alert The fund can't be withdrawal from Epik.com via Masterbucks wallet

[enamebroker]

It happened on 23rd Aug 2022 and this matter lasted almost one month without any process. Masterbucks.com declined my fund withdrawal and disabled the button of fund withdrawal. And I contacted Epik.com and got no further action even if Rob Monster got involved in it for two weeks. All the time I was told in email by management review.

What is wrong with Epik.com? Do you think it is normal to disable fund withdrawal? How can I get back my fund from Epik.com? Thanks for your suggestion.

 

[jberryhill]

DNProtect was actually a separate LLC.

The one in Wyoming, chartered in 2021? Because I thought it was a Washington partnership formed in 2020?

But speaking of Wyoming LLCs, it looks like the agent that was used to form Masterbucks LLC in late 2022...

....was just used last month to form a new "Epik LLC" for some good old fashioned shell game fun...

Amazing coincidence.

 

[jberryhill]

There were two large Epik portfolios of domains that were sold. It was a part of the second portfolio of domains that was sold by Royce. I know this investor, and I'm not going to come out and potentially ruin his reputation publicly.

How would buying a bunch of stuff from a distressed company "ruin his reputation"?

Ultimately, the only way of getting any value out of Epik would be if the registrar operation were simply purchased outright by someone, but the value of that appears to be tanking, and we'll have some a fresh DUM number in a few days.

But, certainly, there is utterly nothing that someone purchasing a portfolio of domain names from Epik is going to know about this loosey-goosey ever-changing story about DNProtect and your claim to own the domain name. Epik was selling a portfolio of domain names, and someone bought it. So what? Were they supposed to read this thread at Namepros to know you believe the domain name was yours? Epik paid a $10,000 fine over selling insurance as DNProtect without a license. Did you pay your partnership share of that? C'mon.

But, I don't see how buying whatever Epik might have left is supposed to ruin someone's reputation. The registrar operation and whatever other assets they might have are going to end up somewhere.

 

[sharfab]

Let the shell game "CON" begin..

 

[bhartzer]

The one in Wyoming, chartered in 2021? Because I thought it was a Washington partnership formed in 2020?

But speaking of Wyoming LLCs, it looks like the agent that was used to form Masterbucks LLC in late 2022...
Show attachment 238698

....was just used last month to form a new "Epik LLC" for some good old fashioned shell game fun...

Show attachment 238699

Amazing coincidence.

when DNProtect LLC was formed, I was never aware that an LLC was formed, and wasn't consulted on it. I think I recall Daniel P. being the one that set it up. Either way, I didn't learn that I wasn't named in it at all until I hired my own legal counsel to deal with the other DNProtect legal issues.

What I understand is that whoever created that LLC set it up but didn't fill out all of the paperwork--they left it blank, which is very odd--and they never paid taxes or any fees after the initial setup. By the way, that DNProtect LLC was formed in Laramie County WY (Cheyenne, WY), which is different than where the Epik LLC was formed, in Sheriden WY.

 

[bmugford]

How would buying a bunch of stuff from a distressed company "ruin his reputation"?

Ultimately, the only way of getting any value out of Epik would be if the registrar operation were simply purchased outright by someone, but the value of that appears to be tanking, and we'll have some a fresh DUM number in a few days.

But, certainly, there is utterly nothing that someone purchasing a portfolio of domain names from Epik is going to know about this loosey-goosey ever-changing story about DNProtect and your claim to own the domain name. Epik was selling a portfolio of domain names, and someone bought it. So what? Were they supposed to read this thread at Namepros to know you believe the domain name was yours? Epik paid a $10,000 fine over selling insurance as DNProtect without a license. Did you pay your partnership share of that? C'mon.

But, I don't see how buying whatever Epik might have left is supposed to ruin someone's reputation. The registrar operation and whatever other assets they might have are going to end up somewhere.

It could depend on who the buyer is, and what the terms of the sale are.

That is why I mentioned an arm's length transaction.

There is a major difference between the buyer being some unrelated third party and a possible insider or Epik connected party.

The money from these asset sales is going somewhere, and it is certainly not to customers that have been scammed.

I am also skeptical about how legitimate some of these "asset sales" have actually been. It would certainly be a convenient way to shift assets and hide them in a potential bankruptcy.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

when DNProtect LLC was formed, I was never aware that an LLC was formed, and wasn't consulted on it. I think I recall Daniel P. being the one that set it up. Either way, I didn't learn that I wasn't named in it at all until I hired my own legal counsel to deal with the other DNProtect legal issues.

You seemed to really be out of the loop on the business side of things. I hope in future partnerships you take that aspect more seriously.

What I understand is that whoever created that LLC set it up but didn't fill out all of the paperwork--they left it blank, which is very odd--and they never paid taxes or any fees after the initial setup. By the way, that DNProtect LLC was formed in Laramie County WY (Cheyenne, WY), which is different than where the Epik LLC was formed, in Sheriden WY.

The county doesn't really matter. Both appear to just be using different registered agents in Wyoming.

