Think i got Ripped off

[zeb00]

Has anyone ever had any problems with buying things in trade.
I have payed a member for an item but he is not answering calles form me and or the corrier company to pick up the item.
every time i call he sends a message asking who it is then wont call me back once i tell him.
I know it is not the sites fault was just woundering if anyone else had similar expereances?

[iceman]

Can you PM me the name of the user in question?

This story sounds familiar - sounds like this person may have accepted payment from numerous people and not sent the scope to any of them.

[leon]

No Zeb, not really, on the rarest occasion something my go wrong, but there a pretty honest bunch here on IIS.

Whoever it is i reckon would be a new one to the forum, as the members that have been here a while wouldn't dream of it.

Leon

[iceman]

As expected, it is the same person (who is now banned from IceInSpace).

I suggest contacting the police. The more people that report it, the more likely they will be to get this person.

It's pretty easy to prove that payment was made, and you have all his details, so it should be an easy open and shut case for the police.

[zeb00]

whell that is definatly all the money i had spare to try and get into astronomy guess i will start saving for a pair of binocs

[corkwhit]

Hey Zeb
I have been ripped as well and sounds like the same (i think person is too good a word). I have reported him to the Police, so please do the same.
Like you, this was to be my 1st scope and the 1st time I have been ripped and it has left me with a very sour taste. PLEASE dont sit back and think" Oh well, I should know better than to buy from the net", Mike has been great with his efforts in trying to help me.
Dont let this Prick get away with this, I am sure most people on IIS are reliable, we just seem to be the unlucky suckers.
I hope to be able to re-save and get a scope and hope you can do the same.
Good Luck
Dave:thumbsup:

[takdriver]

Hey moderator, why don' t you give everyone the details of this crook? Cheers, Graeme.

[zeb00]

David: have sent you mail reguarding reporting him
hope your saving goes well

Graeme: i have all his details bar an ip which im sure the admins can help me out with.

i usuall dont get caught out like to so it is nearly as embarrising as anoying.

member of over 2 years with more then 100 posts
whitepages had the address correct
same name and phone number on the dns record for his so called astronomy site

his site i would like to post here as im sure it is only created so he can try to rip more people off

[leon]

Whoever he/she is they must be pretty dopey to expect they can sell and rip off on a site like this with so many watching.

Leon

[Octane]

Not hard to find out who it is. Have a look at zeb00's posting history. : )

I wonder how many others got conned by that guy.

H

[iceman]

This person wasn't a random new member who's first post was a for sale. It was someone with history on the site.

Anyone would've been fooled by this - certainly not the fault of David or Zeb.

Like I said, a pretty stupid 'crook' who has his real details plastered over everything. Not exactly hard to track him down, or prove what happened to the police.

I'm pretty sure I'd be going to pay a visit but won't recommend that for anyone else.

[casstony]

I'd only do that if a police officer was with me. Otherwise there's a risk of physical violence on their property - could end up with more trouble than it's worth.

Regarding the guys who have been ripped off, if you're anywhere near a club you may be able to join and borrow a modest scope from the club.

[casstony]

I'm not excusing his actions in any way but he sounds more like a troubled individual than a common crook. Why would anyone participate in a forum for 2 years then shoot themselves in the foot so publicly?

[jjjnettie]

I was thinking the same.
A call for help.:(

BUT....one must always pay for ones actions.

[erick]

If I have found the right person, I read in the profile:-
Interests:- astronomy, poker :rolleyes:

[adman]

I'd stick to the poker. It's cheaper than astrophotography.

[Suzy]

Sorry to hear what happened to you Zeb & David. :(
He sounds like a desperate man.

[ballaratdragons]

Yes Suzy.
He must be desperate to do such a thing to anyone (in this case several people) when being a member for 2 years!
Strange indeed.
Sad really.

He was last in here only 10 days ago.

[iceman]

I have removed two posts which post far too many private details.

This isn't a witch hunt.

Yes, they can be found by anyone who searches - it doesn't mean they belong here. It's in the hands of the police.

The member has been banned and that closes the matter here. Closing this thread.

[iceman]

I was contacted today by a 3rd member who had been ripped off by this same person, on the same sale.

