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Fraudulent Mac Retailers

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Some information about 'MacWhiz'

Sorry for the long post, but I stumbled across this thread when checking on the current status of MacWhizShop.

This 'business' is indeed a fraudulent enterprise. Last year I lost $2229.00 to Derald Dutchak, the alleged owner of the 'store'. (I was eventually able to convince PayPal to refund my eCheck, but they do not provide any guarantees for this sort of international transaction and I believe that pressure from the RCMP prompted the refund.)

When I checked the mailing address for the site, it was actually a mailbox leased at a Mailboxes, Etc. outlet in Burnaby, British Columbia - Mailboxes, Etc. #0128, Kensington Square, 6540 East Hastings Street, Burnaby, BC V5B 4Z5, Canada / (604) 293-2225. I gave this information to the Seattle Police, the US Postal Service, the FBI, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - they now all have files on this individual. When I checked back on his site at http://www.macwhizshop.com and selected the link to 'Payment Options', I discovered that he no longer accepted credit cards or PayPal - only certified checks and wire transfers. When I requested information on how to send him a wire transfer, he sent me the following information. Please feel free to contact the RCMP at the Burnaby, BC RCMP Division - (604) 294-7922 with this information, but don’t expect much. They claim not to have the staff to deal with fraudulent enterprises stealing less than millions.

The MacWhiz payment information as of 10/6/2003 in an email sent to me when I posed as another customer requesting payment info :

“I'm glad you decided to make a puchase with us.
Below please find information required by your bank to
complete your transfer.

We can usually ship out the same day if transfer can be
confirmed before 4:30 p.m. PST. Please allow anywhere from
3-5 business days for delivery if you are located within
the USA or Canada.

Feel free to contact me with any further questions.

Thank you

Derald Dutchak”

Bank Wire transfer instructions:

“Wire transfers can be submitted with the help of your banking institution.
Provide your bank with the information below to properly transfer your payment:

Note: Please be advised that for international wires, your bank may require and
charge you for the use of an intermediary bank.

Bank of America Customers: Funds must be sent to this account as a wire transfer
and not as an account to account transfer.

Bank Name: Bank of America
277 "G" Street
Blaine, WA 98230
U.S.A.

ABA Routing #: 125000024
Credit Account Name: Derald Dutchak
Credit Account #: 73092157
Additional Instructions:
(include the order transaction number on the wire transfer)”
 
Another Victim

Wow, that was a long thread to read through, but I'm glad I did it. That was fuel for the fire. Here is my story...

I found macfanaticshop.com through Froogle and ordered a 14" iBook for $999. After my credit card was supposedly declined, I wired the money to BofA in Blaine, WA on July 19, 2004. I went through the same ritual described in posts here and on Sven's website: http://www.bustspammers.com/macfanaticshop-fraud/index.html

"Dennis Charalambides" strung me along for a while, then I finally cancelled my order on I cancelled my order on August 25 and was told on Aug 27 that “a full refund has been issued.” I got papers to file in Small Claims Court in Blaine, WA, but then found Sven's site.

I called the BofA branch in Blaine and the guy (Ben) knew the name "Dennis Charalambides" very well, but said he couldn't close the account unless directed to do so by law enforcement. I called the local PD and was told to put my story on http://www.ic3.gov

I got in contact with Sven to get access to his victims' forum and was asked to post my story here. My investigation, with help from friends, shows that this guy has been operating out of Burnaby, BC using Telus communications. This is not surprising since shopvendio.com/macshopz was associated with Burnaby. All 5 of the emails I received from "Dennis" and the one I recieved from "Scott Griffin" came from IP adress 64.114.186.XXX, with the latest one on 9/13/04. I found it interested that all of the emails from "Dennis" were sent between 7:55 am and 10:43am. The email from "Scott" was sent at 12:17am. All emails were apparently sent using the Opera browser’s M2 mail client.

