Police: Scammer Targeted Bethel Woman with Timeshare Fraud

A Florida woman's claim she had sold a Bethel woman's timeshare turned out to be a fraud designed to bilk the woman of thousands, according to reports from Bethel police.

Police say the woman -- 52-year-old Auda Esther Gonzalez, of Orlando -- targeted an "elderly victim" in Bethel when her "associate" sent the would-be mark an e-mail informing her her timeshare had been sold -- and demanding $3,000 in fees.

But the timeshare was never sold, as the Bethel resident soon realized. In fact, she had never even sought the services of Gonzalez and her associate (unidentified by police.)

When police investigated, they found Gonzalez's company -- World Wide Management Processing -- had been dissolved by the state of Florida, and Gonzalez and her associate had nothing to do with the timeshare's sale.

When Gonzalez allegedly tried to deposit the checks, police say they caught her on tape. She was arrested in Florida and turned herself in at the Bethel Police Department April 10 at 5 p.m.

Gonzalez was charged with three counts of 2nd-degree larceny and released on $5,000 surety bond.

Timeshare scams are a growing problem, especially in vacation hotspots like Florida, according to the FBI.