My Story.. A Warning.

TWM · 11-10-2005, 07:16 PM

Well, i was contacted by someone wanting to purchase a 3 letter domain (LLN). He sounded very excited and quickly agreed to my asking price of 10,000 USD.

He wanted to do everything through escrow.. i was happy with that. He also wanted to domain verified to make sure i was the legal owner. All the while, still showing great interest in the domain and wanting to purchase it ASAP.

We get the verification back on friday afternoon so he says he will talk with me on monday and that he is once again very excited.

Monday roles around and this is what he says, "This is a very nice domain and now that i know you are the legal owner of it, i would like to broker it for you for a 20% commission.

This guy wasted 2 weeks of my time to ask if he could broker it. I was flaming mad! Like FIRE!!!

So i said sure and i havnt heard from him since.

He split the cost of the owner verification, so i am wondering if he owns the company and was just scamming me...
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/139106-my-story-a-warning.html

Ill let everyone know the name of the company via PM.. the guys name, email, ect.

Anyone have this happen to them?

SpongyBob · 11-10-2005, 07:20 PM

I wouldn't have agreed to him being the broker if he'd deliberately messed you about like that, and didn't have a buyer. He sounds very untrustworthy. Now that you've agreed to him being the broker, if you now sell it independently, he might try demanding 20% off you.

omnia · 11-10-2005, 07:30 PM

If there was a fee involved which you had to pay I'd have to say its a scam. Sounds like a variation on the "you'll need a valuation" type scam. "Sharing" the costs is a "nice" touch to get you to part with your 1/2 of the "fee". (pun unintended)

rtonia · 11-10-2005, 07:54 PM

I'm just thinking that this guy maybe an employee of the company that has the authorisation to buy this name from you, so he was just asking for some commisions if the deal gets through.

Untitled · 11-10-2005, 08:17 PM

Hey Pls PM me

I have already been cheated by a host once!!!

So please Send me the PM now

Thank you,

Untitled

readyman · 11-10-2005, 08:50 PM

I hope that you post this in every domain forum you can think of because it seems like a new (or new to me) scam. I am very sorry that this happened to you. If someone were to try this one on me I would tell them to get the verification done and then send me the XX,XXX - 1/2 of the verification fee. Thank you very much for the heads up and I hope that everything works out!

Please PM me the name of the company for future reference.

SpongyBob · 11-10-2005, 09:30 PM

PM me the company name, can you. Thanks

snoop · 11-10-2005, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by idevisedesign

He split the cost of the owner verification, so i am wondering if he owns the company and was just scamming me...

yes, I'd say you've been scammed

equity78 · 11-10-2005, 10:56 PM

This was on DNF a little while back it is the follow up to the appraisal scam , the verification scam

Robson · 11-10-2005, 11:33 PM

Ouch, that sounds horrible!

tallymart · 11-10-2005, 11:47 PM

Wow, that hurts, Can you PM me the name as well please.

JMJ · 11-10-2005, 11:52 PM

allfordomains.com's new scam .

cjcjcj · 11-11-2005, 02:52 AM

I posted about a similar scam last week:

http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/135633-new-scam-check-domain.html

sm · 11-11-2005, 04:02 AM

I got involved in something similar..... the guy wanted to buy one of my domains. He kept emailing me to get it appraised by a particular company (his reasoning was that a domain is like real estate, and as such must be appraised by a third party... he used the phrase "Certified Appraisal"). He even mentioned that I shouldnt get it appraised by Sedo because my domain was parked on sedo, and as such they would appraise it on the higher side so that they could get higher commissions

????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=139106

In the end, after many failed attempts, he just dissappeared... probably found out that i'm kind of a tough nut

tetrapak · 11-11-2005, 04:35 AM

Something similar as well:

Quote:

Hello,

I'm interested in your domain name listed for sale.

Can you drop me your desired price?

If I can afford it I'll reply.

By the way, did you receive offers from other buyers?

I run a software development company. Selling & buying names is not my main business. Just another way to invest money and
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=139106
make additional income.

Please keep our correspondence confidential.

Best regards,

Andrew Ratcliffe , Ph. D.
President
RSS Engineering

the email they use: ratcliffe@phreaker.net

sm · 11-11-2005, 04:52 AM

oh heck !!!!!!!!! he's the same guy !!! sheesh. wait a minute, I'll copy and paste my version:

Hello,

I'm interested in your domain name listed for sale.

Can you drop me your desired price?

If I can afford it I'll reply.

By the way, did you receive offers from other buyers?

I run a software development company. Selling & buying names is not my main business. Just another way to invest money and make additional income.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=139106

Please keep our correspondence confidential.

Best regards,

Chris Calagna, Ph.D.
Vice President
RTS Engineering

The email used in my case was: mcalagna@phreaker.net

tetrapak · 11-11-2005, 06:13 AM

Hehe, yes definitely. Beware of @phreaker.net emails!

OvenMitt · 11-11-2005, 06:36 AM

Beware of anyone who uses "PhD" in their sig.
Don't we have enough people that have been scammed by this to take some action?
I have not been duped into this yet, but I think we could get enough folks that have been hurt by it together, find out who really is behind it, and... well... you know the rest.

www.AmCy.org · 11-11-2005, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by idevisedesign

This guy wasted 2 weeks of my time?

