'halvarez' at Snapnames auctions uncovered - Page 7

cmason · 11-04-2009, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by JohnPK

I don't know if this was asked or even answered before, but...

Why? Why did he do this?
If he was just an employee – what profit would he gain through shill bids?

Ok, if he won an auction he got partly refunded – but if he just wanted certain domains there should have been other "technical" means to get them completely without an auction/competing bidders.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/621078-halvarez-at-snapnames-auctions-uncovered.html

To me it seems the only party that massively profited from this behaviour was Snapnames, and therefore management must have endorsed and/or initiated these activities.

I recall reading earlier that he was potentially one of the original partners (could be wrong). If so, he probably had substantial interest in the event of sale.

deb · 11-04-2009, 05:09 PM

Wait till we find out who HIS Secret Customers were getting Special Deals/Info....

Peter · 11-04-2009, 05:10 PM

Originally Posted by kev

NameJet has Strict Security to Prevent Anything Similar:
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

You should have full confidence nothing similar has occurred on NameJet. We have security procedures and policies in place that monitor all activities to ensure that “shill” bidding does not occur. Further, employees are strictly barred from bidding on auctions and NameJet has both internal and external monitoring to ensure all security procedures are enforced. These procedures were developed and are maintained by two of the world’s largest and most trusted registrars.

Famous last words, are any company going to say they could be affected as well when a competitor admits an issue.

---------- Post added at 12:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:09 AM ----------

Originally Posted by cmason

I recall reading earlier that he was potentially one of the original partners (could be wrong). If so, he probably had substantial interest in the even of sale.

He was a major share holder.

Ms Domainer · 11-04-2009, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by Galel

I deleted the thread because there is already one active. If you have a question about moderator actions, please send it by PM.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

Thanks!
Galel

*

Thanks for nothing.

I spent significant time working on that thread, which I thought might be a help to the community.

And I don't start threads lightly.

*

Oversee Rob · 11-04-2009, 05:13 PM

Originally Posted by gazzip

Uhh, I know that, what I am saying is it should (in my case) of shown back to 2005 but they were deleted at least a couple of months ago...why ?

.

SnapNames has truncated the available bid history for a couple of years now. This was done to make downloading of recent history easier as some clients were experiencing browser time-outs and to reduce the data storage demand. This change was not made recently or in connection with the issue announced today.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

Anyone impacted by the unauthorized bidding will receive information from Rust Consulting that identifies the auctions and domain names involved.

Rob
Oversee Support

Peter · 11-04-2009, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by Ms Domainer

*

Thanks for nothing.

I spent significant time working on that thread, which I thought might be a help to the community.

And I don't start threads lightly.

*

Ms Domainer please get over it, if you have a problem with what happened do as Galel suggested. Post in the private section to get the matter resolved. Also depending how it was deleted the post may still be here just hidden.

This thread is for the issue about snapnames not a grievance with a thread being deleted.

---------- Post added at 12:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:14 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Oversee Rob

SnapNames has truncated the available bid history for a couple of years now. This was done to make downloading of recent history easier as some clients were experiencing browser time-outs and to reduce the data storage demand. This change was not made recently or in connection with the issue announced today.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

Anyone impacted by the unauthorized bidding will receive information from Rust Consulting that identifies the auctions and domain names involved.

Rob
Oversee Support

Hi Rob

Thank you for posting here. What about the other questions that remain unanswered?

What happened with the domain did he keep the?
What action is being taken to this person?
Are the rumours true on who it was?
What action is being taken to ensure the matter does not happen again?
Exactly how many auctions were involved?
How are you going to refund people who's account have been abandoned?

And I am sure if you read through the post you will find many other questions.

deb · 11-04-2009, 05:19 PM

Get Legal Advice and Double Check Everything Before Signing Anything with RUST in settlement imo

bmugford · 11-04-2009, 05:22 PM

I agree. In the effort of full disclosure all this needs to be answered.

