The timeshare related fraudsters hell bent on separating you from your hard earned money do not take a break and seem to come up with ever more clever ways of taking advantage of you. Beware Timeshare Tax Deduction Scams
With tax season here, I’ve heard from an increasing number of consumers who have been promised a tax deduction of upwards of $25,000 if they “donate” their unwanted timeshare…for a hefty fee of up to $5,000 of course.
Legitimately donating a timeshare is almost impossible and trying it usually results in an IRS audit and fines.
Here are some tips and things to remember before doing business with anyone claiming to “help” you donate your timeshare:
Your timeshare does NOT have a $25,000 value, or a $15,000 value, or in most cases, even a $7,000 value. Timeshare is not an investment and the value of it does not increase over the years. Here is a definition of Fair Market Value that should clear things up: Fair market value is the price at which property would change hands between a willing buyer and a willing seller, neither having to buy or sell, and both having reasonable knowledge of all the relevant facts.
If the legitimate charity receives anything (doubtful in most cases), it will be a nominal amount of no more than a few hundred dollars which comes directly from the fee the company is charging you, NOT from the value of your timeshare, which as stated above, the charity does not want and cannot take
If you own a timeshare that you no longer need or want, here are some tips:
Bottom line is do not do anything before checking with an unbiased source of information. That source of information is NOT the one trying to convince you of anything.
Lisa Ann Schreier has been involved in the timeshare community since 1998. After cutting her teeth as a timeshare salesperson and manager at a number of Orlando area resorts, she grew increasingly frustrated with the antiquated marketing and high pressure sales techniques that were (and sadly still are) the norm in the industry. Seeking to be a catalyst for positive change, she wrote ‘Surviving A Timeshare Presentation…Confessions From The Sales Table’ and ‘Timeshare Vacations For Dummies.’ She is a frequent contributor to major media outlets and a sought after speaker at consumer advocacy groups. In addition to her articles at Senior.com, she is the lead timeshare advocate at Elliott.org. Her ‘tell it like it is’ blog about timeshare issues is a source of solid information and continues to alert consumers to the myriad of less than reputable companies and practices.
Lisa’s blog can be accessed at: http://www.thetimesharecrusader.blogspot.com
Twitter users can follow her at @LisaLooksAt
Questions? Looking for assistance? Email Lisa at lisaschreier617@gmail.com