March 25, 2014
It did not take long before an Aimfair member received a call from someone who said he was from PROFECO PROCURADURIA FEDERAL DEL CONSUMIDOR - http://www.profeco.gob.mx/Servicios/servicios.asp. This is the Mexican Federal Government consumer protection agency.This is not the first time we have been alerted to a caller claiming to be employed by or actually being the commissioner of this agency.
Another Aimfair member said he received a call from Lions Gate Estates LLC. The company does not exist. But, a company similar to that name does. After a brief investigation, our member discovered the deal was a scam and notified us to alert others.
Calls like these are not real! They are from impersonators requesting tax payments for the Mexican Federal Government. The concept is easy to believe because we do not know the ins and outs of laws of Mexico.
Just keep these thoughts in mind. First, how did this person find out about you, one of hundreds of thousands of timeshare owners who have purchased contracts issued by Mexican companies. It is highly unlikely the Mexican government has the resources to staff a call center with people who cold call individuals because the own a timeshare contract.
Secondly, there is no reason for someone to call unless they want to get money from you. If that is the case, they will be very convincing and make you feel as though you need to follow their instructions. Remember, only scammers cold call timeshare owners. This is a safe rule of thumb.
If you do feel the need to pursue the conversation, make sure you tell the caller that you will set up the escrow account at a company that you designate. Tell the caller that all documents and funds should be deposited in this account, only after you draft proper escrow instructions. If the company is legitimate, then there likely will be no objections.
Finally, make sure that all documents are sent to a physical address through the mails. The physical address needs to be confirmed as the location of the recipient of documents you may wish to send.