Also how was this allowed to go on for 4 years? There have been posts and comments about "Halvarez" for years. How was Snap not aware of this despite the red flags?

Brad

Originally Posted by Peter

????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078
Hi Rob

Thank you for posting here. What about the other questions that remain unanswered?

What happened with the domain did he keep the?
What action is being taken to this person?
Are the rumours true on who it was?
What action is being taken to ensure the matter does not happen again?
Exactly how many auctions were involved?
How are you going to refund people who's account have been abandoned?

And I am sure if you read through the post you will find many other questions.

deb · 11-04-2009, 05:26 PM

---------- Post added at 12:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:14 AM ----------

[/COLOR]

Hi Rob

Thank you for posting here. What about the other questions that remain unanswered?

What happened with the domain did he keep the?
What action is being taken to this person?
Are the rumours true on who it was?
What action is being taken to ensure the matter does not happen again?
Exactly how many auctions were involved?
How are you going to refund people who's account have been abandoned?

And I am sure if you read through the post you will find many other questions.[/QUOTE]

What Date Exactly did Halvarez register his Snapname?

Is our Order History back to 2005 still available?

Was he the only one involved in the Scam at Snapnames?

Was he working in Cahoots with others external to Snapnames in conspiring to defraud Snapnames customers on a massive scale over such a long period?

Halvarez = The Bernie Madoff of Domainers!!

GF · 11-04-2009, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by deb

Get Legal Advice and Double Check Everything Before Signing Anything with RUST in settlement imo

I couldn't agree more!

A class-action lawsuit is brewing here.

Domainace · 11-04-2009, 05:31 PM

Just received email from Namejet. I think they're nervous, too.

Dear Valued NameJet Customer,

As you may have already heard, another company in our same line of business, SnapNames, was the victim of an internal security breach. We wanted to address any concerns you may have and assure you that at NameJet we have the necessary security protocols in place to prevent this kind of incident.

What Happened at SnapNames:

According to SnapNames, an employee set up an account on SnapNames under a false name. Under this account, the employee bid in SnapNames auctions. In many instances the bidding by this employee caused the ultimate auction winner to pay more for a name than had the employee not participated in the auction. In addition, on certain occasions, when the employee won an auction, the employee secretly arranged for a refund from SnapNames. This was in violation of SnapNames internal policy, and once discovered the company immediately closed the account in question and the employee was dismissed.

We commend SnapNames for taking quick and decisive action once it discovered its security breach.

NameJet has Strict Security to Prevent Anything Similar:

You should have full confidence nothing similar has occurred on NameJet. We have security procedures and policies in place that monitor all activities to ensure that “shill” bidding does not occur. Further, employees are strictly barred from bidding on auctions and NameJet has both internal and external monitoring to ensure all security procedures are enforced. These procedures were developed and are maintained by two of the world’s largest and most trusted registrars.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

Thank you for your business and for your ongoing trust in NameJet.

TheBaldOne · 11-04-2009, 05:31 PM

Question for 'Oversee Rob' - Have law enforcement agencies such as the police or FBI been informed of the fraud?
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

If 'yes' then what agency and what are their contact details so as those affected can contact them.

If 'NO' then why not?

This whole thing stinks of the worst kind of PR cover up going! I suggest that all posters check out all domaining forums for there are things being noticed on one forum and not on another.

May I humbly suggest that this issue is so large that the owners of the different domaining forums allow cross posting from one forum to another on this specific issue. We should be able to openly point from one forum to another now. This is fraud on a massive scale against domainers as a body.

bmugford · 11-04-2009, 05:32 PM

On another forum the privacy issues were also brought up. Some people might not want a huge accounting firm going through their auction records.

Could this be a breach of privacy? What a mess.

