TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum has filed a lawsuit over allegations of deceptive trade practices by a Palm Beach County timeshare resale company.

McCollum's lawsuit against American Marketing Group LLC alleges that the company engaged in a systematic pattern of conduct involving a series of false and fraudulent misrepresentations that was designed and intended to induce consumers to pay an upfront fee for the company's timeshare resale services.

Investigations into American Marketing by McCollum's Economic Crimes Division began in November after numerous consumer complaints were received.

The company allegedly used telemarketing to entice consumers, tell them, claiming to have a buyer lined up for the consumer's timeshare. Consumers were told that their timeshare would be sold within 120 days. If the timeshare was not sold during that 120 day period, the upfront fees, consumers were told, would be refunded.

Consumers were then presented with a written contract that contained language that was completely different from what they had previously agreed upon, the attorney general said in a statement.

Consumers also complained that the company failed to perform the services promised and, following that, the consumers were not able to contact the company to receive their promised refunds.

McCollum's lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction to prohibit American Marketing from engaging in any timeshare resale business in the state of Florida or out of state involving Florida businesses and residents.

The lawsuit also requests full restitution on behalf of all victimized consumers as well as civil penalties and reimbursement for fees and costs related to the investigation.