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My Mandelogic comment was related to the idea that he was scanning the internet and became immediately involved in an issue he says has absolutely nothing to do with him.

He IMMEDIATELY begins a campaign of harassment just as he did the last 7 times he claimed it was not him, saying the exact same things he said the last 7 times it was him and expecting it to work. Delusional.

Meanwhile, the FB account that is absolutely not him starts acting, writing and lashing out EXACTLY as he did at the end of his last venture while pretending to be a woman. This supposed other person who is supposedly completely innocent and has never experienced the entire internet crashing down on him before suddenly reacts like it is old hat and begins attacking everyone in sight, claiming lies, trolling etc, and dodging all the super, super easy questions that would clear things up. Like a business registration number. Or getting into contact with the owner. Or divulging why he would sell multiple titans at cost (according to him) while shilling old Resin Forge leftovers for profit.

Not to mention there is no evidence the owner of that page actually exists, no element of his now deleted backstory can be confirmed though it should be easy. This company (and the account behind it) popped up exactly when Resin Forge folded, and immediately began doing business with similar models and materials, the same stock, in the same super odd, 'purchase through Facebook PM only' way that I have never seen anywhere else. Starts pre-selling goods it has no rights to do so, a scam by any definition, just as all the others did... I mean come on. Blaming a third party, obscuring and trying to retract that he was selling those titans, using another persons titans... sudden massive leaps in FB likes with no corresponding activity on the site itself... posting links in all the same spots all his other companies did...

I mean I could go on and on, even without knowing the things I know that I cannot pass on, it is pretty bloody obvious at this point... If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, wears a sign saying 'hi I'm a duck', is followed around by scientists and wise men saying it is a duck, has its picture under the definition of duck in the dictionary, is found hanging in Chinese food store windows next to the peking duck sign, does commercials for afflec, is Mickey's best friend... it's a goddam duck already.

 MajorTom11 wrote:
1st post has nothing to do with him. Name of the thread has nothing to do with him.

Why even look? He hates Dakka sooooo much... yet he is apparantly here every waking hour.

He just finished his last scam this very summer.

Please read this thread of first hand accounts and iron-clad evidence, put aside an hour or two, you will understand -

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/538614.page

Ive followed his goings on before, this is just the first time i have voiced my opinion.

and if he is behind BCS he will be looking at things about it, and even if he isnt from the moment this started people have been throwing his name around, both here and facebook.

His name is often mentioned, anytime a scam occurs. He is the benchmark. He doesn't start calling people for those. He started on this one. Your line of logic is reasonable, but it doesn't factor in his notoriety or the frequency his name will be chucked up all over the internet.

The point is, this time, it was special to him. Even forgetting anything else, one must question why this and not the rest?

I liken it to 'tissue'; everyone calls it "Kleenex", even if it's not that particular brand.

At the absolute minimum, this appears to be someone trying to scam the community. Even if it's not him, the MO is close enough that comparisons and references are all but impossible to avoid.

But when you add all the extras (the calls, the behaviour once called out on the matter, etc), it's hard to ignore the similarities.

If it's not him (and I fully believe Tom that it is at this point), he'd be doing an awfully bad job of avoiding the exact same patterns and pitfalls DM so commonly falls into.

 Kanluwen wrote:
So is anyone considering reporting this to GW Legal?

No, this is serious business. Let the competent pros sort it out

 Kroothawk wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:
So is anyone considering reporting this to GW Legal?

No, this is serious business. Let the competent pros sort it out

In all fairness, they might finally be worth their paycheck if they can bring this scammer (who is allegedly a duck Daniel Mandelbaum) before justice.

And it would definitely be amusing to see the full wrath of the legal department when they have an irrefutably legitimate argument.

On-topic: Thanks Dakkadakka for helping the community!

MagnusRune Daltus wrote:

 azreal13 wrote:

MagnusRune Daltus wrote:

 MajorTom11 wrote:
No, not really. He of course claims it is nothing to do with him. Yet somehow he jumped right on the thread when it didn't even have his name in it yet.

1+3= duck quack

Usual Mandelogic.

Hi i am new to the site,always been a lurker. but in this 6 page thead his name is mentioned plenty of times. right from the start people saying it seams like his MO, to someone confirming (though not giving up sources) that he is behind BCS

You've misunderstood.

