Question 1

What is the "Timeshare "Free Gift" Presentation Bait" scam in Myrtle Beach?

Accepted Answer

Booths and kiosks throughout Broadway at the Beach and along Kings Highway offer free show tickets, gift cards worth $50–150, or complimentary hotel nights in exchange for attending a "90-minute vacation ownership presentation." In practice these presentations routinely run 3–4 hours and involve rotating teams of high-pressure salespeople using false urgency, isolation tactics, and a final "gifting table" stop that applies conditions — blackout dates, processing fees, or mandatory future stays — that make the promised gift difficult or impossible to redeem. Visitors report feeling trapped and coerced into signing contracts they later cannot exit. Never accept any gift contingent on attending a presentation. If you do attend, bring a printed copy of all promised gifts and their terms, note the start time, and state clearly at arrival that you will leave exactly at the 90-minute mark. Do not sign anything on-site.

Question 2

What is the ""Information Booth" Timeshare Disguise" scam in Myrtle Beach?

Accepted Answer

Staffed booths positioned near the entrances of Broadway at the Beach and along the Kings Highway resort strip present themselves as visitor information centers or activity concierge desks. Staff offer free maps, attraction recommendations, and discounted show or water park tickets — and then pivot to soliciting attendance at a vacation ownership presentation as the condition for any deal. The booths are operated by timeshare companies including Capital Vacations and Wyndham-affiliated sales operations, and staff are trained to avoid explicitly naming the presentation as a timeshare pitch until visitors are already engaged. Use the official Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center at 1200 N Oak Street for genuine travel information — it is staffed by volunteers with no sales agenda. Decline any "free ticket" offer at a Broadway at the Beach booth unless you have confirmed in writing it has no presentation requirement.

Question 3

What is the "Golf Package Bait-and-Switch" scam in Myrtle Beach?

Accepted Answer

Myrtle Beach is one of the largest golf destinations in the United States with over 80 courses along the Grand Strand, and a gray market of third-party golf package sellers operates around the city targeting visiting groups. Some operators advertise tee times at premium courses — Caledonia Golf & Fish Club, TPC Myrtle Beach, Heritage Club — at prices below what those courses officially offer, then switch bookings at the last minute to lower-tier alternatives. Others collect full payment upfront via websites that disappear seasonally. Groups traveling for golf weekends sometimes arrive to find their reserved tee times do not exist in the course's system. Book tee times directly through the course or through established Myrtle Beach golf aggregators (mbgolf.com, playgolfmyrtlebeach.com). Confirm your tee time with the actual course by phone before arrival. Pay by credit card to preserve chargeback rights; avoid wire transfers.

Tour & Activity Scams in Myrtle Beach

Timeshare "Free Gift" Presentation Bait

"Information Booth" Timeshare Disguise

Golf Package Bait-and-Switch

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