discuss [Resolved] Domainer Loses $26k On A Stolen Domain!

[Silentptnr]

Darn! Another scam and this time it is an experienced domainer James Booth.

James must have thought he was making a sound acquisition as he transferred approximately 26k to escrow for CQD.com. Instead, after completing the escrow, the domain was taken from his account by the registrar without notification and returned to the "true" owner.

Turns out the person that sold him the domain CQD.com, may not have been the true owner.

Apparently this incident involves several parties including the registrar and the escrow.


Thanks to Theo over at DomainGang for the tip on this.

 

[TheLegendaryJP]

here ya go theLJP, there is only one (i have).

Thank you, ok I am going to try and lay out a time line of events as I see them according to whois history and based on my own opinion. Try to clean this thread up a bit and stay focused.

Rebecca @spoiultrider

1.You said you renewed the domain in August 2017, that is correct as I believe according to whois history the name went into pending renewal status on or around August 17th and through to your renewal on or around the 23rd for an additional term.
2. I noticed you continued to use as in the past years 2 emails for the purpose of registration:
(registrant) [email protected] and [email protected] (admin).
3.On Sept. 28th approx 1 month after renewal the admin email changed to remove [email protected] and replaced it with your registrant email [email protected], changes like this are important in pin pointing timelines of a theft. Did you make this change? If not read on...
4.If you did not make the email change to the admin contact then THAT was the day the domain was stolen or should I say the day the thief gained access to your yahoo email account and thus the domain. (Your [email protected] was compromised). They removed [email protected] in order to stop you from getting correspondence during the planned sale of the name while they negotiated (maybe maybe not) via your yahoo email and it worked!
5.Escrow: That screen shot shows a failed transaction however without the email showing we can make no link a part from assuming it was the first buyer who backed out.
6.We then see the new owner (Booth) appear the first week of March 2018 along with Nameservers etc.

If anything about the above is wrong please say so but I think that general time line minus the headaches in between for you is right.

There are some KEY and I mean KEY elements to proving a theft, this is one.
1. The registrar Netsol absolutely knows what IP address logged into your account not just on the day the name was transferred to Booth but also on or about the day of Sept 28th. If those IP addresses do not match you and or do not match you AND match each other that is a 100% red flag.
2.Remember I said the funny email change happened Sept 28th, well that first failed escrow deal started Oct 2nd! HUGE red flag, huge. Meaning the thief had the domain flipped within 4 days of gaining access. Which leads me to believe the thief knows domains and buyers, they are not new to this, I mean just 4 days to flip!
3.It would take an attorney of course but getting details from Escrow.com as to whom was paid would also remove the vale.
4.Yahoo IP records to see location of log in's as well but at this point the legal bills are mounting.
5. Forget phone numbers, easily spoofed, been there seen that guy went to jail (p2p.com) for example.

May I ask, has Booth shared his screen shot unedited of whom he paid with you? If he believed it was you then there would be nothing to hide, correct?

I will not get into trying to connect dots such as Booth/Jack/Jake/Han etc and simply stick to facts and provable pieces of evidence.


Now Mr. Booth @BoothDomains , I may still get a detail wrong so forgive me but...

You claim you bought this name from Rebecca, correct?
You used escrow.com, correct?
You know as well as I you do not buy a domain via escrow.com from someone other than the registered owner, correct?
Can you provide a snap shot of the transaction for us to see? No reason you shouldn't be able to, correct?
Further on escrow is now very picky about receiving and paying the rightful owner, requiring ID etc. I would think a simple screen shot puts this issue to bed, no?

And if you do not have an escrow transaction with Rebecca verified then you know better brother. If you do have one, case closed. As far as Jack/Jake, makes no difference whom brought it to your attention, why drag this out when EASILY provable with a screen shot really. To say someone pretended to be Rebecca on escrow.com is possible but would had to have included forged drivers license, a bill and a matching bank account to verify so extremely unlikely. If someone lead you to believe it was the rightful owner you were buying from and they were wrong and it was just your money then your beef is with them( financially and legally perhaps), not Rebecca. In which case, return the name Boothie.

