Officials with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) serving Nebraska, South Dakota, The Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa, reminds consumers to be aware of companies claiming they can sell your timeshare if you pay them upfront. A timeshare owner from Montana reported to BBB that she signed on with a company in March, 2015 to sell her timeshare, but it didn’t happen.

The owner said she received a phone call from Premier Business Brokers, claiming to be located in Eden Prairie, MN asking if she would like to sell her timeshare in Mexico. She was told that her resale income from the timeshare property would be $29,854. She agreed to the sale and began working with a company called Executive Title Services allegedly in Omaha, Nebraska. It was supposed to handle the escrow after she wired 10%, $2,985.40, to transfer the property for resale. Besides paying in advance for the transfer fee, she has wired a total of $25,575.68 supposedly for: the commission to the man who was conducting the transaction, taxes to release the timeshare, additional taxes due to excess of income compared to Mexicans’ income, closing and administration fees and a fee to finalize the deal.

The victim took out loans to carry out these requests. Throughout her dealings with Executive Title Services, the seller was repeatedly informed that the buyer of the timeshare would be reimbursing her for all fees she paid. To date, she has received nothing and has to pay back the money that was borrowed. Several weeks ago, the seller received a letter stating that she still owed $12,000 for “using a Mexican timeshare contract.” She did not pay this fee and notified BBB after Executive Title Services began threatening her that it will get her Social Security number, take money out of her bank accounts and place liens on her property. Unfortunately, she did provide Executive Title Services with her credit union account number and has been working with the credit union to keep them informed of her dealings with this perpetrator. Her accounts have had alerts placed on them.

While there may be legitimate entities in the US using these or similar names, BBB believes that both business names involved in this scheme are fraudulent online entities. Over the last several years, many companies claiming to be located in the Midwest and purporting to offer timeshare reselling services have proved to be fraudulent foreign entities. In many cases, they have hijacked the names of legitimate US firms in an effort to lend legitimacy to this scam.

“If you own a vacation timeshare – the use of a vacation home for a limited, pre-planned time – be cautious of bogus resale companies who take advantage of anxious sellers in an overcrowded market,” stated BBB President and CEO Jim Hegarty. He advises, “Never wire money to companies or individuals you don’t know personally. The act of requesting a wire transfer as the method of payment is a tell-tale sign of a scam. In addition, if you are contacted by phone regarding your timeshare, get all information in writing. Don’t agree to anything until you have had the chance to thoroughly check the company out with BBB at bbbinc.org or call us toll-free at 800-649-6814.”

BBB offers these tips to those seeking to sell their timeshares:

Be realistic. In regard to timeshares, it’s generally a buyer’s – not a seller’s – market. Unscrupulous timeshare resellers may contact you claiming that your property is in demand and they can sell it immediately; unfortunately, these promises often prove to be false.
Be Wary of Upfront Fees. Remember, unless it’s negotiated into the purchase agreement, only buyers pay closing costs. Consider opting for a company that offers to sell for a fee only after the timeshare is sold. Many complaints to BBB regarding timeshare resellers involve situations where people were told they needed to wire “advance appraisal fees,” escrow funds or that they just had to pay closing costs and their timeshare would be sold. Never wire money to people you don’t know.
Use a Business You can Trust. Make sure the timeshare reseller you use is a BBB Accredited Business or at the very least has a good rating with BBB. You can research businesses for free at bbb.org.
Confirm Licensing Requirements. Some timeshare resellers will use fake addresses or PO boxes in order to mislead timeshare owners. Confirm where the company is located and in what states it does business. Ask if the company’s salespeople are licensed to sell real estate where your timeshare is located. If so, verify this with the state licensing board.
Get the Facts on the Figures. Find out if the business charges a commission. Do they handle the entire closing and provide escrow services? Do they charge an up-front listing or advertising fee? What does it cover and is it refundable?
Don’t Fall for the Hard Sell or an Offer that Sounds Too Good to Be True. Don’t agree to anything over the phone but instead ask the salesperson to send you written materials; take the time to think it over and don’t be pressured. You may want to have an attorney review any purchase agreement.
Watch out for third-party companies. Fraudulent timeshare reselling entities often associate with alleged third-party title or escrow services. Be sure to research those companies as well. If you can’t find any information, it may be a sign that there is a problem.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Monday, announced loans and grants for 141 projects to build and improve water and wastewater infrastructure in rural communities across the nation.

