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The Solution Services

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The Solution Services Reports & Reviews (18)

A scam that started by a phone call offering to arrange for a timeshare property to their customer (interested party in our timeshare) in Mexico. We asked for the reason why the buyer is interested in buying the property. The answer was "for tax purposes". We were suspicious about the company so we asked for proof of the Solution Services LLC company's validity and were offered registration information in Indiana and where we could verify the company. We checked. Yes, The Solution Services LLC is a company with valid registration in Indiana since 2006. Our contact was Don Ballard ([email protected]).

After some back-and-forth, we finally agreed on selling the timeshare. Then we were told that to sell a property in Mexico, we need to be registered with SAT (equivalent to IRS in the US) and that it would cost MX$65,000 (~ $3,200), but that we were assured that we wouldn't need to cash out our money, that the buyer is reimbursing us for that cost. We expressed concern about using our own money upfront to which we were "explained" that we would not use our own money, the money for the registration will be deposited to our account before the SAT registration will be due. What they "forgot" to mention is that they mean that the money will be on the account in Mexico with no access to it, not even with the ability to verify the account's existence (well they said that we can call the bank in Mexico, but that they don't speak English - so good luck explaining to them that YOU are the owner the supposed account and to verify the amount on it, and that - even if it existed - you are the only one controlling the money release)!

We signed the "purchase-sales guarantee contract", were provided SAT invoice, banking information where to send the registration payment, filled out an application for a "guarantee account" (in Mexico, of course) where the money will be deposited and will be released once the SAT registration is paid along with other required steps. We were assured that the entire transaction is controlled by an international CPA in Mexico, and that all these entities must be in Mexico. Otherwise the sale cannot happen.

THEN we found irregularities when double-checking the information:

- the international CPA doesn't exist

- the company registration with State of IN is suspicious - there was a company The Solution Services LLC (TSS) since 2006, but with location in Gary, IN in what appears to be a tax advisor/accountant; it changed the address and principal to Indianapolis and Connie Potvin in 2020

- the company's address (from the IN business registration) is 201 North Illinois St, 16th Floor, Indianapolis, IN (the 16th floor is listed in the contract) - but that is an address for Regus (an office space sublet company), where they said that there's no company of the name The Solution Services LLC

- the domain "thesolutionservices.net" has been registered in Mexico in April 2020

- the provided

When asking about the irregularities we were told that there is a company with domain "thesolutionservices.com" that is a scam, but they these are an actual company, but the business registration quite clearly states "thesolutionservices.net" as a domain, and all checking was done based on the IN business registration.

=== My Opinion ===

THIS IS A SCAM with the intent to receive the SAT registration payment.

Not sure if there's anything else afterwards because we haven't (luckily) taken it to the next step. But based on the other comment on ScamPulse.com it appears (and makes sense) that the next step is to ask for payment on some lien of the property (which would be probably anywhere between $4,500 and $7,500). And the threats actually make sense too, because regular person doesn't want to be threatened by Mexican IRS or anyone else to pay penalties etc. Also, assuming that if you decline to pay the lien placed on the property (which you will have no way to verify unless you can talk to SAT directly, but there's no reference to the property or anything anywhere in the documentation!) then TSS would back out of the deal and keep the registration fees (supposedly paid out to SAT) or keep it for themselves as a finder's fee that was part of the contract because they would claim that we were in breach of the agreement.

P.S.: We even received a bank statement with the deposited money for the transaction (see attached - pls be aware that the attached document is a screenshot with blurred personal information)! In Mexico! Supposedly forwarded to them by the CPA... I have counted at least six (6!!!!) flaws/mistakes on the statement suggesting it to be a total fake! Not even considering whether a bank would generate a statement in this particular format looking like an invoice...

- Rogue River, OR, USA

They wanted to buy my Unlimited Vacation Club membership for $20,000. They called and suggested I research their company (which I would have done anyway - I'm a lawyer) before accepting the offer they emailed to me. The first response I found with a simple google search of the company was the ScamPulse.com scam report. Don't fall prey to these people. They sounded legitimate.

I told the I reported them and to lose my contact information.

A company claiming to be The Solution Services is perpetrating a Timeshare/ Vacation Club resale scam. The people claiming to be TSS will tell you that they are a legitimate business. They will provide you with a company ID and tell you to verify it on the Indiana Secretary of State site. They will point to a message on the ScamPulse.com saying someone is posing as them - all to gain your trust. They will tell you that their web address ends in "net" and the "bad" people are "com" . This is not true. The people that contacted me were thesolutionservices.net. They will tell you that they have been in business for many years. If you go to www.whois.com and enter thesolutionservices.net in the lookup field, you will see that the web address was registered in Mexico in April 2020. The scammers will offer you a lot of money for your timeshare/membership. They will send you a contract, they will tell you that the buyer they have lined up is in Mexico and is buying for a tax write-off. They will tell you that you need to obtain a Mexican Tax ID and they will get one for you. They will tell you that you need to wire money to their "CPA" in Mexico and he will obtain it for you. They will tell you that the buyer will reimburse you at closing. They will email you an official-looking receipt. Soon after the money has been wired, you will be provide you a closing date. Shortly before closing, they will tell you that the Mexican IRS has placed a tax lien on the account that contains the buyer's funds (and your tax ID reimbursement) . They will tell you that only you can satisfy the lien and that you must wire the equivalent of 15% of the sale price. If you refuse they will tell you that you must pay TSS for canceling the sale or you will be in breach of contract. They will email you something very official looking to scare you into either paying the lien or paying TSS for canceling.