Firstly, there are few more familiar with Mandelbonder's MO than Tom

Secondly, he was describing DM's logic in getting involved. He will take offence at anything, even when he has to work really hard to do so.

i was simply saying that he has been mentioned in this thread, there is a search function, maybe he looks for his name from time to time, or like me found this whole thing via Lexacourm on fb updates? i wasnt questioning that this might be him again, just that he had been mentioned in this thread in connection to BCS, before someone posted saying they have the evidence that he is.

I suspect he does more than drop in from time to time.

This whole thing is like Groundhog Day, you could almost draw up a timetable for the various meltdowns, prevarications and smoke screens.

I reported to GW Legal and Forge World yesterday, who thanked me and told me that they were already aware of it. Don't know whether anything will come of it, but I thought it was the right thing to do.

 Magos Explorator wrote:
I reported to GW Legal and Forge World yesterday, who thanked me and told me that they were already aware of it. Don't know whether anything will come of it, but I thought it was the right thing to do.

I emailed them Monday afternoon and they said they would look into it and thanks for notifying them.
I think we'll see a C&D from GW. From what I've seen of other blogs and sculptors GW has made them remove any and all GW content they have for sale. Which means his work will be removed.

He (as Alan wasshisname) has now said that he has had no reply from Big Bad (sic) for 24 hours. He has tried to shift the attention by saying that the designer is selling for profit using the video.

I have rightly pointed out that not only did he only get the contact details a little over 12 hours ago but that HE was the only one who attempted to sell the design.

Deleted in 5, 4 , 3.....

Another interesting thing, the Alan Welson profile has 97 friends, and barely any of them appear to be a normal person.

There's a few names I recognise from here, a few from the BCS page and nearly everything else is padded out from very obviously commercial profiles and pages to do with wargaming.

Doesn't look like the profile of a normal person at all. (No pun intended)

The efforts put in by so many people to stop this guy scamming anyone else are commendable. However, if he has an MO, and has done this every few months with a new dodgy company, why aren't the authorities taking more of an interest? What has to be done to get this guy to stop?

Fireytas wrote:
The efforts put in by so many people to stop this guy scamming anyone else are commendable. However, if he has an MO, and has done this every few months with a new dodgy company, why aren't the authorities taking more of an interest? What has to be done to get this guy to stop?

Think of it like ROI in a business sense.

The effort required for a conviction for the quantities of victims and cash involved just doesn't stack up.

At this point, it seems the community has him in a corner, so we have by and large achieved what a conviction would achieve anyway, and will continue to pressure him until he gives up, or sufficient evidence accumulates that it is worth sending him to jail.

I still am in a bit of disbelief that of all our members and all the people who see this, no one knows anyone in the DOJ, Post office etc that would have the right to nail this guy... but oh well. He is a giant pest to us, but a petty thief to them.

 MajorTom11 wrote:
I still am in a bit of disbelief that of all our members and all the people who see this, no one knows anyone in the DOJ, Post office etc that would have the right to nail this guy... but oh well. He is a giant pest to us, but a petty thief to them.

Thats what I was trying to get to earlier. I dont KNOW special-agent joe blow I can call but this definitely has crossed the line from punk taking advantage of someone to a larger scheme involving players in different states/countries that has happened repeatedly. I've never done anything with the Attorney General's office on a state or Federal level but the US Postmaster General's office really dislikes fraud when it goes through their system. Little did I know they have a decent organization to investigate the claims, hunt these jokers down and prosecute them.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5040363_file-complaint-postmaster-general.html


The (alleged) fact that this is happening again (and again) with some other shell "company" shows a continued willful and malevolent desire to defraud a community. That is something the FBI would investigate.

Either way Fed's dont around.

Although the absolute most brutal and unsavory type of person I have encountered and from word of mouth are IRS agents. If this person is collecting money through a unregistered, fictitious business without their EIN and all their i's dotted and t's crossed AND not giving Uncle Sam their fair-share.. woe betide them. Its something I WOULD wish on my worst enemy.

 azreal13 wrote:
Another interesting thing, the Alan Welson profile has 97 friends, and barely any of them appear to be a normal person.

There's a few names I recognise from here, a few from the BCS page and nearly everything else is padded out from very obviously commercial profiles and pages to do with wargaming.

