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

 

[mis_chiff]

Huge thread already in warnings and alerts for this "domainexplorer".com scam
several names used.

Threads merged.

 

[fringe]

Hi, Im new here and just recieved this email from name-deals,

Hello,

How much do you want for your domain?

We have found it listed for sale and we have a good offer for you.

Our comapny invests in domains and developed sites. If you have a list of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.

We prefer ".com", ".net", ".co", ".co.uk", ".us" and easy-to-remember names with other extensions.

Regards,

Jerry Eisenberg

Vice President

Hosting & Name Deals LLC


I take it this is a scam too ?.

 

[WGS_Thunder]

I take it this is a scam too ?.

No question, scam

 

[nielsencl]

fringe: Can you post the URLs and email address the person used to contact you? It will help others who look for information about this person.

 

[fringe]

fringe: Can you post the URLs and email address the person used to contact you? It will help others who look for information about this person.

Sure this is the email of the scammer in question, [email protected] , He emailed me saying he was interested in buying fmlq dot com.

The url just re-directs to a reputable site.

Lucky there is sites like this one around to provide details of these scammers.

 

[vast]

Received the same letter today from Jerry Eisenberg at name-deals.com.
Obviously they automatically track the newly added names for sale at sedo and spam with these emails. Assuming how many names are added to sedo each day and how many beginners arrive to the industry right along - even if 1% beleives this scam, there're still many potential victims.

According to WHOIS info, the registrant of name-deals.com is:
James Whitham
12 Regent Close Saxton Road
Hull, Willerby HU10 6HJ
United Kingdom

But surely fake as well.

 

[nielsencl]

Just a reminder that you can report spam emails and often get their hosting account closed and domain suspended. I do this all the time.

I just added some domains to my SEDO account to see if that results in my getting one of these new emails. But I think my email address may have been blacklisted by many of the scammers since I report so many of them.

 

[enlong]

Received the same letter today from Jerry Eisenberg at name-deals.com.
Obviously they automatically track the newly added names for sale at sedo and spam with these emails. Assuming how many names are added to sedo each day and how many beginners arrive to the industry right along - even if 1% beleives this scam, there're still many potential victims.

According to WHOIS info, the registrant of name-deals.com is:
James Whitham
12 Regent Close Saxton Road
Hull, Willerby HU10 6HJ
United Kingdom

But surely fake as well.

'


Yeah, I received this too. It became all too obvious when he replied to my message saying that my domains needed to be appraised before they could even spend a penny.

 

[everythingelseistake]

I recieved this message as well and other questions

I am new to domaining and recieved this message as well. I started to negotiate but nothing more. I was wondering since this is obviously a scam what is the goal of this scam or how do they get our money? is it the domain appraisal fee that they are after or if you sell them a domain are they trying to scam you in other ways.

Also another question: I have listed some of my domains on ebay but was wondering if anyone can give me some pointers about seller protection. Is there any way to prove domain transfer so that the buyer cannot claim the item was never delivered? has any one had any problems with paypal or ebay refunding money paid after domains have been transfered?

Any answers or tips will help and I wont deal with Jerry eisenberg either. Also suggestions on the best and most secure place to sell domains, how to sell them, generally any info that will help a newbie domain entreprenuer will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for all the help and cant wait to hear back.

 

[morejack]

jerry eisenberg scam

I'm embarrassed to say that I led this on for 6 emails before I wised up.

Just hope I get my money refunded. Thanks to all of you for your input

Jack



Hello,

How much do you want for your domain?

We have found it listed for sale and we have a good offer for you.

Our comapny invests in domains and developed sites. If you have a list of
domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.

We prefer ".com", ".net", ".co", ".co.uk", ".us" and easy-to-remember
names with other extensions.

Regards,

Jerry Eisenberg

Vice President

Hosting & Name Deals LLC

 

[Peter]

I am new to domaining and recieved this message as well. I started to negotiate but nothing more. I was wondering since this is obviously a scam what is the goal of this scam or how do they get our money? is it the domain appraisal fee that they are after or if you sell them a domain are they trying to scam you in other ways.

They insist that you use a specific appraisal system and you must pay for the appraisal. Once the appraisal has been carried out they suddenly lose interest. Of course in reality they have no interest in the domain and are just wanting you to purchase an appraisal from a site they run.

