Another scam letter "Elite Investment Group"

[VisualArtistFrankBonilla]

Just recived this scam letter:

Hello,

We buy and sell domains and web pr®jects. What is your price for the domain?

If you have other domains for sale feel free to send your list.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Brian Samuelson

CEO

WHC Web Hosting Consulting & Investment LLC

I looked them up on the internet, and here they are::

Domain valuation scam targets Sedo users « That Danny!

Of course, I knew it was scam right off. :zzz: Not even a good scam letter.

Frank

 

[Archangel]

Same here. My reply:

Sorry, scammer. I don't work with trash like you. Next time, don't try to scam a professional. Besides, it's on eBay at under $30. lol Moron.

Do these scams even work anymore? lol

Got the same e-mail a few minutes ago from Brad Ridding )

 

[Archangel]

Funny enough, they replied to me, not addressing my reply but asking me again if I'd accept $1,000 and to use the link they gave me for an appraisal Dumb f*cks.

Same here. My reply:



Do these scams even work anymore? lol

 

[Idiot Domainer]

Just got one too.

From: ridding@elitenethosting. com

"Hello,

How much do you ask for this domain for sale?

Our company buy and sell domains and developed sites.

If you have other domains for sale feel free to send your list.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Brad Ridding

CEO

Elite Network Solutions LLC
========================================================
NOTICE - This communication may contain confidential and privileged
information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any
viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by
unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message
and deleting it from your computer.
========================================================"

:red:

I don't even reply, I just deleted it.

 

[nirav.dave]

This is why I love namepros so much. Got myself one today from [email protected]

Hello,

How much do you ask for this domain for sale?

Our company buy and sell domains and developed sites. If you have other
domains for sale feel free to send your list.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Joseph Young

Vice President

Elite Hosting Solutions LLC
========================================================
NOTICE - This communication may contain confidential and privileged
information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any
viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by
unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message
and deleting it from your computer.
========================================================

 

[DomainersCity]

Received the standard pitch posted several times above from Brad Ridding, and replied with what I thought was a high starting point for negotiation before I did any research. I had only owned the name for a week.

He sent the second canned message suggesting the appraisals in which he offered me $5000 for ReunionShows(dot)com. It is kind of catchy, but $5k? Get real! Assuming at this point that he was just pushing appraisals, I decided to play along.

(No offense to any REAL domain appraisers. My comments are designed to offend him.)

I responded that "Anyone who claims they can tell you the real value of a domain is a liar and a thief. EstiBot does just as good a job at prognosticating value." I also told him I was not interested in appraisals and if that was what he wanted just take me off his list.

And his reply was:

It's a standard practice to show independent valuation to buyers/resellers.
Nobody will do business without it. I'm a businessman and have no intention of changing rules which help both parties to avoid additional risks.

Of course, investors never take into account auto-generated valuations. So manual valuation is a "must" too.

I read the following information about appraisals at:
Domain Talk

Without the independent valuation from a trusted source we don't spend a penny. This is our financial policy. So our offer is just a rought estimate.
If the appraisal comes higher we are ready to offer a bit more. If it comes lower we will discuss the price with you again.


Thank you for understanding. I'm looking forward to do business with you.

He really should have just written me off. Up until now it was a minor annoyance. Now he is actively attempting to defraud me, and I hate that. Here is my response:

See, now you are just pissing me off. I tried to let you fade away gracefully, but you came back for more. I told you to remove me from your list if you were just pushing appraisals. You should have paid attention instead of poking the bear with the pointy stick.

I contend that you do not have, nor did you ever have any intention of purchasing any domain from me. I contend that you own or are somehow financially affiliated with domainexplorer.org and/or bestdomainexperts.com, both of which are registered through a registrar with only 621 domains in their private registry. Coincidence? I think not.

Domainexplorer.org is a redirect to SEDO, attempting to gain some credibility. The "conversation" you link to is obviously a work of fiction. The "open letter" you included in that crap is from 2001, and the rest of the dialog is just badly written. It is not the least bit credible. Young sent $4100 to the guy's PayPal account, THEN asks about escrow? Get real!

Bestdomainexperts.com was created on April 15, 2010.
On the home page are the following statistics:
Domains sold in March, 2010: 2,698
Average selling price: $ 6,042

That is $16,301,316.00 in one month. A month when the domain did not exist yet?

