BitmainTech Scam

[coltarlaza]

Below url is the image of michael chan fraud bitmain technology

https://i.imgur.com/Gojlfao.jpg

This guy is a fraudster/scammer . I ordered my first miner from bitmain official website . However , it was stuck at the custom department . I recieved mail from xiaorui.liu@bitmain.com ( another fraud bitmain staff . which i was unaware from by putting Micheal chan / Lu chen in cc ) telling me that you have to pay for custom duty and if the product is returned back to china I have to bear all the charges . Custom duty cost me 450 $ on my first miner . My first miner which is from batch 8 cost me 2000 $ it was expensive . So , I was looking for someone who can let me have more miners in my country at a low custom duty .

I found this scammer ( Micheal chan)  and he does have the official company's domain i didn't trust him on the first end . I asked i will meet him personally and visit office in beijing and then I will give the order . I met him in beijing and he took me to the office in beijing ,china . I gave him order for 7 miners in January and paid him in btc which was 25.2 bitcoins . He told he will send the miners in less than a week . Now its more than 2 and half month past now . I am calling him regularly , He blocked me on whatsapp and no response and nothing . When I mailed on his official id , i got the response from sharif@bitmain.com
 Sharif Allayarov asking me question how you met lu chen and proof of me paying him . As he have left the job from bitmain 2 months ago . I was in shock . So ,  I gave all the proof of whatsapp messages , my visit to beijing ( tickets ) official letter of bitmain technologies to visit beijing  and meeting scammer Micheal chan/ Lu chen and picture of him .

Lu chen is his another name of micheal chan

Its been more than  2 month now nobody is giving me any reply all they said they are investigating the issue . I am fucked here totally. I doubt many others are part of this scheme because Micheal chan/lu chen scammer have done this to many others .

[suchmoon]

This guy is a fraudster/scammer . I ordered my first miner from bitmain official website . However , it was stuck at the custom department . I recieved mail from xiaorui.liu@bitmain.com ( another fraud bitmain staff . which i was unaware from by putting Micheal chan / Lu chen in cc ) telling me that you have to pay for custom duty and if the product is returned back to china I have to bear all the charges . Custom duty cost me 450 $ on my first miner . My first miner which is from batch 8 cost me 2000 $ it was expensive . So , I was looking for someone who can let me have more miners in my country at a low custom duty .

I found this scammer ( Micheal chan)  and he does have the official company's domain i didn't trust him on the first end . I asked i will meet him personally and visit office in beijing and then I will give the order . I met him in beijing and he took me to the office in beijing ,china . I gave him order for 7 miners in January and paid him in btc which was 25.2 bitcoins . He told he will send the miners in less than a week . Now its more than 2 and half month past now . I am calling him regularly , He blocked me on whatsapp and no response and nothing . When I mailed on his official id , i got the response from sharif@bitmain.com
 Sharif Allayarov asking me question how you met lu chen and proof of me paying him . As he have left the job from bitmain 2 months ago . I was in shock . So ,  I gave all the proof of whatsapp messages , my visit to beijing ( tickets ) official letter of bitmain technologies to visit beijing  and meeting scammer Micheal chan/ Lu chen and picture of him .

Lu chen is his another name of micheal chan

Its been more than  2 month now nobody is giving me any reply all they said they are investigating the issue . I am fucked here totally. I doubt many others are part of this scheme because Micheal chan/lu chen scammer have done this to many others .

Did you meet Michael Chan in Bitmain's office? Did you meet anyone else there? Do you have an actual payment receipt or any other proof that you paid 25.2 BTC and who did you pay it to? Just trying to understand how "official" this all was.

Also - how would this deal help you save on customs duties? Did they promise to put a lower value on the paperwork?

[tmfp]

Can you share

Emails with headers sent to and received from to lu.chen@bitmain.com and any other relevant addresses.
Proof of payment for 25.2BTC
Any other documents, communications, screenshots etc.
A timeline from first contact.


