Transfer Smart reports on employers who no longer have to complete all background security checks before hiring a new worker. Many U.S. airports are now relaxing on the background checks because of the backlog in the screening process. The new relief was first reported in Atlanta by WSB-TV who was able to obtain a memo from the airport officials. The memo was received from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport officials. In the memo there was a note that said “workers can be granted access to certain parts of the airport before their checks are finished”.

The spokesman for TSA, Jon Allen, commented, “To allow for a continuity of operations, TSA has provided airports and airlines with interim regulatory relief. At no time was security at risk, and all new employees will still undergo identity verification and be subject to watch-list matching.”

Those this memo was revealed, the agency did not state the number of airlines who would take advantage of this change by giving preliminary clearance. In addition, the agency did not state how long the employees would be able to work without full security clearance. The memo did state that all employees must undergo full clearance and those who fail to do so will have their clearance revoked. Employees are allowed to work as long as they submitted information for background checks and have been fingerprinted.

However, TSA does require “threat assessments to be conducted for all airport and airline employees who require access to secure areas in airports, including baggage workers, ground maintenance workers, and restaurant and retail employees”.

To those who wish to be freed from their timeshare contact Transfer Smart right now!

Timeshare scams have spread all over the nation as governments and attorney generals warn the public. The latest area that has been experiencing this scam is Palm Beach County. The clerk and comptroller for the county recently released a statement warning timeshare owners to “beware of people posing as court clerk employees seeking fees related to timeshare resales”.

The latest victim was a senior citizen who received a call from a person identifying themselves as Rebecca Reynolds from the clerk’s Division of Affidavits and Fraud. She called to inform the timeshare owner that he was responsible in paying the fees associated with the lawsuit against fraudulent timeshare resale companies.

The clerk’s office warns timeshare owners that no one from that office would ever call asking for payments. If you receive a call asking for payments hang up and report them.

If you are tired of your timeshare and want to get out, contact Transfer Smart today.

In a twist on the classic timeshare resale scheme, a resale company has been offering in-writing contracts to customers that were worthless.

Timeshare contract holders thought they were getting a contract of sale. The couple who ran Timeshare Mega Media, Pasquale Pappalardo and Lisa Tumminia-Pappalardo, have been stopped by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from taking more money from victims. The company was around for just over a year and a half, yet made $2.7 million. Unlike other timeshare resale frauds, the couple put a flat price on all timeshare resales: $1996.00. In other cases, the defendant had gotten away with some of the money. But the judgement here against them was $2.65 million. They have also incurred a lifetime ban on doing any business concerning the sale or resale of timeshares. They will serve no prison time.

The basic fraud consisted of telling contract holders they would sell the timeshare and to sign over $1996.00 and sign a contract. But the contract said the timeshare in question would only be listed on a website and accompanied by very little marketing. Upset victims could not get their money back or even a company representative to talk to when they wanted help or had questions about the service.

Only Transfer Smart gets you out of your timeshare contract with an IN-WRITING guarantee.

Don't Let Them Con You.

Wade Capital Management, of Des Moines, Iowa, has been labeled a libelous business by the BBB. Their purpose was to hold money in escrow for timeshare owners who wanted to sell their timeshare through a listing agency. The Iowa Secretary of State has said they have no listing of this company either. The BBB went to their “address” at 668 19^th Street in Des Moines and found a three-story apartment building there. The manager of that building stated he had no idea what Wade Capital Management was and that no business by that name was at that location.

The company claimed to work with a “vacation ownership closing company.” They utilized the common scam of calling up prospective victims from a list of timeshare owners. Once on the phone, they promised they could have the timeshare sold at a profit, but in order to do so would need money upfront. They did not offer a written contract of services, and asked for the money to be wired to them. Wiring money is like handing over cash; once the transaction is made, that money is irretrievable. At the conclusion of their investigation, the BBB immediately took away Wade Capital Management’s rating.

Old British Postcard featuring the St. Andrews Clubhouse.

Here at Transfer Smart we love golfing, so I did a little research on my top three golfing dream vacations.

I picked the steeped-in-history Augusta National, Pebble Beach and the birthplace of golf, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club Of St Andrews. I’ve included the price for a round trip ticket leaving Los Angeles tomorrow and coming back in a week.

Augusta National Golf Club

Leaving tomorrow airfare from LAX: $938 – $1636

Cost per round: Only members and invited members are allowed to play.

The Augusta Country Club hosts the only PGA major that is played every year; the other three locations are always changed.

You have to be a member or a guest to golf here though. The exclusive club includes two of the richest men in the world, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. Part of the allure of playing this course comes with its history and exclusivity.

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Leaving tomorrow airfare from LAX: $264 – $1122

Cost per round: $500

Pebble Beach is actually a collection of golf courses found on the Monterey Peninsula of Pebble Beach, California. It is the first ever public course to take the title of No. 1 course in America by Golf Digest.

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club Of St Andrews

Leaving tomorrow airfare from LAX: $910 – $9035

Cost per round: $1800

The Old Course in Scotland is the birthplace of golf, and offers a very different slant on what constitutes “great golfing” here in the United States. Scotland is rainy and windy, and the course itself is full of traps not commonly seen in the United States, such as numerous sloped hills.

Like the Links at Pebble Beach, the course is public but expensive. A cheaper round can be had in a number of ways: plan your trip a year in advance, win the onsite lottery or travel solo and sign up to be part of an already paid two or threesome. If money is no option, this should be your first choice in golf vacations.

As China’s economy grows and its government accepts greater amounts of its people to leave its shores and explore the world, Chinese-born tourists are causing hotel rates to rise across Europe.

“Where you’re seeing a big pickup in (revenue per available room) is in cities where the Chinese have an influence and are traveling, because they fill the lower end of hotels and then the whole toothpaste tube fills – from the bottom up,” according to Starwood Property Trust CEO Barry Sternlicht.

Chinese travelers’ favorite destinations include Rome, Barcelona and London. They are driving all lodging business upwards; not staying at budget places either, increasingly choosing 5-star hotel rooms.

The recent recession hit Americans and Europeans hard, but not so much the Chinese. They are buying cars at record rates, and traveling the world like never before. China’s emergence as an economic superpower is “changing the dynamics of this market,” Sternlicht continued.

Santiago, Chile, with the Andes in the background.

Renaissance Hotel Group, the luxury brand of Marriott International, has announced the building of a new resort in Chile.

The new hotel will have almost 200 rooms and be located on Avenida Kennedy in Vitacura district, Santiago. It will feature a restaurant affiliated with one of Chile’s most prominent chefs and a coffee bar and lounge. As expected with the renaissance brand, there will be a gym, a pool, conference rooms, a gift shop and a ballroom.

Renaissance brands are tailored to the local markets in which they are located. In Chile, authentic Chilean beef will be served in the restaurant, and the rooms will be appointed with classic Chilean décor. “We are thrilled to be bringing the Renaissance lifestyle brand to Santiago,” said Julio Salvador, President of Altamira Grupo Inmobiliario, the group entrusted with developing the property. “With its prime location in the prestigious Vitacura district and proximity to major businesses and attractions, we know that it will be a very successful property.”

Marriott expects the Renaissance Santiago location to rival the luxury found at other famous Renaissance hotels, such as the St. Pancras Renaissance in London and the Renaissance Sao Paulo. If timeshares are sold at this resort, Transfer Smart can get you out of your contract.