JohnDow1968 is a scammer

[Minerist]

What happened::
Basically he ordered bitcoin trading software from me on elance. I never take upfront for software development services. Software was like 60% done and "competitors" released very similar chrome addon. Client told me to put development on hold. After few weeks of waiting he just deleted me from skype without any updates or payment.

Scammers Profile Link:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=120489

Reference Link:
https://www.elance.com/j/tradingviewcom-alarms-okcoincom-api-translator-bridge/75928889/?bidid=75929300

Amount Scammed:
Full price we agreed on was $120 but since the software was half done some work has to be paid. $60?

Payment Method:
Elance

Proof of Payment:
Not applicable

PM/Chat Logs:
[19-Aug-15 11:52:56 AM] J.D. : A fellow trader from the trading group I'm joining just send me a chrome extension.
It covers exactly what you're building and beyond that.  
For now it is his propitiatory stuff so I can't tell you much about it.

I never talked about the idea in public, so more people came up with the same idea.

But what now?
[19-Aug-15 11:54:54 AM] J.D. : proprietary
[19-Aug-15 02:13:10 PM] Dmitri Chinberg: what now?
[20-Aug-15 04:27:48 PM] Dmitri Chinberg: so what to do?
[21-Aug-15 02:23:27 AM] J.D. : I wasn't suppose to have that plug in. It was an alpha. However, they think to have a release on Sunday...
[21-Aug-15 02:24:12 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: yes but what to do with the software that we're developing for you?
[21-Aug-15 02:54:45 AM] J.D. : Wel it was on hold already since the beginning of the week, like you said ~60% done. I would like to test the chrome plug-in. If it's good, we need to settle in the middle of the project. If it sucks we continue from there.
[21-Aug-15 02:56:10 AM] J.D. : I didn't hear back from TV about their API as well.
[21-Aug-15 03:09:55 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: yes that's what i'm trying to check
[21-Aug-15 03:09:58 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: just planning my work
[21-Aug-15 03:10:24 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: and can still release that program, there's competition and everything you know
[21-Aug-15 03:10:27 AM] Dmitri Chinberg:
[21-Aug-15 11:21:40 AM] J.D. : I'm  sure, no matter where we go after the weekend, we can work it out.
[21-Aug-15 02:19:39 PM] Dmitri Chinberg: yep, so let me know
[29-Aug-15 04:23:35 PM] Dmitri Chinberg: hey
[29-Aug-15 04:23:39 PM] Dmitri Chinberg: so its cancelled?
[30-Aug-15 09:46:34 PM] Dmitri Chinberg: ?
[30-Aug-15 11:03:30 PM] J.D. : Not yet. But tool is very promising.
[30-Aug-15 11:15:02 PM] Dmitri Chinberg: ok so let me know when to continue with it
[05-Sep-15 05:16:21 PM] Dmitri Chinberg: anything?
[14-Sep-15 09:55:05 PM] Dmitri Chinberg: hello?
[04:09:21 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: deleting me
[04:09:21 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: amazing
[04:16:52 AM | Edited 04:17:03 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: well i'm going to post that whole story on bitcoin forums
[04:16:56 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: scamming is not cool bro
[04:17:14 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: many many forums
[04:17:16 AM] Dmitri Chinberg: sucks

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[Athertle]

Please use this scam accusation format. Your current post doesn't quite have enough info for us.

Did he explicitly say that he was okay with waiting all those weeks of the development being held? Honestly, if you forced him to wait for the delay in development without his full consent, I'm not surprised this would happen.

[ajareselde]

Link to his profile, and use the scam sccusation format member above asked. What you have given us is way too vague to be considered seriously.
You need to show terms on which you agreed, and timeframe for delivery.

If someone left me hanging for weeks without notice or agreement, i would end cooperation as well tho. (if not previously stated that development can be "put on hold")

[Vod]

I never take upfront for software development services.

You should always use escrow, even for situations like this.

[Minerist]

He told me to put it on hold because competitors product got released. So i waited and asked him what's up multiple times and then he just deleted me from skype. Also we didn't have contract on elance because i trusted him. I understand that most likely he's ok, but he just disappeared without paying me and blocked me on skype.

[Fortify]

Did you bring it up with elance? They are the people most able to help you. How much is the competitor charging for their product? You could finish the job and put it up for sale yourself, if you can charge for it - even $5 a download, then it would be easy to recoup that cost and have a long term product. You should take partial upfront payment for things like this or there will be situations where people disappear on you.

[allyouracid]

He told me to put it on hold because competitors product got released. So i waited and asked him what's up multiple times and then he just deleted me from skype. Also we didn't have contract on elance because i trusted him. I understand that most likely he's ok, but he just disappeared without paying me and blocked me on skype.

Hey,

I had a very similar situation here where I helped a user with the setup of a server side software. First, I was hired to do development stuff, but as he got more and more interested in the matter, we agreed that he could also hire me for consulting purposes.

As I found out later, I was supposed to be paid from the profits the software I was to help with generates. Not cool.
We have agreed on a per hour rate before, and later, I was told that the user "thought we were chatting just for fun", when I worked myself through the code to help him resolve issues on his own. Also not cool.

He is a very friendly guy, too, and I'm 100% certain that his intention was not to scam in any way... some users just don't know how to manage a deal professionally, and the one who pays is the developer, eventually. Maybe because many people still think that what we do is not any serious work, but more like playing Tetris, because a computer is involved in what we do. And those are also used for playing games, aren't they? :>

I did not open a scam accusation thread, because he said that he will pay at some day, plus it's in the range of 1-2 BTC, only.


Long story short, I hope you get your situation solved and things turn out to everyone's satisfaction. Sorry I cannot help with anything specific to help your case.