A Friendly Heads-Up: What to Watch For and How to Keep Your Membership Safe
We want to start this one plainly: TAFER Residence Club will never contact you out of the blue asking for payment, account credentials, or personal information to verify your membership. If someone does, it's not us.
Timeshare and vacation club members are specifically targeted by scam operators, and knowing how these schemes work makes them easy to recognize.
The Most Common Scams Targeting Members
The Resale or Exit Company Pitch is the most common scam in the timeshare space. You receive a call, email, or letter from a company claiming they have a buyer for your membership, or that they can cancel your contract and eliminate your maintenance fees, often for a fee paid upfront. The pitch is detailed, professional, and often includes specifics about your membership that feel like they could only come from an insider. The upfront fee is the tell. Legitimate real estate transactions don't work this way. Once the fee is paid, the company either disappears or generates a series of follow-on fees before the promised transaction never materializes.
The Membership Verification Call
A caller claims to be from TAFER Residence Club, ResortCom, or a company working on our behalf, and says your membership needs to be verified or updated. They ask for your member ID, contract number, date of birth, or payment information. TAFER Residence Club and ResortCom don't call members to verify account information over the phone. If you receive a call like this, hang up and contact Member Services directly using the number in your member portal.
The Rental Opportunity Scam
A company contacts you offering to rent out your unused vacation time for a fee, then collects the listing fee and provides no renters and no service. Variations include companies that claim to manage rental income on your behalf, then ask for your ownership documents and personal information as part of the setup process.
The Travel Package Upgrade
You receive notification that you've been selected for a complimentary upgrade or exclusive offer. To claim it, you're asked to provide a credit card or pay a processing fee. Legitimate promotional offers from TAFER Residence Club will always be verifiable through your member portal or through a direct call to Member Services.
Few Simple Habits Go a Long Way
Your membership contract, member ID, and ownership details should be treated like financial account information. Don't share them with third parties, don't upload them to unfamiliar websites, and be cautious of any company that asks for them as part of a sign-up process.
Any offer, upgrade, or request that arrives unexpectedly is worth verifying before you act. Call Member Services directly. Look up the number in your portal rather than using a callback number from the suspicious communication.
Pay attention to urgency. Scam operators rely on it. The offer expires today. The buyer is ready now. The fee increases tomorrow. Legitimate companies give you time to think and verify. If anyone is pressuring you to act immediately, that is the most important signal to slow down.
If Something Seems Wrong
If you receive a communication that feels unusual, or if you've already provided information to a company you're now uncertain about, contact Member Services immediately. The sooner you report a concern, the more options are available. Member Services can verify whether a communication is legitimate, flag unusual account activity, and connect you with the right resources.
Your membership is a significant investment and a decades-long relationship. If anything ever feels off, call first. That one step is almost always enough to stop a problem before it starts.
Member Services: memberservices@resortcom.com.