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I don't think so Peter, though of course, I don't know for sure. The style of this thief was much slicker, and he had the sense to get in and out in a timely fashion. Everyone "knows" better than to send money to a stranger who just joined the forum. It's the thought of those lovely, smiling nymphs that gets to us!
I was taken too Phil and I used to work in credit card fraud. Happens to many of us. I figured in my years of doing online business only getting burned once is not too bad. Luckily I am out only fifty bucks and since it went through my bank I am not worried. I know some guys on another site that are VERY good at tracking down these low lifes and I may take it to em. And that is what you are IndyColts.......a low life scum. You will get yours. I promise.O.K. I'll do this. I am so sorry that some of you got stung by this low level con man, not because you were stupid ,but because, apparently, you have no idea how crooks work. This guy's first post smelled like a scam to me, and I tried to point this out as discretely as I could. His answers to my questions made the scam even more likely, but so many of our members are nice folks used to dealing with other nice folks that they missed the inconsistencies ($400 for school computers? Keeping I. diabolica in his kid's fort??). Perhaps this will help.Bill has a modest job in a big city. It pays enough for him to rent an apartment for himself and his wife and kids, but he knows that he could do better if assholes weren't always trying to keep him down. He knows that he is smarter than most, because he makes an extra $20,000+ a year (not tax free, he is too smart for that) running small scams from his home computer, with the occasional help of his girlfriend. Cheating others does wonders for his own self esteem.
He wisely operates below the radar. His individual thefts are so small that the cops won't bother with them. Any given scam brings in no more than $2-3,000 nationwide, and he is able to run them all through his three PayPal accounts and three more in his girlfriend's name.* He likes to run the scams through forums, Breyer horses, baseball cards, Elvis memorabilia, Barbie Dolls, and the like, and will occasionally tap something like MantidForum. He makes sure that he is familiar with each market. He also sells kits for high colonics and a variety of "herbal" and "homeopathic" nostrums (he doesn't call them "medications") as well as something called Viagora (powdered sugar and coloring in a capsule. Very pretty. If you have an erection lasting for longer than four hours, consult a psychiatrist).
He has a number of spiels, including "My son John, " which is perfect for Mantidforum and which he posts as a new member on a Friday. My Son John has just turned eighteen and joined the Marines to serve his country. He has always loved to keep all sorts of bugs and spiders and the like as well as a bunch of mantises since he was in fourth grade, and he trades them with his friends. I really can't care for them all, but although he got rid of a few to his friends, his room is still crawing with them, and I have to get rid of them. He will almost certainly get shipped out to Afghanistan early next year, and I will use the money that I make on his bugs to buy him some comforts from home. He also has some herps, but I will wait until I have sold the bugs before I sell them.
Then he'll have a list, made up from names that he has read on the forum, including G.gongylous or I. diabolica but not both (how amateurish!) and some of the mantids that are recently out of culture or very hard to get, and some nice inverts. He then points out that no one knows him, so they won't know whether his critters are of good quality or well packed for shipping (no word of outright fraud, of course). To show that his merchandise is well packed and in good shape, he is offering 5 G. gongylus for $20 to the first member who is prepared to take a chance on him, and they can post whether or not his goods are up to standard. He is a pro, and has done this before, of course, so he knows what to do. Two months ago, girlfriend joined the forum and has gained a rep for being sweet and cute, and guess what, she makes the bid and reports that the nymphs she recieves are absolutely marvelous, "and very carefully packed!" She even shows pix (taken from Asian sources, Photoshopped, printed and then photographed). She posts on Tuesday afternoon, and the orders for Bill's imaginary critters flood in. On Wednesday, he says that he will ship everything out next Monday, and if there is anything left over, he will divide it among the packages for free. This gives him five days in which to collect as much money as possible. Payments are to one of his paypal accounts.
He makes no attempt to mail anything or send tracking numbers or even answer mail. Late on Monday, a member (also girlfriend, who signed up with a second name from work) posts that she has Emailed Bill about her order and gotten no answer. She says that if she doesn't get a tracking number or her package from him by Wednesday, she will file a "no delivery" claim with PayPal and urges others to do the same. This is Very Important. No one hears from Bill and they file claims for non delivery (just as they were told!) witth Pay Pal, who suspend Bill's account until he makes good on his deliveries. After a week, he sends everyone a small package by Priority ($9.00) containing a few dead cockroaches. Infuriated buyers notify PayPal who tells them that the seller has answered the complaint that they made and on this transaction they cannot file a second, different complaint! Bill's account is unfrozen and he keeps the money.
By this time, Bill (as Jolene) is busy explaining why she has to sell up the Breyer horses that her dear late husband bought her (his lingering illness ate up all of their savings). But don't feel abandoned, he will be back in two years (his daughter is having an operation, poor love) and he will take you again. And that's how it's done, folks. The miserable frauds perpetrated by the likes of Villosa are the exception to the rule, and this guy was certainly not in the top ranks of con men. The top guys do this for a living and do it well.. If you place an order with someone you don't know because it seems "too good to pass up." it is also "too good to be true."
* No I am not going to tell you how to open three PayPal accounts, and yes, there is one deliberate minor error in my explanation. If you spot it, keep it to yourself. This is meant to be a cautionary tale, not a tutorial for wannabe crooks.
Oh please if he is found list his address I will be the 1st to fly there I dont want the law to get him first I want too !
That's our buddy villosa again! I was trying to warn everyone...because a new guy wouldn't know NOT to pm ME!!!
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Come now Grant! Please share!That's our buddy villosa again! I was trying to warn everyone...because a new guy wouldn't know NOT to pm ME!!!Next time everyone...we need to get phone numbers and physical addresses to let someone 'new' into our community. Paypal verified would also help. Offering to only mail payment as I did is another good check.
Peter, could you also check the IP on the 'bio...' member who was checking on villosa's feedback? I think that was him checking to see if any of us figured out where he is. I didn't respond because I was pretty sure it's the dirtbag.
One more is 'mousie garbonzo' That's him too, but he hasn't used it since 9/22 last I checked.
Anyway, I think I have his real street address. [SIZE=14pt] YES YOU P.O.S., I *THINK* I FOUND YOU.
Even if through via PM. I have always wanted to visit cali, Right now i cant think of a better reason! :angry: Yes, please share via PM.Come now Grant! Please share!
Uh oh he'll be in for a nasty surprise when the Mantis Mob comes to visit instead of Santa.
h34r: or at least any new ones!
, Michael Kuo appear to buy 10 Idolomantis from me back in April 2008, and those photos might have been taken by him during that time. And when I checked my email again, he admited that he is Villosa from mantid forum from one of the email:blink: :blink: So i have his paypal link, couple of email addresses, and residential address which I am not posting here as per Peter request. But I am willing to share this info to anyone who needs to nail this crook, providing he hasn't moved. I apologize for not sharing this info any earlier when he was wrecking havoc here on his previous idolomantis foam scam. I think i have his full name too.Zoe, I was only talking about doing this for people who are going to sell mantises here...more particularly, the expen$ive ones.
:lol: 