One of the worst things anyone can do to me is waste my time. It boils my blood like nothing else.
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=139106

He paid for half the verification fee, so this deception is not easy to detect. But thanks for posting. Good to know.

AmCy

wow! · 11-11-2005, 08:08 AM

Do you realy think that someone whos going to pay $10k for LLN .com was so excited...?!
Dont be naive with easy payers...

Monolith · 11-11-2005, 09:52 AM

Best thing you can do is just not respond to those emails. I know its enticing to respond to someone inquiring about a site you own - even when it looks really dodgy - but all those emails are doing is phishing through whois data to find emails. If you respond to it, all youre doing is letting the scammer/spammer know that: Yes, the email is legitimate; and yes, this person is naive enough to warrant sending them more scammy emails... because eventually theyll probably fall for one.

TWM · 11-11-2005, 01:47 PM

The email below was sent to me by the potential scammer. Email: khenson@operaen.com

Quote:

To Whom It May Concern:
????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=139106

I noticed your domain listed for sale a while ago. I did not have time and
money at that time.

But now I'm ready to proceed. In other words, I need to know the price for
your domain name.

Hope you have not sold it yet. If you name has not been not sold, please
drop me your price.

I also must be sure that your domain name has no trademark conflicts and you
are the real owner.

Thank you for attention to this matter. I believe we can do business.

Kindest Regards,

Karl Henson

Opera Technologies

I just dont understand why he paid half of the fee...makes no sense to me.

sm · 11-11-2005, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by idevisedesign

I just dont understand why he paid half of the fee...makes no sense to me.

That was his own company mate..... these people are offering you a 50% discount for selling their own compoany's appraisal services

????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=139106
That's how they work..... they'll start by telling you that they're very interested in buying your domain, to get you all excited and stuff

hen they'll say, aaah I need a certified appraisal.... after a few mails, they'll drop you a link to their own company, and they'll offer to split the fee 50-50 as if they're doing you a big favour

www.AmCy.org · 11-11-2005, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by idevisedesign

I just dont understand why he paid half of the fee...

How much money are we talking about here? A few $$$? More than $50?

AmCy

RJ · 11-11-2005, 02:10 PM

Sorry to hear you got taken by these scammers. Do consider a chargeback if you paid by credit card.

What service did you use to "verify" your domain name, Softforces.com?

Notice anything similar between these sites?

http://www.allfordomains.com/appraise.asp

http://www.softforces.com/appraisal.htm

Just a new variation on the appraisal scam.

11-10-2005, 07:16 PM	THREAD STARTER #1 (permalink)
TWM Web Marketing Specialist Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Texas, USA Posts: 1,335	My Story.. A Warning. Well, i was contacted by someone wanting to purchase a 3 letter domain (LLN). He sounded very excited and quickly agreed to my asking price of 10,000 USD. He wanted to do everything through escrow.. i was happy with that. He also wanted to domain verified to make sure i was the legal owner. All the while, still showing great interest in the domain and wanting to purchase it ASAP. We get the verification back on friday afternoon so he says he will talk with me on monday and that he is once again very excited. Monday roles around and this is what he says, "This is a very nice domain and now that i know you are the legal owner of it, i would like to broker it for you for a 20% commission. This guy wasted 2 weeks of my time to ask if he could broker it. I was flaming mad! Like FIRE!!! So i said sure and i havnt heard from him since. He split the cost of the owner verification, so i am wondering if he owns the company and was just scamming me... ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/139106-my-story-a-warning.html Ill let everyone know the name of the company via PM.. the guys name, email, ect. Anyone have this happen to them? __________________ TargetedWebMarketing.com : Web Marketing Plans - Search Engine Optimization - Online Promotion coraltanks.com l Corporate Quarters

11-10-2005, 07:30 PM	#3 (permalink)
omnia Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: The Land of Oz Posts: 1,680	If there was a fee involved which you had to pay I'd have to say its a scam. Sounds like a variation on the "you'll need a valuation" type scam. "Sharing" the costs is a "nice" touch to get you to part with your 1/2 of the "fee". (pun unintended) __________________ Books at BookCove Music News Vote at Daily Poll

11-10-2005, 08:50 PM	#6 (permalink)
readyman NamePros Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 123	I hope that you post this in every domain forum you can think of because it seems like a new (or new to me) scam. I am very sorry that this happened to you. If someone were to try this one on me I would tell them to get the verification done and then send me the XX,XXX - 1/2 of the verification fee. Thank you very much for the heads up and I hope that everything works out! Please PM me the name of the company for future reference. __________________ AllVegasTickets FileFreak MySpace Layouts Accepting offers on: dorkfun.com imagepro.us

11-10-2005, 10:56 PM	#9 (permalink)
equity78 NamePros Expert Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 7,638	This was on DNF a little while back it is the follow up to the appraisal scam , the verification scam __________________ Host your website with name.com and get up to $10.99 off any domain registration First Quarter 2012 5 letter.com sales report

11-10-2005, 11:33 PM	#10 (permalink)
Robson NamePros Regular Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 653	Ouch, that sounds horrible! __________________ DateinaDash.com - Speed Dating & Singles Party Events in London!

