I'm in the process of setting up an online business. So I thought, by going to the Yahoo chat rooms, I might pick up a few clever ideas and techniques that would help in propelling me toward success. Boy, was I wrong. Almost without exception I have been bombarded by people, mostly Middle Eastern, who have tried to run bank scams on me or who just want to tell me how much Israel sucks and how the Jews need to be wiped out.
Here's a typical conversation with one of the scamming variety. I wanted to have an example of the Jew-hating kind but I'm afraid my anger caused me to use several very uncomplimentary and ungentlemanly words in the course of the conversation.
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:21:29 AM): Hello.
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:21:49 AM): it is a program where you join you give your gift
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:22:03 AM): What gift do I give and to whom do I give it?
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:22:08 AM): you can come in at different levels
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:22:22 AM): 500 to 3500
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:22:51 AM): That's $500 to $3,500? To whom do I give it?
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:23:11 AM): once you give your gift i will build your website and give you ten thousand leads to get you started free
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:23:36 AM): To whom do I give my gift?
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:23:55 AM): when you join you give your gift to your enroller then there is a 1 up process
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:24:11 AM): What is the 1 up process?
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:24:22 AM): one person in this program made 36,000 this week
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:24:34 AM): What is the 1 up process?
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:25:03 AM): the one up is when you get your first person it goes to your sponsor
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:25:23 AM): then you start your recieveing lines
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:26:03 AM): imagine if you had 52 recieving lines at 3500 how much a year you would make
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:26:06 AM): So, basically I give you $500 to $3,500 and you build me a website that I use to beg other people for money. What service is offered in return for the $500 to $3,500?
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:26:55 AM): How much disc space do you offer on your websites and how much bandwidth am I allotted?
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:27:11 AM): every person who joins under you automatically gives you their gift and their first person
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:27:59 AM): no you dont beg people when they visit your website i guarentee they will join when they see what it has to offer
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:28:42 AM): Then tell me EXACTLY what it has to offer. I've never had to work this hard to get the details of a job from a prospective employer.
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:29:20 AM): I ask because I can build my own website for $5.95 a month instead of $500 to $3,500.
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:29:22 AM): every gift you get comes right to your door overnight
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:30:03 AM): This sounds like b#######. Basically I give you a bunch of cash and then I beg other people to give me cash after that. You must really think people are stupid.
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:30:03 AM): yes but this is 100% legal
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:30:37 AM): and theres alot of people who do it
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:30:38 AM): So you admit your price on a website is completely out of control.
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:30:48 AM): no
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:31:07 AM): Now that I have the seed of the idea what's to stop me from setting up a $5.95 website and doing it myself?
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:31:44 AM): Oh, and taking money from people under the guise of a business transaction without providing a product or service in exchange is far, far from being legal.
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:32:05 AM): you cant you have to have forms and evrything or you are illegal and you cant get them unless you join the program
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:32:39 AM): I beg to differ. Any forms that allow you to do business legally are, by law, available from any government institution.
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:32:40 AM): no they have to sign gifting statements
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:33:18 AM): I've got my retained counsel on another chat window. He's explaining to me exactly what legal forms are used to "gift" cash to people. [From this point on I'm just screwing with this person. I figure if he's trying to rip me off it's ok to lie to him. Besides, these scammers are always unsure of their legal ground and, as a consequence, extremely paranoid.]
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:33:49 AM): He's also explaining to me which Federal laws you're breaking with your business methods.
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:33:59 AM): so
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:34:08 AM): i dont break laws
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:34:25 AM): i have all my stuff
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:34:37 AM): im under a buisness
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:34:58 AM): My company attorney is saying otherwise. He's telling me that, in addition to violating Federal laws with your business actions, you are violating additional Federal laws by trying to entice others to violate the law.
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:35:28 AM): He's taking screenshots of your website right now.
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:35:34 AM): not do research you will see its true
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:35:51 AM): I don't need to do research. I pay my attorney a lot of money to do it for me.
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:36:14 AM): not
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:36:23 AM): How long have you been violating Federal law?
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:37:04 AM): I said, "How long have you been violating Federal law?".
bettymcdonaldann (3/20/2008 2:37:22 AM): i dont violate federal law
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:38:04 AM): My attorney says otherwise. Screenshots have been taken of all your website's pages, including the page where you fail to provide a full legal disclosure of all terms and conditions of your "gifting" scheme. [I never visited the website but I can practically guarantee this "businessman" does not provide the legally required "Full Disclosure" information.]
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:38:50 AM): I feel kind of bad but I'm being told by my legal counsel that he is required by law to pass all details of your website, your scheme, and all screen shots of your site to Federal authorities.
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:39:22 AM): Please state for the record your full name.
Zaphod Beeblebrox (3/20/2008 2:39:40 AM): Please state for the record your full name.
This rip-off is called "Cash Gifting" and, as you can see, it boils down to a pyramid scheme in which you are scammed out of money and then involves you scamming other people out of money. Each first new member you recruit has to give his "gift" of $500 to $3,500 to the person who recruited you. After that you keep all the money given to you by
suckers business prospects and you set them up in the "business".
I can remember the first time I went to the Strawberry Festival as a kid. My dad made a point of telling me to either keep my hand on my wallet or move it from my back pocket to my front pocket. Who would have thought the same advice would apply to the World Wide Web?
Topic: Scams, Scams, Scams. (Read 1271 times)