I contacted Telus and got this response:
We typically take one of three responses:
1) Issue a warning by email indicating complaint has been registered
2) Issue a verbal warning that service may be suspended if activity continues
3) Suspend TELUS Internet Service to the customer

We are unable to disclose which action was taken due to privacy rules.
A follow-up email got this response:
Your email alleges criminal conduct. Please contact the police.

I spoke to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police by phone and was told that a physical address was needed in order to open a file on "Dennis Charalambides." After explaining that the RCMP needed to work with Telus to get the address, I was told to fax my story to them so they could deal with it. In the fax, I asked for confirmation that they had received it, but have not yet received that confirmation. One option at this point is to continue to pressure the RCMP.

I mentioned to my friend at Google that I found macfanaticshop.com through Froogle. He got in touch with the necessary people the next day and Froogle no longer shows the site.

If there was any question that MacMasterShop.com and MacFanaticShop.com are related, I think I can prove it. I noticed the name "Scott Griffin" associated with MacMasterShop.com in a previous post. "Scott Griffin" (scott@macfanaticshop.com) sent me an email. MacFanaticShop.com also accepted cashier's checks or money orders made out to "Scott Griffin Co".

I just tried to call the fax number that I originally used to order the G4...it has been disconnected. The number was 360-248-8865. What surprises me is that the 360 area code is in western Washington state, not in Canada. I still think he is in Burnaby, BC, knowing that the FBI can't come after him.

ovrdrvn, svenr, and enentrup: please let me know how I can assist in the effort to catch this crook.

gkbruce

PS-It sounds like we have done as much as we can with Apple directly. However, I have a close friend who has worked for Apple and closely with the executives for the past few years. Please let me know if that would be of use.
 
HE'S BACK!!

While posting the above message, I went to froogle to make sure MacFanaticShop.com is not listed. It isn't. However, it's replacement is listed.

Mac-discounter.com has a very similar page layout, price structure, history, and FAQ. A WHOIS search turns up the following:

Domain Name: mac-discounter.com

Created on..............: 30 Aug 2004 03:34:23
Expires on..............: 30 Aug 2005 03:34:23

Registrant Info:
Mac Discounter
David Collins
# 4 - 5500 Hovander Rd.
Ferndale, WA 98248
US
Phone: +1.3608518751
Fax..: +1.3608518747
Email: ********@copper.net

I'm sure nobody reading this will be surprised that mac-discounter.com claims to have been in business for 6 years. That's odd, since the website has only been registered since 8/30/04!

Once again, it appears that this crook (yes Derald/Dennis/David, I said CROOK) is being a bit more hones. His site now claims headquarters are Vancouver, BC at
Suite 202
837 West Hastings Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6C 3N6

The distibution "warehouse" is at
# 4 - 5500 Hovander Rd.
Ferndale, WA 98248
United States
Here is a satellite image:
http://www.terraserver.com/imagery/image_gx.asp?cpx=-122.58222&cpy=48.841607&res=8&provider_id=310

The phone number is a recording that tells you to order on the website. The fax number works.

I am intrigued by the email address "@copper.net." I saw that on every header that I got from Dennis/Scott. Can that be used to find him?

gkbruce

Note: I searched "14 iBook" in the price range of $950-$1050 to find this site.
 
I find it interesting that his initials have been DD (Derald Dutchak), DC (Dennis Charalambides), and DC again (David Collins)...

flowerbug89 claimed to have received a G5 back in March (post 246). He/she showed it to be a direct result of help from a lawyer.

fowerbug89, can you provide the lawyer's contact info to me privately so I can help the rest of us who were scammed use this lawyer to go after the crook?
 
Here we go again! WTF?

