Earlier last week we published a report regarding the Montana based “Donate For A Cause” charity which is currently under investigation for fraudulent activity.
The US Department of Justice has called the company fraudulent and is trying to stop the accused from running or promoting a program that appears to facilitate philanthropic donations of timeshares, but actually led customers to commit tax fraud and didn’t give much to charity.
A further report has stated that;
“Consumers who donate their timeshares to the supposed charity are promised “generous” tax savings, which are based on allegedly inflated appraisals and are then charged inflated closing costs by a firm controlled by James Tarpey, the Montana lawyer who’s behind the scheme”
The federal lawsuit alleges that Donate for a Cause is simply used as a conduit to briefly hold title to timeshares before they are sold for a fraction of the appraised amount.
Another report from the area claims that;
“The complaint alleges that one customer transferred a timeshare to Donate for a Cause that had originally been purchased for $10,597.50. Donate for a Cause used eBay’s charity platform to sell that timeshare to a third party for only $81, yet Tarpey appraised that timeshare for $8,740, the complaint states.
The timeshare donation scheme was aggressively marketed via the Internet and through national and local media outlets, including ABC 7 News in Los Angeles; Fox 10 News in Phoenix; the TODAY Show, and Fox 4 News in Kansas City, Missouri. Clips of these news-based promotions are posted on the front page of the Donate for a Cause website.
Besides Tarpey, the lawsuit names three associates, Ron Broyles of California, Curt Thor of Washington, and Suzanne Crowson of Montana – all of whom, according to the complaint, assisted Tarpey in running the timeshare donation scheme.
At this time, whilst the investigation is ongoing, the TCA strongly advises anyone who has considered this route as a way to get out of their timeshare, to reconsider. If you are involved with this company or are aware of them, please contact us for further information and advise.
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk