A Florida court granted an asset freeze and temporary injunction against a timeshare company for alleged deceptive business practices, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday.
Bondi made the allegations against World Mark Wholesale and Trade, LLC, accusing owners Berthony Vernet and Joseph A. Taylor of being involved in a scheme to defraud timeshare owners in Florida and throughout the country.
The company allegedly made phone calls to timeshare owners, claiming it had an interested buyer willing to purchase the timeshare at an inflated price. World Mark then allegedly used fake names, or the names of actual licensed real estate agents to make the deal appear legitimate, Bondi said.
Consumers allegedly were sent purchase agreements signed by fake buyers, requesting fees of between $1,600 and $4,100, to be used for title search or Florida taxes. Bondi said World Mark allegedly contacted owners a second time requesting additional fees for luxury taxes or capital-gains taxes. Once the fees were paid, World Mark was unreachable, and the sale never went through.
Under the injunction, World Mark is prohibited from engaging in business transactions, and Bondi said her office is seeking to get a permanent injunction and seeks civil penalties, restitution and fees from the company.