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Already mentioned this to momdamoto, happy to have this rerouted if possible. Contact me for my details if you need them.

Going to the police very soon, so if there is anything else (be very specific) PM me.

Also, I am printing this thread for the police, so keep it VERY RELEVANT!!

Well done fellas.

For all GW take it from people here, you can always count on their CS department to be attentive and to help you solve problems.

Sincerely hope everyone gets their $$/stuff back.

 RiTides wrote:
The communication / testimonials are helpful, just a reminder that comments should be directly related to trades / trade discussions with this user from people who directly experienced such. Piling on posts will have to be deleted.

Has anyone actually sent models/money to this person other than Waaaghpower? Or are all the rest aborted trades where nothing had yet been sent?

I sent him some of my Tau. im going to go to the post office and see if i can get it back. My package hasn't left the country yet so there's a small chance that i might be able to get it back. also he sent me the same tracking number.

the trade we agreed on was this. i was supposed to send him 3 crisis suits, 79 fire warriors, 2 piranhas, 6 stealth suits, 1 etherial, 9 kroot, 3 devilfish, 1 hammerhead, 1 Crisis HQ, and a $60 GW gift card. he was supposed to send me 2 battleforce boxes, 1 tesseract barge, 1 ghost ark, 1 monolith, 12 wraith, 2 tomb sentinels, 4 pylons, 1 tesseract vault, 15 arcanthrites, 1 night shroud bomber, and a case.

ok, quick update.

I could NOT lodge a complaint just yet due to a technicality. I said he has until TODAY to send me the items I had traded for. So the police said come back tomorrow or Wednesday before I can really lodge something official.

On the GW front, all of us contacting them has meant they have cancelled everything that they can (as far as they are aware). This was above and beyond for them and I imagine took a lot of effort.

Also, the sadest part of this report.
I cannot lodge charges on behalf of the other Dakkites here. After I lodge my report I will send those who want to file their own report the police report number from Australia so it can be lodged together. I am unsure how exactly this would work.

The police (a few of them) all agreed, that for something this small from another country, it's very unlikely they will be able to do something about it. The burden of proof would be very high (And the evidence from an internet blog is sadly not the highest standard of evidence).

I will keep you all informed if anything changes and if I get more information from the police (was there for 3 hours today... so not sure what else they can tell me) but things might get clearer when I can actually lodge a complaint.

Hopefully everyone who sent him money via GW is in the clear (which was not an insignificant amount) but those who sent models, so far I am sorry I cannot do more to help.

I'll be in touch.

I have the address in Dora Creek if you're interested in it.

Thanks, but I think that's ok. Best not to put that sort of detail into the public though

 Makaleth wrote:
Also, the sadest part of this report.
I cannot lodge charges on behalf of the other Dakkites here. After I lodge my report I will send those who want to file their own report the police report number from Australia so it can be lodged together. I am unsure how exactly this would work.

Thanks for updating, Makaleth. I think that this is expected and the best you could do. If you give people the number to reference, it will make it easier for them to file a report. A few people sent over a hundred dollar's worth, and one person over several hundred dollar's worth, of physical items. So, it may well be worth it for them to report it. Having a number to reference will make it much easier!

If when you file the report, you could ask the police if people wanting to file complaints against this person need to go to their own local police first, or if they can call the NSW police directly and reference that report number, that would be very helpful.

 necrons_ftw wrote:
I have the address in Dora Creek if you're interested in it.

Many people in this thread have the address, having sent items to him or having paid for GW to do so. However, the full address will not be posted on the forum as it is against Dakka policy. If anyone needs it, just PM me or anyone else affected in this thread.

@RiTides is there any way you can track his IP and block it to flag in case he tries to create another account on here?

Honestly he tried to contact me a while back, but thankfully i missed the PM he sent until after i saw this. Usually with theft one can post with their local authorities since they are the victim, but i am not sure how it would work with him being international.

