Black Arrow is most likely a scam operation

[ikevin8me]

I can't really follow this thread. There seems to be a lot of unrelated information....

So, what's with the name was was given a different bank "Destino" to send the wire to? You mean Black Arrow's account with HSBC Hong Kong were in trouble that they have to give a different bank (in the UK) to send the money to? Isn't this the real bad smell of a scam?

[ikevin8me]

To date, the ONLY thing I've found legitimate pertaining to Black Arrow is that Global Foundries exist, and that Virisilicon received investment capital from Lehman Brothers.

Phinnaeus Gage,

The legitimacy of VeriSilicon has not really a lot to do with Black Arrow. Just imagine, if Black Arrow is pulling the biggest Bitcoin hardware scam for millions of dollars, they can pay (ie. as a investment for the scam) $1 mil. to order the the silicon chips.

VeriSilicon can confirm with us they have a real contract with Black Arrow. They did not confirm what is the size of the contract. Sure, I read your message earlier that it has to be a minimum order for the chips. But what if the minimum order is $1 mil. and the total scam sales is $50 mil. They still pocket $49 mil.

If those above are the only things you found legitimate about Black Arrow, perhaps it's time to consider that all your money paid to Black Arrow is gone. Accept that WE have been scammed NOW, or accept it in May, or later this year...

[ikevin8me]

Has anyone done a Hong Kong company search on "Black Arrow Limited"?

https://www.icris.cr.gov.hk/csci/login_i.do?loginType=iguest

If Black Arrow is indeed a scam, the directors/shareholders will most probably be nominees. They are probably unaware of the the scam, given it is quite shortlived (started last year from September). However, I think there would be a trace because the scammers purchased the shelf company from the incorporator and left some fingerprints behind.

[ikevin8me]

Phinnaeus Gage, you said someone visited the Chinese plant. Who? Can you show me the thread or proof?

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Phinnaeus Gage, you said someone visited the Chinese plant. Who? Can you show me the thread or proof?

Here it is, bud. BTW, bobsag3 is Matt Carson.

Updates straight from bobsag3 in Hong Kong visiting Black Arrow:

Can you say miner pr0n?  

These are Prosperos - except prototypes running with Bitfury instead of Minion chips: Bitfury boards:

https://i.imgur.com/PZsSdoo.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/X69NCBP.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/fw5qBvl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/pSkWGPL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dO4kzm8.jpg

FPGA simulating the Minion ASIC hashing away: https://i.imgur.com/2pq0Fz7.jpg

Full album here: http://goo.gl/s9U6IX

So nothing of the 28nm tech other than a FPGA simulator?

What else would you expect? Its pretty public that the chip is still in development, and that they wont have the chips until Jan/Feb.

Wishful thinking on my part then Thanks for the pics

[bitterdog]

This really reminds me of the Kid who is a fry cook at McDonalds and on his Resume puts HEAD CHEF

[Phinnaeus Gage]

This really reminds me of the Kid who is a fry cook at McDonalds and on his Resume puts HEAD CHEF

I have a nephew like that. His last job was dishwasher, but bragged about how the chef asked him for advice. Two weeks later when he got his first check, he smoked it up, then quit, just like he did with every single job he's ever had for the past six years. Once, he held onto a job for almost two months, but I later learnt it was only because one of his fellow co-workers supplied him, along with them both ripping off the joint. The son of a bitch even once ripped off his own mother, taking a hundred dollars outta her purse, then denied it, although he was the only other person in the other room at the time.

[Seven111]

This really reminds me of the Kid who is a fry cook at McDonalds and on his Resume puts HEAD CHEF

I have a nephew like that. His last job was dishwasher, but bragged about how the chef asked him for advice. Two weeks later when he got his first check, he smoked it up, then quit, just like he did with every single job he's ever had for the past six years. Once, he held onto a job for almost two months, but I later learnt it was only because one of his fellow co-workers supplied him, along with them both ripping off the joint. The son of a bitch even once ripped off his own mother, taking a hundred dollars outta her purse, then denied it, although he was the only other person in the other room at the time.

Does that mean the bitch deserved it? 

Just kidding.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

This really reminds me of the Kid who is a fry cook at McDonalds and on his Resume puts HEAD CHEF

I have a nephew like that. His last job was dishwasher, but bragged about how the chef asked him for advice. Two weeks later when he got his first check, he smoked it up, then quit, just like he did with every single job he's ever had for the past six years. Once, he held onto a job for almost two months, but I later learnt it was only because one of his fellow co-workers supplied him, along with them both ripping off the joint. The son of a bitch even once ripped off his own mother, taking a hundred dollars outta her purse, then denied it, although he was the only other person in the other room at the time.

Does that mean the bitch deserved it? 

Just kidding.

I'll accept your first post as humor and won't take offense, bud.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

I don't know whether to post this, sorry if it seems rude, but I feel I must say it as a potential customer...

