That Danny!
If you want to skip the background scroll down to my entertaining correspondence with the scammer, as he tries to hook me in.
Sedo is a service that allows owners of domain names to sell them in much the same way that eBay allows you to sell goods, either for a fixed price or at auction. It also provides an escrow service so that a transaction is secure (they get the money and the domain and then swap them between buyer and seller).
Domain sellers on Sedo have recently been targeted in the following way:
1. The seller places a domain for sale on Sedo.
2. The scammer scans Sedo for new domain listings and targets those listings.
3. The seller receives an email from the scammer. An important characteristic of this email is that it is not via the Sedo service – the scammer looks up the registered owner of the domain and contacts them directly through the domain’s contact email.
4. This first email is the “hook”. It offers a large sum of money for the domain and waits for the domain owner to take the bait.
5. Once the domain owner shows an interest, the scammer explains that he is very interested in the domain but cannot pay any money for it without a third party valuation service. He explains that he has researched valuation services and only a few are reliable and cost-effective. Gradually he narrows it down to one service that he insists on using.
6. If the buyer bites (what’s a small sum to pay for the riches offered by the scammer?), then they will pay for the valuation service and submit the result to the scammer.
7. At this point the scammer no longer responds to emails. They got what they wanted – the valuation fee.
Here’s my correspondence with the scammer:
Email #1 – the bait:
================================================
From: murphy@eliteinvestment.net
To: danny
Subject: [my domain name for sale (date sent)]
Hello,
I’m interested in your domain in the subject line.
Investing in domains is a profitable business. We are in real estate business. Sometimes we buy, sometimes we resell for making a profit.
Looking forward to do business with you.
Regards,
Andrew Murphy
Vice President
Elite Investment Group
================================================
Commentary:
- Notice how there is no mention of where this company (“Elite Investment Group”) is based. I will press this point with “Andrew Murphy” later, but he wouldn’t respond.
- At the time of writing there was no content in the domain that the email originates from (eliteinvestment.net)
- Further research shows that eliteinvestment.net is registered by Proxy, so the owners obviously want to hide who they are.
Email #2 – I bite:
================================================
From: “Danny”
To: Murphy
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
Thanks, are you wishing to make an offer on my domain?
Email #3 – Trap is laid out:
================================================
From: Murphy
To: Danny
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
Sorry for delay with answer. Our family was celebrating newborn child of my sister.
Can you accept 5,000 USD?
Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name?
Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.
Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? I mean domain appraisals. Without valuation we cannot be sure in the sale price. It’s
very
important for me in terms of reselling too. But we must engage a valuation company with REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my partners trust.
To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies.
Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers: http://domainblog.007sites.com/587412.htm
If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% – 15% discount.
After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to obtain it) we’ll continue our negotiations.
What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?
Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
Looking forward to your reply.
================================================
Commentary:
- Notice how the scammer tries to lead you to believe he relies on reputable companies by sending you to an obviously planted forum.
- The company he wants you to focus on is www.DomainExplorer.org – but he will narrow it down to that company later. For now he wants you to think the name of the actual valuation company doesn’t matter. He just needs a reputable one.
- Notice that he is also talking about methods of payment to lure you in.
- Interestingly, the grammar is a bit wonky and inconsistent, which suggests this ‘script’ was adapted and ‘perfected’ by different people.
Email #4 – I test his determination
================================================
From: “Danny”
To: “‘Murphy’”
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
I only transact through Sedo, and do not require the use of appraisal companies who are usually just a scam.
If you would like to buy this domain I would encourage you to put an offer through on the Sedo site.
Thank you and have a good weekend!
Danny.
Email #5 – He responds and refocuses on the appraisal :
================================================
From: Murphy
To: Danny
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
Sedo is a good broker and we can use it for transfer/transaction. Unfortunately , Sedo is not acceptable as an appraiser because your names are listed with them and they are not independent. They are interested in earning 10% commission on every sale. I need appraisals from a company which is not interested in selling your domains.
I heard many appraisal companies often made inaccurate appraisals. So I cannot accept appraisal from each and every site. I will only accept appraisals from independent appraisal companies I know and trust.
