Scamful!

Pay the Woman: Avoid Doing Business with Asma Said

Asma Said made a commitment to buy a domain name via Go Daddy.

He decided that he didn’t want the domain and that it was perfectly okay to not to follow through on payment. He does not seem to understand that his non-payment has consequences for the seller (and the domaining community as well), nor does he seem to care.

His website: AsmaSaid [dot] com.

His contact details can be found here or via any other Whois.

If he decides to go private, I have captured his details in a PDF file.

Said seems to think that making a commitment to follow through on his contracts is meaningless and doesn’t understand why a seller might be upset; this attitude suggests that his business ethics may be seriously lacking.

He apologizes, but they are just empty words; a genuine apology would involve following through on his financial commitment.

Do business with this person at your financial peril.

* * * * *

The Art of the (Lousy) Deal

The Art of the (Lousy) Deal
___________________

Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.

– Adolf Hitler

For you “true believers” of Donald Trump:

Donald Trump is only a “true believer” of the cult that is called “Donald Trump.”

He taps into your worst fears and creates an atmosphere where citizens are pitted against “the other,” who he wants you to see as a bogeyman. He pits us against each other.

He has set himself up as a Demagogue, a modern day Adolf Hitler.

In truth, he is nothing but a flapping spewing mouth, spitting out hatred.

He is plays right into the hands of ISIS, becoming this terrorist group’s best tool.

He has no intention of making America great again; he just wants to grab power and more money for himself.

You are being manipulated.

You are being led to the slaughter.

According to Ivana Trump, Donald Trump’s ex-wife, The Donald’s bedside reading consists of books like My New Order, by Adolf Hitler.

My New Order, by Adolf Hitler
_______________

Pay the Woman!

Pay the Woman!

If you buy a domain from me, I expect prompt payment.

If you stiff me, your personal details will be splashed all over the internet with the word DEADBEAT attached to your reputation.

Thank you for your future cooperation.

* * * * *

God Isn't Fixing It!!!!

"God Helps Those Who Help Themselves"
Attributed to Benjamin Franklin
But it may have originated in ancient Greece
____________________

How many ways can we say this???

God Isn’t Fixing It

God is NOT Fixing It

God Isn’t Fixing This

God is NOT Fixing This

God Won’t Fix This

God Won’t Fix It

God Will NOT Fix It

God Will NOT Fix This

* * * * *

To ALL Legislators, especially Republican:

We DON'T want your "Thoughts and Prayers":

WE WANT ACTION,

not worthless platitudes!

God Helps Those Who Help Themselves!

And, no, this saying did NOT originate in The Bible

Warning! Fake Court Summons! The Owner of Kwedit.ru is a Scamming A$$hole!!!

Scam!!!
____________________

Be careful about a “Court Summons” that arrives via email, especially with attachments.

Arrived today in my email via:

Egoortof [at] ya.ru

scott.hensley [at] kwedit.ru

Notice to Appear,

You have to appear in the Court on the October 29.

Please, prepare all the documents relating to the case and bring them to Court on the specified date.

Note: If you do not come, the case will be heard in your absence.

You can find the Court Notice is in the attachment [Probably filled with viruses and malware].

Sincerely,
Scott Hensley,
Clerk of Court.

Some idiot from Russia???

Seriously???

My message to “Scott Hensley”:

Go straight to hell. Do not pass Go.

And screw you, butt plug.

If you don’t know what I mean, run my comment through Google translator.

Anyway, Kwedit.ru is registered to someone named “Private Person” – in other words, this numpty is hiding behind privacy settings:

Whois info for : Kwedit.ru

Registrant Org	Private Person was found in ~5,552,460 other domains
Dates	Created on 2010-02-04 - Expires on 2016-02-04
IP Address	188.120.239.79 - 25 other sites hosted on this server
IP Location	- Irkutsk - Irkutsk - Jsc Ispsystem
ASN	AS29182 ISPSYSTEM-AS JSC "ISPsystem" (registered Jun 23, 2003)
Domain Status	Registered And Active Website
Whois History	34 records have been archived since 2010-02-12
Whois Server	whois.tcinet.ru

