There are no complete statistics to be found regarding the number of timeshare scams that have unfolded in recent years, nor throughout the decades-long history of the timeshare industry. Yet consumer group Web sites are littered with chat-room postings from people who have forked over tens of thousands of dollars (or the equivalent in pounds, pesos, and other foreign currencies) only to find that they had purchased a timeshare unit that was nothing like the one promised to them during the sales pitch — if the unit even existed at all.

There are also myriad postings by timeshare owners who have fallen victim to resale scams, which seem to be the field of growing enterprise for con men nowadays. More and more people are shying away from “free” timeshare vacations that turn out to be scams wrapped around high-pressure sales presentations, so the hornswogglers are turning their attention to people who have already paid for their units. Simply because there are far more people trying to sell timeshares than there are people trying to buy them on the resale market, the owners-turned-sellers can become desperate — which is exactly the quality that draws sharks to a possible feeding frenzy in the first place.

In many cases, a healthy dose of common sense can save you from falling victim to many of these flimflam artists. In other cases, a little bit of knowledge about typical timeshare swindles can prevent you from being fleeced. There are classic danger signs to watch out for whether you are buying or selling, and they are often flashing bright red — just like the proverbial stoplight that you likely learned to heed so long ago.