Doesn't look like the profile of a normal person at all. (No pun intended)

I scrolled through his friends just to see. I know 90% of them, but there are no personal friends on there. Everyone is a professional artist or people who work for studios or forums.
All of these are people any "Joe Blow" can add and get on their friends list.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 MajorTom11 wrote:
I still am in a bit of disbelief that of all our members and all the people who see this, no one knows anyone in the DOJ, Post office etc that would have the right to nail this guy... but oh well. He is a giant pest to us, but a petty thief to them.

Hopefully GW will see him in violation and throw the IP lawyers at him.
It'd be nice to have some high powered friends in the legal system!

He (as Alan wasshisname) has now said that he has had no reply from Big Bad (sic) for 24 hours.

Nor is it probable that he will get one - I have seen the rambling email that "Alan Welson" sent to Big Bad/ Catwell and since "Alan Welson" wrote pretty much exactly what I had predicted some days earlier in a PM and because Big Bad/ Catwell knows what Mandelbaum does if you give him any personal information like phone or skype or whatever, I have the impression he does not want to be used as a punching bag for psycho calls.

The video that kicked off this thread is very specific in stating that someone has ripped off the images, not the 3D files.

Since that information contradicts the information given out by Black Crusade Studios, either the video maker or BCS are lying.

Assuming BigBad is the one who made the video, he already knows that BCS is a liar and has no reason to talk to him.

Since that information contradicts the information given out by Black Crusade Studios, either the video maker or BCS are lying.

Since BCS was supposed to do the 3D prints on Monday and he was supposed to be in the possession of the plans for much longer - yet we fail to see any proof images of either printed models nor screenshots of the files - it is not difficult to pick a side to bet your money on.
So, Alan/ Daniel, our faithful but silent reader, did you manage to print any of the kits?

I would definitely advise the video maker to respond, publicly with the following -

1. Can you show any in software 3D renders or the base geometry to prove you have the 3D files at the least and could have offerred the model if there had been no IP issues? This would help at least show you were capable of following through on your pre-orders and drastically minimize the appearance of outright fraud.

2. Can you please provide your business registration # and attendant info as demanded by US law.

3. Do you now publicly attest, that you are not, nor in any way involved with Daniel Mandelbaum or Stephanie Hernandez or any of their associated aliases.

4. Can you provide the phone numbers of local California hobby establishments that would be able to attest to your existence so that we can have some verification beyond your assurances in #3. Note, this will not give out any of your personal information, but since you attest to being part of the California scene for some time and worked in the hobby, it should be no problem to get a hold of someone, anyone who knows you out there and is themselves a verifiable employee or known person at the locations you specify.


Just do all that. 'Alan' should be able to answer all of that with 10 minutes of his time, it should be immediately accessible info on all fronts, there should be absolutely no excuse or reason not to share that information if he is being honest about who and what he is.

If not....

I would definitely advise the video maker to respond, publicly with the following -

[...]

Honestly after writing with Big Bad I do not have the impression he wishes to become embroiled in a public and protracted discussion with the Likes of Welson/ Mandelbaum. And who couldn't understand that. Big Bad has made a public announcement that he is not associated to BCS and that his Titan is not for sale and that the pictures used were stolen from his blog and that nobody had his Titan or the 3D plans for it. Warning that the whole thing must be a scam. He did so in a widespread public video. That's already pretty much he can do to distance himself from all sales and to warn people. If it is Mandelbaum or somebody else will not play a big role for him as long as his name is out of the suspicion corner.

Nevertheless I will forward him MajorTom11's suggestion.

Tell him he never has to deal with it after that, but if he wants to help the greater community, it is important he put that out there at the least.

If he does not respond at all, you can bet it will be used to paint him as the bad guy at the least, and possibly be spun so that BCS can get themselves out of explaining it at worst.

Remind him he has the ability to prevent people from being robbed, potentially kids, just by clicking copy paste and send, and then posting what he sent just once on any forum. Literally 60 seconds of his time at most.

I hope he can help us.

I'd agree that there is no point in trying to drag Big Bad / Catwell into this over and beyond what he'd be willing to do.

The very claim by BCS to "need" Big Bad to clear this whole thing up seems like a diversion in itself? BCS doesn't want to disclose "the client" with the files publicly out of integrity, though he would disclose "the client" to Catwell, who would in turn be free to publicize the information? Sounds like bs.