Fortunately this person paid via paypal (in 3 instalments), so I advised him to contact Paypal immediately which he did.

He raised a 'dispute case', and the matter is now being handled by Paypal, and he should get all his money back.

So the moral of this story, is that sometimes paying via paypal is a good idea!

[iceman]

The same scammer (Statton Broxham) signed up again today with a different name and tried to sell this scope:

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=75862

Again he was trying to sell it to multiple people at the same time, and I bet none of them would have received the scope.

Tips:
1. Be wary of 1st time posters selling gear
2. Get real names, phone numbers, addresses, ring the person first
3. Don't buy anything or pay anything to statton broxham or sbjames11@hotmail.com

I'm doing what I can to protect the community and help those affected sort it out, but ultimately it's always going to be buyer beware and remember that IceInSpace can play no part in any of these transactions.

[lolthrash]

welp, have one look at his photo on facebook and read his posts about "being in court" and "being scum" and things like that....... :\
it's bizarre because it seems like he's been a genuine member for a while, but he made a post 5 hours ago about getting his telescope out and it says he lives in inverell.. what the heck is he playing at?

[Dave88]

I've had no encounters with this seller, but having been burnt by dodgy dealers in the past (on completely unrelated forums) I see this as an opportune time to say THANK YOU to the mods for looking out for all of the forum members :thumbsup:

[jenchris]

Well done mods - you've done us proud.

[allan gould]

Well done Mike and others involved. Having just done a transaction with a relatively new member ( which was a good one for both of us ) I'm sad to see some pissant screw it up for other members. Caveat emptor and all that but I've been lucky and every time I've been fortunate enough to have had great dealings with all IIS members... My thanks to them and the general amateur astronomy members here.

[that_guy]

is it possible his account was hacked?? maybe he doesnt know cos he wasnt on?

[bahoogas]

His facebook page is interesting, to say the least....

Just out of curiosity, how do you know it's the same person?

[Clarry]

I agree with you there iceman. A lot of people were put out when ebay tried to make its sale exclusive to Paypal, but as someone who has been burnt by bank transaction scammers in the past, I now only ever buy items via Paypal.

[jjjnettie]

I double checked with the Coonabarrabran Astro society, he is NOT a member.

[lolthrash]

This whole situation is really bizarre though, why would an actively participating member of two years or so just decide to scam people?
He's either REALLY dumb, or there is something unseen going on and perhaps this guy is really not to blame? Who knows...

[ballaratdragons]

He has been conning us for 2 years.
I remember when he first joined. He sent me a PM asking me about gear and offering stuff for sale and because he was new I went and looked at his profile and even back then he was claiming to be a member of the Coonabarabran Astro Club, which we now know he never was.

And something about the PM he sent me 2 years ago felt wrong and I never answered it.

[ballaratdragons]

Geez, the story gets even broader!

His Astro website where he sells (?) Astro gear: http://starrycafe.com/index.php

His Fishing website where he sells (?) fishing gear: http://goinfishing.150m.com/about_us.html

Also has an online Shop accessible by Mobile phone only: http://lnk.ms/4PY5C

[Octane]

http://www.jerk.be/profile.php?id=12051150

H

[lolthrash]

the guy must have some serious mental issues, he can't honestly be serious with those websites..
I hope the cops nail the scumbag finally with all of your reports

[iceman]

I'm not going to disclose my methods, for obvious reasons.

When you've ran an online forum for almost 7 years, and have to deal with people who sign up multiple accounts and try to pretend to be someone they're not, you learn some things.

Someone else that got ripped off yesterday who paid via bank deposit, called their bank and will lodge a claim and should get refunded within 6-8 weeks.

I've shared the details of the original people that got ripped off too, so hopefully they can all file reports with the police.

[erick]

I still wonder if there is an explanation for his behaviour in this site?

http://www.pocketfives.com/profiles/a2_stat/

But that doesn't stop him being allegedly a thief.

[kitsuna]

I'm more concerned about his astro website. It looks reasonably legit, and worse still, has links to legitimate astro dealers as ad banners. If I were them, I'd be getting my name as far away as possible from this guy and his site.

