It looks like he was checking forum yesterday.
I sent him money via Zelle and filed scam report with them.
waiting for mdtran any reply.
if he does not respond I suggest to report the user directly to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.
I have sent a message to mdtran by his yahoo address that he used to collect the funds through paypal. If he doesn't respond soon I'll use the FBI internet link to file a complaint.
I have his phone number, address, and names, numbers, and addresses of 8 or 9 of his relatives, friends, and business contacts in the same area. I'm going to give him until midnight Oct 1, to not only respond, but make progress on refunds.
I've made some edits to the above post. I have attempted to contact mdtran by DM, and appreciate the frustration but we can't support implicit threats.
There was nothing threatening about my post, I wanted him to know, that I know who and where he is. He stole thousands of dollars from us, the least we can do is go to where he lives and works to attempt to recover.
How many people actually gave him money, there is a lot less activity in this thread than I would've thought considering ~10 people gave him money?
It is also a bit strange that he gave out his actual number and address and then to disappear.
Plus he has seen the thread as he has signed on a few times, and had been a forum member for a while.
Anyway, best of luck to you. I'd probably start by calling the local police station if you have his address, and just report a theft and that you know the name and location of the person and getting them to interview him.
No, they will not get involved, and that is probably the correct decision from the legal/liability standpoint. You might want to PM jlobo941 as he claims to have the address and phone number for mdtran, and I think a link to the FBI, which will help in starting a investigation.
I tried several addresses as well with no response. The Paypal method of sending the funds may make this a bit difficult to recover. It was a known risk but I'd also like to either recover some funds or get the unit.
I just read through this thread, this is absolutely crazy, it's really sad that scumbags like this guy exist. Just curious though if payment was sent via paypal why can't you guys simply file a claim a claim for non-receipt? Isn't that the whole point of paypal?
If you order a product through paypal you are protected. But in this case mdtran indicated that he could not access the funds until he shipped the X431 to us, and could not buy all those units out of pocket. So we had to simply transfer the funds to him, in which case they were not protected.
I smelled a rat when I tried to get him to use an online escrow company to manage the funds, but he was totally not interested. And I was willing to pay the escrow company’s fee, so it would cost him nothing!
Oh, and the specific model of the X431 he described buying doesn’t exist either.
If this helps anyone in the future - the scanner I use is a Launch X431 Pro Mini; the ebay link below is of the same model. I do not know the seller and I've never bought from them.
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for LAUNCH X431 V+ Professional Auto Car OEM Level Diagnostic Scan Tool Code Reader at the best online prices at eBay!
I am not sure how to go about this, but I put in a case into the PayPal Resolution Center. Also I made a request (via Paypal) for a refund. At minimum, I want this person caught and brought to justice! I am exploring other avenues as well. Does we have any good info as to where this person is out of? jlobo941, please keep us posted as to what you hear. You seem to have the information.