================================================
Commentary:
- He persists, because I engaged. As long as I am engaged, there is still a chance to hook me.
- Notice how I didn’t mention domain appraisal services, but he keeps coming back to that point, as if it was a crucial part of domain sales. In actual fact, a domain is worth what a seller is willing to pay for it, and oftentimes pricing it is more of an art than a science, with a mix of luck.
Email #6 – I don’t bite. What will he do?
================================================
From: “Danny”
To: ‘Murphy’
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
I thank you for your response, but I have no interest in these appraisal services, or in doing business with you this way. If you wish to place a bid on my domain you are welcome to do so on the Sedo site.
Regards for a good weekend,
Danny.
Email #7 – It’s all about the valuation, of course, but let’s narrow it down:
================================================
From: Murphy
To: Danny
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
We both need independent valuation first.
Sellers always provide buyers with valuations. This is a common practice.
I don’t trust $14 services like that GoDaddy’s valuation service. Nobody will do a research for $14. We need a real manual service.
I researched several companies and here are the results:
I wanted to engage AccurateDomains.com as appraiser but looks like this company has very bad reputation Just read this blog http://accuratedomains.blogspot.com/
So I’m not going to accept this fraudulent service.
I also considered www.Afternic.com, but now it’s clear their service is not reliable enough. Just read this: http://www.igoldrush.com/links3.htm “Capsule Review: After lots of complaints, Afternic is no longer a recommended service. We will re-review the service in the near future.”
Another complaint http://www.out-law.com/page-1630
I was told about manual research service from http://www.DomainMart.com. It costs – $200/hour.
Many experienced sellers suggested me www.DomainExplorer.org as a trustworth manual service. They charge per name not per hour. I’ve read only positive comments about them.
================================================
Commentary:
- He seems to go back to the script. This is the mail he would use to narrow the victim down to domainexploere.org, where he wants me to go.
- I decide to repeat my previous email exactly and see if he would notice.
Email #8 – I repeat myself, will he notice?:
================================================
From: “Danny”
To: “‘Murphy’”
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
I thank you for your response, but I have no interest in these appraisal services, or in doing business with you this way. If you wish to place a bid on my domain you are welcome to do so on the Sedo site.
Regards,
Danny.
Email #9 – He keeps going… It’s all about the valuation:
================================================
From: Murphy
To: Danny
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
It’s a big risk to proceed without professional valuation. I already spoke to industry experts and they prohibited me to do business without valuation.
Without manual valuation nobody will buy. You’ll sit on your domain for years in this case, paying renewal fees to your registrar. Just think about it. So sooner or later, you’ll have to obtain an appraisal. Why waste time now?
As a seller, you can use a valuation certificate to sell names to other buyers. I cannot do the same because I don’t keep control over your domain.
I’m still interested in your domain. Hope you’ll change your position. I simply don’t want to take additional risks.
Thank you for understanding. I’m looking forward to do business with you.
Email #10 – I decide to confront him:
================================================
From: Danny
To: “‘Murphy’”
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
For someone in the domain reselling business you seem awfully focussed on the appraisal of one specific company whose domain is registered via proxy and that does not have a physical address, and appears on several scam warnings.
You also never mentioned where your company (elite Investment) is registered, and your own domain isn’t populated.
Entertaining. Care to comment?
Regards,
Danny.
Email #11- This is clearly off script – so he sends one last ditch (none of my questions are answered):
================================================
From: Murphy
To: Danny
Subject: [domain name (date sent)]
No deal without appraisal from a trusted source. This simple rule has saved me a lot of money and time. Feel free to contact me when you change your position and let’s do business the right way.
================================================
FURTHER SCAM INFORMATION
This pattern has been repeated in quite a few cases, but with changing names, often using the same script, for example: the same scam email (with the same text) was sent from:
Robert Gardos, CEO Elite Investment
Steven Campanella, Vice President, Elite Investment Group
Paul Rancour, CEO, ELI LLC
Eric Jorgensen, Vice President, Elite Invest Network
Tom Myers, ‘Independent Cybersquatter’
Jeffrey Burnstein, CEO of OBS LLC (burnstein@theonlinebrokerage.com)
(source).