Hope those unfortunate enough to have been ripped by this guy are able to help the cops bring this *expletive* in.

[Jen]

:eyepop: wow guys i hope you all get your money back :prey:

[marki]

Just read through some of the posts on his FB wall. Appears to be his own worst enemy living the culture of victimhood...low regard for other people in any case. A big thanks to Mike and the mods for acting so swiftly to shut him down on his second attempt. I have bought and sold many items through the classifieds without a hitch (even sold a EQ5pro way too cheap so that is not always a giveaway, I just run out of room). Hope those who were misled recover their funds and this turkey gets what he deserves.

Mark

[mr bruess]

be wary of anything you buy on the internet.There are always con men out there ready to catch the unsuspecting.

[tlgerdes]

Not promoting him, but anyone who has posted pictures before should have a look to see if he is using them on his website.

I saw one there from Roger Groom that was posted by Admin. I am sure others have being plagerised, dont know what you can do about it but if at least you post a comment as such under your photo, people might get the drift.

[ballaratdragons]

am I am sure he wrote all those technical tutorials too, with his name as author of most of them :screwy:

[Ric]

I recognised the article on polar alignment straight away as the one written by Chris James in the articles section here on IIS.

I picked it straight away as that article was a bible for me when I was first sorting out my polar alignment.

He seems to have claimed the credit for that as well as I cant see any mention or credit to Chris who wrote the article.

[iceman]

Yeh he has stolen articles from IceInSpace and many other places.

Thankfully scum like this guy are very very rare.

[UniPol]

Mike,

Again, I am very surprised that the current threads relating to this member (now banned from IIS) has been allowed to perpetuate. Of course I cannot condone the purported behaviour of this member however the colourful language used by you ("scum") and others seems to me, fly in the face of IIS's " Terms of Service " i.e. :



1. Inappropriate Material

It can be expected that children as young as 15 may visit the forums. Please don't post material that would not be appropriate for a 15 year old.
Please avoid profanity, we're trying to encourage a family atmosphere and sense of community. Please don't try to bypass the profanity filter by substituting a letter with a number, intentionally misspelling the word, etc.
2. Respect

Please show respect for others in the community, as you would expect to have respect shown to you.
Please avoid posting something that is intended to cause a reaction. Don't call people names or attack them or their character.
No racial slurs will be tolerated.
Think before you post. Think before you press submit. Re-Read the original post and read your reply before posting.
I think a more rational approach should be taken to this albeit isolated incident, afterall, as amateur astronomers, our prime aim is to enjoy our interest in this most esoteric hobby.

[mill]

Scum is the only real good word for this person.
some people "read scum" just need to be called that way because they are, even young people will know that.

[UniPol]

How young? "Scum" is a very harsh word especially about another human being, the ring around a bath not so perhaps. The young are certainly influenced by their peers and more so, I don't know if you have had specific dealings with this person and have been influenced by other IIS member's comments, I still believe this is inappropriate language on this forum.

[lolthrash]

^^^^^^^^^^^^ why is this such a big deal? How many "young" are there floating around here (serious question)?
It has always seemed like almost exclusively mature adults to me, and it's a bit strange that you're quoting the "terms of service" to the administrator of the forum.
This guy IS scum and if people feel they need to express it, then I'm fairly sure they should be allowed to, especially considering that some have lost hundreds of dollars and others nearly did the same.
There is a LOT worse that could (and if it were up to me, should and would) be said here, and children (even those odd extremely sheltered ones) already know a lot more/worse than you're probably willing to give them credit for, so again, I fail to see how this is such an enormous issue.

[Outbackmanyep]

Looking at this guy's website, the members list seems to be entirely "made up", i have notified our club members about these events thanks to one of our own members bringing this up at a meeting.

I don't even remember agreeing to have him use our club website on his links list.

what a complete tool

[Jeffkop]

Im with you mate ... political correctness is killing us. This guy IS A LOWLIFE, and should be labelled one. HOW else do we notify all others and keep them from the wolf. He has decided to premeditate a gutless theft and thats his modus oprandi. So call him what ya want as far as Im concerned .. he has done nothing thats defenceable by anyones, well mostly anyones description and Karma is a great thing ... but usually takes its time in the rettribution stakes ... I'de like to see those affected by this piece of #$@! have their day a little quicker than that which Karma provides.

