Company called Paradise Property Group Offering to Re-Sell Mayan Palace Timeshare for NO Upfront Fee

The offer appears too good to be true. I can't find one negative word about this company on the internet. Plus, they have provided me with three "references." Has anybody heard of this company called Paradise Property Group, located in Seattle, Washington? Are they legit, or are they a scam?

charlesc358 wrote:

The offer appears too good to be true. I can't find one negative word about this company on the internet. Plus, they have provided me with three "references." Has anybody heard of this company called Paradise Property Group, located in Seattle, Washington? Are they legit, or are they a scam?

2) If it appears too good to be true, it probably is -especially with Mexican Timeshares.

3) You can't find any negative information about them because they are either "new kids on the block" or were previously a scam operation that has shut down and resurfaced under a new name.

4) There is "no upfront fee" simply because they do not label it "upfront fee". Here's what will likely happen (we hear of this on boards like these oh so often):

They will get back to you telling you that they have found a buyer (which they haven't) and that this fairly tale buyer has either put down a non-refundable deposit or has paid for it outright. Then, when you're ready to close this mythical deal, they will tell you that you just need to pay some sort of fee or tax to complete the deal.

If you ask why that money can't come out of the proceeds of the sale, they will tell you that that tax or fee has to be paid as required be the Mexican Government before the funds can be released to you.

Many have been duped by this trick and sent the fee thinking that, not only will they be free of their timeshare obligations, but that they'll be receiving a big payday. Then, being intoxicated by the thought of this huge check, they blindly hand their money over only to have these scam artists disappear with the money and likely resurface under a new name with the same scam.

You can "play along" with them if you want but, mark my words, they will tell you that you need to pay a tax or fee before the deal can be sealed.

Great feedback. Thank you. I have asked for their business license, and they claim they will provide that to me, after I sign the Sales Agreement. No thanks. I suspect, highly, a scam. Although, they did provide me with three references, and I did call those people. They did claim that their transaction went smoothly. But, a Mayan Palace resell for $28K -- I don't think this can be real, do you?

Go to www.stopthescam.org and go to timeshare. Then click onto some of the links and you will see stories about the scam artists.

charlesc358 wrote:

Great feedback. Thank you. I have asked for their business license, and they claim they will provide that to me, after I sign the Sales Agreement. No thanks. I suspect, highly, a scam. Although, they did provide me with three references, and I did call those people. They did claim that their transaction went smoothly. But, a Mayan Palace resell for $28K -- I don't think this can be real, do you?

Those 3 references they gave you are part of the scam .... never, ever pay any timeshare entity a large upfront fee for anything ..... people aren't traveling or buying in Mexico due to the economy and many people are staying away from parts of Mexico due to the drug gang wars.

They are NOT asking for an up-front fee. However, I spoke with an enforcement investigator today, with Washington State Licensing Board. He confirmed that the company in question has no business license in the State of Washington. He commented that it's very possible the deal would probably hit a "snag" at some point, where the company then would ask for payment of its 7% commission directly from me, the Seller. Bottom line: I am staying away. Thanks again.

charlesc358 wrote:

They are NOT asking for an up-front fee.... Bottom line: I am staying away. Thanks again.

Good call on staying away. And again I will point out, they are not asking for an "upfront fee" because THEY do not label it "upfront fee". They will come up with all sorts of euphemisms for it but it is a fee that you pay before closing (if there even is a closing) which translates to "upfront fee".

Completely agree. Thank you for all your feedback. Best regards,

thank you all for this information, I was just about to sign the agreement and thought I would do one last search on them. My story is exactly the same as yours.

i have also been contacted by paradise properties to sell my 2 bedroom grand mayan for $38,490. 00, and that on march 28th, 2012, $786,963 usd was deposited into an an american escrow account to be dispersed to all of us 100 sellers. the phone number for the escrow services is 011-52-554-741-1302. at paradise properties kevin (the one who contacted me) says a mexican investor is the buyer, purchasing these timeshare units for tax purposes as well as needing 100 of the grand mayan timeshares for meetings. i have sent paradise properties the contract for my timeshare as well as banking information for a savings account with only a $50 balance in it. my bank said i am safe in giving them my banking info on an account with no balance in it, that they can only deposit money in, not take it out. i have signed a contract with paradise properties and supposed to close on friday. paradise properties has sent me a document asking for approx $3500 that is for the taxes for the mexican government. i was going to put the amount on my credit card and if its fraud, then dispute it after. i called my chase visa and asked them if i would be able to get my money back if its fraud and they said not if i give my permission to the company to run the amount. i will not give them my credit card number or any money upfront after reading this conversation. the BBB has not complaints about paradise property but as stated in this conversation, they may just liquidate and then open again under a different name. i have also been contacted by another company in the last week offering me over the phone the same $38,900 for my 2 bedroom with only a 5% commission and they said they will NOT ask me for any money upfront whatsoever. they say i have until friday. i am weary. i would love to believe this is legit. i wish there was some agency or company that i can contact to see if this is a scam. anyone know? what to do? angie in atlanta. if anyone can let me know please call me at 678-558-2006. ps. i forwarded this entire conversation to julia, my closing coordinator at paradise property in seattle who is going to call me tomorrow, april 10th, at 3 sharp. if indeed she can arrange for my closing on friday to happen WITHOUT any money upfront, i will let you know.