 Makaleth wrote:
The police (a few of them) all agreed, that for something this small from another country, it's very unlikely they will be able to do something about it. The burden of proof would be very high (And the evidence from an internet blog is sadly not the highest standard of evidence).

Just to clarify, I thought he was in Australia?

He is (in New South Whales). I believe Makaleth was referring to the people who mailed him things, who were mostly in the US / Canada.

I'm hoping that the NSW police will provide Makaleth with contact info to give to people wanting to get in touch with them regarding this case. However, it's possible they'll say people need to contact their local police and have them communicate with the NSW police, which makes it harder.

So I believe they will let Makaleth know one way or the other about that when he is able to lodge the official complaint in a few days... there is probably not much to update in the interim.

Why doesn't someone go and pay him a friendly visit. And try and reason with him like adults. I don't mean to intimidate him or herass but to just try and talk some sense into him.

 Cutthroatcure wrote:
@RiTides is there any way you can track his IP and block it to flag in case he tries to create another account on here?

Honestly he tried to contact me a while back, but thankfully i missed the PM he sent until after i saw this. Usually with theft one can post with their local authorities since they are the victim, but i am not sure how it would work with him being international.

It is worth mentioning that the community here should be extra careful at this time. The Zigzagboom alter-ego was created last time to scam additional people and disrupt the transaction report by posing as a victim.

 RiTides wrote:
Anyone who has a current transaction with LustrianLizard, or who communicated with him regarding trades, please feel free to post here on topic (that is, the discussion of trades specifically relating to this user).

If you don't fall into this category, please don't post "helpful" suggestions.

I was also scammed by him. Just last week I posted looking for an old (MDF) Citadel paint station. I recieved the same script about paypal holding funds for 21 days (which is true in most cases.) I completed his order from GW being a dakka friendly trusting person. He said he'd send out on friday with a tracking number. I had to PM him to ask if he mailed it, and he sent me a local tracking number that had already been delivered within AU (I'm USA)

I found this interesting and informed him that I never even gave him my address for shipping, and knew immediately that I had been scammed.

Being international I don't think theres anything I can do, but luckily it was only $30 (could have been much worse.) Lesson learned I guess but i'm hoping that others can at least learn from my mistakes,

I hope people in AU can actually take action against him and get this guy arrested. Good luck to everyone who has been scammed, and I'm still looking to buy an old MDF paint station.

63400747465091 is the tracking number I was given.

I was nearly scammed myself. When he told me I could "purchase from GW" for him, I offered to buy from the US site and then mail it to him myself, as doing it that would would probably have gotten him more product for the money.

When he said no to that, I stopped responding to his emails. Glad I did.

I just came from the post office and you can intercept a package going international for a $20 dollar fee but there is a big if.
If the package list that has been processed through New York it has more than likely on a plane off to its destination.

The person I spoke to took my name and was going to call me back later as he was going to call and find if it indeed had left but more than likely it is gone

Quick update:

I heard back from the post office and there still trying to get the package rerouted should know in a couple of days but more that likely its lost to the jackwagon.

Not to rub it in or anything, but just for future reference, when dealing with a user like this who:

1. Had under 30 posts
2. Had been a member less than 2 months

People should really not have even considered buying something from any website, and having it shipped direct!

If anyone asks a Dakka member to do this for any reason from here on, Please PM me! This is completely unacceptable as a form of payment! Paypal has built-in safeguards for a reason, and is really the only thing people should be using to pay for items.

For direct trades, a user with that few posts should probably be asked to ship first. Certainly, a small deal may be worth risking... but once the value of items approaches $100 (or much more, as was here in some cases) you should not trust someone with so little rep!

In some cases, they might be able to provide external references (such as ebay or bartertown), or they might be willing to simply ship first. But in no way should they just be trusted with such a large sum!

