Scammer hunting

[therieldeal]

First I must say, my girlfriend and I followed the "claw" thread from beginning to end. That was internet pwnage at its best!

Unfortunately, I come to you guys with an internet douchebag problem of my own.

I bought some brand new fuel injectors from a guy on ebay, for roughly $200. Paid with paypal, then he disappeared off the face of the planet. He had solid +27 100% feedback, but apparently he picked this transaction to flake out on. He will not respond to emails, so for now I'm trying to get my hands on a phone number. If a civilized phone call doesn’t work, we may need to instigate some multinational harassment through multiple channels. Please no harassment yet, I want to try talking to this guy myself first.

Here's what I have for info:
Gary Berzley
Allegan, MI 49010 United States
[email protected]

Anyone bored and feel like putting their stalker skills to work?

PS: I have already opened a paypal claim but apparently if he has already withdrawn the money from his account I wont get anything back. How dumb is that?

thanks!

[G-ZUS]

File a claim with paypal? Happened with me and I got my money back

[core_upt]

so long as you asked for the project to be shipped to your registered and confirmed payapl address and didn't receive the product, PayPal will back you up, regardless of payment being withdrawn or not.

[therieldeal]

i did list a confirmed address. hopefully the claim goes through then...

i'd still really have the injectors though if possible lol. damn good deal woulda saved me like $40.

[szw]

Originally posted by core_upt
so long as you asked for the project to be shipped to your registered and confirmed payapl address and didn't receive the product, PayPal will back you up, regardless of payment being withdrawn or not.

not true. Paypack will "back you up" by saying "yes you should get your money back" but paypal won't give you their own money to cover it.

[alloroc]

You mean this Gary Berzley from Michigan?

http://www.state.mi.us/mdoc/asp/otis2profile.asp?mdocNumber=462527

MDOC Number: 462527
SID Number: 1976076M
Name: GARY DUANE BERZLEY
Racial Identification: White
Gender: Male
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Date of Birth: 04/08/1981 (27)
GARY DUANE BERZLEY Image Date: 2/15/2008
MDOC STATUS
Current Status: Parolee Supervision Begin Date: 03/19/2008
Assigned Location: Allegan/Allegan Supervision Discharge Date: 09/19/2009
Security Level: Date Paroled: 03/19/2008

ALIASES MARKS, SCARS & TATTOOS
None
Scar- Lower Right Wrist - 1 1/2" scar


PRISON SENTENCES
ACTIVE
Sentence 1
Offense: Anhydrous Ammonia Container - Unauthorized/Tampering Minimum Sentence: 2 years 0 months 0 days
MCL#: 750.502D Maximum Sentence: 4 years 0 months
Court File#: 04028752-FH Date of Offense: 12/10/2004
County: Ottawa Date of Sentence: 02/07/2005
Conviction Type: Plea
Sentence 2
Offense: CS - Operating/Maintaining a Laboratory Minimum Sentence: 2 years 0 months 0 days
MCL#: 333.7401C2A / 333.74132 Maximum Sentence: 20 years 0 months
Court File#: 04028752-FH Date of Offense: 12/10/2004
County: Ottawa Date of Sentence: 02/07/2005
Conviction Type: Plea
Sentence 3
Offense: CS - Operating/Maintaining a Lab Near Specified Places Minimum Sentence: 3 years 0 months 0 days
MCL#: 333.7401C2D Maximum Sentence: 20 years 0 months
Court File#: 03013046-FH-C Date of Offense: 02/11/2003
County: Allegan Date of Sentence: 07/18/2003
Conviction Type: Plea
INACTIVE
None

PROBATION SENTENCES
ACTIVE
None
INACTIVE
None

SUPERVISION CONDITIONS
01 - Contact agent no later than first business day after release

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02 - Must not change residence

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.0 - Not use/possess alcohol/intoxicants or in place served

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.1 - Complete Sub Abuse Treatment Program as referred by agent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
03 - Must not leave state

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.4 - Complete Program

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.5 - Treatment disclosure to parole agent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
04 - Not engage in any behavior that constitutes a violation

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4 - Abide by a specified curfew as directed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.16 - Obey all court orders

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
05 - Comply with alcohol and drug testing ordered by field agent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.0 - May not drive without agent consent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
06 - Not associate with anyone you know to have a felony record

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
07 - Must not own or possess a firearm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.1 - Pay cost of treatment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
08 - Must not own, possess or use any object as a weapon

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09 - Make earnest efforts to find and maintain employment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 - Must comply w/special conditions, written and verbal orders

[zipdoa]

Originally posted by szw


not true. Paypack will "back you up" by saying "yes you should get your money back" but paypal won't give you their own money to cover it.

wrongo. they will reimburse you up to a certain amount and withdraw it from the other person paypal account.

[therieldeal]

what i heard was basically... say he only has $50 in his account on the day that they try to pull my $200 back. supposedly i'm SOL and i'll only get the $50. dont know if its true or not...

damn, i guess i'm dealing with a felon... awesome.

...on the other hand maybe he got picked up for something, in which case the money is probably just chillin in his account lol

[szw]

Originally posted by zipdoa


wrongo. they will reimburse you up to a certain amount and withdraw it from the other person paypal account. If the guys account is already empty, they won't do anything else. If that guy has $5 in his account, you get $5. I think it depends if you went through ebay or not actually.

