T N. oh most definitely it's not okay for them to get that information from you. good thing you went with your gut!

Sierra M. This is Sierra Martin, and that is my name. I do not appreciate you posting my full name, it's personal. I want to inform you of how we run: We are a nonprofit organization who reaches out to individuals who have been victimized by financial fraud. Alot of my clients have been vitimized by timeshare resale fraud. What happens is a company calls people convincing them to sell their timeshares or advertise to sell them and takes a deposit. The client pays them and the company will either tell the person that their timeshare has been sold and the buyer falls through or guarantees their money back and disappears. We recieve a database forwarded to us through the attorney general here in Florida and our system sends out automated calls. Our clients call back and we talk to them about their situations with the companies they have delt with, do an intake interview, file a formal police report including the companies they have delt with, and then send them our contract. The credit card form is our way of securing their appointment with our attorneys. You see what happens is when we call to have the appointments some people forget or they just drop off the face of the earth. After the police report is taken we forward information to our attorneys. The appointments with the attorneys are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. So we take a $50 deposit that is given back to them after this is all said and done with and we win your money back in the 30-90 day time bracket to ensure that the client is there for all of the appointments. Our organization is run COMPLETELY by government grants and donations. In our contract we list that when we win back the money that has most of the time been lost for years, we request a fifty percent donation for all of our hard work. And it's truly lost money, it really is. There is nothing shady about the way we work, we are here to help people and put those companies out who are frauding innocent people. I love my job, I am very passionate about what I do. Peter if you don't want my help, then that is fine with me, there are plenty of people out there that need my help. Just call me monday between 9am and 5pm my time (eastern time). Or better yet, I'll call you Monday at 12:00pm to discuss where you want me to take your case from here. I do not want to discuss this publicly, it is against your privacy rights (which are also in your contract) If you had these concerns,I don't know why you didn't just call me to begin with.

~Sierra

Company info if anyone wants to look us up:
Carmausa.org Company Website
sunbiz.org ********COMPANY LICENSES AND INFORMATION********
With Sun biz you can see everything!
You can call me at 1(877)700-3986 which is the C.A.R.M.A hotline. I am there from Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm. We handle mmost any types of fraud including even Mortgage/Loan Modification fraud and Credit Card Fraud or even the check or money order fraud going around with the fake craigslist jobs. I am more than willing to talk to anyone who needs my help, Like I said, I love my job. It is understandable that people like Peter are skeptical and unwilling because they have been scammed before, but we are not here to scam people, we are here to help them and that is exactly what I intend to do.

Clinton S. I'm a Director at CARMA and I specifically remember your file Mr. Eldridge because of the way you manhandled my agent Sierra on the phone. She came into my office very concerned about you being harsh with her and requested that your file specifically be handled with priority which I took the time to do. I can understand your apprehensiveness as we deal with these situations daily most of them far worse off than yours. I have senior citizens that call in with debt from timeshare fraud amounting up to $30,000.00 and clients that have been victimized by predatory lending about to lose their homes. I can assure you your case will be handled professionally and efficiently. In the past you've been burned by companies trying to sell your property because you didn't hang up the phone, please don't choose this instance to be the time you hang up and shut down when we are trying to help. Do your homework and call the numbers you posted above and you will see what our organization is about.

Peter E. Peter E. here...
Sierra, Clinton... I am going to put the ball back in your court. I was told by Sierra that "he is in jail", which I assumed to mean the person perpetrating the fraud. I was also informed that the business was closed, probably by a couple of months. So tell me who is in jail, in what county and state, what is the case file number, what were the charges, and what was the sentence. I also want to know the name of the business that was closed, and what the relationship of the jailed person to the business was - CEO, CFO, salesman, etc. The police officer in Prescott was not convinced a crime - fraud - had even been committed, especially since I signed a contract (you have the copy of it) that shows I agreed to the potential sale of my timeshare. I want to see evidence of a case I can follow independently, knowing I can access files and court records over the net.
Secondly, I went to the ExecutiveSales.com website, and they appear to be thriving - posting new listings for sales and rentals all over the world. This doesn't appear to be a 'closed business'.
I also want to speak to someone at your source - you claim the Florida attorney general's office forwards you a database of defrauded consumers, but they have not heard of you, either CARMA USA or the Diligence Group.
As for my being "harsh" and "manhandling" your employee (I believe she asked for the name of my timeshare, which was information she should have had in front of her), remind the young lady I am an already burned consumer, and your (her) asking for my personal information makes me very suspicious, especially after the woman at the Florida Attorney General's office said they never ask for a social security number for their proceedings - why do you need mine? Giving out my credit card numbers, and 3-digit security code is something I do when I have initiated the interaction - Amazon.com, for example - but you called me first. I have nothing to guarantee you people would not bill my card for the initial fee of $50, and then find other reasons to keep on billing - problems with the case, resistance from the defense attorneys, funds not available, etc. Your contract does not protect me from you in the least, but does protect you very carefully.
I will be happy to sign a contract with you people for the settlement of whatever case you have against the person defrauding me for the 50% you claim for the work you are doing - after the money is restored. I will authorize you to pursue the case until there is a financial settlement in my/our favor. This contract will state that any exchange of money will happen only after there is a bona fide sum of money deposited in a bank that comes from the resolution of the case, and one that I can verify independently. Credit card companies are not known for restoring funds into accounts from businesses that are 'closed'. You may send me a check for the difference after your fees are deducted from the restitution.
I would be very happy if all of the above was not necessary, and your business proves to be legitimate - I am all in favor of consumer advocates and helping the little guy. I might even donate to you if everything is above board, but you have some work to do.

Peter E. Minor, but important - the source of the refunded money? How can a closed business with the perpetrator of the crime behind bars have any way to refund anything?

Franka S. There is no need to wonder, engage in idle speculation, or the engagement of cloak and dagger. Just Google the company names, check out their sites and see who they are. Pretty simple.

Peter E. Go to their website, and you don't really add to your knowledge base... They could be legit or fly-by-night - only a careful search and independent verification will allow for the exchange of any personal info. you should see their contract - very well drawn up to protect them, not the consumer.

Peter E. Hey folks - just got a call from someone at the attorney general's office - it IS a scam. Watch out for these people! Stay tuned for further news... BTW, the number cited above (You can call me at 1(877)700-3986 which is the C.A.R.M.A hotline) in their post as the hotline number is actually the Diligence Group's number - their "Trustee".