another thing. i know that hundreds of other grand mayan owners have been contacted by paradise property as well as this other company that offered me money for my timeshare. is grand mayan in itself a rip off? i cannot seem to decide. i wonder how many of these owners will find this information helpful and bow out gracefully, how many will give the tax money to paradise properties, and perhaps will actually close? i am waiting for someone to write that they have closed and all is well... maybe that will be me? one can hope for happy endings...

I to have been frustrated to exhaustion with the Paradise Property people (who make you feel like you must be a total idiot not to take this fabulous "to good to be true" offer). I also have been contacted by at least 3 other companies this past two weeks and told them not to call me again. I actually e-mailed the Mayan property contact that was on my original contract and no response. The real estate commission in Seattle (time share division) also told me they have no lisences on file and not to deal with them. I sent these postings to the contact I was dealing with at PP and told them not to contact me again. They obviously get the real estate taxes from everyone (even though I specifically asked if this would happen and they said no) No references would be provided until after I signed the contract or a copy of the liscense. They said they didn't have the time to send that information to everyone that asked for it? I said all the time you are spending on these 10 phone calls; you could have sent that information and received the contracts quicker (doesn't that send up a red flag????)

i thought that if they were true professional scam artists then perhaps they would be more professional about the process? there has to be some agency that protects citizens from this sort of injustice. i think clark howards too busy. lol

There are a number of things you mentioned that clearly point to this being a scam.

1) They contacted you. Legitimate resale agents don't need to go cold calling timeshare owners.

2) Mexican timeshares are not selling for $38,000. Right now, some owners are having a hard time giving them away.

3) Investors do not buy timeshares for tax purposes.

4) If/when you sell a timeshare in Mexico, you do not need to pay the Mexican gov't. any taxes. And even if you did, that amount would come out of the proceeds of the sale, not paid upfront by the seller.

5) Legitimate resale brokers charge a commission of at least 15% or $1000 - whichever is greater.

So when Julia calls you back, you can tell her where she can stick her scam.

By the way, Angie M 123, your post is showing a glaring discrepancy from these crooks. They say they are asking for no money upfront yet they are asking you to pay $3500 taxes before this deal can be closed.

Wow, what great information!!! Thank you all. I can only assume that the entire process is a scam, because, primarily, of the following: (1) no business license in State of Washington; and (2) Mexican Timeshares are being sold via eBay and Redweek for cents on the dollar, and sometimes, they are being sold for no dollars at all, as the owners want "out" of having to pay annual maintenance fees. So, simply abide by the old adage: "if it's too good to be true, then it is NOT true." I keep getting phone calls from the scam artists. The representative with the State of Washington informed me that the scam artists are becoming more sophisticated, coming up with schemes that make it appear to be: "no upfront fees." But, in the end, there will be a point in the process where the scam artist does "require" or "ask for" some sort of payment, whether it be "for Mexican government taxes," or some such other alleged "hidden requirement." Again, I thank you all.

lancec13 wrote:

There are a number of things you mentioned that clearly point to this being a scam.

1) They contacted you. Legitimate resale agents don't need to go cold calling timeshare owners.

2) Mexican timeshares are not selling for $38,000. Right now, some owners are having a hard time giving them away.

3) Investors do not buy timeshares for tax purposes.

4) If/when you sell a timeshare in Mexico, you do not need to pay the Mexican gov't. any taxes. And even if you did, that amount would come out of the proceeds of the sale, not paid upfront by the seller.

5) Legitimate resale brokers charge a commission of at least 15% or $1000 - whichever is greater.

So when Julia calls you back, you can tell her where she can stick her scam.

By the way, Angie M 123, your post is showing a glaring discrepancy from these crooks. They say they are asking for no money upfront yet they are asking you to pay $3500 taxes before this deal can be closed.

