cruguy scammed me!

[ilikerolls]

What happened::
This guy scammed me fore $350.  I needed a payment provider who would support kratom.  Cruguy offered a 2checkout account solution that would be linked to fake website, since kratom is against their TOS.  I talked to him on the phone through skype and he sounded very knowledgeable about the subject and how it would work.  Our business was down, since PayPal cancelled us and took most of our money since kratom is against their TOS(not sure why its considered "high risk" anyway).  We couldn't accept payments, so our business was down.  We were desperate and sent him the money through Bitcoin.

He kept leading me on giving me updates for a while.  Then when it came time to give me the account there was a problem.  The guy selling the account had $600 in the account, but needed a US Bank to withdraw the money, since his US partner left.  I was to pay another $300 for the balance. I would get the account and the $600 in the account.  This is when I knew almost certainly I was being scammed. I said I couldn't send anymore money and he went into a trust thing, so I said send me the account I will deposit the money and after it clears I will send the $300.  Of course now he said we could no longer make a deal. This went on for a day or two where he said he only needed $95 now and he would use his own money.  I said I couldn't do it and he said he would refund my money.  But it would take 4 days, since it took time to come out of his bitcoin account and put it back in.  He stopped responding on the 3rd day and it is now 5 days.

Scammers Profile Link:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?action=profile;u=788442
His Skype E-mail: pranetworkservices@gmail.com

Reference Link:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=3197687.msg33172364#msg33172364

Amount Scammed:
$350
Payment Method:
Bitcoin
Proof of Payment:
https://blockchain.info/tx/434c66c6a6094d2c5eddc99103791d8871be18612c2eb3af1e6ad553147e5848

PM/Chat Logs:
https://imgur.com/aIuA7WK
https://imgur.com/Z6FgIai
https://imgur.com/QwlvIAe
https://imgur.com/6B81S0Y

Additional Notes:
I advise no one to deal with this guy.  I probably won't get my money back, but hopefully I can help someone else out in the future.  In hindsight I should have done more research on him and only dealt with someone with more reputation.  Please do the same no matter how desperate you are to get your business back up and running or whatever you need.

[MindShadow]

I read on other thread about trust rating. you can click the profile of the scammer on below you can see option. click trust. then you can input your concerns and links there.


https://i.imgur.com/cjqXABh.png



https://i.imgur.com/6noTqHO.png

[jhenfelipe]

Seems that the guy has a history of scamming. I saw a scam accusation thread posted last November 2016 here "Cruguy is a scammer!", and the OP even left a negative feedback to him [trust page]. Too bad he wasn't tagged by a DT that time. Since you can't get your BTC back, just learn from it and be extra careful next time. Always check the trust page before dealing, and would be better if you use an escrow.

[ilikerolls]

I read on other thread about trust rating. you can click the profile of the scammer on below you can see option. click trust. then you can input your concerns and links there.

img]https://i.imgur.com/cjqXABh.png[/img]

https://i.imgur.com/6noTqHO.png

Thanks Mindshadow I have already done this.  Like I said I won't get my money back most likely, but will do everything in my power to make sure he don't scam anyone else.  I wish I knew about this earlier, but was new to the forum and was desperate to get my business making money again.

Seems that the guy has a history of scamming. I saw a scam accusation thread posted last November 2016 here "Cruguy is a scammer!", and the OP even left a negative feedback to him [trust page]. Too bad he wasn't tagged by a DT that time. Since you can't get your BTC back, just learn from it and be extra careful next time. Always check the trust page before dealing, and would be better if you use an escrow.

I appreciate you guys not saying things "like I should have known better" like on the other scam report thread.  Doesn't feel good losing that much money.  I am usually pretty cautious and thorough about things, but he caught me at a weak time.  Is there a link anyone can share to Escrow services or how any of this works that might help me in the future?

[ibminer]

I've left feedback to warn others, sorry for your loss OP.