Website

Website Title	None given.
Server Type	nginx/1.0.13

Whois Record (last updated on 2015-10-22 )

domain:        KWEDIT.RU
nserver:       ns1.reg.ru.
nserver:       ns2.reg.ru.
state:         REGISTERED, DELEGATED, VERIFIED
person:        Private Person
registrar:     REGRU-RU
admin-contact: http://www.reg.ru/whois/admin_contact
created:       2010.02.04
paid-till:     2016.02.04
free-date:     2016.03.06
source:        TCI

Source: https://whois.domaintools.com/kwedit.ru

The Art of the Scam

Bernie Madoff
___________

Over the past few days, I have been thinking about what makes for a successful scam/con – or at least one that can last for years before imploding big time.

There is currently a very long thread at Namepros regarding Adam Dicker, a very well-known domainer who allegedly has been scamming his customers for years by taking their money and under-delivering or not delivering promised website services at all.

Several customers have come forward with their stories of woe, and evidence appears to be piling up against Mr. Dicker.

I am NOT one of his victims.

But I very well could have been.

How?

While I don’t know Mr. Dicker personally and have never met him, he has been a Facebook friend, an extremely friendly presence on my timeline. He is also well-known in the domaining community, a go-getter and high-profile presence at the popular domaining conferences.

He was respected, a go-to guy.

I liked him; he has a friendly face and demeanor, and unlike some of my other FB friends (and even me, if the truth be told), he never went on a political rant. He never called anyone names. He posted mostly about his family, his diet, he fave sports – just ordinary stuff. Occasionally, he posted about his websites and domain names, but nothing excessive or annoying.

He was exceedingly polite, a breath of fresh air on the craziness called Facebook.

Just last month (September 2015) at THE Domain Conference, a major domaining conference, Mr. Dicker was awarded Developer-of-the-Year – kind of ironic, given that not too many of his customers’ domains were being developed by Mr. Dicker’s companies, but life is full of little ironies, isn’t it?

However, I’m not out to pile on Adam Dicker specifically; this Namepros thread is doing a very good job of that, and, besides, I have nothing of substance to add to that particular narrative.

Also, I have no idea if Mr. Dicker is a straight-up con man or someone who just got involved in too many projects and decided to cut his losses and was able to string people along for so long because of his engaging personality.

But here’s the reality:

Many very smart people were scammed out of thousands of dollars, dispelling the myth that only stupid and naive people get conned.

Which leads me to an epiphany: no one is immune to a well-placed con.

To varying degrees, human beings are prone to greed, dishonesty, vanity, opportunism, lust, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, desperation, and naivety, and con men are excellent at exploiting these human foibles.

Yes, most of us know to avoid the stranger who telephones us with that “can’t-lose” proposition or the stereotypical email from the Nigerian Prince promising us millions (if only we could send him a small fee of, say, $3,950 for taxes).

I’m talking about the con man (or woman) who walks among us and calls us friends and colleagues.

The Bernie Madoffs, the type of con artist who “makes off” with the funds of people close to him or her.

Con men are persuasive and confident – hence, the term confidence man.

Even among loved ones and friends, they are experts at “building” an effective con:

1. They lay an elaborate foundation, often involving other con artists, planning their con and selecting their marks with care.

2. They approach their mark, using a well-prepared script.

3. If the mark is receptive or even hesitant, they introduce the scheme and appeal to his inner greed. They try to break him down by showing how much profit he stands to make. (If the potential mark resists totally, con men know when to move on to another mark).

4. At this stage, the con man may even pay out small amounts of money to the mark or the con’s assistants to “convince” the mark of validity.

5. No con scheme is complete without the dénouement, the end game. The mark is pushed to the edge and forced to act immediately; the con takes full control of the narrative – the scam will either work or die right here.

6. Finally, the con artist will make a big show of placing his own money where his mouth is, just to “prove” to the mark of the con’s honesty. In a common con, the con man will give the mark a “good will” check for deposit – of course, the check is bogus and will eventually bounce – long after the con has left town.

Con artists are people-oriented; they are charming, engaging, manipulative, and funny, good at drawing people into their sphere and pro at deflecting questions and suspicions, which makes them especially dangerous, even to their own family, friends, and colleagues.

