Owner alert · Scam prevention
If “Interval International” Calls, Don’t Be Fooled!!!
A caller may claim you have unused certificates and offer you money for them—but ask you to pay a fee first. Here is what happened to me.
The call I received
I initially received the phone call from someone claiming to be Interval International a few years ago. It was very tempting, and they had me seriously thinking about the possibility of earning some extra cash. When I recently got the call again, I interrupted, told him I knew it was a scam, and was disappointed they were still at it.
If you don’t answer their call, they may leave a message telling you that you have unused certificates with Interval International that they want to talk to you about. I’ve heard from other owners that they also say they need to talk to you about opportunities regarding your ownership. Marriott Vacation Club owners are familiar with Abound, but Interval? Well, if you are like me, I don’t use Interval that much, and yes, I think I might have some certificates that I haven’t used.
How the offer sounded
A few years ago, I got such a message and I called them back. He verified our phone number and “looked up our account.” He said that instead of using our bonus certificates, which expired by the end of the year, they would like to use them for corporate events. They would in turn let us keep part of the revenue received for renting them.
The offer: $1,700, minus a $299 fee to reserve the certificate. No touching our points or properties—just using my bonus week certificates to help with the corporate event.
I hung up without paying the fee, but I’ll admit I was tempted. I immediately called Interval directly. On that call, Interval told me they would not contact owners asking them to send money for an arrangement like this, and that certificate use is subject to its rules. Verify the current terms of your specific certificate directly with Interval.
In the past few years, I have heard from hundreds of owners who received similar phone calls. Most thanked me for warning them, as they read my post and didn’t fall for the snare. But unfortunately, some fell prey to their tactics and lost some good money.
Now the scammers are more sly and sophisticated. Their caller ID listed “Membership Services.” The details might be a bit different, but the process is the same: pay them money to allow them to use the certificates, and they promise to repay you with more money—NOT!!!
What to do if you get a call
Pause
Be wary of an unexpected offer that asks for an upfront fee, even if the caller knows your name or sounds official.
Verify independently
End the call. Contact the company using a number you find yourself on its official site or your membership documents.
Already paid?
Contact your bank or payment provider promptly and ask about your options. In the U.S., you can report fraud to the FTC.
Interval’s own warning: its fraud advisory describes callers offering to rent bonus weeks and requesting upfront fees. Read Interval International’s fraud advisory ↗
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