Some people who own timeshares are becoming victims of a slick scam designed to separate you from your money.

Dan Root owns a timeshare in Puerta Vallarta that he wouldn't mind selling.

Six months ago he put it up for sale but did not attract any interest from buyers.

Then a couple weeks ago he got a call from a company called Marketing Solutions out of Dallas, Texas that said it had a corporate client interested in buying up timeshares in Root's area.

Root was told that the company could broker the sale and it wouldn’t cost him a thing up front.

He was skeptical at first but played along and the company made him a tidy offer.

He was sent an official looking sales agreement and all he had to do was sign to get his $25,000, less the broker’s eight percent commission.

Soon after, an "independent" title company from Chicago contacted him saying that a title search had to be done for the sale to close.

Root was asked to forward the $976 fee.

He told the caller that the broker said no up front fees and to take the title search fee out of the sales proceeds.

Root says that at that point all communication stopped.

"I haven't heard a word from them since," said Root. "No sense going after this fish anymore."

CTV Calgary Consumer Specialist Lea Williams-Doherty stepped in to help and started by calling directory assistance in Dallas.

Lea was not able to find a listing for Marketing Solutions so she called the number Root gave her and asked for Mark, the rep who had called Root.

Lea explained who she was and why she was calling and the line went dead. She called back and sure enough, the line was hung up for a second time.

The BBB’s Sandra Crozier-McKee says that there are legitimate companies in the business of reselling timeshares but it is also fertile ground for scam artists.

Crozier-McKee says tell-tale signs include unsolicited contact, high pressure sales tactics and of course, up-front fees.

Lea says that the interesting thing is that Root’s resort just sent a letter to owners warning of this scam.

She suggests timeshare owners who are approached by these types of companies do some poking around and research the callers.

In this case, neither company had a website or telephone listings.