NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA REGIONAL POLICE
*************************
Since February of 2019, The Niagara Regional Police Central Fraud Unit has received multiple complaints from residents regarding a Mexican timeshare scam. Police would like to inform residents owning timeshares in Mexico to be vigilant when contacted about the possibility of selling their timeshare.
A common scam is for the owner of a timeshare to receive a call from an individual claiming to work for an international real estate company. Often times, an online search will lead to the company website in order to make the company appear more legitimate. The suspects will claim that a buyer is in place for the property and even send legal documents to be signed. The suspects will eventually ask for wire transfers to cover costs such as legal fees, Mexican taxes, and various other closing costs, resulting in the complainant sending many thousands of dollars.
If the wire transfers continue, the suspects will eventually claim that the buyer backed out of the deal, and that they now have a new buyer in place, and attempt to restart the wire transfer process from the beginning.
When a complainant eventually realizes that this was a scam, the complainant may receive a phone call from an individual claiming to be a Mexican prosecutor. The “prosecutor" will claim that several individuals have been arrested and reimbursement can be made. Money wire transfers will then be requested to cover various legal costs in order to collect the reimbursement.
The Mexican timeshare scam is a common scam across North America. Police would like to remind owners of properties outside Canada that proper due diligence should be undertaken when selling a property, including consulting your bank and a lawyer.
Information on crimes can also be submitted anonymously using Crime Stoppers of Niagara.
To leave an anonymous tip, please contact Crime Stoppers via:
Telephone - 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS)
Online - www.niagaratips.ca
Crime Stoppers guarantees that you will remain anonymous through any of the methods offered to provide tips. You may also be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000 if the information leads to an arrest.
*************************
