[Warning] ADMIN WARNING: Zdenek Slanina/Shawna Wagers/Karol Johnson/Sue Shaer/Allison Flicker - Scam Alert!

[Arachnopets]

Hey All,

Not sure if this user is the same as this one or this one or this one or this one, but it has been brought to our attention that someone is scamming people on other sites and it sounds very similar to the ones in the links posted. We are basing this warning off of this post. We checked the email address and no users came up as a match. So at this time, we are unaware if they are a user on AB.

Once again, please let this serve as a reminder to ALWAYS double and triple check someone new you are considering to do business with. When payment is insisted through Western Union or a wire transfer and sent to another name, other than the one you are inquiring to do business with, that is a clear cut sign to be wary. There is NO recourse with sending money via Western Union or a wire transfer. There is no way to get your money back. The ends do not justify the means. If it is a deal "too good to pass up", and this is the payment option, then pass it up. It's just not worth it. Please be careful and make sure to research thoroughly.

Debby and Scott

 

[Satanika]

Admin Note:

It has been brought to our attention that the name Karol Johnson and Mary Flicker is connected to Allison Flicker. Please be warned that these scammers are using multiple email addresses and multiple names to try and cover their tracks. The newest name added to the mix is: Sue Shaer.

We were told that these ads were found on other various sites. It saddens me that other sites would allow their ads to remain. Although I am not sure if anyone has actually contacted any of these other sites to inform them.

Please be cautious.

Debby

 

[Garrick]

Names and emails will change quickly.

The bottom line is that if a seller asks you to use Moneygram, Western Union, or any similar service, it is a scam 100% of the time.

NEVER USE MONEYGRAM OR WESTERN UNION TO PURCHASE SOMETHING.

There is no bizarre, exceptional circumstance that would require the use of those services to buy something. They're for emergencies when a trusted relative needs cold, hard, cash quick without any hassle.

 

[ACE1]

Zdenek Slanina" <z.slanina@rediffmail.com> Shawna Wagers Scammer Beware!

Elkhart Indiana is the location where I sent the Western Union money to. The scammer asked me to send the money to:

Shawna Wagers
56717 County Roads 13
Elkhart
IN 46516

The IP address for Zdenek Slanina" <z.slanina@rediffmail.com> is: 202.137.235.123 which is a match for the orgin of the rediffmail email service.


IP address [?]: 202.137.235.123 [Copy] [Whois] [Reverse IP]

IP country code: IN

IP address country: India

IP address state: Maharashtra

IP address city: Mumbai

IP address latitude: 18.9750

IP address longitude: 72.8258

ISP of this IP [?]: REDIFF.COM INDIA LIMITED

Organization: REDIFF.COM INDIA LIMITED

Host of this IP: [?]: f4mail-235-123.rediffmail.com[Whois] [Trace]

Local time in India:

 

[Krissy K]

I had my buyers pay via money order, and I didn't scam them. What they ordered from me arrived alive and on time in perfect condition. I can not connect my paypal to a credit card as I do not have one. But if you buy a USPS money order, you can put a claim on it i think it is at least 60 days after purchasing it. I almost had to do this for an order, but it turned out that it was USPS' fault and not the sellers. He was able to produce a picture of the receipt. with the time of day it was sent and what it was sent by. He didn't get a tracking number, but since the roaches took 2 weeks to arrive, most were dead. he is resending them and is getting a tracking number this time.
I think kind of my point is that sellers can ask to be paid by money order and not be a scammer. I don't have a review thread on here (yet, my most resent buyer is going to create one) but I was able to produce pictures of the tarantulas I was selling, which showed that I did indeed have the species in question. While there are people out there who may have the specimen for sale, ask for a money order, produce a picture of the available specimen, receive the money order, and never send the specimen, you should ALWAYS require a tracking number and NEVER delete messages between you and the seller/buyer until the species arrives alive.
This ensures that you have proof you asked for a tracking number, that you sent the money (KEEP YOUR RECEIPT!) and that you never received the specimen.
I didn't ask for a tracking number on the roaches because they were coming from a trusted friend. But after a week, I began to become suspicious and asked for proof that he sent them out, and he produced proof. This then put the fault on USPS. Always inquire about terms of service before purchase, so that if the order does not make it alive or something if broke, you know how to handle it and it can be replaced.
If possible, set up a Paypal account and NEVER send money as a "gift" because then you cannot put a claim on it. There was one seller (not on here "SoCal Roaches"/Rene Morales) was asking for buyers to send money via gifts and then not sending orders. He was then ignoring all e-mails and messages from the buyers but spending hours on facebook. He later said he was sick and in the hospital (which is understandable) but why would he spend hours on the computer and not take five minutes to reply to a message to say "I'm sick and in the hospital. I can't ship so I will refund your money." I can understand that he's sick and in the hospital, needs the money, but if he can't fulfill orders he should have refunded money. He did in the end send out orders (from what I know, I know my friend who was having this issue from him did receive from him finally). But this was a huge scare for everyone involved. so NEVER pay as "gifts" on Paypal.
There are a lot of risks involved in ordering offline and there always will be, but you just need to be vigilant and smart.
-Keep ALL receipts from money orders
-Keep ALL communication messages
-Never send money as a "gift" on Paypal
-Always ask for a tracking number (if available)
-Ask for pictures of the product/animal you are buying (even though this doesn't guarantee you will receive it, it's still a good idea)
-Do your research on the carrier
-Don't order during busy holidays because this WILL delay delivery (package get lost or delayed because of all the packages that are being sent)
-Always do your research on the seller/buyer if possible. it is hard when they don't have a review thread.
-ALWAYS trust your gut instinct.
These are some great tips to prevention of being scammed. There is no 100% way to not be scammed if you order offline, but just stay on your toes. (Just try not to be too paranoid about being scammed )
The ONLY 100% way to not be scammed is to just not order offline in the first place.
Hope this helps!

 

[Garrick]

USPS moneyorders, yeah.
Moneygram = NO.

Totally different things.

Again, never use Moneygram or Western Union to buy ANYTHING.
As their websites explicitly state, they are for emergencies, like if your daughter was stranded in Madrid and lost her passport/ID.

There might be some small smidgen of a chance that you come across some honest individual who uses moneygram/WU for payment and won't rip you off. You could also flush your cash down the toilet and see if the spiders you want will come out of your sink. Odds of success in both scenarios are about the same.

 

[SDCPs]

Thanks for the information about western union and moneygram. Why is a usps money order so different? How would they get the money back?

 

[atraxrobustus]

Thanks for the information about western union and moneygram. Why is a usps money order so different? How would they get the money back?

A USPS money order is different because its backed by a federal government agency- where Western Union and Moneygram are private companies that are not backed by the government. This means that if someone frauds you on a USPS money order- the government will then go after fraudsters because the fraud is then also a crime against the government as well as a crime against you. - whereas Western Union and Moneygram will tell you tough luck. This is because the USPS wants to discourage using the postal service for fraudulent purposes as much as possible, in order to maintain the postal monopoly.