[jenchris]

Well - I have a potty mouth and I think the greasy flotsam left around the bath max water level - is far too nice a word for people who commit premeditated theft.
This is somewhere you expect a certain moral standard (if not verbal standard :D) and when we've been mugged in such a way, it stops us trusting ANYONE, which is the real shame.
Like in the services, if you have a tealeaf in your mess - you can't trust anyone til they're caught.

[jjjnettie]

I was willing to cut him some slack the first time. Because, well, we all deserve a chance when we're down. People do some strange, out of character things when they crying for help.
But after the second time? Nup, sorry, done your dash and good riddance.

And if you're continuing to follow this thread Statton, (or what ever your name is) the time to get some professional help is NOW.

[esky]

This Statton Broxham character tried to rip me off as well. It was on eBay and I fortunately paid with paypal. His account had a phone number linked which was disconnected and he didn't reply to any emails. I figured out pretty quickly he was not legit so cancelled the transaction on paypal quick smart. He actually didn't even have a paypal account.

P.S. I have reported him to ebay and left negative feedback but ebay have to give the seller benefit of the doubt for so many days before a dispute can be filed. His seller ID is "bitsandbob19"

[esky]

This has me pretty worked up now. If anyone needs a witness in court for this bloke send me a pm. As a member of the defence force for over 8 years I think my testimony would be quite valuable.

[jenchris]

It's such a low trick - like bag snatching from old ladies - you have to trust that there's goodness out there - and when there isn't, you feel violated.

[lolthrash]

not sure if this is related, but what happened to that scope for sale in the last few days from that guy with one post? can't seem to find it any more?
hope it's not the same guy mucking around again, apologies if it's not.

[iceman]

I deleted it, because people kept spamming it.

It didn't *look* like the same guy from my research, but I couldn't prove it wasn't, and Alanc didn't come back to answer any questions or post anything more about the scope, so I deleted the thread.

Better to be safe than sorry. If he wants to sell it, and he's legit, he'll try again with more and better info.

[Dennis]

Hi Mike

Yet another cheerless and somewhat bleak admin task you probably didn’t sign up for when the idea for Ice In Space first started floating around in your head!:(

Thanks to you, Terry and the Mods for keeping an eye on the place, on top of your other daytime and family jobs.:)

Cheers

Dennis

[Ric]

Well put Dennis and I agree, I sure there is at least a 100 other things that Mike and the Mods would rather be doing.

Thanks for looking after our interests.

Cheers

[jjjnettie]

I'll join in the applause too.
Great work everyone. :D

[lolthrash]

yeah good work mate, gosh I hope it wasn't the same guy having another crack at it, that'd really make my blood boil...

[FlashDrive]

Count me in to give Mike and the Mod's a big thank you. :thumbsup:

[UniPol]

Looks like the "IceInSpace Terms of Service" haven't been adhered to recently, particularly regarding this thread, i.e. :




1. Inappropriate Material

Please avoid profanity, we're trying to encourage a family atmosphere and sense of community. Please don't try to bypass the profanity filter by substituting a letter with a number, intentionally mis-spelling the word, etc.
Quoted :

"..... rettribution stakes ... I'de like to see those affected by this piece of #$@!"

Where are you Moderators? If this is acceptable , then a few spelling lessons wouldn't go astray !

[Jeffkop]

#$@! = soap ... all fixed. Now if I would have typed @%% ... nah forget it, you'll probably see something offensive WHATEVER .. Think youve missed the topic of the thread by .. oh .. lets just say a long way.
Think youll find the moderators have decided to be moderate here because its not like anyone is casting un warranted dispersions .. and most people are prepared in those instances, to call a spade a #%^&*.

While Im here, any news regarding capture and refunds to those affected ???

[esky]

I'd like to know too, because I nearly fell victim to the ... can't really think of an appropriate word at the moment ...:rolleyes:

[lolthrash]

scumbag seems pretty apt ;)

[UniPol]

Don't you mean "Nasturtiums" ?

[PCH]

:lol::lol::rofl: I resisted the urge to comment myself ;)