Maybe we should insist that we can register and renew domains, instead of concentrating on withdrawals.
Withdrawing money is something between Epik and us (until some legal/police force take some action), but registrations/renewals involve higher powers, like Icann, already, and maybe Icann can force them to make registrations work, and threaten to end their contract otherwise (would Epik want it as well?). You can withdraw remaining money later,..I mean it may take longer time, but preventing regitrations/renewals/refunds is not explainable, and maybe can be stopped now. Otherwise anyone can claim to be registrar, collect money, and do nothing. How can this be allowed. Icann is guilty as well, if it remains silent.
Well, the bare minimum a registrar should be able to do is process registrations, renewals, and transfers in a timely manner. If they are not able to do that, they should not be ICANN accredited.
You should not pay for a renewal and not know if it is going to be applied at the registry level. At best it might be applied weeks later.
However, every other reputable registrar is not only able to do the bare minimum, but they are also not using an internal currency scheme to screw customers over.
I think it is reasonable to demand an ICANN accredited registrar can do the basic functions
& also return the customer funds they have scammed.
How about doing something physical against them like flattening tires of their cars, or throwing eggs at their faces, as protest, (I'm being nice here, not to violate NP terms) would it help?
That is not a good idea. That is basically asking if another potential crime would work to help resolve their corporate abuse.
What about class action lawsuit. I mean, looks like they are professional scammers immune from legal action, and we were idiots who can't realize that we were being scammed.
Organizing a class action lawsuit is extremely hard. Often times the lawyers are the only winners.
This "class" also involves many different problems and I am not sure if there is really sufficient size.
Epik is really a small player in the larger business world.
I think what Epik is doing right now is basically selling off assets, extracting every dollar they can, before filing bankruptcy.
This money is clearly not being used to pay customers back.
I don't think they really care about the consequences or legal implications of their actions. They are either too stupid, too arrogant, or both.
I would say some of the authorities have really dropped the ball on this to let this scheme continue.
I understand the FBI getting so many complaints, that it can be slow... but sooner or later I think they are going to see this scheme for what it is, especially in cases like
@Kathleen Kalaf.
Understanding Wire Fraud
The U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Resource Manual Section 941.18 U.S.C. 1343 cites these as the key elements of wire fraud: “1) that the defendant voluntarily and intentionally devised or participated in a scheme to defraud another out of money; 2) that the defendant did so with the intent to defraud; 3) that it was reasonably foreseeable that interstate wire communications would be used; and 4) that interstate wire communications were in fact used.”
There is no excuse when it comes to ICANN though. It has been clear Epik has not been able to carry out the most basic duties of a registrar for months now. It's about time they do their job and step in.
Brad