Okay. mac-discounter.com is a fraud. mac-discounter.com will steal from you. mac-discounter.com hates babies. http://www.mac-discounter.com are rapist taliban-style misogynists. mac-discounter.com has no products to sell. Macintosh computers are only sold through legitmate resellers. mac-discounter.com is NOT one of these. They will rob you if you do business with mac-discounter.com. http://www.mac-discounter.com = macfanaticshop.com = macmastershop.com = macwhizshop.com. These are all the same fraudulent criminal organizations. They are impotent and not recognized as human. mac-discounter.com sucks! Don't goto mac-discounter.com or buy from any reseller that is not authorized by Apple computers! mac-discounter.com is not authorized to sell anything. Fraud alert! Scam artists work for mac-discounter.com. Why bother with mac-discounter.com if you want the real thing. If it's too good to be true, IT ISN'T! http://www.mac-discounter.com have been liabled here! I slander them with most hate! Hey Dennis, Scott, whoever you are, I wish cancer on you and yours! mac-discounter.com is a pox on the internet! mac-discounter.com will wonder why they have no business, I hope. Do be fooled, if you want a good deal, stay away from mac-discounter.com! Fair Warning!
 
mac-discounter

timsq said:
Okay. mac-discounter.com is a fraud. mac-discounter.com will steal from you. mac-discounter.com hates babies. http://www.mac-discounter.com are rapist taliban-style misogynists. mac-discounter.com has no products to sell. Macintosh computers are only sold through legitmate resellers. mac-discounter.com is NOT one of these. They will rob you if you do business with mac-discounter.com. http://www.mac-discounter.com = macfanaticshop.com = macmastershop.com = macwhizshop.com. These are all the same fraudulent criminal organizations. They are impotent and not recognized as human. mac-discounter.com sucks! Don't goto mac-discounter.com or buy from any reseller that is not authorized by Apple computers! mac-discounter.com is not authorized to sell anything. Fraud alert! Scam artists work for mac-discounter.com. Why bother with mac-discounter.com if you want the real thing. If it's too good to be true, IT ISN'T! http://www.mac-discounter.com have been liabled here! I slander them with most hate! Hey Dennis, Scott, whoever you are, I wish cancer on you and yours! mac-discounter.com is a pox on the internet! mac-discounter.com will wonder why they have no business, I hope. Do be fooled, if you want a good deal, stay away from mac-discounter.com! Fair Warning!
Click to expand...
To quote myself may be extreme, but the more I look at mac-discounter the most recent fraud these scum have played, the more I see that our government is ignoring this type of crime. The mac-discounter scammer know this. mac-discounter thieves will multiply and all we can do is check references and hope for the best. The mac-discounter rapists and mac-discounter wife-beaters and mac-discounter kiddie porn dealers are more likely to see jail time than the mac-discounter common grifters. Stealing through trickery is the mac-discounter game. Mac-discounter is more likely to disappear because they got bored than because they got caught. Look out for mac-discounter and the next incarnation of mac-discounter.
Brought to you by mac-discounter and the nice people at google.
 
I just got contacted today by an individual in law enforcement who is actively working the case. This is not dead.
 
I found this thread a year ago when someone at PowerWatch forums was asking if anyone knew about a "MacWhizShop" located in my hometown (Vancouver BC) with warehouse just south of the border in Blaine. A few pages of reading here explained why I could never contact anyone at Derald's phone number or address. Then I came across a recent posting at xlr8yourmac forums, asking if anyone had ever heard of "Mac-Discounter" just south of the border in Ferndale. Checking back in here, I find the thread still active (!) with two more name changes in between the two I just mentioned.

If there's any doubt that this is still the same guy, check these two pages:the about us page at Mac-Discounter and the same page at MacFanaticShop. Hey, at least he's grown from 8 to 12 employees over the summer! Still the same chuckler: "We know buying on the internet can feel risky"

I've sent him an innocent e-mail about coming in to pick up an order, we'll see if he responds. I can't believe that he's still able to keep this scam going!
 
new froogle searches show up under "mac maniacz.com" I took a shot at ordering an imac g5 (for $1049!). But, they wanted credit card info faxed to them, so naturally I decided to check out the folks behind it. Thankfully, I found this site.

seller is listed as David Collins, #4 - 5500 Hovander Rd, Fernadale WA.

I got the form for sending in the credit card info from Dennis Charlambid.

Here is his email: Dennis Charalambid <sales@macmaniacz.com>

I'm done with the whole thing.

thanks all!
 