[freshprince1]

Originally posted by alloroc
You mean this Gary Berzley from Michigan?

http://www.state.mi.us/mdoc/asp/otis2profile.asp?mdocNumber=462527

MDOC Number: 462527
SID Number: 1976076M
Name: GARY DUANE BERZLEY
Racial Identification: White
Gender: Male
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Height: 5' 9"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Date of Birth: 04/08/1981 (27)
GARY DUANE BERZLEY Image Date: 2/15/2008
MDOC STATUS
Current Status: Parolee Supervision Begin Date: 03/19/2008
Assigned Location: Allegan/Allegan Supervision Discharge Date: 09/19/2009
Security Level: Date Paroled: 03/19/2008

ALIASES MARKS, SCARS & TATTOOS
None
Scar- Lower Right Wrist - 1 1/2" scar


PRISON SENTENCES
ACTIVE
Sentence 1
Offense: Anhydrous Ammonia Container - Unauthorized/Tampering Minimum Sentence: 2 years 0 months 0 days
MCL#: 750.502D Maximum Sentence: 4 years 0 months
Court File#: 04028752-FH Date of Offense: 12/10/2004
County: Ottawa Date of Sentence: 02/07/2005
Conviction Type: Plea
Sentence 2
Offense: CS - Operating/Maintaining a Laboratory Minimum Sentence: 2 years 0 months 0 days
MCL#: 333.7401C2A / 333.74132 Maximum Sentence: 20 years 0 months
Court File#: 04028752-FH Date of Offense: 12/10/2004
County: Ottawa Date of Sentence: 02/07/2005
Conviction Type: Plea
Sentence 3
Offense: CS - Operating/Maintaining a Lab Near Specified Places Minimum Sentence: 3 years 0 months 0 days
MCL#: 333.7401C2D Maximum Sentence: 20 years 0 months
Court File#: 03013046-FH-C Date of Offense: 02/11/2003
County: Allegan Date of Sentence: 07/18/2003
Conviction Type: Plea
INACTIVE
None

PROBATION SENTENCES
ACTIVE
None
INACTIVE
None

SUPERVISION CONDITIONS
01 - Contact agent no later than first business day after release

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02 - Must not change residence

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.0 - Not use/possess alcohol/intoxicants or in place served

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.1 - Complete Sub Abuse Treatment Program as referred by agent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
03 - Must not leave state

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.4 - Complete Program

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.5 - Treatment disclosure to parole agent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
04 - Not engage in any behavior that constitutes a violation

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.4 - Abide by a specified curfew as directed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.16 - Obey all court orders

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
05 - Comply with alcohol and drug testing ordered by field agent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.0 - May not drive without agent consent

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
06 - Not associate with anyone you know to have a felony record

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
07 - Must not own or possess a firearm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.1 - Pay cost of treatment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
08 - Must not own, possess or use any object as a weapon

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
09 - Make earnest efforts to find and maintain employment

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 - Must comply w/special conditions, written and verbal orders



BEYOND CSI FTW:thumbsup:

[therieldeal]

actually i think i may be covered... extra layer of protection because it was on ebay.

http://pages.ebay.com/paypal/buyer/protection.html

if it was just a random purchase on a forum is when i would be SOL i think.

and yes, beyond CSI ftw!

maybe i'll call his local PD and tell them whats going on... get him picked up for violation of probation lol.

[GQBalla]

meth lab

[khtm]

^ yeah that's exactly what I was thinking...

[therieldeal]

yeah, thats what it sounds like to me.

i wish i could have found out his identity before i tried to buy anything from him... lol

[Kloubek]

Wow Alloroc - that's impressive CSI work there!

Seriously OP - Paypal is great. I had the exact same thing - some guy disappeared on my transaction and also had good feedback. After Paypal investigated, I got my money back.

Probably a better route than threatening or even approaching a felon. :) Even if it's just a methhead.


Originally posted by urban.one
hes probably back in the prison and doesnt have net access... thats why hes not responding.

Entirely plausable scenario....

[Mixalot27]

Maybe his parole officer would like to hear about his business practices.

[urban.one]

hes probably back in the prison and doesnt have net access... thats why hes not responding.

[Afrodeziak]

if you paid for this with a credit card via paypal and paypal won't recover your funds, work with the cc company, they have always won it back for me.

[therieldeal]

i paid for it out of my paypal balance.

the seller still hasnt responded to the claim. paypal is making me wait till 3/14 before they will "investigate" the claim and hopefully refund my money.

[JeremyD]

It also might not be a shady deal if he is back in prison. He might have got picked up for speeding on the way to the post office and whoosh back to prison he goes.

Although it probably was a scam.

maybe he got the positive trader rating from friends and fences he sold drugs too.

[therieldeal]

well, the paypal claim didnt work. everything i read is that you're covered 100% for ebay sales - yet they are claiming "we couldnt recover funds from the seller's account"

can anyone dig up a phone number for me on this guy?

[Aniki]

Originally posted by therieldeal
well, the paypal claim didnt work. everything i read is that you're covered 100% for ebay sales - yet they are claiming "we couldnt recover funds from the seller's account"

can anyone dig up a phone number for me on this guy?

argue, argue, argue!!

you paid for a product that you didn't receive. simple as that

[therieldeal]

Well... I had a few minutes so I decided to give paypal a call, even though I've heard that they can be horrendously un-helpful on the phone.

I was redirected to a "specialist" in the claims department who filled me in that there is a "known issue" with claims on ebay motors items not being processed correctly. He fixed my claim and posted the money to my account. He was actually very polite/helpful, I was pleasantly surprised.

So... something to be aware of for anyone who gets ripped off on car parts.

i also decided to send gary a short email:


Conducting internet fraud while on parole? Brilliant!

http://www.state.mi.us/mdoc/asp/otis2profile.asp?mdocNumber=462527