Also another question: I have listed some of my domains on ebay but was wondering if anyone can give me some pointers about seller protection. Is there any way to prove domain transfer so that the buyer cannot claim the item was never delivered? has any one had any problems with paypal or ebay refunding money paid after domains have been transfered?

This is always a problem. Ensure you take precautions and do your homework on potential buyers. This is of course a bit harder when selling on eBay. If a domain is of a large value then ensure you use escrow. Also try to use payment methods that are non refundable (or at least hard to refund). Paypal is quite risky for example but is convenient.

 

[enlong]

OK, well the question now is, what can we do to stop this?

Surely we can put an end to Mr. "Jerry Eisenberg" and his little appraisal sites. Too many good people have fallen in his trap and its time that justice be served against him.

X-Message-Delivery: Vj0xLjE7dXM9MDtsPTA7YT0xO0Q9MTtTQ0w9MA==

X-Message-Status: n:0

X-SID-PRA: [email protected]

X-AUTH-Result: NONE

X-Message-Info: JGTYoYF78jFnomcRAmA4kwh7K6RJyvg5SrHeikzbZKRTpku/yeo6JckpXlHEafEfxJL9Pg9XrfLhk+rT2+oa35mSS9Cko7xvo0Dt2RLsNN4=

Received: from p3smtphosting01-01.prod.phx3.secureserver.net ([208.109.80.23]) by bay0-mc1-f30.Bay0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.4675);

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:38:07 -0700

Received: (qmail 26699 invoked from network); 12 Aug 2010 12:38:08 -0000

Received: from p3swh129.shr.phx3.secureserver.net (HELO p3swh129.gdhosting.gdg) ([208.109.181.171])

(envelope-sender <[email protected]>)

by p3smtphosting01-01.prod.phx3.secureserver.net (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP

for <[email protected]>; 12 Aug 2010 12:38:07 -0000

Received: from mail pickup service by p3swh129.gdhosting.gdg with Microsoft SMTPSVC;

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:36:47 -0700

From: <[email protected]>

To: <[email protected]>

Subject: XXXXXXXXXXXX.XXX (sent 08/12/10)

Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:36:46 -0700

X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.3790.4325

Message-ID: <[email protected]>

X-OriginalArrivalTime: 12 Aug 2010 12:36:47.0020 (UTC) FILETIME=[073DA6C0:01CB3A1B]

Return-Path: [email protected]

Ok, so there is the message source, so what can we get out of it?
Also, here is the link he posted for the appraisal sites: Domain Talk

 

[dtommy79]

Domain Services is also an appraisal site they want you to "visit"

 

[nielsencl]

OK, well the question now is, what can we do to stop this?

Good question. Here are my suggestions:

1) If you paid for an appraisal before you learned about this scam, contact the appraisal company, show them the email you got and a link to this thread. If they did not warn you about the appraisal scam before you paid them, then you need to demand your money back. If they won't return the money, then contact the payment processor and send them the same information AND the reply from the appraisl company. If the payment processor won't make a refund, then post about it here. One of us MAY try to contact the payment process and get them to understand what is going on, but at least people can learn which payment processors are scam-friendly.

2) If you get one of these scam emails and have NOT fallen for it, report the email as SPAM. SpamCop.net - Beware of cheap imitations is a good way to do this or you can do it yourself using WHOIS or other tools. Report the spam to the hosting company where the domain is hosted and the domain registrar. THESE REPORTS ARE GENERALLY VERY, VERY, EFFECTIVE. If you want to help clean up the web, reporting spam just once a week or month would help a lot!

3) Post about this scam on other sites, forums, and blogs. Tell others so they don't get taken in. Even if they don't have domains, there may be another scam like this that comes along and people will think twice before spending money on something to get a big payoff.

 

[nielsencl]

Update: The main appraisal site listed in this thread still does not have a warning up for people about this scam. This does not mean they are running the scam, but to me it means at best they don't care if people get scammed. For this reason I recommend they not be used, even if you as a buyer or seller want to get an appraisal for your own reasons.