Eight of the projects totaling more than $4.7 million in USDA funding are serving rural Iowans. Among the recipients is the Southwest Regional Water District, which receives a $147,000 Emergency Community Water Assistance Grant. USDA officials say the grant will fund installation of 650 feet of water pipe across the Nodaway River near Clarinda.

Funding of each award announced Monday is contingent upon the recipients meeting the terms of the grant and loan agreements.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – An Omaha hospital has been included in a settlement with more than 450 hospitals over inappropriate use of a heart device. The Omaha World-Herald reports that Creighton University Medical Center was named in the settlement, which totals more than $250 million.

The U.S. Department of Justice alleges that from 2003 to 2010 each of 457 hospitals in 43 states implanted the devices during periods in the patients’ care that are prohibited by federal regulations.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Hundreds of protesters have rallied at the University of Iowa campus to argue that the school’s new president shouldn’t have accepted the position. The Des Moines Register reports that about 100 protesters at the university challenged the qualifications of newly-hired president Bruce Harreld Monday afternoon. Harreld began as the university’s 21st president Monday.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Mike Hammond, who co-founded computer maker Gateway Inc. in a northwest Iowa farmhouse in 1985, has died at age 53. Hammond started Gateway with brothers Ted and Norm Waitt, selling what became among one of the most popular computers on the market. He managed the company’s operations in Iowa and South Dakota.

EARLY, Iowa (AP) — A judge has agreed with the murder conviction of an Iowa mother who shot and killed her 20-year-old neighbor in 2001. Tracey Richter is serving life in prison in the slaying of Dustin Wehde. Prosecutors say she fatally shot Wehde as part of a plot to frame her ex-husband during a custody battle, but Richter says her trial was tainted by errors from her defense attorney.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — About 2,000 farmers, grain handlers and corn exporters are suing Swiss biotechnology company Syngenta now that a federal judge has ruled their cases have merit and will move forward. The lawsuits allege Syngenta’s introduction of a new genetically modified corn seed interrupted trade with China in 2011 and may have cost the U.S. corn industry as much as $3 billion.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is paying $235,000 to settle a lawsuit from a woman who says she was kept in isolation at the Iowa Juvenile Home for 280 days. Jessica Turner’s lawsuit alleged she was held in small concrete cells for weeks at a time between 2011 and 2012. The governor closed the juvenile home in Toledo last year amid questions about the treatment of residents.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency said Monday, a bridge over Indian Creek along Wildwood Road is re-open to traffic. The bridge, located in the 700 Block of Wildwood Road, between Jackson Township Sections 35-36, was closed in early August for a complete rebuilding project.

A spokesman for the Iowa National Guard says the Armory in Corning (at 1925 210th St.) will be closing next year, and the unit will move to Camp Dodge in Johnston. Col Greg Hapgood said in a press release Monday, that the closure is a result of force structure and stationing study findings. The unit currently assigned to the Corning armory, Detachment 1, Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry, will move to Camp Dodge in 2016 and consolidate with the main body of Company B. Approximately 80 Soldiers are affected by the closure and move.

Col Hapgood says the Iowa National Guard has a long history in Corning dating back to 1892 with the initial stationing of Company K, 3rd Regiment. Soldiers from the Corning armory have fought in the Spanish-American War, World War I, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Constructed in 1993, the 20,598-square foot Corning armory is the 13th armory to be closed in Iowa as the result of a state-wide consolidation and facilities upgrade program initiated in 2000 by the Iowa National Guard.

The armory will be offered to the public for sale in the near future. Maj. Gen. Tim Orr, Adjutant General for the Iowa National Guard, said “It was a very difficult decision to make as an organization, but with the fiscally-constrained environment all Department of Defense entities face today, consolidating this unit and closing the Corning armory was the best course of action for responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources and for future readiness of our Soldiers. We are incredibly grateful for the strong support of the Corning community for nearly 125 years.”

Since 2000, as part of the Iowa National Guard plan to relocate military units into higher demographic areas, close outdated armories, consolidate units on a regional concept to better utilize training resources, and upgrade existing facilities through renovation and new construction, the Iowa National Guard has consolidated units and closed armories in Sioux Center, Villisca, Mapleton, Atlantic, Clarinda, Glenwood, Hampton, Jefferson, Chariton, Newton, Eagle Grove and Centerville.