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Re: Tryon & Trade Group

[Q=lakmk]Just curious, but they are not asking for any money up front, but payable to them at closing. What's the risk then?[/Q] This is a common scam that we hear of frequently on these boards. The scam people claim and emphasize "No upfront fee! No upfront fee! All the fees are taken at closing." All the while , there is no buyer. Then the scam artists call the owner and say, "We have a buyer for you who has paid [money beyond your wildest dreams] for your timeshare. We have a check sitting on our desk with your name on it ready to send to you. However, the Mexican Government requires that you pay [insert name of bogus fee or tax here] before we can release the funds to you." They'll come up with a name for this fee or tax that sounds legitimate and reasonable but is totally bogus (eg., Property Transfer Tax, Documentation Fee, Filing Fees, Legal Establishment Fees, etc.). Many owners fall for this because they're now so focused on what they're going to do with this huge amount of money (along with the freedom from their timeshare maintenance fees) that they're not thinking rationally. All they're thinking is "Great! What do I have to do to make this wonderful sale happen? A $1000 fee for documentation and legal transfer is peanuts compared to the big payday I'm about to get. I can't let a 'minor' documentation fee get in the way of this sale." Therein lies the risk.