Do not fall for this scam

A company representative by the name of Maria Ayala contacted me by phone with an offer to purchase my Unlimited Vacations Travel certificate for an inflated price.

- Jasper, GA, USA

My husband and I purchased a vacation club membership in Mexico several years ago. On numerous occasions my husband has been contacted by telephone to sell this membership/timeshare. The calls stopped for a time but recently started up again. After the last phone call I received an email offering us $22,200 to sell it to them. All we have to do is sign the offer and send it back in. Of course I know this is too good to be true because we only paid a fraction of that for our membership. I get emails quite often from the actual vacation club warning about this scam. I hope no one falls for these scammers and reports them.

- Plano, TX, USA

A very nice lady named, Melony Schonfield, Sales Representative, contacted me about my UVC ownership saying they were representing an investor who was looking to purchase a large block of UVC memberships to be used as a "tax write-off" and for employee incentives and asked if I'd be interested in entertaining an offer to sell it. I agreed to review, and got the following;

---------------------------------

Dear Mr. XXXX:

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me and for the information you provided. Please let me re-introduce myself my name is Melony Schonfield and I work for The Solution Services LLC. we have been in business since 2006 our office is located at 201 North Illinois Street, 16th Floor, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204.

Please find attached to this email a non-binding offer for your property, if you are satisfied with this offer, you simply need to sign it and return it along with a copy of your proof of ownership via email or fax. This offer will be valid for 7 Business days. If you feel the amount is not correct please notify me with a reason for the counter offer as well as submitting a copy of proof of ownership to support reason.

Melony Schonfield, Sales Representative.

Our customers are very important to us. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me by phone or via email. Our Business hours are 9am to 6pm Eastern Time.

www.thesolutionservices.net

[email protected]

Phone: (317)-225-5612 Fax: (317)-344-9302

----------------------------------

After initial conversations, I was told that they had negotiated an slightly higher purchase price and explained that because the membership was in Mexico that an account, equivalent to an escrow account, would be set up and the buyer would deposit funds into that account, and released to me after UVC approved the transfer (7-10 business days). I was then told that in order to transact business in Mexico that I needed a Tax ID, which they would be happy to assist with, or I could do on my own. The cost $55,000 pesos (approx $2600-$2700 US) which would need to be paid by me, but would be reimbursed by the buyer at closing. I was told that business would take 5% commission from myself and 5% from the buyer at closing and all other funds would be released to me directly. Sounds legit right? So I said "Fine, forward the sellers contract over to me to review and I'd speak with my wife about it (she's a co-owner). The sales rep said she'd send something to me to review and follow up.

Well later that evening (Oct. 5, 2020) the rep called to ask if I'd spoken with my wife (who was sitting next to me), and I said "no, you were supposed to send me an agreement to review". The rep then said, "I asked and the legal department and they said they couldn't do that". I interrupted her and said that there was nothing left to discuss. That I wasn't going to send money to anyone for any reason without understanding what I was committing to". There was a lot of "I understand...., and you can look up our license # with the state...". I said, you seem nice, but I don't know you, or your company, and I've been in business long enough to know that we're not exchanging any money without something in writing, period! And if that's what you guys require, we have nothing left to discuss. She then said she'd get back with her people and contact me later. That's when I went online and found this.

"CURRENT ALERTS FOR THIS BUSINESS

Alert:



ScamPulse.com believes that scammers may be impersonating the The Solution Services, LLC. The Solution Services does not purchase timeshares, and has had no communication with BBB. ScamPulse.com has received multiple inquiries and Scam Tracker reports from consumers alleging that they were approached by individuals claiming to represent The Solution Services, LLC offering to buy timeshares for well above market value. ScamPulse.com has recently experienced an increase in consumer complaints regarding timeshare resellers, particularly among consumers who own timeshares in Mexico. In a typical timeshare reselling scam, “brokers” solicit a timeshare owner, claiming to have buyers lined-up to purchase the owner’s property. After requesting an up-front fee (often under the guise of “taxes” or other transaction fees and usually paid via wire transfer), the supposed brokers disappear. If you are approached by anyone representing themselves as The Solution Services, LLC and attempting to purchase your timeshare, please fill out a ScamPulse.com ScamTracker report at scamtracker.org"

Message heard - Loud and Clear!!