 

[spoiltrider]

Thank you, ok I am going to try and lay out a time line of events as I see them according to whois history and based on my own opinion. Try to clean this thread up a bit and stay focused.

Rebecca @spoiultrider

1.You said you renewed the domain in August 2017, that is correct as I believe according to whois history the name went into pending renewal status on or around August 17th and through to your renewal on or around the 23rd for an additional term.
2. I noticed you continued to use as in the past years 2 emails for the purpose of registration:
(registrant) [email protected] and [email protected] (admin).
3.On Sept. 28th approx 1 month after renewal the admin email changed to remove [email protected] and replaced it with your registrant email [email protected], changes like this are important in pin pointing timelines of a theft. Did you make this change? If not read on...
4.If you did not make the email change to the admin contact then THAT was the day the domain was stolen or should I say the day the thief gained access to your yahoo email account and thus the domain. (Your [email protected] was compromised). They removed [email protected] in order to stop you from getting correspondence during the planned sale of the name while they negotiated (maybe maybe not) via your yahoo email and it worked!
5.Escrow: That screen shot shows a failed transaction however without the email showing we can make no link a part from assuming it was the first buyer who backed out.
6.We then see the new owner (Booth) appear the first week of March 2018 along with Nameservers etc.

If anything about the above is wrong please say so but I think that general time line minus the headaches in between for you is right.

There are some KEY and I mean KEY elements to proving a theft, this is one.
1. The registrar Netsol absolutely knows what IP address logged into your account not just on the day the name was transferred to Booth but also on or about the day of Sept 28th. If those IP addresses do not match you and or do not match you AND match each other that is a 100% red flag.
2.Remember I said the funny email change happened Sept 28th, well that first failed escrow deal started Oct 2nd! HUGE red flag, huge. Meaning the thief had the domain flipped within 4 days of gaining access. Which leads me to believe the thief knows domains and buyers, they are not new to this, I mean just 4 days to flip!
3.It would take an attorney of course but getting details from Escrow.com as to whom was paid would also remove the vale.
4.Yahoo IP records to see location of log in's as well but at this point the legal bills are mounting.

May I ask, has Booth shared his screen shot unedited of whom he paid with you? If he believed it was you then there would be nothing to hide, correct?

I will not get into trying to connect dots such as Booth/Jack/Jake/Han etc and simply stick to facts and provable pieces of evidence.


Now Mr. Booth, I may still get a detail wrong so forgive me but...

You claim you bought this name from Rebecca, correct?
You used escrow.com, correct?
You know as well as I you do not buy a domain via escrow.com from someone other than the registered owner, correct?
Can you provide a snap shot of the transaction for us to see? No reason you shouldn;t be able to, correct?
Further on escrow is now very picky about receiving and paying the rightful owner, requiring ID etc. I would think a simple screen shot puts this issue to bed, no?

And if you do not have an escrow transaction with Rebecca verified then you know better brother.

Thank you, ok I am going to try and lay out a time line of events as I see them according to whois history and based on my own opinion. Try to clean this thread up a bit and stay focused.

Rebecca @spoiultrider

1.You said you renewed the domain in August 2017, that is correct as I believe according to whois history the name went into pending renewal status on or around August 17th and through to your renewal on or around the 23rd for an additional term.
2. I noticed you continued to use as in the past years 2 emails for the purpose of registration:
(registrant) [email protected] and [email protected] (admin).
3.On Sept. 28th approx 1 month after renewal the admin email changed to remove [email protected] and replaced it with your registrant email [email protected], changes like this are important in pin pointing timelines of a theft. Did you make this change? If not read on...
4.If you did not make the email change to the admin contact then THAT was the day the domain was stolen or should I say the day the thief gained access to your yahoo email account and thus the domain. (Your [email protected] was compromised). They removed [email protected] in order to stop you from getting correspondence during the planned sale of the name while they negotiated (maybe maybe not) via your yahoo email and it worked!
5.Escrow: That screen shot shows a failed transaction however without the email showing we can make no link a part from assuming it was the first buyer who backed out.
6.We then see the new owner (Booth) appear the first week of March 2018 along with Nameservers etc.