Pretty good revenue for a domain that did not exist! Or did they drop it? Forget to renew and lost it?

Or is this a fraudulent site utilizing false advertising to lure in unsuspecting consumers? I think the Federal Trade Commission needs to look into those claims.

I did not investigate any of the other domains in the thread, but I bet they are tied together.

You are a scumbag scammer trying to defraud people into paying for your incompetent appraisal services. I saw some of your "valuations" and they are as ignorant and fraudulent as your marketing strategies. You are the reason I avoid appraisals in the first place. You have absolutely no idea what a domain is worth, but you try to convince other people that you do.

Am I pissing you off? I hope so, because your unethical and immoral tactics sicken me and I could use a good vendetta. Ask David Rubel over at 1and1 just how badly you do not want to antagonize me. Even better, ask Google about "David Rubel 1and1" or "David Rubel fraud".

If you are located in the U.S., you should start looking into the latest FTC guidelines. If not, keep your eye on Google.

Disrespectfully,
Brian Gothard

What do you folks think? Too harsh?

 

[Archangel]

He didn't read it. As soon as he saw you weren't gonna bite, he tossed this aside and went after another victim. I could be wrong but I really doubt he read it.

All the same reps added for telling the @$$hole the way it is and all should salute you.

What do you folks think? Too harsh?

 

[bikram910]

I also got this email scam from this guy who only changed his name and email address. If I haven't read this forum, I'd sure fall for it.
Thanks guys and keep up the good work.


-----
Hello,

How much do you ask for this domain for sale?

Our company buy and sell domains and developed sites. If you have other
domains for sale feel free to send your list.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Joseph Young

Vice President

Elite Hosting Solutions LLC
========================================================
NOTICE - This communication may contain confidential and privileged
information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any
viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by
unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message
and deleting it from your computer.
========================================================

 

[Sully]

Got the same one today.

 

[thedjdragon]

To all

thankyou so much,

I am a newbie to selling domains, and got the email today,
replied, and just thought I'd do some research.

Yet again, saved by the kindness of forums!

thanks guys (and girls)

Hassan

 

[creatively]

I just searched for this content and it came and so thanks, it saved my hide!

 

[Archangel]

Glad we could help!

I just searched for this content and it came and so thanks, it saved my hide!

 

[Herb07]

Too good to be true

What first tipped me off was when i checked the whois to match up the name on the company, they had all sorts of privacy enabled. I like to do that some times for some of my domains for privacy reasons, so I decided to investigate further on google and it brought me to this site If someone try's to contact you about your domain name it is worth your time to do a little investigating like i did.

thanks guys

here is the spam scam that was sent to me.

Hello,

How much do you ask for this domain for sale?

Our company buy and sell domains and developed sites.

If you have other domains for sale feel free to send your list.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Brad Ridding

CEO

Elite Network Solutions LLC
========================================================
NOTICE - This communication may contain confidential and privileged
information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any
viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by
unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message
and deleting it from your computer.
========================================================

 

[Jiminy]

elitenethosting.com scam

It's still happening. I almost fell for it.

From: <[email protected]>Date: 11/05/2010 7:55 AM Hello, How much do you ask for this domain for sale? Our company buy and sell domains and developed sites. If you have other domains for sale feel free to send your list. Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Joseph Young


Vice President Elite Hosting Solutions LLC

 

[safernet]

Hi

Hi iv had this self and same email 2day from [email protected]

what a joke. thanks to who ever started this warning.

bit of info on the sender anyways

i.p = 213.140.225.228

country: Russian Federation
state: Khabarovsk
city: Dada
latitude:49.1667
longitude:136.4833

long and lati is abit off but there is a small town just at side of the river there > reka prot. naykhinskaya < ????? think thats rite.
Any ways whos up for a road trip?
thanks again every1 for the heads up :loveyou::loveyou::loveyou::loveyou:

 

[CMRMedia]

I too received this wonderful letter today. Keep the information coming, I've contacted the private registrar service and I'm compiling all the information here to submit to the FBI cyber crimes division. Probably futile, but worth a bit of my time anyway.

 

[inquirerSG]

damn i just received it

 

[rabid_nerd]

Received 6 hours ago... Even though I've been relatively inactive buying/selling domains for a few years, I figured searching would bring me back here.. Thanks guys..

On Edit: It was on a domain I had JUST added to SEDO Parking. I haven't used SEDO in 2 years.