Robert Gardos, VP, TGS Technologies (gardos@toughguy.net) (source)
Further examples are here, here , here and here.
SEDO’S RESPONSE:
I wrote to Sedo saying: “I was wondering if you were aware of this sort of scam happening, and if so, whether you would consider placing some kind of warning for other users of your site. It can be very easily misleading.”
Their response was:
“We are aware that there are unscrupulous persons around who will contact domain owners to try and get them to order an appraisal or sell the domain.
At Sedo, we encourage customers to use our appraisal service which is much more trustworthy.
You can always privacy protect the WHOIS record for your domain to avoid receiving these kind of emails in the future. You can do this through your registrar.”
So, no, they don’t really think they should warn their users, and simply suggest we use their services. Doh!
If you have been contacted in this way feel free to add your experience here as a comment, especially noting the names used in your case, so that they come up in Google searches and warn others.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
….I received the same mail form young@elitenethosting.com …..
the only different is the name….
Hi,
Me too, I received the same email from young@elitenethosting.com
Thanks for sharing that info!
I just received that email today
Me too. Thanks for the warning
These guys are very busy, Joe Young contacted me yesterday!
Thank you for your help everyone. I just joined Sedo and had these guys contact me. But with your help see all is well( my final comment to them). I also copied and pasted this blog to them.
From: goncalves@elitenethosting.com
>
> Subject: carelongterm.org (sent 05/21/10)
> Date: Fri, 21 May 2010 04:19:13 -0700
>
> Hello,
>
> How much do you ask for this domain for sale?
>
> Our company invests in domains and developed web sites. If you have other
> domains for sale feel free to send your list.
>
> Looking forward to do business with you.
>
> Regards,
>
> Daniel Golcaves
>
> Vice President
>
> Elite Web Investing Solutions LLC
From: goncalves@elitenethosting.com
Subject: Re: carelongterm.org (sent 05/21/10)
Date: Sat, 22 May 2010 07:02:54 +0400
Can you accept 5,000 USD?
Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name?
Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.
Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? I mean domain appraisals. Without valuation we cannot be sure in the sale price. It’s very important for me in terms of reselling too. But we must engage a valuation company with REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my partners trust.
To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies.
Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers:
http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/87569204.htm
If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% – 15% discount.
After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to obtain it) we’ll continue our negotiations.
What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?
Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
Looking forward to your reply.
It’s a standard practice to show independent valuation to buyers/resellers.
Nobody will do business without it. I’m a businessman and have no intention
of changing rules which help both parties to avoid additional risks.
Of course, investors never take into account auto-generated valuations. So
manual valuation is a “must” too.
I read the following information about appraisals at:
http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/87569204.htm
Without the independent valuation from a trusted source we don’t spend a
penny. This is our financial policy. So our offer is just a rought estimate.
If the appraisal comes higher we are ready to offer a bit more. If it comes
lower we will discuss the price with you again.
Thank you for understanding. I’m looking forward to do business with you.
My reply “I guess it’s time for you to go fck yourself!
Again Thanks everyone for the Heads-up. Bless you All!
Sellers name is now Daniel Goncalves and the scam appraisal site has now changed to BestDomainExperts.com.
Nearly had me as they offered what I had been asking, just wondered why they didnt do it through sedo, so did a little research ;)
Thanks
Yes these guys are busy. Been corresponding with Andrew Stolz (stolz@elitenethosting.com) He seemed to be pushing the specific site to do an appraisal so I quickly got a strange feeling about them. I can see how a less experienced user might get sucked into this scam. His emails were strange though, spent allot of time putting down other appraisers and focusing only on this one option. Do not do business with these guys, complete scam.
Daniel Goncalves
Did it to me too…..
Good news is AMX will not honor the charges.
Good Old Scammer Daniel Goncalves of Elite Net Hosting sent this to me.
Sedo is a good broker and we can use it for transfer/transaction.
Unfortunately , Sedo is not acceptable as an appraiser because your names
are listed with them and they are not independent. They are interested in
earning 10% commission on every sale. I need appraisals from a company
which is not interested in selling your domains.