If anything about the above is wrong please say so but I think that general time line minus the headaches in between for you is right.

There are some KEY and I mean KEY elements to proving a theft, this is one.
1. The registrar Netsol absolutely knows what IP address logged into your account not just on the day the name was transferred to Booth but also on or about the day of Sept 28th. If those IP addresses do not match you and or do not match you AND match each other that is a 100% red flag.
2.Remember I said the funny email change happened Sept 28th, well that first failed escrow deal started Oct 2nd! HUGE red flag, huge. Meaning the thief had the domain flipped within 4 days of gaining access. Which leads me to believe the thief knows domains and buyers, they are not new to this, I mean just 4 days to flip!
3.It would take an attorney of course but getting details from Escrow.com as to whom was paid would also remove the vale.
4.Yahoo IP records to see location of log in's as well but at this point the legal bills are mounting.

May I ask, has Booth shared his screen shot unedited of whom he paid with you? If he believed it was you then there would be nothing to hide, correct?

I will not get into trying to connect dots such as Booth/Jack/Jake/Han etc and simply stick to facts and provable pieces of evidence.


Now Mr. Booth, I may still get a detail wrong so forgive me but...

You claim you bought this name from Rebecca, correct?
You used escrow.com, correct?
You know as well as I you do not buy a domain via escrow.com from someone other than the registered owner, correct?
Can you provide a snap shot of the transaction for us to see? No reason you shouldn;t be able to, correct?
Further on escrow is now very picky about receiving and paying the rightful owner, requiring ID etc. I would think a simple screen shot puts this issue to bed, no?

And if you do not have an escrow transaction with Rebecca verified then you know better brother.

wow. and thank you!!!

4.If you did not make the email change to the admin contact then THAT was the day the domain was stolen or should I say the day the thief gained access to your yahoo email account and thus the domain. (Your [email protected] was compromised). They removed [email protected] in order to stop you from getting correspondence during the planned sale of the name while they negotiated (maybe maybe not) via your yahoo email and it worked!

i did not make that change! Sept. 10th Hurricane IRMA was freaking out the state. i had just moved to a raw piece of land in high springs and had not yet gotten my new windstream internet squared away. i was pretty much offline during my 10 year/10 horse HUGE move from gainesville to high springs from July 15-Aug 19, and then it took 2 months to get internet. sometime after IRMA. we were busy digging out of that mess with our property and families properties.

there is also the email forwarding that appeared in both of my @cqd.com email accounts on startlogic server. [email protected] - i do not know who this is. i immediately took screenshots from both rebecca@ and becky@ email accounts, deleted "him", changed my password and called startogic to report it. (i will re-attached images next)

May I ask, has Booth shared his screen shot unedited of whom he paid with you? If he believed it was you then there would be nothing to hide, correct?

no he has not. the burden of proof was psychologically reversed back to me (theory of reversal of responsibilty) to prove i didn't do this. he has yet to prove he dealt with me. furthermore, he stated he spoke to one of my employee's (of which i have ZERO, and if i had employee's they would not have authority to make any decisions at all, least of all financial) he knows it's a stolen domain. i am not a liar. there is no reason for me to lie about any this. this has become a burden on me and my family.

 

[TheLegendaryJP]

@spoiltrider

Thank you for your reply, well there you have it, history of events and how your name was stolen. Interesting there was that additional email placed for forwarding that is why I said they used yahoo email to negotiate the sale (maybe maybe not) and I was right.

Well at this point Booth needs to post that screen shot of paying you at escrow.com, silence would speak a thousand words.