It is not like any of these companies actually have a physical place of business in Wyoming.

Wyoming is one of those states with others like Delaware and Nevada that are notorious for shell companies.

Brad

 

[bhartzer]

How would buying a bunch of stuff from a distressed company "ruin his reputation"?

Ultimately, the only way of getting any value out of Epik would be if the registrar operation were simply purchased outright by someone, but the value of that appears to be tanking, and we'll have some a fresh DUM number in a few days.

But, certainly, there is utterly nothing that someone purchasing a portfolio of domain names from Epik is going to know about this loosey-goosey ever-changing story about DNProtect and your claim to own the domain name. Epik was selling a portfolio of domain names, and someone bought it. So what? Were they supposed to read this thread at Namepros to know you believe the domain name was yours? Epik paid a $10,000 fine over selling insurance as DNProtect without a license. Did you pay your partnership share of that? C'mon.

But, I don't see how buying whatever Epik might have left is supposed to ruin someone's reputation. The registrar operation and whatever other assets they might have are going to end up somewhere.

It's an interesting situation, as the person who bought the 2nd portfolio of names, that included the DNProtect dot com domain, was (is still?) and investor in Epik. It's not a 'random' investor that never had ties to Epik. I'm not going to name them. If they want to come out publicly, they can do that. I mentioned 'reputation' because I think people would look at them differently if they knew who it was, especially given their ties with Epik.

I never ever claimed that I own or owned the DNProtect dot com domain name. I never owned it. The co-founder of DNProtect always owned that domain. I was not consulted before it was sold.

When Brian Royce mysteriously named himself as CEO of DNProtect and paid the fine, I was not associated with DNProtect in any way. So I have no idea how/why he negotiated that deal (it was a $50k fine) and settled with the Washington OIC. Your guess is as good as mine on that one. Maybe Royce used some of the revenue they took from DNProtect to pay the fine.

 

[bmugford]

It's an interesting situation, as the person who bought the 2nd portfolio of names, that included the DNProtect dot com domain, was (is still?) and investor in Epik. It's not a 'random' investor that never had ties to Epik. I'm not going to name them. If they want to come out publicly, they can do that. I mentioned 'reputation' because I think people would look at them differently if they knew who it was, especially given their ties with Epik.

I never ever claimed that I own or owned the DNProtect dot com domain name. I never owned it. The co-founder of DNProtect always owned that domain. I was not consulted before it was sold.

When Brian Royce mysteriously named himself as CEO of DNProtect and paid the fine, I was not associated with DNProtect in any way. So I have no idea how/why he negotiated that deal (it was a $50k fine) and settled with the Washington OIC. Your guess is as good as mine on that one. Maybe Royce used some of the revenue they took from DNProtect to pay the fine.

I would anticipate that details on these asset sales are going to come out in the RICO lawsuit, considering the amended lawsuit specifically mentions concerns related to asset sales and references tweets by Brian Royce.

These asset sales would also be pretty relevant to why the plaintiff has not been paid back $300K+ for a year now. Where did the money go?

Brad

 

[Future Sensors]

It's an interesting situation, as the person who bought the 2nd portfolio of names, that included the DNProtect dot com domain, was (is still?) and investor in Epik. It's not a 'random' investor that never had ties to Epik. I'm not going to name them. If they want to come out publicly, they can do that. I mentioned 'reputation' because I think people would look at them differently if they knew who it was, especially given their ties with Epik.

Then @Braden Pollock should know the buyer, as he's also holding shares in the company.

 

[.X.]

Have any arrests been made ??

I would think at the very least, The FTC would have intervened. and at a minimum shut the epik website down from doing any business.

 

[bmugford]

Have any arrests been made ??

I would think at the very least, The FTC would have intervened. and at a minimum shut the epik website down from doing any business.

Epik is a small player, in a small field, with a weak regulatory body in ICANN.
That is to their advantage.

Even multi-billion dollar scams can take years to shut down.

At this point now there have been countless reports of people paying for renewals, and them not being applied at the registry level. I am aware of many complaints that have been filed with ICANN.

ICANN can not pretend they are not aware of these issues, and have done nothing to protect registrants.

Brad

 

[bmugford]

All Epik is really doing at this point is taking customer's money and providing no services.

Registrations, renewals, and transfers are certainly under ICANN's purview.

Their support seems to have closed shop as well, according to tweets and TrustPilot reviews.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1662674510829481984

https://twitter.com/x/status/1663597520533221378

https://twitter.com/x/status/1662600001149599745

https://twitter.com/x/status/1663298087383859200

 

[.X.]

@bmugford

Has the FTC been contacted?

I have one single domain at epik, I will check that domain tonight and see whats up , I haven't logged in there in over 6 months

 

[GoKaizen]

Epik did respond.

Took them a long time.

Did Epik fire all support staff?

They don't respond to tickets anymore.

 

[bmugford]

@bmugford

Has the FTC been contacted?