I heard many appraisal companies often made inaccurate appraisals. So I
cannot accept appraisal from each and every site. I will only accept
appraisals from independent appraisal companies I know and trust.
http://www.domainnamenews.com/legal-issues/grand-jury-indicts-daniel-goncalves-domain-theft-charges/6613
Follow-up
Looks like Daniel was arrested last year for domain theft.
Daniel wrote me another letter claiming that these posts are lies and that this is not good business. I think someone may be posing as him or his english is horrific.
Either way, I am out and do not care to deal with this gentlemen again.
Funny thing is, my next door neighbor is the Assistant District Attorney for my Federal District. He was aware of the arrest last year and has asked me to copy him on correspondence from Daniel.
His specialty is scams and the notorious Nigerian practices.
I was contacted by:
Michael Hardeman
CEO
Internet Name Investing & Hosting
Same type of email, first contact though. From elitenethosting.com and the domain is private as well.
Thank you so much for the warning. I’ve been contacted by Michael Hardeman, hardeman@elitenethosting.com. Same script.
Eh Eh, a quite entertaining scammer tale! And it’s interesting to see how these douchebag’s scripts can go.
Hay guys, Thanks for the warning recieved the following today:
Hello,
We have an offer for your domain name. What is your asking price?
Our company invests in domains and developed sites. In case you have a
list of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer “dot coms” and easy-to-remember names.
Regards,
Michael Hardeman
CEO
Internet Name Investing & Hosting
I received 2 emails and found it funny that “Valuation” was so important to the potential buyer. Luckily I found this post. The first email was received soon after listing on Sedo.com.
Michael Hardeman, CEO, Internet Name Investing & Hosting
Email 1:
Hello,
We have an offer for your domain name. What is your asking price?
Our company invests in domains and developed sites. In case you have a
list of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer “dot coms” and easy-to-remember names.
Regards,
Michael Hardeman
CEO
Internet Name Investing & Hosting
Email 2:
80,000. Ok.
I have a 350,000 USD budget for 5-8 domain names. Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? Without a valuation certificate we cannot be sure in the sale price. Moreover, my accountant and tax services always ask for valaution certificates :-). On the other side, it’s very important for me in terms of reselling too. Of course, we must engage a valuation company with a REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my accountant trust.
To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies. Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and
buyers:
http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/94752618.htm
If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% – 15% discount.
After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to obtain it) we’ll continue our negotiations. Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name? Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.
What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?
Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
Looking forward to your reply.
I got one, too from ‘Michael Hardeman’.
Funny how SEDO domains are being targeted
Offering to buy my domain for $5000
Sarawan
Almost forgot. If you get email spam or scammed, report the incident to the hosting and domain registrar at the very least. The more people who do this the faster these scams will die out. DomainByProxy and Godaddy.com won’t put up with this from any customer (in my opinion) and remember that all Terms of Services from your internet provider at home to your website hosting account forbid this type of action. Take a look at all your TOS and use them to fight back. https://supportcenter.godaddy.com/Abuse/SpamReport.aspx
When Michael Hardeman, CEO, offers me 5x my asking price, I get a little suspicious. Thanks for the blog!
M hardeman contacted me, it sounded somewhat plausible, and stupidly I paid for a valuation. What a sucker. I didn’t research it on the web first, of course having put a domain for sale I naturally hoped to receive emails about it .
So 59 euros down.. And what gave it away was they valued my domain at $135k – I thought that was ludicrous.
Mark
I got same email from Michael Hardeman CEO Internet Name Investing & Hosting
Now is is Jay Pressman in the email.s
I have deleted all my domains for sale from sedo
It seems to me that sedo should take a great deal of interest/concern in these folks using their site to scam. And if they do not, as apparently they are not, It leads me to believe they are involved.
Therefore I have removed my domains for sale told they why.
Same email here – same company – come on!
Hello,
We have an offer for your domain name. What is your asking price?
Our company invests in domains and developed sites. In case you have a list of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer “dot coms” and easy-to-remember names.