I have no doubt about your story thus far, name is stolen as far as I believe unless Booth proves otherwise.

Take care and I am hoping Booth does the right thing here in posting that escrow transaction or simply returning the name. Some lessons are cheap, some are not.

 

[spoiltrider]

here is the unblurred email address of the forwarder....i found this upon logging into startlogic web mail panel and took the screen shots on Dec. 27, 2017 and immedialty deleted from and changed my password, etc., etc.

nothing was ever out of the norm. that i could see. the [email protected] was an account i set up back in 96 or there abouts as a alternate address. i think i had like 75k junk mail files in it. it in not one that i initiate emails out of. it is linked to some of my social media sites, like facebook. it's my account for when i sign up to win the DIY Dreamhouse and such like that.

funny thing, the last email offer i got on cqd.com was....Aug 17 2017.

 

[spoiltrider]

@spoiltrider

Thank you for your reply, well there you have it, history of events and how your name was stolen. Interesting there was that additional email placed for forwarding that is why I said they used yahoo email to negotiate the sale (maybe maybe not) and I was right.

Well at this point Booth needs to post that screen shot of paying you at escrow.com, silence would speak a thousand words.

I have no doubt about your story thus far, name is stolen as far as I believe unless Booth proves otherwise.

Take care and I am hoping Booth does the right thing here in posting that escrow transaction or simply returning the name. Some lessons are cheap, some are not.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

[TheLegendaryJP]

here is the unblurred email address of the forwarder....i found this upon logging into startlogic web mail panel and took the screen shots on Dec. 27, 2017 and immedialty deleted from and changed my password, etc., etc.

nothing was ever out of the norm. that i could see. the [email protected] was an account i set up back in 96 or there abouts as a alternate address. i think i had like 75k junk mail files in it. it in not one that i initiate emails out of. it is linked to some of my social media sites, like facebook. it's my account for when i sign up to win the DIY Dreamhouse and such like that.

funny thing, the last email offer i got on cqd.com was....Aug 17 2017.

\
Nothing is funny about this if anything it's evidence and glad you have those details. I take domain theft serious and so does the community, we do are best, even for strangers Rebecca, hope this ends well. Not much more I can add tbh, pretty straight forward at this point. Booth needs to prove it was you he paid or return the name and deal with whomever from that point. There is no middle man or third party to deal with, he claims/its shows a deal from you to him so it happened or it didn't.

 

[tonyk2000]

Rebecca @spoiltrider - earlier you posted a couple of email screenshots offering various $$$ amounts for cqd.com doman. For current owner, this one is definitely not the fisrt short domain. Accordingly, it may well be that you as real Rebecca, before your accounts were hacked, had other communications with James representing himself with his name, and/or boothdomains.com, and/or bqdn.com, or with somebody else who worked with James and used email addresses on boothdomains/bqdn domains. They most likely routinely contacted you at some point of time before, offering to purchase the domain from real you (they of course also contacted cqe.com, cqf.com etc.). If you do not delete your emails (and it seems you do not, as you posted screenshots of emails from potential buyers), you might want to check if it is the case. Just for the sake of completness. And, who knows, maybe in this old correspondence you'll find something useful for current case.

 

[spoiltrider]

Rebecca @spoiltrider - earlier you posted a couple of email screenshots offering various $$$ amounts for cqd.com doman. For current owner, this one is definitely not the fisrt short domain. Accordingly, it may well be that you as real Rebecca, before your accounts were hacked, had other communications with James representing himself with his name, and/or boothdomains.com, and/or bqdn.com, or with somebody else who worked with James and used email addresses on boothdomains/bqdn domains. They most likely routinely contacted you at some point of time before, offering to purchase the domain from real you (they of course also contacted cqe.com, cqf.com etc.). If you do not delete your emails (and it seems you do not, as you posted screenshots of emails from potential buyers), you might want to check if it is the case. Just for the sake of completness. And, who knows, maybe in this old correspondence you'll find something useful for current case.

there are none. and i never ever accepted any offer, verbal, email or other, ever.