There is one truth to avoid being scammed:

If it sounds too good to be true, then it’s a 99.9% scam.

Period.

And if you think you are immune, consider this July 1, 2014, Time Magazine article:

4 Powerful Things Con Men Can Teach You About Persuasion, by Eric Barker

A real eye-opener.

E-fat.com Finally Retrieved After Having Been Hijacked by New Ventures Services!

e-fat.com RETRIEVED!
_________________________

They blinked! I am happy to report that I have retrieved e-fat.com, the domain stolen from me last year by Register.com and New Ventures Services.

For more info on how Register.com and their related registrars steal domains from their customers and extort them through their shell company New Ventures Services, see these posts:

WARNING! If You Own Domain Names, Avoid Web.com and Its Subsidiaries and Partners (Register.com, Network Solutions, and New Ventures Services – A.K.A. “New Vultures Services” – Among Others)

UPDATE: The Domain Taken From My Register.com Account...

For now, e-fat.com redirects to this post, cloaked, just because I can...

New Ventures Services had dropped the domain (just like I knew they would), and I was able to hand register it on August 7, 2015, through Go Daddy for a mere $8.37, not the $125.00 these sharks wanted to charge me.

I realize that this isn’t a high value domain, what with that hyphen, BUT it was one of the domains I had registered early in my career (2004), and it is kind of special to me, which is why I have placed a high price on it (in other words, I don’t really want to sell it).

Over the past year, I would check the Whois for it, and each time, New Services Vultures, uh, Ventures had slapped a higher price on it:

-- $125.00 (Quoted to me by “Jenny” at Register.com)

-- $377.00

-- $577.00

-- $877.00

-- $1077.00 (toward the end, bwahahahahaha!)

This upward tiered pricing, I’m sure, was done out of spite because I refused to cave into their extortive demands, and I kept checking the Whois for it.

But, for today, a good guy has won!

Happy dance!

Name and Shame: Verizon is a Traffic Thief!

I have noticed a disturbing situation: internet provider Verizon is stealing traffic from unused domains and subdomains and directing Verizon customers to various places.

For most of the thefts, Verizon customers are directed to a parking page filled with ads.

For example, asad.1-25.com (this is my domain, and the subdomain is unused) goes here for Verizon customers:

http://searchassist.verizon.com/main?InterceptSource=0&ClientLocation=us&ParticipantID=euekiz39ksg8nwp7iqj2fp5wzfwi5q76&FailureMode=1&SearchQuery=&FailedURI=http%3A%2F%2Fsale.1-25.com%2F&AddInType=4&Version=2.1.8-1.90base&Referer=&Implementation=0&method=GET

And even Scamful isn’t immune: asad.scamful.com redirects here:

http://searchassist.verizon.com/main?InterceptSource=0&ClientLocation=us&ParticipantID=euekiz39ksg8nwp7iqj2fp5wzfwi5q76&FailureMode=1&SearchQuery=&FailedURI=http%3A%2F%2Fasad.scamful.com%2F&AddInType=4&Version=2.1.8-1.90base&Referer=&Implementation=0&method=GET

More specifically, if an unused subdomain domain name is similar to another name, Verizon engages some kind of algorithm and redirects it to a specific page.

For example, for Verizon customers, the unused subdomains Sales.1-25.com and Sales.Scamful.com takes them to

http://www.zales.com/home/index.jsp

I have tested this on some of my other unused subdomains, and I have found the same redirect.

In other words, if you own domains (either for business or resale), Verizon is stealing pieces of YOUR unused property to redirect it to their ads on their parking pages and their advertisers.

Even if you aren’t a Verizon customer, you are still affected because if Verizon customers conduct a search on your unused domains or subdomains, they will be redirected to Verizon parking pages or specific pages with similar terms. It doesn’t matter who owns the domain.

Why is this important?

1. THEY ARE STEALING FROM YOU AND MAKING MONEY OFF YOUR DIGITAL PROPERTY!

2. Most importantly, if their ad pages are filled with ads that could be construed as trademark infringement, YOU COULD LOSE YOUR DOMAIN in a UDRP, even though you are completely innocent!!!

This week, I’m going to look into the possibility of hiring a lawyer to send a Cease and Desist letter to Verizon, and perhaps file a contingency or class action lawsuit.

