BBB Warns Fraudster Posing as Area Business

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The Better Business Bureau warns that a problem business is using the address and phone number of a legitimate company in the area to contact consumers regarding timeshares.

The company, posing as DCM Resort Properties LLC, has been contacting consumers nationwide by mail, phone and email offering to purchase timeshares for more than they are worth, the BBB reports. Customers are required to wire a deposit to an address in Mexico.

On its website, the illegitimate company displays its address as 721 Boardman-Poland Rd, Youngstown, Ohio 44512 and its phone number as 330 423 0403. The address and phone number are both used by Handel Investments LLC and the legitimate DCM Resort Properties LLC, both managed by David Handel.

Neither Handel’s or the real DCM  buys or sells timeshares, Handel says.

“We often think of personal identity theft, but in this instance, a business can be a victim as well. BBB urges consumers to use caution when considering any unsolicited offer and research any business prior to signing a contract or sending money,” says Carol Potter, president of the Better Business Bureau of the Mahoning Valley.

“This offer is especially troubling because not only are the con artists using the information of a legitimate business, but once a consumer sends money through a wire transfer, there is no way to recoup those funds.”

Potter also offered tips to ensure that property transactions are official, including consulting the BBB’s list of reliable businesses on its website, a physical address for the business, examining associated fees and “if the deal the business offers sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.