Recent actions aim to target revenue streams benefiting cartels, including multimillion-dollar timeshare exit schemes
Washington, D.C. (Aug. 13, 2025) — ARDA, the trade association for the vacation ownership and timeshare industries, applauds the recent actions from the U.S. Treasury Department to curtail fraudulent timeshare exit scams operated by Mexican cartels.
According to a press release issued by the Treasury, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned four Mexican individuals and 13 Mexican companies linked to timeshare fraud led by the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG).
The companies largely targeted elderly Americans, with the FBI estimating that 6,000 U.S. citizens lost nearly $300 million between 2019 and 2023 to these scams. In 2024 alone, these losses totaled $50 million.
ARDA regularly works with legislators across the country and on Capitol Hill to help prevent fraudulent exit company activity. Additionally, ARDA champions early and effective consumer education on legitimate timeshare exit avenues with its online resource – ResponsibleExit.com — in an effort to prevent scams like these from taking root.
Any owner looking for more information about these scams or wanting to report a possible exit scam can also visit the FBI’s Timeshare Fraud page.
About ARDA
ARDA is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, Washington, D.C.-based trade association for the timeshare industry, representing more than 300 privately held and publicly traded companies. ARDA’s work — including proactive advocacy — touches every role within the timeshare industry. Developers, exchange companies, vacation clubs, timeshare resellers, timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, industry vendors, consultants, and legal and regulatory experts are all part of the ARDA network, including popular companies such as Disney Vacation Club, Hilton Grand Vacations, Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Westgate, and Wyndham Destinations.
As the U.S. is the global headquarters for the timeshare and shared ownership industries, ARDA is seen as a leader amongst its peers worldwide and regularly works with established and emerging associations and markets across the globe to help advocate for the interests of ARDA members and beyond.
Contact:
Lauren McCommon, Director, PR and Communications at ARDA
[email protected]
321.281.5356