Why can't you use your talents to develop something using the ASIC platform? I for one am waiting for the dust to settle and will be looking to buy into ASIC technology once there are units on warehouse shelves. I am not particularly interested in massive profits, just a little profit plus the satisfaction of mining for the resilience of the network. I am under the impression that the Avalon's custom ASIC chips are/will be available in bulk to people such as yourselves, and the developers specifically want this technology to be distributed.

The issue of electricity cost vs. mining revenue will be making new investment into FPGAs too risky for me, sorry

We are looking into developing an ASIC but we won't sell them until we have a working product.

Power consumption is not such a big issue for FPGA. They use only a little bit more than ASIC.

As many times as I've read similar, Roger Ver should erect a billboard depicting such verbiage.

You guys want to see an amazing graph?: https://blockchain.info/charts/received-per-day?address=1JTNXgcVCMXhQrLEE9XW71fQjJN1uQpWf7

It stems from one of Black Arrow's wallet address: https://blockchain.info/address/1JTNXgcVCMXhQrLEE9XW71fQjJN1uQpWf7 They better hope that that's not their only wallet, otherwise they're in a heap of trouble.

This is how I found it: http://web.archive.org/web/20130428000608/http://www.cardreaderfactory.com/shop/lancelot.html

First deposit was on Oct. 19, 2012, and currently has $78,472.50 USD in it for anybody seeking a refund from Black Arrow. And, if that's not enough, you'll soon learn once you visit the address above that Black Arrow is garnering 5 BTC every two days via mining income while its investomers are in a holding pattern till May. Doing some quick math, that'll be 5 X 30 X 600 = ~$90,000 USD he'll receive during the next 60 days, while his investomers will only be earning (more quick math, so please check my work) 0 X 0 X 600 X (# of rigs ordered) = 0 during the same timeframe.

Now, I'm no MENSA dude, but to me the investomer's ROI is not looking too good at this penning, while Black Arrow is swimming in bitcoins, all the while checking his margins to see if he could honor any refunds. Perhaps, it's just some Romanian thing, and I'm simply a fuckin' idiot wasting my life away on this here laptop living in my dead mother's van down by the up-the-creek-sans-a-paddle.

~TMIBTCITW

[Phinnaeus Gage]

^^^Good news, Keith: http://my-dog-jetta.blogspot.com/2014/01/black-arrow-prospero-x-3-delay.html

Funds are currently available for you to receive your full refund sans waiting a month... or longer.

Glad I could help... FOR FUCKIN' FREE, see there DZ?

[goozman96]

I don't know whether to post this, sorry if it seems rude, but I feel I must say it as a potential customer...

Why can't you use your talents to develop something using the ASIC platform? I for one am waiting for the dust to settle and will be looking to buy into ASIC technology once there are units on warehouse shelves. I am not particularly interested in massive profits, just a little profit plus the satisfaction of mining for the resilience of the network. I am under the impression that the Avalon's custom ASIC chips are/will be available in bulk to people such as yourselves, and the developers specifically want this technology to be distributed.

The issue of electricity cost vs. mining revenue will be making new investment into FPGAs too risky for me, sorry

We are looking into developing an ASIC but we won't sell them until we have a working product.

Power consumption is not such a big issue for FPGA. They use only a little bit more than ASIC.

As many times as I've read similar, Roger Ver should erect a billboard depicting such verbiage.

You guys want to see an amazing graph?: https://blockchain.info/charts/received-per-day?address=1JTNXgcVCMXhQrLEE9XW71fQjJN1uQpWf7

It stems from one of Black Arrow's wallet address: https://blockchain.info/address/1JTNXgcVCMXhQrLEE9XW71fQjJN1uQpWf7 They better hope that that's not their only wallet, otherwise they're in a heap of trouble.

This is how I found it: http://web.archive.org/web/20130428000608/http://www.cardreaderfactory.com/shop/lancelot.html

First deposit was on Oct. 19, 2012, and currently has $78,472.50 USD in it for anybody seeking a refund from Black Arrow. And, if that's not enough, you'll soon learn once you visit the address above that Black Arrow is garnering 5 BTC every two days via mining income while its investomers are in a holding pattern till May. Doing some quick math, that'll be 5 X 30 X 600 = ~$90,000 USD he'll receive during the next 60 days, while his investomers will only be earning (more quick math, so please check my work) 0 X 0 X 600 X (# of rigs ordered) = 0 during the same timeframe.

Now, I'm no MENSA dude, but to me the investomer's ROI is not looking too good at this penning, while Black Arrow is swimming in bitcoins, all the while checking his margins to see if he could honor any refunds. Perhaps, it's just some Romanian thing, and I'm simply a fuckin' idiot wasting my life away on this here laptop living in my dead mother's van down by the up-the-creek-sans-a-paddle.

~TMIBTCITW

Post this in the main thread.