 

[TheLegendaryJP]

Before retiring for the day this whole thing got me wondering.

What is a man's/woman's name worth?

Id like to state I had some dealings/contact with James brother Andy many years ago, I have a lot of respect for both brothers and their work ethic and success. In fact I praised James for his work ethic not long ago as a domainer of the year if I recall. If I had to guess I would say losing $25k would not crush James and thus is it worth $25k, a man's name?

I have no doubt that when reconsidering the situation that James steps up and does the right thing, there is no way a smart and ethical man such as the Booth brothers (James specifically) trades all his hard work over the years for $25k. If the shoe were o the other foot so to speak what would James want? I believe he innocently bought the name, was duped as they say but it does not negate what the right thing to do is.

I suspect Rebecca may find James will be convinced and restores back to her the domain. Money isn't everything and a man's name should be more valued then even gold.

 

[wwwweb]

So what is Booth's end game here, the domain is tagged, flagged, and bagged? I am sure spoiltrader is continuing forward with action, as JP stated in order for Escrow to be legal the actual buyer, and seller have to transact the sale, not a thrown in 3rd party, whether they pretend to be, or represent the actual owner.

So I guess Rebecca, the ball is in your court now, it would just be a waiting game for you to proceed with action, I don't think you are going to get much of a fight on the other end, as really other than a escrow receipt between two parties, one of which you state is not you, what more is there to go on?

 

[TheLegendaryJP]

So what is Booth's end game here, the domain is tagged, flagged, and bagged? I am sure spoiltrader is continuing forward with action, as JP stated in order for Escrow to be legal the actual buyer, and seller have to transact the sale, not a thrown in 3rd party, whether they pretend to be, or represent the actual owner.

So I guess Rebecca, the ball is in your court now, it would just be a waiting game for you to proceed with action, I don't think you are going to get much of a fight on the other end, as really other than a escrow receipt between two parties, one of which you state is not you, what more is there to go on?

I really think James will do the right thing first.

 

[wwwweb]

I really think James will do the right thing first.

I would think it would be the smart thing, before his name gets filed into court proceedings, and such it would make it much harder for him to purchase domains from corporate clients going forward, just being associated with such a matter, even though he is just a buying party at arms length.

He is not in the jurisdiction of the original owner, and web.com, both being Florida, it is going to cost him quite a bit to defend this, with no guarantee of winning, like you said you have to line up all the ducks, and maybe take the hit on this one at the end of the day. If Rebecca does win this in court, that will give her some leverage to tell her story in the light she wishes to portray, and that could have some bad consequences on him going forward. Right now he could probably do the right thing, and she would probably forgive, and he would get some good PR from it. This is the nightmare situation nobody wants to go thru, all escrow does is the handoff for a handshake, they do not take that ownership of such domain, other than surface level checks, one of which is whois, and another is actual possession.

 

[tonyk2000]

If current registrant wanted to return the domain name - he had a lot of time to do so.

It did not yet happen, so I am wondering why? He does not think that the domain is stolen? Or, he knowingly purchased stolen domain or somehow participated in hacking process? Or, he does not beleive that the member @spoiltrider is real Rebecca the previous owner?

He would be unable to resell it anyway, nobody in their sane mind will buy it now. In any case, we see that other members who unknowingly purchased stolen (4 letter) names do promptly (and voluntary) return them to rightful owners:

https://www.namepros.com/threads/stolen-four-letter-names.1071424/

 

[TheLegendaryJP]

I think we have to cut James some slack in terms of time, he has had to think about this and weigh his options however IF indeed stolen which it appears he needs to forget the weighing and step up ethically. At this point if he returned the name no one can blame him for taking time to confirm the situation.

Now another option is this but I don't want to jump forward just yet...

