Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is alerting consumers to Southwest Airlines-branded mailers being sent out across Tucson, claiming the recipient has been “selected” to receive two round trip airfares on Southwest Airlines.

Consumers who call the number on the back of the card are told that in order to claim the airline vouchers they must own a timeshare, and they must attend a seminar this Saturday, Sunday or Monday at the Hilton Tucson East, located at 7600 E Broadway Blvd, in Tucson.

BBB advises consumers that the offer of airlines tickets in the mailer is not in any way affiliated with Southwest Airlines, despite the company’s logo appearing on the front of the card. In BBB’s experience “airline vouchers” given as incentives for attending presentations often include hidden fees and a numerous blackout dates for travel.

In the past two years BBB has seen a marked increase in timeshare related scams across the country. The scam usually involves a reseller that charges timeshare owners thousands of dollars upfront, promising to quickly sell the timeshare property. Victims of these scams tell BBB that a buyer for the timeshare never materializes, and the reseller often disappears, or points to fine print in the contract as a reason to not refund the upfront fee.

BBB offers the following advice to timeshare owners who are looking for help in selling their timeshare:

Use a Business You can Trust – Make sure the timeshare reseller you use is a BBB Accredited (more…)