 

[jwdomain]

appraisal scam

here is my correspondance with name-business/Michael Steinberg CEO NB&T LLC Web Hosting & Name Investing

re: webvideohosting.net
[email protected]
Hello,
How much do you want for your domain?
We have found it listed for sale and we have a good offer for you.
Our company invests in domains and developed sites. If you have a list of
domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer ".com", ".net", ".co", ".co.uk", ".us" and easy-to-remember
names with other extensions.
Regards,
Michael Steinberg
CEO
NB&T LLC (Web Hosting & Name Investing)

H Michael,
what is your "good offer' for webvideohosting.net.
you can find all my domains for sale here:


Reply
Michael Steinberg
Hello Jay,
Can you accept 9,000 USD?
I have a 48,000 USD budget for 5-8 domain names. Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? Without a valuation certificate we cannot be sure in the sale price. Moreover, my accountant and tax services always ask for valaution certificates . On the other side, it's very important for me in terms of reselling too. Of course, we must engage a valuation company with a REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my accountant trust.
To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies. Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers:

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. Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name? Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.
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.

Reply
Michael,
What is the 9000 USD offer for exactly?
(for that amount we would use escrow.com)
I have attached two certified domain name appraisals from GoDaddy -
for classmate.tv and outpost.tv.
Both these domains are developed and aged for 5 years in google.
These are the only appraisals i have.
They are 2 years old, so considering the increased popularity of "dot tv" domain names over the last 2 years, the values are higher now than 2 years ago.

Reply
Hey Michael,
I did some research on thenamepros.com
I turns out that you are running a domain name appraisal scam. I have reported you and your domain name to my ISP and to Google's inhouse spam team run by Matt Cutts.
I hope you are forced to suck gangrene infected coxxx in hell you useless piece of human sh!t.

 

[bulkdomainz]

I got the samee intro from Michael Steinberg today too. Thank God for google as his name and email address came up very quickly with waht he's been up to.

I wouldn't have fallen victim anyway as I will only accept what I am happy with for my domain name. Will not shell out $80 to anyone to appraise 1 or 1000 domain names!

 

[anoblemind]

Got Scammed

Dang I cannot believe I fell for this. I just made the order to [email protected] and made the purchase through swreg.com. I have already asked for a refund from swreg.com and called American Express. I have been doing business on the net for many years and am really careful. American Express said the charge was pending and cannot be stopped but I can file a complaint when it is posted on my account. I am glad to see that swreg refunded nielsencl money. I hope I can get mine refunded also.

 

[nielsencl]

anoblemind: I didn't get a refund because I didn't get scammed, but others that have been scammed did get refunds, so you should as well. When you talk to SWREG tell them if the appraisal company DID NOT WARN you about this scam. They need to know if their customer is a scammer or just uncaring about being part of a scam.

And if you could post some or all of the emails you got, it will help this thread to stay alive and warn others. [sig surpressed by Nielsencl]

 

[domainer700]

Scammer alert

Hello everybody,

I remember reading somewhere either here or at the domainstate forum about some guy from an appraisal company contacting domainers pretending to be interested in purchasing their names from them. Well I think the same guy contacted me this morning offering to purchase my StockClimb.com domain name from me. Luckily I read about him and this practice before today so I was able to recognize his contact details before allowing it to go any further than the bogus 9k he offered me for the name.

Here are the two emails he sent me (note near the ending how he employs a fear tactic to prevent his scheme from being publically exposed) :

------------
EMAIL 1
------------

Hello,

How much do you want for your domain?

We have found it listed for sale and we have a good offer for you.

Our company invests in domains and developed sites. If you have a list of
domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.

We prefer ".com", ".net", ".co", ".co.uk", ".us" and easy-to-remember
names with other extensions.

Regards,

Mark Groover

CEO

Name & Hosting Businees 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.
========================================================


I reply with "what's your offer?"

------------
EMAIL 2
------------

Can you accept 9,000 USD?

I have a 48,000 USD budget for 5-8 domain names. Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? Without a valuation certificate we cannot be sure in the sale price. Moreover, my accountant and tax services always ask for valaution certificates . On the other side, it's very important for me in terms of reselling too. Of course, we must engage a valuation company with a REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my accountant trust.

To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies. Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers:
www dot thenamepros dot com/Archive/9217506.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. Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name? Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.

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.

-----end


I couldn't help but laugh out loud.LOL