Koster battles deceptive timeshare, travel promoters

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster has joined a multistate and international law enforcement initiative to crack down on deceptive timeshare resellers and travel promoters.

Coordinated by the Federal Trade Commission last week, the initiative seeks to bring attention to timeshare and travel scams, as well as lay out punishments brought against companies that break the law, according to a news release.

The FTC initiative points to 190 law enforcement actions taken in 28 states and eight countries. Among them is a lawsuit filed by Koster in March.

Earlier this year, Koster filed a lawsuit against a Christian County resident and his company, claiming the travel business took consumers' money without providing the promised vacation services.

The suit alleges Andrew Callison, who operated Mr. Nice Guy's Vacations Corp., engaged in a roughly two-year scheme ending Jan 3., 2011, to take upfront payments from at least 35 consumers for Branson vacation packages without providing the promised service. Consumers complained that neither the trips nor refunds were provided, and when complaints to Callison and Mr. Nice Guy's were made, calls allegedly were not answered or returned, the release said.

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