enought information online if someone searches they will see a reason to be afraid. I with I had that.

My hopes with a few posts and reviews is that when people search their company name they will find my story and avoid the same fate. I don't know how we are going to survive

I forwarded your story to a number of journalists who specifically covered these mexican timeshare scam stories in the past as well as put it in last weeks newsletter.

hopefully every person who reads it will be one less potential victim in the future!

@TUGBrian i will cover for msn.com

 

[MaryEvanovich]

I forwarded your story to a number of journalists who specifically covered these mexican timeshare scam stories in the past as well as put it in last weeks newsletter.

hopefully every person who reads it will be one less potential victim in the future!

THANK YOU!!!

 

[MonicaOnVacation]

Your willingness to tell your story is brave, Mary. Hopefully, it will help others and hope my MSN article can help to get the word out on the dangers of these scammers. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/othe...ableErrorRedirect=true&infiniteContentCount=0

cc: @TUGBrian

 

[MaryEvanovich]

Hi this is Brian. I have had the honor of being Mary's grandson for the last 22 years. I am sad to share that her and my grandpa passed on Monday. They were the best two people in the world. They loved everyone and did everything they could to help people. I wanted to thank you for helping her feel better about getting her story out and helping other people. I also wanted to share that she didn't do this out of greed. The money grandma thought she was going to make on these timeshare deals was all going toward so many charitable organizations and good causes. She actually kept a list of them. I'll upload a photo. It breaks my heart and my family that these people and their greed killed my grandparents twice. First by destroying their hopes and dreams and livelihood and then by putting them under such hopelessness and despair that they decided the only way out was locking themselves in the garage with the car running and windows down. My poor mother. I am full of anger but also happy that I was able to bring a little light to grandma's life by showing her the internet and helping her connect with people on forums and on reddit who she 100% helped in her final days. Rest in peace, grandpa and grandma, you will be missed dearly.

 

[MaryEvanovich]

Your willingness to tell your story is brave, Mary. Hopefully, it will help others and hope my MSN article can help to get the word out on the dangers of these scammers. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/othe...ableErrorRedirect=true&infiniteContentCount=0

cc: @TUGBrian

Thank you for this. My grandma was so happy that people helped her. I don't know if she saw your message before she passed, but I'd like to think so.

 

[TUGBrian]

Wow, im very sorry to hear that both your grandparents passed away...that is not the sort of ending we wanted to read for sure

 

[TheHolleys87]

I am so very, very sorry to read this. Please share my heartfelt condolences with your family.

 

[rickandcindy23]

So sorry for the loss of your grandparents.