Help - Have I been scammed??

[ryccki06]

Hi. I have a problem. I put my domain name up for sale and recieved an email from "SNN software" who said that they wished a quote in US$s. I gave them an outragous quote : $2000 because i thought that a real company would then try and barter me down. However this was the reply:
Hello,
> > >
> > >Please let me know a quote in US dollars or Euros for the name
>mentioned
>in
> > >the subject of this email. We saw it listed for sale.
> > >
> > >Our company develops software (mainly client-server systems).
> > >
> > >If you offer more domains for sale with good reselling potential
>please
> > >email us your list.
> > >
> > >Looking forward to do business with you.
> > >
> > >Regards,
> > >Anthony Waldner
> > >President
> > >SNN Systems
> > >Software Solutions




AND THEN I REPLIED WITH THE QUOTE AND I GOT THIS:



>2000 USD. Ok.
>
>Do you sell the name only without web site? I'm interested in the name
so
>web site is not so important.
>
>Do you have an appraisal certificate for your domain name?
>
>Domain name is an investment for me. In other words I'm going to sell
your
>name later and make a profit. If I overpay I won't be able to make a
profit
>in the future. It's very important for you and me to know the current
>market
>value of your domain.
>
>Of course, we must be sure that you are engaging a reputable appraisal
>company. I heard many appraisal companies often made inaccurate
appraisals.
>I will only accept appraisals from independent sources I trust.
>I heard some appraisal companies often made inaccurate appraisals. So
I
>will only accept appraisals from independent sources I
>To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal
>companies
>in a forum
>http://domaintalk.ourplace.com/Archive/97015.htm
>
>Just check this posting.
>
>If the appraisal comes higher you can adjust your asking price
accordingly.
>I also hope you can give me 10% - 15% discount of the appraised value.
>
>After I get an appraisal from you we'll continue our negotiations.
>
>How do you prefer to get paid: www.escrow.com, www.PayPal.com check or
>wire?
>
>Hope we can come to an agreement fast.




I hope some of you guys will be able to tell me whether this is a scam or whether i should go ahead with it. Cheers.

 

[tricolorro]

:hi:

It is 100% a scam.

Patrick

 

[nmr86]

ignore him !! its a big scammer..

he ( or that organisation ) is sending 1,000 of those mails out.. just to get a few bucks from appraisals..

say in the next mail: **** OFF SCAMMER

 

[nu-money]

How can you know what is a scam and what is a genuine offer? What are the signs of a scam?

 

[btrader]

How can you know what is a scam and what is a genuine offer? What are the signs of a scam?

obviously, there are new techniques all the time, but anyone asking you to pay money to have your domain appraised so they will buy it - should be a BIG CLUE. any real buyer will do there own due dilligence.

I only use Escrow.com for transactions, this is how I protect myself - whether I am buying or selling.

 

[lpstong]

Scam. Scammy. Scammer. Smells like a scam. Looks like a Scam. Reads like a scam. Oh did I mention it is a scam.

Sorry about that. But I hate it when people do that. I had a company from sweden with pretty much the same wording to the email do that to me. And they only wanted the certificate with the company they choose. And each companies fee were like $75+.

 

[nu-money]

obviously, there are new techniques all the time, but anyone asking you to pay money to have your domain appraised so they will buy it - should be a BIG CLUE. any real buyer will do there own due dilligence.

Ok thanks, it's common sense really. If someone really wants to buy your domain they wouldn't mind spending thier own cash getting an apprasial.

 

[ryccki06]

thanks a lot for the quick replies. im going to enjoy sending him a nice polite email!! cheers.

 

[nu-money]

thanks a lot for the quick replies. im going to enjoy sending him a nice polite email!! cheers.

You should play along... act stupid, ask him lots of questions...

Waste his time so that he has less time scamming offers :p

 

[YesBrilliant]

You should play along... act stupid, ask him lots of questions...

Waste his time so that he has less time scamming offers :p

That is ok but the problem is that we, serious domainers, end up wasting our time, too, so it is not productive.

It would be fantastic to find a way to prevent those people to keep trying to scam people, they should be stoped somehow, by DOS, whatever. I was just reading another post about this very same scammer, seconds ago.

If anyone have any ideas, please let us know, it will save a lot of time for us and a lot of money for the beginners that are receiving their first offers.

 

[Datalife]

This sounds alot like the Opera Technologies scam, except its a different name they use here. I had received that Opera email before too, but I just ignored it..only to get another one for another domain a few days later, under a different "company" name.

 

[WhiteWebServices]

You should be able to waste some of his time without wasting too much of your own. Short, open-ended questions like "How exactly do these domain appraisals work?" or "Please could you explain the escrow process?" should work.

 

[Erdy]

This is definately a scam. Don't waste your time an energy. If you are selling domains list them at sedo and if somebody is interested in your domain send them the sedo link where your domain is advertised.

If you hear the word "apprasial" in an email it is a scam.

If somebody is interested in your domain respond them by saying "the domain is for sale at sedo and here is link". If the same person sends a second email say "go to sedo following this link" and if he sends a third email say "**** off" and mark the email as spam.

 

[blackwizard]

I also got the same mail. I did not reply to it. It was from "[email protected]"

Should I reply or Ignore the message ? what to do?

Thanks!

 

[blue^ray]

I also got the same mail. I did not reply to it. It was from "[email protected]"

Should I reply or Ignore the message ? what to do?

Thanks!

spam him back :P

 

[WORDSWORTH]

There is a thread about this scam here at namepros. View it here

I received an email from this scammer about one of my domains. The moment he asked me to spend my own money on an appraisal before he would buy, I knew it was dodgy. Trust your instincts. If it seems too good to be true, it usually IS!

 

[Mandalayfun]

Actually I was going to comment to Patrick (the same thing... but the "WordsWorth" got me... figures). You asked how do you know? Well to me its sounds like you are figuring it out just fine ... you knew, which is why it didn't sit right and you are here asking. I am not a whole lot further removed from being a rookie than you are. But is fun learning.
I was reminded very early in this adventure, that in this cyber world when it just somehow doesn't feel right, one definitely needs to trust those uneasy Gut Feelings and tingling Spidey Senses and at a minumum, take a 'time-out" . There are definitely are (like anywhere I guess) "a few bad apples" out in the anonymity of the ether.
Take care,
Wes
PS I got the Opera one

 

[kdom]

Apraisals and scams

I've received the same email. It is a scam.

In general I would suggest, and I'd be interested in what others think of this, that appraisals should only be paid for by the buyer since they are for the buyer's "protection." This is how it is done with real estate. An appraisal is basically a second opinion that the buyer gets regarding the value of the domain and whether he is paying too much.

Personally I don't think much of appraisals. A domain is like anything else. It is worth exactly what a buyer and seller mutually agree it is worth. But, if I were about to spend big money on a domain I might pay for an appraisal just as a sanity check.

In general though, I would personally shy away from anyone asking a seller to pay for an appraisal and as a seller I would never pay for one under any circumstances.