We were contacted to sell our share in a vacation club but had to pay up front for Federal Tax ID Registration in Mexico.

- Pilot Hill, CA, USA

We were called at home with an inquiry as to whether we'd like to sell some timeshares in Mexico. We agreed to the negotiations. After having sent validation of the timeshares, we were told that we needed to pay some govt. taxes to MX. We initially agreed to pay these taxes as we were verbally guaranteed that we would be reimbursed. I stated that I wanted a letter from the above mentioned company that there would be no more fees to complete the deal. I rec'd. that letter. I THEN rec'd. another letter for another fee. I said "no." Today, I rec'd a threatening letter called a "Breach of Contract & Cancellation." It stated that if the last fee was not paid, I'd get none of my past monies retuned. Beware...they're good!!! All communiques from them looked legit. They have multiple people working you...kinda like a car salesman.

+1

I filed a report with Indiana Attorney General's office. Please do the same. Perhaps if enough people complain, there will be an investigation.
I also contacted FBI and FTC.

Any updates to share?
Were you able to obtain any information on the Mexican accomplices?
Asking because I too fell victim and wired money for tax id.
Who have you contacted for help? I feel helpless.

Any updates to share?
Were you able to obtain any information on the Mexican accomplices?

201 North Illinois Street 16th Floor, Indianapolis, IN 46204
Contact info. 317-225-5612
Fax: 317-344-9302
Website: www.thesolutionservices.net Email: [email protected]
Written Offer # 2745
DATE: August 31th, 2020
Dear: Ms. XXXXX:
Thank you for your cooperation regarding the potential sale of your Vacation Club
Membership. Our company has been contracted to acquire a set number of vacation units and
memberships within the (Unlimited Vacation Club). The Solution Services, LLC is a highly
successful Real Estate Firm built on integrity and professionalism.
Here is a summary of the basic information of your membership. This information was gathered by
one of our Jr. Brokers in the initial phone interview. We have also included a Purchase Price offered
by our client. The offer is based on the information that was provided to our broker.
Membership/Property: Unlimited Vacation Club
Registered Weeks/Points: Unlimited
Based: Mexico Unit Size: Any
Buyer’s Offer $19,200.00 USD
The Solution Services, LLC is confident the purchase price offered by our client will meet your
expectations. Should you consider the value of your membership is different from the one offered
please check below:
I would like to counter-offer.
(Please specify reason for counter offer as well as submitting proof of ownership to support reason)
If the above outline of terms and conditions are acceptable, please indicate by signing below. It is important to point out that this letter does not constitute legal binding of any kind; it only provides your acceptance with the description of your membership with (name of resort) and the price offered. By signing this document, in no way infringes or relinquishes your rights as the legal ow

+1
- Phoenix, AZ, USA

I received an unsolicited call from an Indiana phone number and the women on the phone identified herself as being with The Solution Services. She said they are looking to purchase our Unlimited Vacation club from us and asked a few basic questions. 1. How many weeks we owned. 2. How many points. 3. What was our annual maintenance fee. Even after I told her we don’t have weeks or points nor do we have a maintenance fee she seemed undeterred. I told her to send me the information and when I received it I checked the ScamPulse.com to find as I suspected that this is a scam.

- Lyons, IL, USA

Person said her name was Virginia holiday.

did she have an irish/scottish accent?

offered to buy my timeshare in Mexico, sent a letter via email with purchase price of $39,200.00

as soon as I received this I looked them up online and saw the ScamPulse.com report of it most likely being a scam so did not engage any further with them, therefore no money lost. Thanks for having that info available on your website.

Contacted me by phone and later by e-mail, claiming that they have a buyer for my membership in a resort company in Mexico. They offered me a price that was unreasonably high, and then increased it (without my asking for it). Sent me a contract to sign that mentioned the necessity to pay a transaction fee to the "Mexican government" (around $4,100) to be later reimbursed by the buyer. There was also a 5% "finders " fee, and 10% of penalty for "contract breach" (which would amount to $7,800). I refused to sign this contract and asked not to be contacted again, but they appear to be unwilling to let go of a potential victim so easily, and tried to contact me a moment later. No rational person would believe this to be legitimate.

- River Edge, NJ, USA

The company called several times and offered to buy my timeshare weeks for a rate much higher than market value. I paid less than $20,000 and they offered $43,000. After speaking with several other timeshare realtors they explained that my weeks are not worth that much and to be careful because it is a scam.

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The Solution Services Contacts

Address:

201 North Illinois Street 16th Floor South Tower, Indianapolis, Indiana 46204, USA

Phone:


Fax:

+1 (317) 344-9302

Website:

www.thesolutionservices.net

This site can’t be reached

Shady, yet now dead: once upon a time this website was reported to be associated with The Solution Services, but after several inspections we’ve come to the conclusion that this domain is no longer active.



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