This is where it starts
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1213359

[coltarlaza]

I have all the details I am uploading it one by one

Here is the total amount of bitcoins I paid to Micheal Chan / Lu chen

http://imgur.com/oCW8wxb

http://imgur.com/5cATO0U


I made the payment on 2 btc address one for 14.3 and another 10.9

Bitcoin wallet address send by him -

 1LsxgJP4DqaDe4EUXpmfPA2cWHsvUfMSMA   - 14.3 Btc on this address for 4 miners +PSU
                                                                               Date - 01/05/2016
                                                                               Time - 13:08 PM

1LqogATUGjZmsrCxz6NaMb9rJe8Wp6XYMN    -  10.9 BTC on this for 3 Miners + PSU
                                                                                Date - 01/10/2016
                                                                               Time - 16:44 PM
You can also verify the amount in blockchain as well .

[tmfp]

His Skype jianghu441 seems to have been used for a while, it links him to another email arabeb1001@yahoo.com and a Chinese manufacturing company called arabeb.com, now looks defunct, but its Whois confirms an address for admin 'chenlu' i.e. lu chen

Domain Name:arabeb.com
Registry Domain ID:1829260380_domain_com-vrsn
Registrar WHOIS Server:whois.paycenter.com.cn
Registrar URL:http://www.xinnet.com
Updated Date:2013-09-29T05:07:26.00Z
Creation Date:2013-09-29T05:07:26.00Z
Registrar Registration Expiration Date:2023-09-29T05:07:26.00Z
Registrar:XINNET TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
Registrar IANA ID:120
Registrar Abuse Contact Email:supervision@xinnet.com
Registrar Abuse Contact Phone:+86.1087128064
Domain Status:ok https://www.icann.org/epp#ok
Registry Registrant ID:
Registrant Name:chenlu
Registrant Organization:chenlu
Registrant Street:hefei shushan zone xihuan center plaza Building4 1107
Registrant City:hefeishi
Registrant State/Province:anhuisheng
Registrant Postal Code:230000
Registrant Country:CN
Registrant Phone:+086.05554378209
Registrant Phone Ext:
Registrant Fax:+086.05554378209
Registrant Fax Ext:
Registrant Email:644972184@qq.com
Registry Admin ID:
Admin Name:chenlu
Admin Organization:chenlu
Admin Street:hefei shushan zone xihuan center plaza Building4 1107
Admin City:hefeishi
Admin State/Province:anhuisheng
Admin PostalCode:230000
Admin Country:CN
Admin Phone:+086.05554378209
Admin Phone Ext:
Admin Fax:+086.05554378209
Admin Fax Ext:
Admin Email:644972184@qq.com

[coltarlaza]

Here I am attaching mail screenshot which I received letter of invitation from Michael chan/ lu chen to visit office in Beijing

from lu.chen@bitmain.com
on - On 18-Dec-2015, at 9:15 AM, 陈露 <lu.chen@bitmain.com>

http://imgur.com/zEDkvFa

[tmfp]

Here I am attaching mail screenshot which I received letter of invitation from Michael chan/ lu chen to visit office in Beijing

from lu.chen@bitmain.com
on - On 18-Dec-2015, at 9:15 AM, 陈露 <lu.chen@bitmain.com>

http://imgur.com/zEDkvFa

It would be good to see the invitation attachment.
When did you meet him and when did Sharif Allayarov tell you he hadn't worked for them for two months?

[coltarlaza]

Below is the screenshot when I started mailing him again and again and he was not responding
http://imgur.com/GiEpQo1


And this one when after giving putting him mail again and again and I received reply from Sharif Allayarov ( Russian Speaker with email sharif@bitmain.com )

 Linkedin Profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharif-allayarov-17ab3668 stating that how I met lu chen and where did I pay to him
and proofs of messages , mails , conversation .

http://imgur.com/b94FblE

[coltarlaza]

after sharif ask me to gave all the information.  I gave it to them and  also all these without redacting all my information as it is as they asked me to do

Below is the image of letter of Invitation part 1
http://imgur.com/10RomiQ

Below is the image of letter of Invitation part 2
http://imgur.com/N36LshO

[tmfp]

I recieved mail from xiaorui.liu@bitmain.com ( another fraud bitmain staff . which i was unaware from by putting Micheal chan / Lu chen in cc ) telling me that you have to pay for custom duty and if the product is returned back to china I have to bear all the charges 

Is Xiaorui Lui a fraud?
If "Ibrohim" is what he appears to be on Bitmain Talk, then Xiaorui Lui was still employed by them on 20th Feb.