Brad

Peter · 11-04-2009, 05:33 PM

TheBaldOne there are already some posts to DNF in this thread. Experience tells me this tends to happen as long as it is within reason but of course that is a management call.

bmugford · 11-04-2009, 05:34 PM

Yes, these actions are criminal. If these actions have been covered up that is criminal as well.

Simply firing an employee is not an acceptable response to fraud of this scale.

Brad

Originally Posted by TheBaldOne

Question for 'Oversee Rob' - Have law enforcement agencies such as the police or FBI been informed of the fraud?

If 'yes' then what agency and what are their contact details so as those affected can contact them.

If 'NO' then why not?

This whole thing stinks of the worst kind of PR cover up going! I suggest that all posters check out all domaining forums for there are things being noticed on one forum and not on another.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

May I humbly suggest that this issue is so large that the owners of the different domaining forums allow cross posting from one forum to another on this specific issue. We should be able to openly point from one forum to another now. This is fraud on a massive scale against domainers as a body.

deb · 11-04-2009, 05:35 PM

"Some people might not want a huge accounting firm going through their auction records."

might be an embarrasing problem for some of the "Adult" domainers lol

bmugford · 11-04-2009, 05:36 PM

Or true TM cybersquatters.

Brad

Originally Posted by deb

"Some people might not want a huge accounting firm going through their auction records."
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

might be an embarrasing problem for some of the "Adult" domainers lol

Ms Domainer · 11-04-2009, 05:39 PM

*

I combed through my past Snapnames auction list to see if Halvarez was one of the bidders, and I came up with nine names, all .coms.

I noticed that Halvarez did not join in the bidding pool for anything but .coms, not even premium names in other TLDs. I also noticed that if bidding was hot, he did not bid. I'm not saying this is definitive, just what I noticed on my list.

My list is short because I don't bid on that many domains on the aftermarket, and I only jump in if I'm sure I really want to pay $60.00 for a name (after having once won a name I didn't really want).
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

So here is my list, all .coms (none of which are mine):

Lurk
Raspberry
Typically
FinanceBroker
Meets
Mesos
AdultNovelty
Cognate
Prompted

If it's allowed, I invite others to post their lists in which Halvarez joined the bidding, whether or not he won the domain. He won none of the domains on my list.

Thank you.

*

Acroplex · 11-04-2009, 05:42 PM

Originally Posted by Oversee Rob

SnapNames has truncated the available bid history for a couple of years now. This was done to make downloading of recent history easier as some clients were experiencing browser time-outs and to reduce the data storage demand. This change was not made recently or in connection with the issue announced today.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

Anyone impacted by the unauthorized bidding will receive information from Rust Consulting that identifies the auctions and domain names involved.

Rob
Oversee Support

I am sure Snapnames maintains this information regardless of how much of it is available via the account. I have opened a ticket to obtain this information from Snapnames. If you fail to provide me with the information I will consider this an act of collaboration against the transparency of this situation. All leads point to a huge class action lawsuit that Snapnames will be facing unless they provide all data related to all auctions where "halvarez" and associated accounts participated.

bmugford · 11-04-2009, 05:42 PM

There are too many to list. Basically every .COM auction I was in, he was in as well. Even if he did not bid he was always in the auction with the exact same backorder time as mine.

I saw him in NET/ORG auctions as well, but not as frequently. Many times it was just the two of us in the auction.

Brad
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078

Originally Posted by Ms Domainer

*

I combed through my past Snapnames auction list to see if Halvarez was one of the bidders, and I came up with nine names, all .coms.

I noticed that Halvarez did not join in the bidding pool for anything but .coms, not even premium names in other TLDs. I also noticed that if bidding was hot, he did not bid. I'm not saying this is definitive, just what I noticed on my list.

My list is short because I don't bid on that many domains on the aftermarket, and I only jump in if I'm sure I really want to pay $60.00 for a name (after having once won a name I didn't really want).