If your internet provider is Verizon, I invite you to test this for yourself, on both my examples and your own unused domains.

By the way, these are Go Daddy domains; unfortunately, Go Daddy does not offer subdomain wildcarding, but, perhaps, they should start.

If you use another registrar, look into the possibility of using a wildcard command to redirect your infinite number of subdomains to one specific page. Unfortunately, if you are using any of your subdomains in your business, this option won’t be available to you.

By the way, other internet providers may also be stealing your unused domains and subdomains; you might want to check how your internet provider handles unused digital property.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep you up-to-date on my plans regarding legal action.

Be Careful Buying Expired Domains from Go Daddy and Then Trying to List Them on the Same Site

*IMPORTANT UPDATE (June 5, 2015):

Go Daddy is more than happy to sell you expired domains, sometimes at high prices.

However, if YOU try listing them on THEIR auction site, don't be surprised if you receive the following notice:

One or more of your domains are not eligible for the aftermarket program.

Dear [Customer's First Name],

Thank you for being a GoDaddy customer. We greatly appreciate your interest in participating in our exciting aftermarket program. Unfortunately, we have had to remove the domain name(s) below from this program at this time because another person or entity owns a trademark that matches one of more terms or words contained in your domain name(s).

[Generic Domain Redacted]

Again, we very much appreciate your business and we are sorry that this particular service is unavailable for this domain name(s). If you have any questions, please contact us at trademarkclaims@godaddy.com.

Sincerely,
GoDaddy Aftermarket Team

When I emailed the above address to inquire as to why my generic domain had been removed, I received no response.

It was only after I complained on a public forum that someone finally responded to my inquiry. He tried to convince "the lawyers" to reinstate my domain, but they were unmoved.

This very same domain had been sold to me BY Go Daddy (in their expiring domain listings), so, evidently, Go Daddy incorporates a double standard when it comes to selling so-called TM domains when such a sale fills their own coffers.

The terms in my domain in question is trademarked for manufacturing nuts and bolts by a company in Taiwan; my 5-letter domain was being offered as a possible social media site. One term in my domain is Geographic (not Taiwan) and the other is a completely generic and common word.

So be VERY careful when you bid on or list a domain at Go Daddy's auction site.

*UPDATE: I emailed Joe Styler, Aftermarket Product Manager at Go Daddy, the link to this article. This is his response:

Thanks for the heads up.

I read the article [on this site].

Just to be clear the recent updates in the trademark checks apply to GoDaddy sold names as well so anything we sell going forward is under the same system of checks.

So effective immediately, Go Daddy will NOT be selling any expiring domains that have any kind of a trademark.

Moreover, old Go Daddy expiring auction acquisitions have not been grandfathered in.

From now on, if you acquire something like Apple.com, you will NOT be able to list it at Go Daddy because it has a trademark. Apparently, it makes no difference if the domain is a generic.

As a seller, keep this in mind when listing any old acquired names from Go Daddy or any domains acquired elsewhere.

Before listing at Go Daddy, check for trademarks:

Check USPTO.gov (U.S. Trademarks)

Check Trademarkia.com (Global Trademarks)

I have no idea what this means for domains acquired before trademarks were acquired, but I suspect that Go Daddy will do whatever it must do to cover its corporate a$$.

Thanks to Joe Styler, the only Go Daddy representative who even bothered to answer my queries.

Beware of Fake Debt Collectors! Sent By Ruben Cano (Probably a Fake Name)

UPDATE: The real Ruben Cano is a retired footballer from Spain, so the one who sent the email is definitely a fake.

I received this charming message in my spam email; I thought I would share it with you along with my email response to both Microsoft (who owns Outlook.com as per Domain Tools Whois) and the asshat who sent it:

Dear Microsoft:

One of your email customers on outlook is scamming email recipients by sending bogus donning emails for fake loans.

I assure you that I do not owe any money to this loan company or any other loan company.

I have included a copy of the actual email.

If you wish, I can send you a copy of the source code (it's rather long), either in Word or PDF.

