rka0507
newbie
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2026
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 2
- Resorts Owned
- The Villa Group resorts in Mexico (Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, et al)
**SCAM WARNING: Escrow Recovery Services, LLC — Timeshare Resale Advance-Fee Fraud (Villa del Palmar / Puerto Vallarta)**
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I want to warn fellow TUG members about a company called “Escrow Recovery Services, LLC” that is actively targeting timeshare owners — in my case, a membership at Villa del Palmar in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
**How the scam works:**
I was contacted out of the blue by a rep named Megan Adams, who told me Escrow Recovery Services had a buyer ready for my timeshare. After I expressed interest, I was handed off to Tom Portman who claimed to be managing the buyer's side of the transaction. He was professional, communicative, and kept assuring me the deal was progressing toward a closing date.
On the closing date (AprIl 10, 2026) — no money arrived. Instead, I was told I owed "tariffs" before my sale proceeds could be released by them. They gave me a Mexican bank account to wire the funds to.
I paid. Nothing was ever released. There was no buyer.
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**The red flags — in hindsight, all obvious:**
- Unsolicited contact claiming a buyer was already lined up
- A closing date that came and went with no funds delivered
- Demand for "tariffs" from the *seller* (in any legitimate sale, the buyer pays tariffs and closing costs — not the seller)
- Funds directed to a foreign bank account, not a licensed U.S. escrow company
- Escalating demands as a condition of releasing proceeds that never come
This is a classic advance-fee fraud. The "buyer" does not exist. The company exists only to extract fees from sellers.
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**What I've done:**
I have filed complaints with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, Mexico's PROFECO, NY Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Department and Mexico's Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF). I've reported the Mexican bank account they used to the UIF and requested it be frozen.
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“Clients” or victims who are contacted by Escrow Recovery Services, LLC, Megan Adams, or Tom Portman — should be forewarned (1) not send any money, and (2) If you have already been victimized, please report to IC3 at ic3.gov and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The more reports on file, the better the chance of an investigation. Escrow Recovery Services, LLC is located at 300 Cadman Plaza 12th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Happy to answer questions or compare notes with anyone who has had contact with these people.
Richard Aland, Dallas TX
Ph: 469-978-5445
Email: raland@depo.org
---
I want to warn fellow TUG members about a company called “Escrow Recovery Services, LLC” that is actively targeting timeshare owners — in my case, a membership at Villa del Palmar in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
**How the scam works:**
I was contacted out of the blue by a rep named Megan Adams, who told me Escrow Recovery Services had a buyer ready for my timeshare. After I expressed interest, I was handed off to Tom Portman who claimed to be managing the buyer's side of the transaction. He was professional, communicative, and kept assuring me the deal was progressing toward a closing date.
On the closing date (AprIl 10, 2026) — no money arrived. Instead, I was told I owed "tariffs" before my sale proceeds could be released by them. They gave me a Mexican bank account to wire the funds to.
I paid. Nothing was ever released. There was no buyer.
---
**The red flags — in hindsight, all obvious:**
- Unsolicited contact claiming a buyer was already lined up
- A closing date that came and went with no funds delivered
- Demand for "tariffs" from the *seller* (in any legitimate sale, the buyer pays tariffs and closing costs — not the seller)
- Funds directed to a foreign bank account, not a licensed U.S. escrow company
- Escalating demands as a condition of releasing proceeds that never come
This is a classic advance-fee fraud. The "buyer" does not exist. The company exists only to extract fees from sellers.
---
**What I've done:**
I have filed complaints with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, Mexico's PROFECO, NY Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Department and Mexico's Unidad de Inteligencia Financiera (UIF). I've reported the Mexican bank account they used to the UIF and requested it be frozen.
---
“Clients” or victims who are contacted by Escrow Recovery Services, LLC, Megan Adams, or Tom Portman — should be forewarned (1) not send any money, and (2) If you have already been victimized, please report to IC3 at ic3.gov and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The more reports on file, the better the chance of an investigation. Escrow Recovery Services, LLC is located at 300 Cadman Plaza 12th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Happy to answer questions or compare notes with anyone who has had contact with these people.
Richard Aland, Dallas TX
Ph: 469-978-5445
Email: raland@depo.org
