Timeshare Scams and Fraud

PAM contacted my parents and let them know they have a buyer for their Mexican timeshare. That alleged that buyer is willing to pay 130% for the timeshare and that PAM would collect 9% of the sale price once the transaction has been completed. All of the documents they sent us to sign looked very legitimate including a document from a Mexican bank, Bancomer that indicated that the buyer has funded an escrow account to fund the sale and to assure the safety of everyone’s money. These documents included phone numbers, addresses, account numbers and guarantees from PAM. They answered all my questions and I was reassured and ultimately convinced that this was a legitimate offer.
However, according to PAM, Mexican law requires a percentage of the sale price as an International Resale Tax and that tax must be paid before the funds can be disbursed to my parents. Therefore, they needed to wire $3,294 to the Mexican government via an escrow agent (Bancomer), BEFORE they can close the deal and disperse the sales proceeds. While it seemed odd to have to pre-pay, they explained that because my parents are not residents of Mexico, the SAT requires the taxes to be paid before they will authorize the sale of the property. They also explained that the taxes could not be paid out of the escrow funds because the account was a non-reimbursable account and no one can draw from the account except to pay the sellers. They sent us instructions on how to wire the money and we followed through, expecting to be paid for the time share within the week (as PAM advised).
It did not work that way. PAM contacted me to say that there was a screw up with the SAT office and that the $3294 (10% of the sale), was only for the state tax, and that an additional 9% needed to be wired for the transaction to proceed. I immediately started to research the company, but the address and phone number could not be tracked. When I requested traceable numbers and addresses from PAM, they refused. They advised that if we didn’t send the money, there would be a cancellation fee and that the money my parents paid to the SAT would get refunded but that process would take 6-8 months. It is a total fraud.
These people are very professional, very convincing, very helpful and they have all the answers. They also have lots of documentation, including authentic-looking Mexican government forms. What can I do to help stop these crooks?