I have one single domain at epik, I will check that domain tonight and see whats up , I haven't logged in there in over 6 months

I don't know, but it is a good option.

https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/

I know there have been complaints filed with the Washington AG, FBI, and ICANN.

If I was a victim of this scam, I would file complaints with every relevant organization I could. Not only the above but also possibly with my bank, credit card company, local authorities, etc.

Brad

 

[Recons.Com]

I think we should all stop giving @bhartzer the heat...

Yes, he was the co-founder. And he also didn't protest when Epik made claims that DNProtect belongs to them. But that is completely understandable... If, let's say, Dynadot or Namecheap owner makes a JV with you, you might not like if they claim the ownership for the public by the registrar, but you probably won't protest it, as you don't see much harm and think it might help the enterprise's promotion.

The lesson learned for Bill and everyone else should be that the details in partnerships matter and the public claims should match the actual arrangements and those arrangements should be put in paper with adequate protections for the minority or non-controlling partner.

 

[Recons.Com]

It's an interesting situation, as the person who bought the 2nd portfolio of names, that included the DNProtect dot com domain, was (is still?) and investor in Epik. It's not a 'random' investor that never had ties to Epik. I'm not going to name them. If they want to come out publicly, they can do that. I mentioned 'reputation' because I think people would look at them differently if they knew who it was, especially given their ties with Epik.

I never ever claimed that I own or owned the DNProtect dot com domain name. I never owned it. The co-founder of DNProtect always owned that domain. I was not consulted before it was sold.

When Brian Royce mysteriously named himself as CEO of DNProtect and paid the fine, I was not associated with DNProtect in any way. So I have no idea how/why he negotiated that deal (it was a $50k fine) and settled with the Washington OIC. Your guess is as good as mine on that one. Maybe Royce used some of the revenue they took from DNProtect to pay the fine.

So what kind of document exactly outlined your ownership of the enterprise, its goodwill, assets, tangible or not, and its domain name? Was it some virtual "handshake" over the phone conversation? I mean if you even had some kind of written contract or even email from Rob outlining the ownership details, you could definitely sue him for cheating you out of the profitable business.

 

[bmugford]

So what kind of document exactly outlined your ownership of the enterprise, its goodwill, assets, tangible or not, and its domain name? Was it some virtual "handshake" over the phone conversation? I mean if you even had some kind of written contract or even email from Rob outlining the ownership details, you could definitely sew him for cheating you out of the profitable business.

Good question.

Though it is not required in several states, any partnership should always have an Operating Agreement to protect yourself (and all parties).

Brad

 

[Samer]

Edited before edged in stone forever and to avoid fight.
i love you, @Future Sensors.

 

[Recons.Com]

Good question.

Though it is not required in several states, any partnership should always have an Operating Agreement to protect yourself (and all parties).

Brad

I agree... To be clear, any agreement is an agreement, even an oral one. The problem with the latter is that... it is hard to prove ))

So, yes, if you are going to go into ANY partnership, make sure to discuss every nitty-gritty, agree the smallest details and put them in writing. Who owns what, who contributes what, what kind of shares, who gets how much of those, what happens if external funding is needed in the future and your ownership might get diluted, is sweat equity a factor and does it vest over time, who controls domain name, hosting etc., who takes care of finances, bills, the limits on the amount of $ a partner can authorize by himself etc.

 

[Igor Gabrielan]

Big red flags are often mentioned here. There is an anecdote on this subject. Having entered the USSR, a foreign tourist in a car soon falls into a pit and complains to a representative of the authorities why the pit was not surrounded by red flags. The representative of the authorities retorts - did you see the red flag at the entrance to the country?

 

[Future Sensors]

Can we please stop interrogating, @bhartzer — Remember, he doesnt even work for epik anymore.

At a fairly early stage Bill was already advised that it might be better not to say anything substantive about all these matters, difficult as that is. Especially when contradictory things were said in the AMA thread, it was important to get clarity about that. For the sake of completeness, I also consider Bill to be a victim of what happened.

 

[Samer]

At a fairly early stage Bill was already advised that it might be better not to say anything substantive about all these matters, difficult as that is. Especially when contradictory things were said in the AMA thread, it was important to get clarity about that. For the sake of completeness, I also consider Bill to be a victim of what happened.

Thanks, i hope i was not coming off as too aggressive, will Rob ever show? Royce never had an NP acc. Worst!

I just want us to focus our attention to those at the helm of epik. (Rob Monster)

Thanks again for your work.

 

[branding]

will Rob ever show?

No. And if nP will ever allow him to come over here again instead of banning his sorrow ass I will close my account the same day.

He has two active accounts as of this date. It's insane to think a professional forum would allow this.

 

[Samer]

No. And if nP will ever allow him to come over here again instead of banning his sorrow ass I will close my account the same day.

He has two active accounts as of this date. It's insane to think a professional forum would allow this.

surprised you and i think differently here. Remove “Pro”
—Rob Monster still has to face the music!
I think i’m biased and kind… I’m sorry.