From: <[email protected]>

Hello,

How much do you ask for this domain for sale?

Our company buy and sell domains and developed sites. If you have other
domains for sale feel free to send your list.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Joseph Young

Vice President

Elite Hosting Solutions LLC
========================================================
NOTICE - This communication may contain confidential and privileged
information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any
viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by
unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message
and deleting it from your computer.
========================================================

 

[smashedpumpkins]

I have a few domains I was looking to sell and sure enough I received the same old email from Young. I'm going to play with him now.

Hello,

How much do you ask for this domain for sale?

Our company buy and sell domains and developed sites. If you have other
domains for sale feel free to send your list.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Joseph Young

Vice President

Elite Hosting Solutions LLC
========================================================
NOTICE - This communication may contain confidential and privileged
information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any
viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by
unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message
and deleting it from your computer.
========================================================

Can you accept 5,000 USD?

Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name?

Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.

Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? I mean domain appraisals. Without valuation we cannot be sure in the sale price. It's very important for me in terms of reselling too. But we must engage a valuation company with REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my partners trust. 
 
To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies.
 
Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers:
http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/87469105.htm
 
If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly.  It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% - 15% discount.

After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to obtain it) we'll continue our negotiations.

What is your preferred payment method:  Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?

Hope we can come to an agreement fast.

Looking forward to your reply.

It's a standard practice to show independent valuation to buyers/resellers.
Nobody will do business without it. I'm a businessman and have no intention
of changing rules which help both parties to avoid additional risks.

Of course, investors never take into account auto-generated valuations. So
manual valuation is a "must" too.

I read the following information about appraisals at:

http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/87469105.htm

Without the independent valuation from a trusted source we don't spend a
penny. This is our financial policy. So our offer is just a rought estimate.
If the appraisal comes higher we are ready to offer a bit more. If it comes
lower we will discuss the price with you again.


Thank you for understanding. I'm looking forward to do business with you.

Hope we can come to an agreement fast because I'll be on vacation soon.

As a seller you should provide me with an appraisal first. This is a reasonable practice.

I've found not all the appraisals are accurate. So I accept real manual appraisals from trusted sources only.

I don't trust $14-$20 services. Nobody will do a research for $14. We need a real manual service.

I researched several companies and here are the results:
 
In the beginning I  wanted to engage AccurateDomains.com as appraiser but looks like this company has very bad reputation.
 
I also considered www.Afternic.com, but now it's clear their service is not reliable enough.
Just read this:
http://www.igoldrush.com/links3.htm
"Capsule Review: After lots of complaints, Afternic is no longer a recommended service. We will re-review the service in the near future."

Another complaint
http://www.out-law.com/page-1630

 
I was told about manual research service from http://www.DomainMart.com. It costs - $200/hour. 
 
Many experienced sellers suggested us http://www.BestDomainExperts.com as a trustworth manual service. They charge per name not per hour. We've read only positive comments about them. And I have my own positive experience with this company and their support.

 

[lucdima]

I've also receive the scam email from Young <[email protected]>
Maybe it's some black ad campaign from sedo.com.

These are the reasons:
1. I've only register my domain for sail a sedo.com for free.
2. One of the two websites that appear for apprise that appear at the email says powered by sedo. And sedo.com offers apprising for 29 USD!!! and the other one for more than 60€.
3. If you have your domain at sedo it's easy enough to do the apprising...
4. The email text is clever enough to force you make an apprising, and a logical mind would do it at sedo, for pricing!

So be carefull with sedo.com and Mr Young it's a robot.

Any domain broker to recomend? thank you!!
Lucas

 

[garptrader]

I received this email for a domain which I registered just a few days ago (Cancer-de-Seno.com) with two hyphens which I registered only because a friend of mine who was diagnosed with breast cancer wants to create a website to share her experience. I thought the inquiry was odd so checked Google for the company and fortunately found this thread. I wouldn't pay for an appraisal anyway but... Now should I respond?

email from [email protected]

Hello,

How much do you ask for this domain for sale?

Our company invests in domains and developed web sites. If you have other
domains for sale feel free to send your list.

Looking forward to do business with you.

Regards,

Daniel Golcaves

Vice President

Elite Web Investing Solutions LLC
========================================================
NOTICE - This communication may contain confidential and privileged
information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any
viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by
unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message
and deleting it from your computer.
========================================================