People need to be more careful about these things, and by far the safest way is to just sell what you want to get rid of in exchange for Paypal funds, and use those funds to purchase what you want to get. That way, people are protected both ways. You might not get quite as good of a deal... but it is so much safer.

I will likely post a general reminder about this at the top of the forum after this is over as a sticky, but I just wanted to mention it here. Now, back to the topic at hand of just trades dealing with LustrianLizard, as Janthkin has already reminded everyone above.

ok, quick recap.

The police have been contacted. I cannot put much on the public domain (as that would not be right).

The incident number is ES3031178

The only thing I was allowed to put through officially was my case. I cannot go into detail much anymore as there is an investigation going on.

If you have had items taken (hopefully all of the GW vouchers were returned) you can go to your police and lodge a complaint and they might be able to join them up, but it is not common on this sort of matter.

The short of it. If you cannot reroute your packages, it is almost impossible to get it back as I thought.

If anything else happens (or you have been personally impacted and have questions) PM me or RiTides. I will update when I can.

Thanks All,
and remember... PAYPAL and do not do odd trades with newbies.

Thanks for the update, Makaleth.

It's now in you guy's hands who sent items to follow up on this. A few people sent several hundred dollars' worth of items each. As such, going to your local police, and having them get in touch with the NSW police, is the only way to have justice served.

Here is the New South Whales police department website, from what I can find:
https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/contact_us

Giving your local police the address you sent the items to, and the incident number Makaleth posted above (ES3031178), along with that website should make it possible for them to follow up.

Makaleth, is there any chance you could post the specific contact information (such as phone or email) for the officer involved in this case?

I heard back from the post office and my package is on a plane to Sydney so I assume I need to wait till he gets it and then a reasonable amount of time for him to in theory send me my items before I can file a report?

I had insurance on the package doe anyone know if I can claim it

Perhaps sending an email to the postal service(s) in Sydney and they might be able to put a stop on the package once it gets there.

mondamoto wrote:
I heard back from the post office and my package is on a plane to Sydney so I assume I need to wait till he gets it and then a reasonable amount of time for him to in theory send me my items before I can file a report?

I had insurance on the package doe anyone know if I can claim it

you would have to ask the insurer... but I would seriously doubt they will reimburse you for an item delivered correctly. They were not part of the trade, just the sending.


Also,
I don't have the officers personal details. But the matter number and the Castle Hill Police Station is all that is needed to log that with the NSW/Australian Authorities.

If you need more info to make the complaint please PM me.

He offered me a ridiculous amount of xwing models for some ccg cards I have. Seemed waaaay too good to be true.

I asked about refs, he said he could provide ONE here, and could show 8 PayPal sales. Smelling BS, I asked for photos. His reply was that he no longer had a camera, and that he had an LG brick. I said most phones over the last few years have a camera of some kind. I also suggested he just get a pal or a neighbor. He responded that he was new to his area and didn't know anyone, and that it was pretty rural...so I google earth'd it, and his house is in the center of a suburban sprawl. I then asked him to describe his backyard (since I could see it from SPACE), and he refused. I then expressed my concern for how this was going (at this point it's about 15 PMs in), and that if he'd agree to send first, I'd go through with it. He said the best he could do would be to send at the same time. At this point, I simply blocked him.

In the middle of all of this, he also saw my VC listing, and offered numerous ways to get it from me.

I hope those of you who sent stuff get it all back, and thankfully I could smell the desperate BS a mile away.

I sent a message to the NSW Police Department regarding my part in this incident. I will update if and when I get a response from them.

Edit: I forgot one detail. i received a response from GW regarding an email i sent to them regarding the vouchers. they said that they are forwarding LustrianLizard's contact info to their legal team for further investigation. From what I've heard, their legal team likes to throw the book at people for every infraction.

Kintaro wrote:
He offered me a ridiculous amount of xwing models for some ccg cards I have. Seemed waaaay too good to be true.