	LeadRefs	Forum Sponsorship
	Want to sell your domain? LeadRefs.com finds multiple potential buyers to contact instantly!

11-10-2005, 07:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
SpongyBob NamePros Regular Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 214	I wouldn't have agreed to him being the broker if he'd deliberately messed you about like that, and didn't have a buyer. He sounds very untrustworthy. Now that you've agreed to him being the broker, if you now sell it independently, he might try demanding 20% off you.

11-10-2005, 07:54 PM	#4 (permalink)
rtonia NamePros Regular Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: M a r s Posts: 412	I'm just thinking that this guy maybe an employee of the company that has the authorisation to buy this name from you, so he was just asking for some commisions if the deal gets through.

11-10-2005, 08:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
Untitled ThE POwEr oF An IDeA Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Posts: 438	Hey Pls PM me I have already been cheated by a host once!!! So please Send me the PM now Thank you, Untitled

11-10-2005, 09:30 PM	#7 (permalink)
SpongyBob NamePros Regular Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 214	PM me the company name, can you. Thanks

11-10-2005, 11:47 PM	#11 (permalink)
tallymart New Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 7	Wow, that hurts, Can you PM me the name as well please. __________________ Want to make money in 15 minutes or less? Find out more here, this really works! :$:

11-10-2005, 11:52 PM	#12 (permalink)
JMJ Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Nashville Posts: 1,888	allfordomains.com's new scam . __________________ DN Sites

11-11-2005, 02:52 AM	#13 (permalink)
cjcjcj NamePros Regular Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: London, UK Posts: 722	I posted about a similar scam last week: http://www.namepros.com/domain-name-discussion/135633-new-scam-check-domain.html

11-11-2005, 04:02 AM	#14 (permalink)
sm NamePros Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: India Posts: 608	I got involved in something similar..... the guy wanted to buy one of my domains. He kept emailing me to get it appraised by a particular company (his reasoning was that a domain is like real estate, and as such must be appraised by a third party... he used the phrase "Certified Appraisal"). He even mentioned that I shouldnt get it appraised by Sedo because my domain was parked on sedo, and as such they would appraise it on the higher side so that they could get higher commissions ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=139106 In the end, after many failed attempts, he just dissappeared... probably found out that i'm kind of a tough nut __________________ My blog (beta) Bachelor.co.in - Gemstone.co.in Assets.co.in - PropertyDealers.org MortgageFirms.org - eLearner.org Last edited by sm; 11-11-2005 at 04:06 AM.

11-11-2005, 04:52 AM	#16 (permalink)
sm NamePros Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: India Posts: 608	oh heck !!!!!!!!! he's the same guy !!! sheesh. wait a minute, I'll copy and paste my version: Hello, I'm interested in your domain name listed for sale. Can you drop me your desired price? If I can afford it I'll reply. By the way, did you receive offers from other buyers? I run a software development company. Selling & buying names is not my main business. Just another way to invest money and make additional income. ????: NamePros.com http://www.namepros.com/showthread.php?t=139106 Please keep our correspondence confidential. Best regards, Chris Calagna, Ph.D. Vice President RTS Engineering The email used in my case was: mcalagna@phreaker.net __________________ My blog (beta) Bachelor.co.in - Gemstone.co.in Assets.co.in - PropertyDealers.org MortgageFirms.org - eLearner.org

11-11-2005, 06:13 AM	#17 (permalink)
tetrapak Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Dubayy / Budapest Posts: 2,905	Hehe, yes definitely. Beware of @phreaker.net emails! __________________ Dubai Marina

11-11-2005, 08:08 AM	#20 (permalink)
wow! Account Suspended Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: world Posts: 3,862	Do you realy think that someone whos going to pay $10k for LLN .com was so excited...?! Dont be naive with easy payers...

11-11-2005, 09:52 AM	#21 (permalink)
Monolith NamePros Regular Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 265	Best thing you can do is just not respond to those emails. I know its enticing to respond to someone inquiring about a site you own - even when it looks really dodgy - but all those emails are doing is phishing through whois data to find emails. If you respond to it, all youre doing is letting the scammer/spammer know that: Yes, the email is legitimate; and yes, this person is naive enough to warrant sending them more scammy emails... because eventually theyll probably fall for one. __________________ Dathorn Internet Services - $13.95/mo = reseller acct w/ 4gb HD, 60gb BW, cpanel, WHM, SSH, unlimited domains Dissent

11-11-2005, 02:10 PM	#25 (permalink)
RJ NamePros Admin Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 12,919 Follow @DomainBuyer	Sorry to hear you got taken by these scammers. Do consider a chargeback if you paid by credit card. What service did you use to "verify" your domain name, Softforces.com? Notice anything similar between these sites? http://www.allfordomains.com/appraise.asp http://www.softforces.com/appraisal.htm Just a new variation on the appraisal scam. __________________ Reach me at rj at namepros dot com Last edited by RJ; 11-11-2005 at 02:18 PM.

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