Attorney general Bill McCollum sues Broward timeshare business
Stay up to date on South Florida news! Click here to subscribe for email news updates from BrowardNETOnline.comAttorney General Bill McCollum announced that his office has sued a Broward County company alleging the company and its owner 
promised refunds to timeshare resale customers, but after collecting up-front fees never provided any money to consumers. JB’s Omega Tours Corporation, which does business as Recovery Resources, and owner Joshua Baillie are named in the lawsuit. The Attorney General’s Office was also granted an injunction today prohibiting the company from falsely representing an association with the office.
An employee of JB’s Omega Tours Corporation was previously employed by Vacation Property Trader Incorporated (VPTI), a timeshare resale company that was investigated by the Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division in January 2009 for potentially unfair business practices. VPTI entered into an agreement with the Attorney General’s Office last May resolving the allegations of fraudulent activity. The company has since continued cooperating with the office to identify consumer protection issues in the timeshare resale industry.
After leaving VPTI, the employee allegedly provided Baillie with a contact list of VPTI’s customers, and Baillie began telemarketing to those who were seeking refunds from VPTI. Working under the company name of Recovery Resources, Baillie allegedly charged consumers $200-$500 in up-front fees, promising to help them reclaim their money. According to the Attorney General’s lawsuit, Recovery Resources also claimed to be working with the Attorney General’s Office to better gain the trust of its victims.
Consumers reported that after they made payments to Baillie, they were not able to contact the company nor did they receive any of the promised funds.
In addition to the injunction obtained today, the Attorney General’s Office is seeking consumer restitution and ultimately a permanent injunction prohibiting Recovery Resources and Joshua Baillie from engaging in similar business practices.
