Is this a scam?

[joshny]

xxx

to me

Hello!

I'm a broker of an investor from Toronto (Canada). He wants to buy xxx

My client has $518,000 budget for 40-50 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message.

Our company is in a web hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain buyers.

If you have other domains please email me the list with prices. I may offer your domains for sale to my clients.

How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire, Paypal or Western Union)?

Best Regards,

xxx
xxxx

xxx




I FOUND THIS EMAIL IN MY SPAM BOX, is this a scam? i have replied ,if he asks for an appraisal ,it's obviously one,but what if that's not the case

 

[000]

Yes

 

[enlytend]

Appraisal scam. Don't tell me - he also signed it with a title like president , Vice President, or phd...
Nobody dealing with a budget like that is going to give away their hand - especially not before knowing it the inquiry is leading anywhere.

 

[Mr.Natwarlal]

Yes 100%..

 

[Mr.Natwarlal]

Appraisal scam. Don't tell me - he also signed it with a title like president , Vice President, or phd...

+ a fake phone number

 

[enlytend]

And their company domain may be a parked page too (I've seen it!)

 

[joshny]

this is the whole convo lol:

On Thu, Aug 7, 2014 at 4:39 PM, <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello!

I'm a broker of an investor from Toronto (Canada). He wants to buy xxxxxx

My client has $518,000 budget for 40-50 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message.

Our company is in a web hosting business. We also provide brokerage services for domain buyers.

If you have other domains please email me the list with prices. I may offer your domains for sale to my clients.

How can we transfer money to you (escrow, wire, Paypal or Western Union)?

Best Regards,

Abram Wortman

Vice President | VPSpace Cloud Hosting Solutions

Switzerland
Basel
Centralbahnstrasse 12
Phone: 061 259 49 604



On 08.08.2014 22:13, I wrote:
Hello, I am selling :

xxxxxxxxx

as a package for $20,000 (USD).

We can use escrow as it is safe for both the buyer and the seller.


Warm Regards,

On 9 Aug 2014 00:08, "Domain Broker" <[email protected]> wrote:
20000 for all the names - Ok.
Before we go further we need only one thing from you:

To be sure in legitimacy of this sale and to avoid possible trademark problems my client buys certified domains only.

The certificate includes three things:

1. Independent appraisal of the market price. It will show your domain name is not overpriced. On the other hand if the appraisal comes higher we will increase the price accordingly.

2. Trademark infringement verification. It proves your domain has no trademark problems.3. Verification of the owner. It proves you are a legitimate owner and your domain has no any obligations and restrictions. I'm sure that you are a legitimate owner so it will be only a formality.
If your domain has been certified please email me the certificate and we will proceed with the sale. If you don't have the certificate it's not a problem. I may send you a link where you can obtain it. Please don't worry. It won't take much time and money. It takes 1-2 minutes to order it. The results will be sent to you within 24 hours. Then you send me the certificate via email and we'll proceed with the sale.

As a broker I'm very interested in a good appraisal part of this certificate because my client pays me a commission (10-15% of the sale price) on every domain purchase. So I'm not interested in low sales too.



You can read about the certificate agency at: http://answers.archive-google.com/archive/threadview5741938.htm ("Domain Broker" is my nickname).

The process is very easy:

1. Go to the certificate agency site and order the certificate with the TM verification and the domain appraisal. Just submit your domains and let them know you have a buyer with $X,XXX offer. After several hours you will get the results.

2. Then send these results via email and we'll proceed with the deal.

If you are new to the certification process I can help you with step by step instructions.

 

[The New Guy]

seems legit.

 

[Poldermaffia]

:D:D:D

http://morganlinton.com/scam-alert-...ebsite-domain-hosting-com-and-dirk-engelmann/

 

[TomTom1]

If he is ready to use escrow, give it a shot. Do not transfer unless you have your $$ confirmed.

Good luck

 

[gina ferrano]

It is very much a scam! I got a similar letter. Sometimes he says his client is a Saudi Man. Just trying to bilk you for 79euros. Run don't walk!

 

[sbweb]

Few of you are not understanding what this scam is about. The scam hits you even before you get to escrow. So, they could talk all they want about escrow, but it doesn't matter. The transaction never gets that far. They get you upfront with the appraisal fees (at their recommended company).

 

[iowadawg]

One day, people will actually use the search function on namepros and discover that there is a forum just for scams and alerts@

 

[The New Guy]

Few of you are not understanding what this scam is about. The scam hits you even before you get to escrow. So, they could talk all they want about escrow, but it doesn't matter. The transaction never gets that far. They get you upfront with the appraisal fees (at their recommended company).

So what you're saying is that ISN'T some kind of escrow scam and it's safe to sell to this guy?

That's awesome because I have a dozen domains he promised to buy for $100,000 - I just need to get the results of the appraisals and I'm set!

 

[gTLDhost]

I've just recvd the same email for one of my domains too! Glad I looked up the name ( Abram Wortman, ) from Switzerland...
BEFORE moving forward with a reply. Thanks NP for this post..! And Joshny for being aware and proactive.. Also, thanks everyone for there comments...and special thanks to Poldermaffia for the scam link..

 

[Poldermaffia]

Use your intuition always free

 

[sbweb]

So what you're saying is that ISN'T some kind of escrow scam and it's safe to sell to this guy?

That's awesome because I have a dozen domains he promised to buy for $100,000 - I just need to get the results of the appraisals and I'm set!

You quoted me and you still don't get it. This is an appraisal scam. They are not interested in your domains and it never gets that far into the transaction, as I said in my first post.

 

[enlytend]

This guy's supposedly a domain broker and the best he could do for his email is a double-hyphenated dot info?

And the address, according to street view, appears to be a shoe store...

 

[Poldermaffia]

if I did go into those mails! I had free Ferraris for all of you!:p

 

[birdrock]

Wow, I just did a google search for "Abram Wortman" and wound up here. This individual sent me an email yesterday, saying he had a client who wanted to buy a domain I own.

His email starts exactly like the one quoted at the beginning of this thread:

"I'm a broker of an investor from Toronto (Canada). He wants to buy [a domain I own].

My client has $518,000 budget for 40-50 domains. Please specify your asking price in the subject of your message."

The money part made me suspicious. Sounds like a con.

So when I read the postings above I'm like omg, this *is* a scam. Sheesh. I should've not even replied to him. He wanted me to get it appraised and I told him he can do it himself. So then he said well his client only buys "certified" domains, and provided instructions showing me how simple and easy (and inexpensive) it is to certify a domain. I told him sorry, I've never heard of "certified" domains, you want to certify it you do it yourself -- after you've bought it. (I've been buying domains since 1989 for cryin' out loud, and have NEVER heard of certifying domains. Is it real?)

Anyways, upon reading this thread I emailed the individual again and said forget it, you're busted, known scammer, I'm outahere, etc.

 

[gilescoley]

Appraisal scam. .I get these all the time

Just ignore it

@The New Guy.....this is certainly not legit

 

[The New Guy]

You quoted me and you still don't get it. This is an appraisal scam. They are not interested in your domains and it never gets that far into the transaction, as I said in my first post.

Well at least I still have some money coming in from a Nigerian Prince...

 

[TomTom1]

Well at least I still have some money coming in from a Nigerian Prince...

Funny)

 

[JudgeMind]

yup, i also have received similar emails to this in the past. This is an appraisal scam.

 

[HeyNow]

is this a scam?

Ya think?