I have placed a copy on my blog on Scamful.com

Best wishes,

Jennifer

________________________________

The message:

On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 5:18 PM, ruben cano <rubencanodebtcollector@outlook.com> wrote:

_______________________________

Arrest warrant ID: - 1045 which will be out on Wednesday 3 PM.

Attention

This is the last and final chance for you.

This Legal Proceedings issued on your Docket Number:10-2678 with one of the Cash Advance Inc. companies in order to notify you that after making several calls to you on your phone number we were not able to get hold of you. So the account department of Cash Advance has decided to mark this case as a flat refusal and have decided to press legal charges against you.

CASE NO: JV-PM - 851177770

Amount Outstanding $ 833.63

We have already sent you this warning/notification about legal proceedings on March 8, 2015 but you failed to respond on time. Now if you failed to respond in next 4 HOURS, we will register this case in court. Consider this as a final warning. We will be emailing/faxing this issue to your current employer to make sure they take strict action against you. Your salary/wages will be garnished.

Do revert back if you want to get rid of these legal consequences and make a payment arrangement today or else we would be proceeding legally against you. We apologize that this notification will also be sent to your current employer. The opportunity to take care of this voluntary is quickly coming to an end. You are going to lose the option to resolve this before it goes to the next step which is a Lawsuit against you. So you must take an immediate action.

You can Email back to get the payment mode too.

We will be forced to proceed legally against you and once it is processed the creditor has entire rights to inform your employer and your references regarding this issue and the lawsuit will be the next step which will be amounting to $5900.00 and will be totally levied upon you and that would be excluding your attorney charges. If you can take care of this out of court then we will release the clearance certificate from the court and we will make sure that no one contacts you in future.

Please let us know what your intention is by today itself so we can hold the case or else we will submit the paperwork to your local county sheriff department and you will be served by court summons at your door step.

Note : This notice is provided to you on behalf of Cash Advance Inc. and its parent company , and their respective family of companies including Cash Advance, its parent company, Cash America International, Inc., and all of their respective subsidiaries and affiliates, (hereafter collectively referred to as the “Cash Advance Related Companies,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). The Cash Advance Related Companies include, but are not limited to: Cash Advance, Cash America International, Inc., and all of their respective subsidiaries and affiliates, including those that operate under the trade names Cash Advance, 100 Day Loan, Net loan USA, Fax free Cash, Payday one, Sonic Cash, Money tree, Egg loans, Check cash Loan, Quick Payday, Personal Cash Advance, Rapid Cash, Sonic Payday, Speedy Cash, My Cash Now, National Payday, Paycheck Today, Payday OK, Cash Central Loans, Cash Net 500,Cash Net USA, Allied Cash, Super Pawn, Check into Cash, Check Smart, Ez Money Cash America Net, Cash America, Cash America Pawn, Cash land, Super Pawn, Cash America Payday Advance, or any company-owned Mr. Payroll locations. “You” or “Your” means you as a participant in or as a user of the products and/or services offered by a Cash Advance Related Company.

WE MAY REPORT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT TO CREDIT BUREAUS. LATE PAYMENTS, MISSED PAYMENTS, OR OTHER DEFAULTS ON YOUR ACCOUNT MAY BE REFLECTED IN YOUR CREDIT REPORT.

TERMS & CONDITIONS YOU AGREED.

By electronically signing this Loan Agreement by clicking the "I AGREE" button below, you are confirming that you have agreed to the terms and conditions of the Consent and that you have downloaded or printed a copy of this Consent for your records.

Note: To make the payment you need to contact our email address

Arrest warrant ID: - 1045 which will be out on Wednesday 3 PM.

Attention

This is the last and final chance for you.

CASE NO: JV-PM - 851177770

Amount Outstanding $ 833.63

You can Email back to get the payment mode too.

WE MAY REPORT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT TO CREDIT BUREAUS. LATE PAYMENTS, MISSED PAYMENTS, OR OTHER DEFAULTS ON YOUR ACCOUNT MAY BE REFLECTED IN YOUR CREDIT REPORT.

TERMS & CONDITIONS YOU AGREED.

Note: To make the payment you need to contact our email address

rubencanodebtcollector@outlook.com

Financial Crime Enforcement Network,

6033 West Century Boulevard #605,

Los Angeles,

CA 90045