So here is my list, all .coms (none of which are mine):

Lurk
Raspberry
Typically
FinanceBroker
Meets
Mesos
AdultNovelty
Cognate
Prompted

If it's allowed, I invite others to post their lists in which Halvarez joined the bidding, whether or not he won the domain. He won none of the domains on my list.

Thank you.

*

MicroGuy · 11-04-2009, 05:44 PM

Originally Posted by 24HourDomainer

..since i had proxy bid placed, and the problem is, the bidding stopped when my proxy bid hit its maximum, im very much disturbed by this news.

That brings up another interesting question. If this VP knew the proxy amounts he would have had a field day running up auctions.

cmason · 11-04-2009, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by MicroGuy

That brings up another interesting question. If this VP knew the proxy amounts he would have had a field day running up auctions.

Great point MicroGuy...and as the VP of engineering, he surely worked with the backend. The power he had over the system is simply scary.

Acroplex · 11-04-2009, 05:45 PM

Brad, the trick was known for months; he would carpet-bid in auctions that had bids, taking advantage of knowing the EXACT time of an auction start. It smelled like an inside job from the get-go but Snapnames DEFENDED "halvarez" as a big customer all along.

bmugford · 11-04-2009, 05:46 PM

There are so many unknowns that need to be answered.

I wonder if SnapNames.com really expected the story to explode like this.

Brad

Originally Posted by MicroGuy

That brings up another interesting question. If this VP knew the proxy amounts he would have had a field day running up auctions.

deb · 11-04-2009, 05:47 PM

"he would have had a field day running up auctions."

He certainly Did!! this is going to be a massive compensation payout for Snapnames/Oversee

11-04-2009, 05:31 PM	#161 (permalink)
Domainace Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Japan Posts: 1,879	Just received email from Namejet. I think they're nervous, too. Dear Valued NameJet Customer, As you may have already heard, another company in our same line of business, SnapNames, was the victim of an internal security breach. We wanted to address any concerns you may have and assure you that at NameJet we have the necessary security protocols in place to prevent this kind of incident. What Happened at SnapNames: According to SnapNames, an employee set up an account on SnapNames under a false name. Under this account, the employee bid in SnapNames auctions. In many instances the bidding by this employee caused the ultimate auction winner to pay more for a name than had the employee not participated in the auction. In addition, on certain occasions, when the employee won an auction, the employee secretly arranged for a refund from SnapNames. This was in violation of SnapNames internal policy, and once discovered the company immediately closed the account in question and the employee was dismissed. We commend SnapNames for taking quick and decisive action once it discovered its security breach. NameJet has Strict Security to Prevent Anything Similar: You should have full confidence nothing similar has occurred on NameJet. We have security procedures and policies in place that monitor all activities to ensure that “shill” bidding does not occur. Further, employees are strictly barred from bidding on auctions and NameJet has both internal and external monitoring to ensure all security procedures are enforced. These procedures were developed and are maintained by two of the world’s largest and most trusted registrars. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078 Thank you for your business and for your ongoing trust in NameJet. __________________ Mini Trucks from Japan **Potassium Rich Foods Air Duct Cleaning

11-04-2009, 05:31 PM	#162 (permalink)
TheBaldOne Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,389	Question for 'Oversee Rob' - Have law enforcement agencies such as the police or FBI been informed of the fraud? ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078 If 'yes' then what agency and what are their contact details so as those affected can contact them. If 'NO' then why not? This whole thing stinks of the worst kind of PR cover up going! I suggest that all posters check out all domaining forums for there are things being noticed on one forum and not on another. May I humbly suggest that this issue is so large that the owners of the different domaining forums allow cross posting from one forum to another on this specific issue. We should be able to openly point from one forum to another now. This is fraud on a massive scale against domainers as a body. __________________ Fig.ht - on Sedo or by negotiation directly (Fighters.com recently sold for $110k - so imagine the value of Fig.ht) :)

