Old thread is old, and
original old thread is locked up in the archive, but seeing as this popped up while I was checking for more ASIC bits and pieces (just when you think you're 'done'...), I got completely hooked on that thread.
Others there already commented on the intrigue, the plot twists, etc.
I just went in there to get details to make a remark on it being a rare case of a scammer returning the funds to the pre-order people with a seemingly humble mea culpa of sorts. I was even going to check if they got more back in fiat than they put in (may or may not have been the case, depending on exact order time and whose exchange rate's being consulted). But to do so, I first had to find the transactions as not everybody was forthcoming.
In doing so, I noticed something odd... and I'm thinking I probably missed something obvious, but anyway:
| user | tstamp | payment | |
| davebodger | 2014-01-24 11:42:17 | | |
| Phoenix1969 | 2014-01-25 07:09:25
2014-01-25 18:40:34 | | |
| mauiflipper | 2014-01-25 06:08:04
2014-01-25 07:04:06 | | |
| 3rac3 | 2014-01-25 20:54:33 | | |
| gokou2001 | 2014-01-26 04:33:45 | | |
There was no mention of it in the original thread, but looking at mauiflipper's transactions: 8.93+8.93 = 17.86, not 17.7602. That's
BTC0.0998 that stuck around at CTS. At the time that would have been approximately $8. So not exactly something to get rich off of - it's only the surrounding story that made it interesting.
Now, for most of these threads, I work my way back. There's no point trying to get figures from page 1 and browse on to page 100 if pages 31, 42 and 59 have updated data that override the earlier pages.
So color me surprised when I came across this post from mauiflipper:
Maui (Daryl)
1GzBFMvgrLYZRBVrjTV431pVDwT8CJM4Ed (8.9301 btc)
19Hbw5bwag6wjHGmHPvZ1zSPdjAY9GQHoo (8.8301 btc)
8.9301+8.8301 = 17.7602. That checks out.
Did I make a mistake somewhere? Naw, source is the blockchain, that can't be wrong. Plus I did read early on (as it's the page I landed on while looking for their logo) that he claimed to have purchased two units:
I bought two units, because I did enough research to make me believe that they are real.
Why would two units be different prices? Perhaps an exchange rate fluctuation - I shrugged it off, duplicated the tab, and set it aside for another glance later.
Later came sooner than I thought, because then I ran into this post:
And that most certainly reads 8.93 for both transactions during 'processing' as well.
So if everything points to payments of 8.93, but mauiflipper says it should have been 8.9301+8.8301, but the addresses provided didn't make these transactions, then what addresses/transactions did include that amount?
All of the initial payment transactions made their way to 1MLTfBmQ42eTSG5vr4JuSqfHeG13NuygDe.
And that address certainly has no transactions for 8.9301 or 8.8301. In fact, no transaction during that period has those exact amounts as far as the blockchain is concerned. 17.7602 only pops up at the time of the refunds. 17.86 - in case mauiflipper was refunded earlier and paid again separately - doesn't pop up at all.
So where did those numbers come from? And why did CTS use
that number instead of 17.86? They refunded everybody else exactly, even those who hadn't posted their transactions/amounts.
I have absolutely no idea. Only mauiflipper could possibly answer some of that.
I still feel it was very fishy
Couldn't agree more. But hey, it's a year old, and most of the people involved in one way or another disappeared
