For many owners, timeshares have brought headaches instead of leisure. Buyers are slowly learning that buying a timeshare unit is much easier compared to selling one. Now, the industry is making a new path for new scam artists.

In the United States, around 8 million people are timeshare owners. With a constricted economy, most of the older owners have tried selling their property—which can be done through many specialized services. However, according to studies, their properties only sell for around 10 percent of its original prices.

To top it off, specialized service providers are where the scammers come in. Timeshare scammers prey on desperate timeshare owners who are looking to unload their properties. These companies ask for money upfront to sell a timeshare, and they runaway from the client/owner.

All these factors have brought the timeshare industry down.

According to experts, people need to view timeshares as a financial investment. It’s a lifestyle investment and its value should be based on an owner’s leisure and not the price.