Just because he/she rightly tells you that paying correct import duty (into India?) is your responsibility, doesn't make them a fraud/accomplice scammer.

[coltarlaza]

I doubt on her/his and include her as part of lu chen scam scheme because when i Received my first miner lu chen was in cc when she/he mailed .
If Michael chan / Lu chen wasn't part of company why did she added him in mail ?


and How did Michael Chan / lu chen get to know that my miner is stuck in custom department ?

[tmfp]

I doubt on her/his and include her as part of lu chen scam scheme because when i Received my first miner lu chen was in cc when she/he mailed .
If Michael chan / Lu chen wasn't part of company why did she added him in mail ?

Would be good to see that cc'd email.

There is the possibility that Lu Chen was working for/with Bitmain when you did the first deal....I don't know.
So, on the visit, did you go to Bitmain's office and get showed round by Chen or what happened?

Late here now, will look forward to seeing more tomorrow.

[coltarlaza]

Below is the my phone screenshot as i saved lu chen/ Michael chan number as " Lu chen antminer S7"
http://imgur.com/IZDWj8a

Below is the screenshot of whatsapp conversation when I arrived on 9 th Jan on airport and Lu chen was waiting outside
the airport and asking me to exit from B door in Beijing on whatsapp and this conversation have that bitcoin address on which I send 10.9 BTC.

http://imgur.com/WQzrFqh


And below is the screenshot of btc address on which I send 14.3 BTC * whatsapp conversation

http://imgur.com/iEJt6Qp


and here is mail in which xiaorui.liu@bitmain.com cc'd lu.chen@bitmain giving my first miner DHL tracking address
http://imgur.com/MW03aT2

[coltarlaza]

and from there he took us in the office after few hours of conversation .
The office was very small . He said all the administration department is here as I cannot get the miners from here . The factory is in shenzhen in gangdong only staff have access to it . So , If I pay right then .... I will get my miners after a week at my home.

Which obviously didn't happened ever.

Below is the mail in which sharif said - " we will fully support you all are offices are closed now . lu chen left our company 2 months ago "
Now if you look at the mail of xiaorliu that tracking mail was send to me on 24 december 2015 and Sharif said on 4 th feb 2016 that lu chen / michael chen left the company 2 months ago "

http://imgur.com/jpCaGrq


The difference is 1 month 9 days . Isn't that gives a doubt he/she ( xiaorui.liu@bitmain.com ) might be part of this ?

[tmfp]

and from there he took us in the office after few hours of conversation .
The office was very small . He said all the administration department is here as I cannot get the miners from here . The factory is in shenzhen in gangdong only staff have access to it . So , If I pay right then .... I will get my miners after a week at my home.

Which obviously didn't happened ever.

Below is the mail in which sharif said - " we will fully support you all are offices are closed now . lu chen left our company 2 months ago "
Now if you look at the mail of xiaorliu that tracking mail was send to me on 24 december 2015 and Sharif said on 4 th feb 2016 that lu chen / michael chen left the company 2 months ago "

http://imgur.com/jpCaGrq


The difference is 1 month 9 days . Isn't that gives a doubt he/she ( xiaorui.liu@bitmain.com ) might be part of this ?

Yes, a very good point.
A current employee of Bitmain cc'ing an ex employee (according to Bitmain), who is still using his Bitmain address to give credibility to a scam which he had been running when he was working for them....
Then Bitmain's account on BCT makes one of its rare posts, to deny Lu Chen as an employee at the same time as Sharif emails you saying they're trying to contact him.
Then a couple of weeks later, Bitmain come up with the nonsense story that his Bitmain email address isn't real, when it obviously is.
I appreciate your frustration.