11-04-2009, 05:32 PM	#163 (permalink)
bmugford www.DataCube.com Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA Posts: 5,817	On another forum the privacy issues were also brought up. Some people might not want a huge accounting firm going through their auction records. Could this be a breach of privacy? What a mess. Brad __________________ DataCube.com - Buy and Sell Premium Domains Add Me on Facebook

11-04-2009, 05:33 PM	#164 (permalink)
Peter NamePros Expert Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Scotland Posts: 5,069	TheBaldOne there are already some posts to DNF in this thread. Experience tells me this tends to happen as long as it is within reason but of course that is a management call. __________________ Manage your portfolio using my new Domain Portfolio Management script. Securing Your Domain Name From Theft

11-04-2009, 05:39 PM	#168 (permalink)
Ms Domainer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,309	* I combed through my past Snapnames auction list to see if Halvarez was one of the bidders, and I came up with nine names, all .coms. I noticed that Halvarez did not join in the bidding pool for anything but .coms, not even premium names in other TLDs. I also noticed that if bidding was hot, he did not bid. I'm not saying this is definitive, just what I noticed on my list. My list is short because I don't bid on that many domains on the aftermarket, and I only jump in if I'm sure I really want to pay $60.00 for a name (after having once won a name I didn't really want). ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=621078 So here is my list, all .coms (none of which are mine): Lurk Raspberry Typically FinanceBroker Meets Mesos AdultNovelty Cognate Prompted If it's allowed, I invite others to post their lists in which Halvarez joined the bidding, whether or not he won the domain. He won none of the domains on my list. Thank you. * __________________ Food for Thought So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.

11-04-2009, 05:09 PM	#152 (permalink)
deb NamePros Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 509 Follow @polarbeartrust	Wait till we find out who HIS Secret Customers were getting Special Deals/Info....

11-04-2009, 05:19 PM	#157 (permalink)
deb NamePros Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 509 Follow @polarbeartrust	Get Legal Advice and Double Check Everything Before Signing Anything with RUST in settlement imo

11-04-2009, 05:26 PM	#159 (permalink)
deb NamePros Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 509 Follow @polarbeartrust	---------- Post added at 12:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:14 AM ---------- [/COLOR] Hi Rob Thank you for posting here. What about the other questions that remain unanswered? What happened with the domain did he keep the? What action is being taken to this person? Are the rumours true on who it was? What action is being taken to ensure the matter does not happen again? Exactly how many auctions were involved? How are you going to refund people who's account have been abandoned? And I am sure if you read through the post you will find many other questions.[/QUOTE] What Date Exactly did Halvarez register his Snapname? Is our Order History back to 2005 still available? Was he the only one involved in the Scam at Snapnames? Was he working in Cahoots with others external to Snapnames in conspiring to defraud Snapnames customers on a massive scale over such a long period? Halvarez = The Bernie Madoff of Domainers!!

11-04-2009, 05:35 PM	#166 (permalink)
deb NamePros Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 509 Follow @polarbeartrust	"Some people might not want a huge accounting firm going through their auction records." might be an embarrasing problem for some of the "Adult" domainers lol

11-04-2009, 05:45 PM	#173 (permalink)
Acroplex Senior Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 2,861	Brad, the trick was known for months; he would carpet-bid in auctions that had bids, taking advantage of knowing the EXACT time of an auction start. It smelled like an inside job from the get-go but Snapnames DEFENDED "halvarez" as a big customer all along. __________________ DomainGang.com - Digital Entertainment for Domainers Acroplex - Web & Graphics Acro.net - My Blog

11-04-2009, 05:47 PM	#175 (permalink)
deb NamePros Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 509 Follow @polarbeartrust	"he would have had a field day running up auctions." He certainly Did!! this is going to be a massive compensation payout for Snapnames/Oversee

LinkBacks (?) LinkBack to this Thread: http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/621078-halvarez-at-snapnames-auctions-uncovered.html
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