I asked about refs, he said he could provide ONE here, and could show 8 PayPal sales. Smelling BS, I asked for photos. His reply was that he no longer had a camera, and that he had an LG brick. I said most phones over the last few years have a camera of some kind. I also suggested he just get a pal or a neighbor. He responded that he was new to his area and didn't know anyone, and that it was pretty rural...so I google earth'd it, and his house is in the center of a suburban sprawl. I then asked him to describe his backyard (since I could see it from SPACE), and he refused. I then expressed my concern for how this was going (at this point it's about 15 PMs in), and that if he'd agree to send first, I'd go through with it. He said the best he could do would be to send at the same time. At this point, I simply blocked him.

In the middle of all of this, he also saw my VC listing, and offered numerous ways to get it from me.

I hope those of you who sent stuff get it all back, and thankfully I could smell the desperate BS a mile away.

I'd just like to point out, guys, that if you see a pattern like this happen again... please, Please PM me and give me a heads up!

One person did do so, basically saying "Jamesc2012 is back" at a one-liner PM, but it got missed because they didn't provide the new user's username and so there were several day's delay before we connected the dots.

So, please... if you encounter an obvious attempt like this to scam in the future, let me know! By getting this TR thread up when we did, I think several people were able to avoid sending items, and the very high dollar amount GW orders were able to be cancelled. A few days makes all the difference when someone is trying to do a "shotgun" scam like this- he must have known when he gave out that tracking number that he only had days left, anyway. But if it had gone on a bit longer, GW might've shipped him the stuff and then things would be much worse.

My only regret here, is that if that had happened, seemingly the NSW police would be taking this more seriously... please, try talking to your police if you sent a lot of items, and give them the below information for them to report it to the NSW police. Or even try emailing/calling the NSW police yourself regarding the case number posted above (ES3031178). The only way James C. gets charged / sees jail time is if you follow through!

Complaint number:
ES3031178

Castle Hill Police station:
http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/about_us/structure/operations_command/local_area_commands/north_west_metro_region/the_hills/castle_hill_police_station

General NSW police "contact us" page:
https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/contact_us

Should a list be made that shows how many people he contacted to try and scam? Just to show the police the volume of attempted scams. So they get an idea of how bad it could have truly been if not for the actions taken by the MODS and members of the form. Along with a amount of the items in which Lizard tryed to "trade" for.

He came to me offering a couple of shadowswords in exchange for some of my tau and about $40 worth of stuff from GW's website. i told him i could get him more stuff for the same price from my flgs and that id ship all of it when i got the shadowswords. He refused to ship first, so no dice.

SheSpits wrote:
Should a list be made that shows how many people he contacted to try and scam? Just to show the police the volume of attempted scams. So they get an idea of how bad it could have truly been if not for the actions taken by the MODS and members of the form. Along with a amount of the items in which Lizard tryed to "trade" for.

We have this already.

And I re-iterate RiTides point, if something is fishy, please tell RiTides or a Mod without hesitation.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 necrons_ftw wrote:
I sent a message to the NSW Police Department regarding my part in this incident. I will update if and when I get a response from them.

Edit: I forgot one detail. i received a response from GW regarding an email i sent to them regarding the vouchers. they said that they are forwarding LustrianLizard's contact info to their legal team for further investigation. From what I've heard, their legal team likes to throw the book at people for every infraction.

If I hear anything on this I will post the allowable information. As I (and Steve) cancelled these... and I made the official police report, I imagine they might.

Yes, I do have such a list together... however, I had not given it to GW (it was for the police). That is not a bad idea, if people do not mind (it has their names / addresses listed).

Necrons_ftw, I'll PM you as I'd like to see that response from GW to your email, it may give me a context to send them the list in.

RiTides,
The police in this instance actually suggested putting up the address (I would say without street details) of this person to make sure no-one sends anything else to him (or if he tries it again to make sure they are notified immediately).

Is that within the guidelines of Dakka?