Once again from the top!!!

http://www.macmaniacz.com is a fraud!! macmaniacz.com has no product to sell. macmaniacz.com will rip you off!!! macmaniacz.com is one in a long line of scamming websites that are designed to elude authorities while stealing from the uninformed. I along with a diligent crew of users are involved in a number of battles with macmaniacz.com and mac-discounter.com and macmastershop.com and macmaniacshop.com and macwhiz.com. These battles are legal and informational. I want people to know that they will lose, REPEAT LOSE, their money with macmaniacz.com. They are not authorized to sell Apple products and they have no Apple products. They are using Apple and it's good name, to take your money and give nothing in return. macmaniacz.com are a bunch of frostback scum who will stop at nothing to lure you into their trap. DON'T BE SCAMMED!!! STAY AWAY FROM THESE CON MEN!!! more to follow... :mad: :mad: :mad:
 
looks like, again, a nice warehouse they've got there...

mac_maniacz_"warehouse"

thats the address they give on their contact page. i dont know that its best to store Macs in the middle of fields..... :rolleyes:

Edit: that picture was taken in 1998 which was when mac maniacz says they started their business

--andrzej
 
EXPOSING THE TRUTH

I have read this thread several times now and something told me
that the users SVENR and TIMSQ are the same. It does not suprise me that
SVENR & TIMSQ are simply Dennis/Scott/David doing what he does best which
is to CON US ALL! Think about it, neither SVENR or TIMSQ lost any money
to macxxxshop.com (know I have!), but somehow they seem to show up all the
time month after month. The consumer warnings that TIMSQ posts is more
smoke and mirrors -- DENNIS style. It's called Google Page Rank and by
placing his name and domains within in these posts it really drives more traffic
to his web sites than does scare off unwary consumers.


SVENR/DENNIS has even gone as far as building a private web site were
duped consumers can go and post all the details of the fraud. This is amazing!
he can now learn exactly what everyone is thinking and what action they are taking,
maybe even coaching them into giving up hope. What? you really think he woke up on
morning and said "I'm going to be a good samaritan today and spend endless hours and money
building a couple of web sites to help the needy" I don't buy it! not anymore.
I've been in touch in the past month with another victim that has access to
this private web site. I've included below what she said SVENR posted on this VIP site.

===============================================

You guys are pathetic


I got several emails from victims asking basically: "Sven,
will I get my money back?" Guess what - Sven is not bringing your money back! You,
and no one else, have to fight for it.

I can't believe how complacent you people are. Are a (couple of) thousand dollars
not worth some effort for you? Are you so rich that you don't care? I don't think so,
otherwise you probably would've bought from an official Apple dealer in the first place.
If I got ripped off like that, I would make all hell break lose and not rest before I have justice!!


If you don't care to do whatever it takes to take Dutchak/Charalambides down,
I actually have to admire him. He found a smart way to make easy money,
and now he can sit back, enjoy his coffee and laugh right into your face because
he knows his victims are inert cowards and so he will never get caught.

(IMAGE ATTACHED)

================================================


This really made me suspicious (AND MAD), so I went out and did some good old fashion investigating.
I deliberately sent SVENR and TIMSQ an email at around noon the same day asking if they knew
about other victims and what they were doing to get their money back. An hour later
received a reply from SVENR and then 2 hours after a reply from TIMSQ. Checked the IP in the email headers
and both were from the same IP block, WOW! yes, same IP block.

My friend who is an IT manager traced this back all the way to an ISP in Louisiana/Texas border.
From what he explained to me he was using proxy servers to mask his true IP.

Having done corporate security work for the past 15 years I'd established a good network of contacts
that could help me tracking down this fraudster. I've already informed some of my friends in
law enforcement about this and a full blown investigation is in progress.
DENNIS AKA SVENR/TIMSQ we know who you are... you've been exposed and you'll be arrested.
 