Regards,
Jay Pressman
CEO
Internet Name Investing & Hosting
I’ve had the same! I partially fell for it and had my domains apraised by another company, not the one they recommended. But still I’m out of pocket here.
hardeman@elitenethosting.com
It seams to be elitenethosting.com, do not listen to emails from these!!! SCAM!!!
Got one this morning for one of my for-sale domains from:
Jeremy Hammond
CEO
Name Proffesionals Investing LLC
The spelling of ‘professionals’ immediately set alarm bells ringing that it was likely a scam.
did you submit a complain with the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center, A partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance). Must be the best way to fight this scam…
http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx
Identical e-mails from one “Jeremy Hammond” of thenamepros.com
I get the same letter from Ross Davis (davis@elitehostingnet.com), and stupidly I fall in their trap .After I write a complain, davis block my email ( I also tried to email him). I ask for the refund to ceo@namesaleshop.com and abuse@namesaleshop.com, but until now they didn’t reply my email for asking the refund.
And another one
From: Daniel Sullivan (sullivan@webhostingandmail.com)
Bla bla bla as per the above, insists on a valuation and offers the typical $5000 for the domain, initially thought as quite genuine as I have had a few valuations from automated systems which range from 3800 to 5100 BUT there is a part of me that I have adopted the bulsh*t detector, went through to the paid domain evaluation service and hesitated to click on the complete order button then my synical side decided to have a look round google and stumbled across this site, the template as discussed above is exactly the same as others have received as noted below:
Hello,
We have an offer for your domain name. What is your asking price?
Our company invests in domains and developed sites. In case you have a
list
of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer “dot coms”, “dot nets” and easy-to-remember names.
Regards,
Daniel Sullivan
MBA, MSCE
Founder
Web Hosting & Domain Investment LLC
========================================================
NOTICE – This communication may contain confidential and privileged
information that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Any
viewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message by
unintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message
and deleting it from your computer.
========================================================
Hows about I checked up on the domain his Email address was from and turns out to be around 2 hours drive from me in the UK, anyone happen to know how cheap housebricks are, damn good investment for a scammers car windscreen or better…
Daniel Sullivan contacted me as well today with the exact same text. It looks like the domains he is currently using are domainexplorer.org, webhostingandmail.com and of course the actual scam payoff site of certifieddomainvalue.com.
Ironically, the “forum” of domainexplorer.org root “site” is all about the apparent evils of using GoDaddy as a registrar. The irony is that all of the domains above use GoDaddy or at least domainsbyproxy.
I have been sent the same email from Daniel Sullivan it’s certainly a nasty scam this guy is pulling, i will be contacting GoDaddy, the more people that complain the quicker this scammer gets closed down. The valuation services he recommends strangely has only been created for few days.
certifieddomainvalue.com Created 18 ago 2010-07-02
BELOW IS THE SCAM EMAIL
Hello,
>
> We have an offer for your domain name. What is your asking price?
>
> Our company invests in domains and developed sites. In case you have a
> list
> of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
> We prefer “dot coms”, “dot nets” and easy-to-remember names.
> Regards,
>
> Daniel Sullivan
>
> MBA, MSCE
>
> Founder
>
> Web Hosting & Domain Investment LLC
DO NOT AGREE TO ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY, THEY HAVE FAKE APPRAISALS SITES, IT IS A COMPLETE SCAM.
Daniel Sullivan must be a busy guy — I just got the email.
I’ll play along with him, just for fun. I’m asking $8,000,000 for BrakeService.biz. Takers, anyone? (Real price is $1,220 which now seems like an awesome bargain!)
same. Nice scam though, as scams go. subtle. wrote back and left a link to this post.
here’s the ‘forum’ he directed me to – reads like no other legit forum does so smelled planted. notice the root domain is inaccessible.
check it out…
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: A Fletcher
Date: Fri, Jul 23, 2010 at 10:18 AM
Subject: Re: .com (sent 07/23/10)
To: XXXXX
Can you accept 800 USD
I’m also interested in
I have a 35,000 USD budget for several domain names. Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? Without a valuation certificate we cannot be sure in the sale price. Moreover, my accountant and tax services always ask for valaution certificates :-). On the other side, it’s very important for me in terms of reselling too. Of course, we must engage a valuation company with a REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my accountant trust.