In the past I have obtained the rights to stolen domains when the rightful owner could not afford an attorney. It is better they get something than nothing. It is quite possible should someone like myself believe Rebecca they make her an offer to buy the rights to said name and pick up the fight. Again only if she cannot afford a lawyer and it is not returned in the end. I have been very successful in fact 100% success rate with this approach when I have done so and know of others who have.

In saying that I could care less if the name was sold in the interm. I had a case where the stolen domain was resold even after knowing it was stolen, the name was still returned and then the seller who knew better than sell the name was sued for funds and lost. Worst thing that could happen is a resale at this time until settled.

One thing I have found is in most cases victims of a domain theft do not have deep enough pockets to fight in court, domain buyers at this level do

 

[Kate]

I doubt that anybody in the same situation would return the name just like that, without asking questions and without exploring their options first, and where they stand legally and what resource they have.
Even I wouldn't do it, certainly not until the paper trail and the forensic evidence has been fully analyzed. If you want to sue somebody or recover money, then you have to investigate to know who and where you are going to strike.
In fact, if legal action has been initiated, the domain name is exhibit A and shouldn't move any more anywhere. The ownership and transfer trail has been blurred enough.

I can't speak for Booth but I would venture to guess that if he's staying mum it's because his lawyers have advised him not to comment publicly anymore.

 

[TheLegendaryJP]

I doubt that anybody in the same situation would return the name just like that, without asking questions and without exploring their options first, and where they stand legally and what resource they have.
Even I wouldn't do it, certainly not until the paper trail and the forensic evidence has been fully analyzed. If you want to sue somebody or recover money, then you have to investigate to know who and where you are going to strike.
In fact, if legal action has been initiated, the domain name is exhibit A and shouldn't move any more anywhere. The ownership and transfer trail has been blurred enough.

I can't speak for Booth but I would venture to guess that if he's staying mum it's because his lawyers have advised him not to comment publicly anymore.

Quit simply Kate he either had an escrow.com deal with Rebecca or he didn't. If it turns out he did then fine, opinion shifts and Rebecca needs to start seriously explaining his evidence but if not then regardless the name needs to be returned, period.

It is that cut and dry, Booth knows who his escrow deal was with, no?

 

[spoiltrider]

booth needs to contact this asswipe AND collect his money back from escrow.com who needs to go after unverified unauthenticated seller, who is ultimatly culpable for the negligent (FU!): every passing minute is my 22 year old business out of business! omg, i would not wish this on my worst nemisis!

Results for "[email protected]"
Name: No Name Found (add this person)
Address: Unavailable
Company: Google Inc. Server
Location: Mountain View, CA 94043
Status: Verified IP Address: 172.217.9.133
Facebook Profile: Possible Matches (here) NOTHING!
MySpace Profile: None Found

SHOULD I SPEND A $1 AND OPEN THE BEEN VERIFIED REPORT?

 

[Kate]

It is that cut and dry, Booth knows who his escrow deal was with, no?

I don't think so. If you read the thread from the beginning, Escrow.com does some vetting of users as per KYC rules, which is not positive identification. Proof of identity - would uploading some photoshopped ID suffice ? I guess it would. Escrow.com was used to launder a stolen domain.

Booth cannot be certain about the identity of the other party. That was an online transaction, not a face to face deal.
What is certain is that Booth was dealing with somebody in control of the domain and assumed to be rightful owner for that simple reason.
In the end you don't know who gets paid. Only escrow.com can answer that question, and it would probably take a subpoena to obtain that information.

By the way, I use escrow for buying and selling domain names and it's not my personal name that is displayed, not even my partner's. Just the corporate name. That could be made up. Escrow actually offers a layer of privacy. You can conceal your name and you don't have to expose your banking details to the other party. Which is a hindrance precisely in a case like this.

Escrow doesn't tell you who you are dealing with, they are only showing the parties like they chose to represent themselves.

 

[offthehandle]

The definition of Dealing in Stolen Property is contained in Section 812.019, Florida Statutes. Under the law, the offense occurs where a person sells, transfers, distributes, or otherwise disposes of stolen knowing or having reason to know that the property is in fact stolen.