[MGK-]

we can´t stop here! this is bat land.

Country....Bat country...

[Phinnaeus Gage]

You guys wanna see another amazing graph?: https://blockchain.info/charts/balance?address=1HC3dc4DubRat1P39YBBkwVRbph3ijbtPQ

Besides the wallet in question having received 10,981.801666 BTC to date, DZ's co-op has been paid 1 BTC no less than three times stemming from it. So much for the I've-been-doing-shit-for-free guy. I predict that soon DZ's co-op will be referred to as DZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzMC^not-square.

[raskul]

i'd be seriously fearsome about taking anything from them... where it proves it's a massive fraud, the dude will go to jail, not pass go, not collect BTC200

[Phinnaeus Gage]

MENSA status, DZ, really put a lot of thought into forming his co-op, considering he espouses how he's doing all that shit for free.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agricultural_cooperative#Why_farmers_form_cooperatives

Cooperatives as a form of business organization are distinct from the more common investor-owned firms (IOFs).[1][4] Both are organized as corporations, but IOFs pursue profit maximization objectives, whereas cooperatives strive to maximize the benefits they generate for their members (which usually involves zero-profit operation).

Ergo, IOFs = I Often Forget shit! Hell, if you drop the hyphen, it's not that big a leap to envision the vetted foxes guarding the chicken coop.

[sase007]

Black Arrow is most likely a scam operation

That would be disaster...

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Black Arrow is most likely a scam operation

That would be disaster...

Investomer: Verisilicon, does Black Arrow have a contract with you all?
Verisilicon 1: Hey, Mack, is this email guy asking about their first order or subsequent orders?
Verisilicon 2: Just reply with a yes.

[ikevin8me]

It is now the morning of Feb. 20 in China, the day of the supposed-to-be Tapeout. Let's see what Black Arrow will update us...

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Meanwhile, over on the BlockChain...

https://blockchain.info/tx/fc84edf9b2fb38b9a92bc0d34d2e9da9cc041b5b7cb5b189bc9525e555858fca

Public Note: 7.5 BTC payment to Black Arrow LTD: Order #2870. Additional payment to bring the total paid to 8.92517 BTC to be sent shortly. Black Arrow promises they will begin operating the equipment for me Feb 24, 2014.

Public Note: balance of payment for Black Arrow LTD: Order #2870. With this payment, the total 8.92517 BTC that was due for this order has been paid in full.

https://blockchain.info/address/147QDjohYpiSPwdgdogpbHtZRW98E5nwhr

Transactions
No. Transactions   2   
Total Received   8.92517 BTC   
Final Balance   8.92517 BTC

http://my-dog-jetta.blogspot.com/2014/01/black-arrow-prospero-x-3-delay.html

Black Arrow LTD: Order #2870 Prospero X-1 and Prospero X-3 delivery delays

Dear customer,
We are sorry to hear that you do not wish to continue with your order. As your order has already been put in production it is difficult for us to issue you with a refund. However, we do not want to make anyone unhappy therefore we will do our best to refund your money by moving your order to a new customer.

.................

Your refund has been added to a refund queue and will be processed as soon as possible, please note refund can take up to a month if we don't currently have funds to fulfill your request.
The refund can be done only in original currency it was paid, if your order was paid by bank transfer, it will be returned in original currency paid.
Please bear with us as the processing will take some time.
You shall receive an email confirmation once the process has been completed.

Please take the time to read the rest of Keith's back-and-forth with BA. I just wanted to show that there's at least one example of Black Arrow just sitting on the BTC, though claiming their margins are narrow.

The next quote relates to the above, but I desire to point out something else.

<snipped, but reads verbatim as what's linked, along with a no longer FB page link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=544725588968867&id=477655819009178>

Take a step back and check the part I highlighted. If someone threatens us, we're going to go about things differently than a simple refund request.

That's a pretty odd statement to be making about Black Arrow, considering Matt only takes care of the tickets and maintains the FB page, and even at least once stated that he never met, nor been to the offices of Black Arrow.

I probably would have been gone long time ago from this Black Arrow shit, but because of Matt being not MENSA status like DZ is, he opted to pen the following.

Phinnaeus Gage,

You're not a customer of Black Arrow and you're not a miner in general. You're stuck on the fact you think Bobsag and I are the same person because we've got the same name. I won't be disclosing my last name and I will not be disclosing my address or other personal information. This will be my last interaction with you. I'd encourage everyone else to ignore Phinnaeus Gage as well. Please do not feed the trolls.



Moving on...

Everyone at Black Arrow is working hard to turn this delay into something beneficial for everyone. I've been keeping an eye on a lot of threads both here and at ecointalk and I appreciate some of the suggestions I've read.

So, pretending for a second that I'm a troll, this troll will continue to stick it up Black Arrow's ass each and every time I uncover shit about their operation.

Because I'm...

TMIBTCITW