To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable valuation companies. Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers:
http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/97428305.htm
If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% – 15% discount.
After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to obtain it) we’ll continue our negotiations. Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name? Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.
What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?
Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
forgot to leave the link to the planted forum … : http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/97428305.htm
same from “Tim Bonehill” with Afternic-Invest.com (there is apparently a James Bonehill that works for Afternic.com). Crazy.
just have an email from zimmerman@name-deals.com Founder Hosting & Name Deals LLC . lol
Ahhh a Chris Zimmerman (zimmerman@?name-deals.?com) wanted to buy my domain. What a nice fella, too bad it was a scam. He could have had a nice website!
I’ve just had the same scam:
—– Original Message —–
From:
Hello,
We have a good offer for your domain name. What is your asking price?
Our company invests in domains and developed sites. In case you have a list
of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text We prefer
“dot coms”, “dot nets” and easy-to-remember names.
—– Original Message —–
From: “Chris Zimmerman”
Hi
Can you accept 5,000 USD?
I have a 35,000 USD budget for 5-8 domain names. Have you had your domain
names evaluated in the past? Without a valuation certificate we cannot be
sure in the sale price. Moreover, my accountant and tax services always
ask for valaution certificates :-). On the other side, it’s very
important for me in terms of reselling too. Of course, we must engage a
valuation company with a REAL manual service. So I will only accept
valuations from independent sources I and my accountant trust.
To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal
companies. Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and
buyers:
http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/62170358.htm
If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking
price accordingly. It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% -
15% discount.
After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to
obtain it) we’ll continue our negotiations. Do you sell domain with a web
site or just the name? Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is
not necessary.
What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire
transfer, PayPal.com or something else?
Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
Looking forward to your reply.
——– Original Message ——–
From: “Chris Zimmerman”
I see, but it’s a standard practice to show independent valuation to
buyers/resellers. Nobody will do business without it. I’m a businessman and
have no intention of changing rules which help both parties to avoid
additional risks.
Of course, investors never take into account auto-generated valuations. So
manual valuation is a “must” too.
I read the following information about appraisals at:
http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/62170358.htm
Without the independent valuation from a trusted source we don’t spend a
penny. This is our financial policy. So our offer is just a rought estimate.
If the appraisal comes higher we are ready to offer a bit more. If it comes
lower we will discuss the price with you again.
Thank you for understanding. I’m looking forward to do business with you.
Hope we can come to an agreement fast because I’ll be on vacation soon.
I had the same.
Hello,
We have a good offer for your domain name. What is your asking price?
Our company invests in domains and developed sites. In case you have a
list
of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer “dot coms”, “dot nets” and easy-to-remember names.
Regards,
Chris Zimmerman
Founder
Hosting & Name Deals LLC
I REPLIED
YOU CHEEKY BUGGER, NEARLY GOT ME, GET A JOB
I’ve just had the same scam : “Chris Zimmerman “.
Thanks for sharing that info!
Submit a complain with the IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center, A partnership between the FBI, the National White Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance). Must be the best way to fight this scam…
http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx
—– Original Message —–
From: zimmerman@name-deals.com
Date: Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 09:35 AM
Subject: xxxx.xxx (sent 07/31/10)
To: XXXXX
Hello,
We have a good offer for your domain name. What is your asking price?
Our company invests in domains and developed sites. In case you have a
list
of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer “dot coms”, “dot nets” and easy-to-remember names.
Regards,
Chris Zimmerman
Founder
Hosting & Name Deals LLC
– End –
—– Original Message —–
From: zimmerman@name-deals.com
Date: Sat, Jul 31, 2010 at 15:29
Subject: xxxx.xxx (sent 07/31/10)
To: XXXXX
Pablo,
Can you accept 900 eur?
I have a 35,000 eur budget for 5-8 domain names. Have you had your domain names evaluated in the past? Without a valuation certificate we cannot be sure in the sale price. Moreover, my accountant and tax services always ask for valaution certificates :-). On the other side, it’s very important for me in terms of reselling too. Of course, we must engage a valuation company with a REAL manual service. So I will only accept valuations from independent sources I and my accountant trust.