BCS - in theory - can clear all accusations of wrongdoings that are currently leveled against him all by himself, without involving Catwell and (!) without disclosing information of "the client" simply by providing original images (and business registration, etc., etc.. ).

The attempt to make Big Bad culpable in some form for the refusal to provide some kind of proof of BCS's "innocence" just stinks.

Yeah, I agree- while it could help, in a sense, to expose Mandelbaum a bit more by having Big Bad release a statement like that... they've already done more than enough. They've said they have nothing to do with the sales, and that the scammer simply stole their image and pretended it was their own.

If anyone wants to deal with the scammer after seeing that... it truly is their own fault!

(Of course, if they don't see it it's a different matter... but hopefully the video continues to be disseminated around the web to warn anyone who might be contacted by this scammer)

Tell him he never has to deal with it after that, but if he wants to help the greater community, it is important he put that out there at the least.

Message conveyed and invitation extended to come himself to the thread here - but it's really up to him, I am not going to press the issue.

RiTides wrote:Yeah, I agree- while it could help, in a sense, to expose Mandelbaum a bit more by having Big Bad release a statement like that... they've already done more than enough. They've said they have nothing to do with the sales, and that the scammer simply stole their image and pretended it was their own.

If anyone wants to deal with the scammer after seeing that... it truly is their own fault!

(Of course, if they don't see it it's a different matter... but hopefully the video continues to be disseminated around the web to warn anyone who might be contacted by this scammer)

Inquisitor S. wrote:

Tell him he never has to deal with it after that, but if he wants to help the greater community, it is important he put that out there at the least.

Message conveyed and invitation extended to come himself to the thread here - but it's really up to him, I am not going to press the issue.

This is true guys, and I do not want to pressure him unduly either, he doesn't owe anyone anything. That being said, he is in a very unique position. Mandelbaum kind of has to answer him. He can ignore everyone else, but if he wants to try and salvage BCS, then he has to answer this guy. That is a big deal, and no one will be able to call clearer attention to either proper or improper dealings than copying and pasting those questions.

He certainly doesn't need to help us, but, I would hope, given the support and vigilance he received from the community, that he would also find reward in doing us this generous favor too, in the interest of protecting his peers from further scamming.

I would happily meet in person with the guy running BCS. It says they are Los Angeles based and so am I. I asked on the site if I could show up in person to pay for and collect merchandise, one was deleted the other received no response from them.

http://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=hobbyshops&find_loc=Long+Beach%2C+CA

Anyone with some free time wanna call up some shops and see if they've ever heard of this "Alan Welson"?

If he's been in the hobby for 20 years like he says, and commissioned locally then I guarantee someone there will have heard of him. LA Bunker(or rather hole in the wall) would be another place to call.

Hey there, Inquisitor s on warseer just pointed me to this thread in a pm so i joined up. Theres proof that its me and not some id stealing chump in the description box of my latest vid on youtube, the shapeways dilemma.

First, thanks to everyone here who had a hand in exposing bcs, the more he's exposed, the less people get screwed over.

secondly to bcs;
1. Can you show any in software 3D renders or the base geometry to prove you have the 3D files at the least and could have offerred the model if there had been no IP issues? This would help at least show you were capable of following through on your pre-orders and drastically minimize the appearance of outright fraud.

2. Can you please provide your business registration # and attendant info as demanded by US law.

3. Do you now publicly attest, that you are not, nor in any way involved with Daniel Mandelbaum or Stephanie Hernandez or any of their associated aliases.

4. Can you provide the phone numbers of local California hobby establishments that would be able to attest to your existence so that we can have some verification beyond your assurances in #3. Note, this will not give out any of your personal information, but since you attest to being part of the California scene for some time and worked in the hobby, it should be no problem to get a hold of someone, anyone who knows you out there and is themselves a verifiable employee or known person at the locations you specify.

Thirdly If you do have my files, the only way you could of got them was through computer hacking, which is also illegal.

And you were going to mass produce it, all using gws warhound name. Which should interest the good folks over at Gw's legal department.

Any chance of you copy/pasting this on the BCS page? be sure to screenshot, lest it get deleted and denied.

Also, welcome and thank you.