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paladin55 said:
I have read this thread several times now and something told me
that the users SVENR and TIMSQ are the same. It does not suprise me that
SVENR & TIMSQ are simply Dennis/Scott/David doing what he does best which
is to CON US ALL! Think about it, neither SVENR or TIMSQ lost any money
to macxxxshop.com (know I have!), but somehow they seem to show up all the
time month after month. The consumer warnings that TIMSQ posts is more
smoke and mirrors -- DENNIS style. It's called Google Page Rank and by
placing his name and domains within in these posts it really drives more traffic
to his web sites than does scare off unwary consumers.


SVENR/DENNIS has even gone as far as building a private web site were
duped consumers can go and post all the details of the fraud. This is amazing!
he can now learn exactly what everyone is thinking and what action they are taking,
maybe even coaching them into giving up hope. What? you really think he woke up on
morning and said "I'm going to be a good samaritan today and spend endless hours and money
building a couple of web sites to help the needy" I don't buy it! not anymore.
I've been in touch in the past month with another victim that has access to
this private web site. I've included below what she said SVENR posted on this VIP site.

===============================================

You guys are pathetic


I got several emails from victims asking basically: "Sven,
will I get my money back?" Guess what - Sven is not bringing your money back! You,
and no one else, have to fight for it.

I can't believe how complacent you people are. Are a (couple of) thousand dollars
not worth some effort for you? Are you so rich that you don't care? I don't think so,
otherwise you probably would've bought from an official Apple dealer in the first place.
If I got ripped off like that, I would make all hell break lose and not rest before I have justice!!


If you don't care to do whatever it takes to take Dutchak/Charalambides down,
I actually have to admire him. He found a smart way to make easy money,
and now he can sit back, enjoy his coffee and laugh right into your face because
he knows his victims are inert cowards and so he will never get caught.

(IMAGE ATTACHED)

================================================


This really made me suspicious (AND MAD), so I went out and did some good old fashion investigating.
I deliberately sent SVENR and TIMSQ an email at around noon the same day asking if they knew
about other victims and what they were doing to get their money back. An hour later
received a reply from SVENR and then 2 hours after a reply from TIMSQ. Checked the IP in the email headers
and both were from the same IP block, WOW! yes, same IP block.

My friend who is an IT manager traced this back all the way to an ISP in Louisiana/Texas border.
From what he explained to me he was using proxy servers to mask his true IP.

Having done corporate security work for the past 15 years I'd established a good network of contacts
that could help me tracking down this fraudster. I've already informed some of my friends in
law enforcement about this and a full blown investigation is in progress.
DENNIS AKA SVENR/TIMSQ we know who you are... you've been exposed and you'll be arrested.
Click to expand...
Oh Dennis you are so clever. Are you and woodviews lovers? Perhaps paladin55 can join ya'll for a three way? My IP = 24.252.XXX.XXX come and get me!
 
lame excuse

timsq said:
You are severely mistaken my man. timsq(at)hotmail(dot)com is my email and you never mailed me anything. http://www.bicyclemichaels.com is my work. I lost no money but was close and I hate that people have gotten screwed by this guy(s). Why don't you step up and do something. All talk, no action. Go back to mama little boy.
This is a man's world.
Click to expand...


timsq+dennis what a lame excuse man, face it you'va bin busted, good work paladin

go back to mama? what the **** kind of answer is that? sounds to me like a a kid just outa of high school
 
Is anybody else getting this...

Dennis and his merrymen are have it on right here on Macrumors. They must be scared. Maybe they would do better to run a legitimate business. Nah! Bring 'em in boys. No cell's too small for them.
 

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And one more thing

Thank you for contacting us.

If you feel that you have participated in a fraudulent transaction that
was conducted through the use of our seller tools, please provide the
following information:

1. If the transaction was an eBay listing, please provide the listing
number and details of the transaction.* Also, in this case, please
contact eBay directly with the same information.
2. If the transaction was a Vendio Store listing, please provide the URL
to the Store, and forward a copy of the transaction confirmation along
with details of the transaction.
3. If you are reporting suspected fraudulent activity, but you were not
directly involved in any transaction, please provide as much data to
back up your assertion as possible.* If you know someone who did
participate in a fraudulent transaction, please have them contact us
with the details.