To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies. Please check this blog with suggestions from other sellers and buyers:
http://www.domainexplorer.org/Archive/62170358.htm
If, for example, the valuation comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. It will be fair. I also hope you can give me 12% – 15% discount.
After you send me the valuation via email (usually it takes 1-2 days to obtain it) we’ll continue our negotiations. Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name? Domain without content is ok with me. Web site is not necessary.
What is your preferred payment method: Escrow.com, International wire transfer, PayPal.com or something else?
Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
Looking forward to your reply.
– End –
American Express refunded all the charges made to my account.
I was not charged for the “valuations” to help Danny “purchase” my domains.
Thank goodness for AMX. They always back their customer first, not the vendor
I received the same attempted SCAM from Chris Zimmerman [zimmerman@name-deals.com]
beware
IYes i recieved the same from Chris Zimmerman. I found it extremely strange that they wanted to but the domain but wanted me o appraise it. I sent one back saying that as i was the domain owner i have no reason for an appraisal and that he was quite welcome to get his own appraisal and come back to me with a firm offer then we can talk. That was 2 days ago and i havent heard back. After finding this now i know why. But i can see how they draw people in ive never tried it before, all of a sudden within a week of putting on sedo i get a $15k US offer. But ive never heard of someone selling a house providing the potential buyer with an appraisal, its up to the buyer, so why would this be any different.
(To add to my earlier post)
My reply to the guy’s offer to £5,000 out of his supposed $35,000 budget and my choice of payment method was:
“The domain comes without valuation or content, but please feel free to validate the domain with a suitable service if you wish. I accept payments through Sedo’s secure Escrow Service.”
and then when he responded to push me towards using his valuation service (to line his own pockets), I replied:
“If you feel the domain is of interest then you may take out a valuation on the name, as is common for a buyer with such a large budget.
Sedo does not recommend sellers to partake in valuation scams such as the following:
http://www.thatdanny.com/2009/03/08/domain-valuation-scam-targets-sedo-users/
but if you would like to conduct the valuation yourself and place a bid through Sedo then I would certainly consider it.”
He never replied after that ;)
whoosh! I almost fell into their trap! Thanks to you guys!
Here is the guy that tried to victimized me.
Chris Zimmerman [zimmerman@name-deals.com]
Let this email text index by search engine so that they can be found by the future victims.
Thanks,
Leo
On Auguts 2nd I received the same kind of email from “Adam Brzowski”:
Hello,
What is your asking price for your domain?
We have found it listed for sale and we have a good offer for you.
Our comapny invests in domains and developed sites. In case you have a list of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer “dot coms”, “dot nets” and easy-to-remember names.
Regards,
Adam Brzowski
COO
Hosting & Name Deals LLC
I also received one of these scam emails, played along and sent him a link to my evaluation, that will execute a php script, hows your PC going now Adam Brzowski?
new name:
Hello,
How much do you want for your domain?
We have found it listed for sale and we have a good offer for you.
Our comapny invests in domains and developed sites. If you have a list of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer “.com”, “.net”, “.co”, “.co.uk”, “.us” and easy-to-remember names with other extensions.
Regards,
Jerry Eisenberg
Vice President
Hosting & Name Deals LLC
From: jerry-eisenberg@name-deals.com
Hello,
How much do you want for your domain?
We have found it listed for sale and we have a good offer for you.
Our comapny invests in domains and developed sites. If you have a list of domains for sale, please send the list with prices in plain text.
We prefer “.com”, “.net”, “.co”, “.co.uk”, “.us” and easy-to-remember names with other extensions.
Regards,
Jerry Eisenberg
Vice President
Hosting & Name Deals LLC
========================================================NOTICE – This communication may contain confidential and privilegedinformation that is for the sole use of the intended recipient. Anyviewing, copying or distribution of, or reliance on this message byunintended recipients is strictly prohibited. If you have received thismessage in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the messageand deleting it from your computer.========================================================
Recieved today.