Points transfer security question

[htguy]

I recently received transferred points to my membership. We both signed a contract in advance. The person I received the points from initiated the phone call to member services and then patched me in after authenticating his information with the CM. The CM then asked for my membership ID and address with us all on the line. The points show in my account now.

My question is....Is there a concern that the "seller" now has my membership ID, name and address as he was listening in?
Could those be used for nefarious purposes somehow?

 

[drusba]

If the transferring member is crooked, yes, there might be some concern. However, that is not the usual case with a member who is transferring points and actually does so through DVC, via a contract that provides his identity. You have his identity and DVC has all the member information -- name, address, phone -- of the transferring member, who could thus be easily located if anything fishy happens later. There are actually a lot of honest people that you hardly know who can be privy to enough information on you to do something illegal, e.g., employees of your bank, credit card issuer, Amazon, and like companies with whom you deal. We cannot distrust them all.

 

[kristenrice]

Transfers involve an incredible amount of trust from both parties. If you pay the owner of the points, there is nothing stopping them from ghosting you completely and never making the transfer. Sure, you could pursue fraud/theft charges against them, but per the terms of DVC, points cannot be transferred for a fee so you would probably be out of luck. It's important to have their contact information (phone number, e-mail address, etc) and contact them before proceeding with the transfer. I have done several point transfers with 2-3 different owners and each time, we have agreed upon a 50% payment ahead of time and then the other 50% is sent via PayPal/Venmo immediately after the transaction is made. We have mutual trust and we are both very comfortable working with each other for our own benefit. I help pay their dues and they help send me on vacation....win/win!

 

[DanCali]

I have done several point transfers with 2-3 different owners and each time, we have agreed upon a 50% payment ahead of time and then the other 50% is sent via PayPal/Venmo immediately after the transaction is made.

Wow - I would never agree to that for transferring points out, and I'm surprised anyone would.

No problems with giving out my name so someone can verify ownership and LinkedIn profile, showing screenshots of point balances, signing a contract describing the terms, etc. But for an irreversible transaction like this I'd only do it if I got paid in full upfront because the risks you describe go both ways (getting ghosted after transfer, suing unsuccessfully, etc) and, as the owner of the points, it's not a risk I feel I should be taking when there far less risky options like renting reservations.

A renter is always taking a risk in these types of transactions. Even when renting a reservation and confirming it in MDE, it can still be canceled by the owner (or the name subsequently modified again) after paying in full. I haven't heard of that happening, but it's a risk inherent to that type of transaction. Obviously with transfers, the risks you describe are real as well. So the due diligence process that a renter must do is extremely important.

My question is....Is there a concern that the "seller" now has my membership ID, name and address as he was listening in?
Could those be used for nefarious purposes somehow?

If you dealt with an honest person (and by all accounts you did), I wouldn't worry about that aspect at all. Owners generally just want to complete the transaction and move on.

 

[kristenrice]

Wow - I would never agree to that for transferring points out, and I'm surprised anyone would.

I only own 150 points so I am never (currently) in a position to transfer points out, but if I were, I would be OK with the 50/50 terms. Here's my rationale...

Trust is required from both parties. If I (as an owner) require 50% of the payment before any transaction takes place, I have, at a minumum, recouped at least the value of the maintenance fees for the points in question. If I make the transfer and the owner bails on the rest, of course I would be upset, but at least I walk away with something out of the transaction. From the other side, as a recipient of the points, if I pay the 50% and the owner ghosts me and never makes the transaction, I am still out a sizable amount of cash, but only 1/2 of what it would be if they required 100% and then ghosted me.

IMHO, transferring points requires more trust than simply renting them because it is a non-reversible transaction. I completely understand why owners would want 100% payment up front.

 

[New Mouse]

As an FYI, DVC will not help if anything goes wrong.

 

[Sandisw]

As an FYI, DVC will not help if anything goes wrong.

Correct and if they know money is changing hands when the call is made, they won’t process it either.

 

[Debbie Jean]

Just did a transfer last week. Honestly the whole “payment” concern is, it seems to me, a non-issue. CM was very pleasant and accommodating on the 3-way call. Maybe this is more of a “don’t ask, don’t tell”…

BTW, I actually used an agency so felt completely comfortable. I have done private transfers in the past but always look at user history before moving forward… I want to work with someone who has been around and has been posting more than just rental threads. Not a guarantee but more likely a person who will continue to be around.

 

[mort1331]

Just did a transfer last week. Honestly the whole “payment” concern is, it seems to me, a non-issue. CM was very pleasant and accommodating on the 3-way call. Maybe this is more of a “don’t ask, don’t tell”…

BTW, I actually used an agency so felt completely comfortable. I have done private transfers in the past but always look at user history before moving forward… I want to work with someone who has been around and has been posting more than just rental threads. Not a guarantee but more likely a person who will continue to be around.

Yes the CM will not ask if there is a payment. But if one of the 2 parties mention it the transfer is stopped. Not sure if your account is then red flag for future transfers or not.
Dont ask, dont tell, all goes smooth

 

[han22735]

Correct and if they know money is changing hands when the call is made, they won’t process it either.

Yes the CM will not ask if there is a payment. But if one of the 2 parties mention it the transfer is stopped. Not sure if your account is then red flag for future transfers or not.
Dont ask, dont tell, all goes smooth

Just an FYI I just did a transfer transaction last week with someone and when MS asked how many points the person said, "just wait one sec...waiting for the venmo" The rep kinda chuckled and said OK. So it's not always a hard stop.

 

[kristenrice]

Just an FYI I just did a transfer transaction last week with someone and when MS asked how many points the person said, "just wait one sec...waiting for the venmo" The rep kinda chuckled and said OK. So it's not always a hard stop.

I'm sure they don't believe that members are not just blindly handing over hundreds of points to total strangers out of the goodness of their hearts. We are a nice, friendly bunch of folks...but I don't think we are that generous .