To prove the crime of Dealing in Stolen Property at trial, the prosecution must establish the following two elements beyond a reasonable doubt:

1. The defendant trafficked in or endeavored to traffic in the alleged property;
2. The defendant knew or should have known that the alleged property was in fact stolen.

The term “property” means anything of value, and includes real property (including things growing on, fixed to and found on land), and tangible or intangible personal property, including rights, privileges, interests, claims, and services.

Under Florida law, Dealing in Stolen Property is classified as second degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years of imprisonment or 15 years of probation, and a $10,000 fine.

http://www.husseinandwebber.com/crimes/theft-fraud/dealing-in-stolen-property/

 

[DNWon]

If I was Rebecca, I would sue everyone for a lot of money, including,
Yahoo (Verizon) for the original email hack and data breach. Kate has proof of this.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/03/13/yahoo-loses-bid-to-dismiss-data-breach-lawsuit/
James Booth, for knowingly receiving stolen property and lack of due diligence (He hasn't returned the domain yet, he's a professional domain broker so he should know due diligence)
Escrow.com, for accepting fraudulent documentation and lack of due diligence and negligence. (The domain was already returned once, under suspicious circumstances, yet they transacted again to a different address.)
Web.com (Network Solutions) They have a long track record of not protecting domains, or being forthcoming with information regarding thefts!
Mike Han (Just to get all the information on the first sale, which he then returned and who his client/buyer was, just to make sure this wasn't a group effort.)
This would also be reported to the local police and the FBI here:
https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

 

[spoiltrider]

"What is certain is that Booth was dealing with somebody in control of the domain and assumed to be rightful owner for that simple reason."

Assumed = makes an ASS out of U and ME!
i never assume anything. i verify. i make darn sure things are bonafide. i get blue ink, notarized, signatures. i use legal contracts. i have closing dates. go into a bank and pay $5-10 bucks for notarized paperwork. really? in real estate we even have legal authenticated mobile closers for those transactions where the parties can not "meet". $150 bucks for that. who the heck needs platforms like escrow.com? its a stupid way to do a professional business transaction. to me, that's just GIVING your money away. and look where it got me, my domain and booth. booth made the clear decision to use his "proud partner escrow.com". NOT ME! i've never heard of escrow.com before all this, and trust this, i will never use them or a source such as.

cqd.com is not pair of old warn out, muddy riding boots on ebay. it's my business!

 

[spoiltrider]

If I was Rebecca, I would sue everyone for a lot of money, including,
Yahoo (Verizon) for the original email hack and data breach. Kate has proof of this.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/03/13/yahoo-loses-bid-to-dismiss-data-breach-lawsuit/
James Booth, for knowingly receiving stolen property and lack of due diligence (He hasn't returned the domain yet, he's a professional domain broker so he should know due diligence)
Escrow.com, for accepting fraudulent documentation and lack of due diligence and negligence. (The domain was already returned once, under suspicious circumstances, yet they transacted again to a different address.)
Web.com (Network Solutions) They have a long track record of not protecting domains, or being forthcoming with information regarding thefts!
Mike Han (Just to get all the information on the first sale, which he then returned and who his client/buyer was, just to make sure this wasn't a group effort.)
This would also be reported to the local police and the FBI here:
https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

TY and yes, it is reported!
a strong argument can be made for the following causes of action:

• Actual Damages
• Breach of Contract
• Interference Of Business
• Trademark Infringement
• Reputational Damage
• Emotional Damage

 

[spoiltrider]

TY and yes, it is reported!
a strong argument can be made for the following causes of action:

• Actual Damages
• Breach of Contract
• Interference Of Business
• Trademark Infringement
• Reputational Damage
• Emotional Damage

along with the fact that my beloved 12 yo thoroughbred mare Melody was put down last thursday after fighting with her strange condition for 5 days, the best i could...i feel now it's because i missed indicators that might have prevented the death of her had i been focused and secure in my daily work life. what value do you put on that? so wrong on so many levels! and this less than 4 months after my 30 year old thoroghbred Nikel had a stroke and had to be put down. heartbreaking! now, the slow death and kill of my 22 year old presence on the web for ComQuest Designs. ayfkm!