Note that Vendio is a hosting service only.* We do not own any
merchandise, nor do we vouch for the business practices of any seller
who may utilize our tools.* If you feel that you have been the victim of
fraud, we would advise you to contact the authorities (your local
police, the FBI, etc.) to launch an investigation as soon as possible.
Also, if you used a credit card to pay for merchandise that was not
received, we recommend you contact the credit card company as soon as
possible as you should be able to dispute the charge.


Best regards,

Ramany
Vendio Customer Service
 
Fellas,

It would be a shame for the mods to have to shut down this thread after it helping so many people.

Squire
 
Squire said:
Fellas,

It would be a shame for the mods to have to shut down this thread after it helping so many people.

Squire
Click to expand...
My apologies to woodviews, you must have fallen for paladin55's spoof. You see Dennis HAS visited this forum and spoofed before so I might suggest that you read the whole thread before you go flaming around. ON topic: visit http://www.macmaniacz.com for the current FRAUD perpetrated by Dennis and his gang. Here's an email from Dennis I got yesterday:
Subject:
Re: Sales Inquiry

From:
"Dennis Charalambid" <sales@macmaniacz.com>*

Date:
Thu, 04 Nov 2004 21:39:18 -0800


Hi xxxx,

We are currently out of stock for airport card and base stations,
but are expecting some in early next month.
Did you want me to hold a PowerMac G5 for you?

Feel free to contact me with any further questions.

Thanks

Dennis

Still scamming after all this...
 
To put some concerns to rest - we have no reason to believe svenr and timsq are the same person, based on the IP info we have.

Please move away from the apparently random accusations and get back to fighting the known scammers. Thanks :)
 
You can stall but you cannot hide

TIMSQ/DENNIS is using his stall tactics once again. Don't fall for his tricks.
TIMSQ and SVENR are the same as DENNIS the fraudster, I now have have evidence! I'll be posting this online for you all to see in the upcoming week.
 
Rower_CPU said:
To put some concerns to rest - we have no reason to believe svenr and timsq are the same person, based on the IP info we have.

Please move away from the apparently random accusations and get back to fighting the known scammers. Thanks :)
Click to expand...

what if paladin is right? maybe timsq\svnr knew in advance that you would verify the IP address and used proxies so IP would not match when you the moderator would check......... can't wait to see the proof paladin has!
 
Ban the newbs (Paladin and Humefear). The only posts that they have are damning the trusted members taking initiative to bring in the scammers. They are hindering this process and are obviously involved with the scammers in some way.
 
invaLPsion said:
Ban the newbs (Paladin and Humefear). The only posts that they have are damning the trusted members taking initiative to bring in the scammers. They are hindering this process and are obviously involved with the scammers in some way.
Click to expand...

I AM NOT in any way affiliated or associated with these scammers. I AM however entitled to my own opinion. what if paladin is right and we're believe you timsq is a trusted member. how do you know he is real? are you his friend. do you have dinner at his house.

YES I am a newbie to this board and YES i was also scammed (1300) by these guys and want to find them as much as the rest of you all. but let's start here on MR and filter out any possibility of them controlling this thread and making us all think that something will happen when in reality we don't know what's real and what's not.

Joseph
 
On topic.

Macmaniacz is the latest version of this scam. To focus on anything else is pointless, namaste. I know that Dennis is scared because this forum is getting closer to the adaptations and mutations he applies to his scam site. Macmaniacz has an interesting conotation. I mean you would be the maniac looking for a good deal and this guy preys on bargain hunters. The Z at the end reminds me of the Z at the end of wareZ, as in stolen or cracked. The psychological profile is a misogynist, loner with a beef towards Mac users and a tendency for voyerism. He enjoys watching his victims writhe with anger over having lost their money to him. He must be a poor gambler or perhaps he had a poor relationship with his father. It's hard to tell, but we can see how easy these traits fit. I can't wait to see this whole scam brought down.
You're all invited to lunch anytime you're in New Orleans. Just send me an email when you're coming. :D
 
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