[jhenfelipe]

Seems that the guy has a history of scamming. I saw a scam accusation thread posted last November 2016 here "Cruguy is a scammer!", and the OP even left a negative feedback to him [trust page]. Too bad he wasn't tagged by a DT that time. Since you can't get your BTC back, just learn from it and be extra careful next time. Always check the trust page before dealing, and would be better if you use an escrow.

I appreciate you guys not saying things "like I should have known better" like on the other scam report thread.  Doesn't feel good losing that much money.  I am usually pretty cautious and thorough about things, but he caught me at a weak time.  Is there a link anyone can share to Escrow services or how any of this works that might help me in the future?

These are the most updated threads I saw,    
⛓LIST⛓ BitcoinTalk's Escrow Providers: Ranking & Blacklist ☠ Avoid Scammers ☠ [last update: Feb 17, 2018] and Recommended bitcointalk escrow services [last update: Feb 10, 2018]. I shared both as some names aren't listed on the other thread.

[ilikerolls]

Insert Quote
I've left feedback to warn others, sorry for your loss OP.

Thanks I guess is the most I could ask for.  I appreciate you taking the time to follow up on this.

These are the most updated threads I saw,   
⛓LIST⛓ BitcoinTalk's Escrow Providers: Ranking & Blacklist ☠ Avoid Scammers ☠ [last update: Feb 17, 2018] and Recommended bitcointalk escrow services [last update: Feb 10, 2018]. I shared both as some names aren't listed on the other thread.

Thanks for the link. You guys have been really helpful.  I will definitely take my time next and be more careful.  And of course only agree to payment with Escrow.

[magneto]

Sucks because this could have been easily prevented by using escrow.

Sorry for your loss, you did the right thing to go out here and warn everyone against dealing with this guy. What he's trying to do is probably waste time and make you think that your money will be returned eventually, and he would be able to scam some more people in the meantime. He probably never had any intentions in helping you with the promised solution in the first place.

Whoever you are dealing with, even if they sound insightful and knowledgeable, I'd say that any transaction above 0.01 BTC should demand an escrow so that you are protected. And your amount was well above that. Plenty of free options around as well. Take this as a lesson, OP.

[Seetheummerallyeah]

Here is the golden rule when buying something with bitcoin:

NO ESCROW, NO DEAL

There is NO legitimate reason why a seller wouldn't accept escrow, especially when you are paying the fees. The only possible reason they wouldn't want an escrow is because they want to scam you. If you use an escrow you will walk away with what you expected or get your money back. I hope you learned your lesson and don't make the same mistake again.

[ilikerolls]

Sucks because this could have been easily prevented by using escrow.

Sorry for your loss, you did the right thing to go out here and warn everyone against dealing with this guy. What he's trying to do is probably waste time and make you think that your money will be returned eventually, and he would be able to scam some more people in the meantime. He probably never had any intentions in helping you with the promised solution in the first place.

Whoever you are dealing with, even if they sound insightful and knowledgeable, I'd say that any transaction above 0.01 BTC should demand an escrow so that you are protected. And your amount was well above that. Plenty of free options around as well. Take this as a lesson, OP.

Plenty of free options?  I assumed all Escrow charged some kind of fee?

[Seetheummerallyeah]

Plenty of free options?  I assumed all Escrow charged some kind of fee?

Most escrows charge a small fee but you have to ask yourself "Would I rather pay the 1% fee or risk losing it all?". When you think of it this way the fee seems insignificant. You can view the fees of trusted escrows here. They typically vary from 0-1% and all of them are well worth it.

[ilikerolls]

Most escrows charge a small fee but you have to ask yourself "Would I rather pay the 1% fee or risk losing it all?". When you think of it this way the fee seems insignificant. You can view the fees of trusted escrows here. They typically vary from 0-1% and all of them are well worth it.

Oh it is definitely worth it.  Trust me I wish I knew this was a service before I got scammed.  I was just surprised that some would offer this service for free.