 

[TheLegendaryJP]

I don't think so. If you read the thread from the beginning, Escrow.com does some vetting of users as per KYC rules, which is not positive identification. Proof of identity - would uploading some photoshopped ID suffice ? I guess it would. Escrow.com was used to launder a stolen domain.

Booth cannot be certain about the identity of the other party. That was an online transaction, not a face to face deal.
What is certain is that Booth was dealing with somebody in control of the domain and assumed to be rightful owner for that simple reason.
In the end you don't know who gets paid. Only escrow.com can answer that question, and it would probably take a subpoena to obtain that information.

By the way, I use escrow for buying and selling domain names and it's not my personal name that is displayed, not even my partner's. Just the corporate name. That could be made up. Escrow actually offers a layer of privacy. You can conceal your name and you don't have to expose your banking details to the other party. Which is a hindrance precisely in a case like this.

Escrow doesn't tell you who you are dealing with, they are only showing the parties like they chose to represent themselves.

Kate, escrow dictates that NO third party payment in or out at that price point is allowed unless the names fully match both pieces of ID and in your and my case business articles and ready...name on bank account. Are you telling me that escrow allows you to sell under one name and deposits funds into an account of yours with a different name? If so that is against their policy. (See below)

Furthermore the thief would have to not just have fake ID and a bill (doable) but a bank account with her name.

Again, if Booth was confident he had an escrow transaction with Rebecca all he had to do from the START is send her or post a screen shot showing such. At that point either Rebecca is a liar or the thief is that good and Escrow should be included in a lawsuit.

Again easily solvable, Booth paid Rebecca or he didn't, if not he doesn't get to keep the name because he was duped imo, legally or ethically.

Hello XXXXXXXXX,

Your Escrow.com account is now verified to Tier 3.

Tier 3 verification has no restriction on payment amounts. Payments can be made to/from either your personal or your company bank account. The name on your bank account must match your verified name or your verified company name as we do not make or accept third party payments.

Your verified name is: XXXXXXXXXXXX
Your verified company name is: XXXXXXXXXXX


Regards,
Escrow.com Verification Team

 

[spoiltrider]

Kate, escrow dictates that NO third party payment in or out at that price point is allowed unless the names fully match both pieces of ID and in your and my case business articles and ready...name on bank account. Are you telling me that escrow allows you to sell under one name and deposits funds into an account of yours with a different name? If so that is against their policy. (See below)

Furthermore the thief would have to not just have fake ID and a bill (doable) but a bank account with her name.

Again, if Booth was confident he had an escrow transaction with Rebecca all he had to do from the START is send her or post a screen shot showing such. At that point either Rebecca is a liar or the thief is that good and Escrow should be included in a lawsuit.

Hello XXXXXXXXX,

Your Escrow.com account is now verified to Tier 3.

Tier 3 verification has no restriction on payment amounts. Payments can be made to/from either your personal or your company bank account. The name on your bank account must match your verified name or your verified company name as we do not make or accept third party payments.

Your verified name is: XXXXXXXXXXXX
Your verified company name is: XXXXXXXXXXX


Regards,
Escrow.com Verification Team

"Furthermore the thief would have to not just have fake ID and a bill (doable) but a bank account with her name. "

it is my understanding that it was a MALE person who received the funds and "cashed a check" in California showing a drivers license. i am in Florida, and i am a FEMALE person. it was not me or anyone i know. i did not partake in this. my domain will/would never be sold by me for less than 6 digits! its my nestegg. my retirement. again, afternic had it listed for me for $150k for 2+ years. what does that scream?