Very good information Lance .... I especially like the part that I highlighted.

Great news for everyone. All of you also won the Nigerian lottery. It's the same slick routine. Tell everyone that you all hit the jackpot and see how many suckers fall for it. I'll bet the scam is being run in another country.

its angie from atlanta again. i have been on the phone today trying to figure out the process for closing on this timeshare. even though i have bought 20 or more properties, i do not understand this international process dealing with the taxes, getting a tax id, and a notary. i dont think they realize how jaded some of us are after being ripped off so much with the whole timeshare process, from internet scams, lottery notices, and such.

per the suggestion of julia with paradise properties, i called a lawyer mexican/american i found on internet and he said that i should fly to mexico and pay the taxes myself. he said that he has never seen such an amount of what appears to be legit paperwork come from scammers and said for $750 he could tell me if the paperwork appears to be legit. i will probably not hire him, i am refusing to put any money upfront for anything. craig goodman (one could hope, lol sorry craig) at 206-926-3571 , an owner in finance of paradise properties called me a bit upset that i have blogged negativity about his company in this forum. i cant say that i blame him. i apologized and told him i would retract anything negative i may have suggested and see if he can get me closed. thats fair. i received a phone call from a man in this forum, greg in iowa, and he too is talking to craig to get this mexican tax id set up so he can close. he had the same concerns, he too is an educated business owner, he too is weary but cannot find any proof that paradise properties is anything but a company who has a client who has put forth money to purchase our timeshares. i told craig that i would retract anything i said negative about his company. i do not want to harm any company or person by slandering them without proof one way or the other until i get to the end of the process and know for myself. i do not want to ruin craigs chances of selling these units for us all, therefore, he could lose his client who wants to purchase and none of us will close! i will continue to jump hoops, educate myself, call the mexican bank directly and verify that my money is in escrow. no need to get sarcastic, hasty or nasty, if this is a legit deal and i get my money at closing in the next week, then i will be the first thank craig and his team at paradise properties for selling my timeshare. i will keep you posted on the progress. lets keep this open minded and respectable for all parties involved. sincerely

angiem123 wrote:

its angie from atlanta again. i have been on the phone today trying to figure out the process for closing on this timeshare. even though i have bought 20 or more properties, i do not understand this international process dealing with the taxes, getting a tax id, and a notary. i dont think they realize how jaded some of us are after being ripped off so much with the whole timeshare process, from internet scams, lottery notices, and such.

per the suggestion of julia with paradise properties, i called a lawyer mexican/american i found on internet and he said that i should fly to mexico and pay the taxes myself. he said that he has never seen such an amount of what appears to be legit paperwork come from scammers and said for $750 he could tell me if the paperwork appears to be legit. i will probably not hire him, i am refusing to put any money upfront for anything. craig goodman (one could hope, lol sorry craig) at 206-926-3571 , an owner in finance of paradise properties called me a bit upset that i have blogged negativity about his company in this forum. i cant say that i blame him. i apologized and told him i would retract anything negative i may have suggested and see if he can get me closed. thats fair. i received a phone call from a man in this forum, greg in iowa, and he too is talking to craig to get this mexican tax id set up so he can close. he had the same concerns, he too is an educated business owner, he too is weary but cannot find any proof that paradise properties is anything but a company who has a client who has put forth money to purchase our timeshares. i told craig that i would retract anything i said negative about his company. i do not want to harm any company or person by slandering them without proof one way or the other until i get to the end of the process and know for myself. i do not want to ruin craigs chances of selling these units for us all, therefore, he could lose his client who wants to purchase and none of us will close! i will continue to jump hoops, educate myself, call the mexican bank directly and verify that my money is in escrow. no need to get sarcastic, hasty or nasty, if this is a legit deal and i get my money at closing in the next week, then i will be the first thank craig and his team at paradise properties for selling my timeshare. i will keep you posted on the progress. lets keep this open minded and respectable for all parties involved. sincerely

Don't say you weren't warned.

angiem123 wrote:

if this is a legit deal and i get my money at closing in the next week, then i will be the first thank craig and his team at paradise properties for selling my timeshare. i will keep you posted on the progress.

Lance has given you some very good advice and you've got to be kidding that these people are telling you to fly to Mexico to pay some sort of tax ..... don't hold your breath waiting for your timeshare to sell. People aren't traveling to Mexico like they were pre-2007 (before the economic crash) and because of gang wars in parts of Mexico. DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT pay any kind of upfront fee including some bogus Mexican tax fee.

If this operation was legitimate they would take their fees after the sale and when closing.