Was This Client Kidnapped for Their Coins?

[Newchanka]

In April, a client reached out to me via Telegram for a writing project. Eager to do this job, we agreed on terms, and they committed to paying $4000 for the job. An upfront payment of $2500 was made, setting the stage for what seemed like a promising collaboration.

However, the tale took an unexpected turn when, after the initial contact, my client vanished into the digital abyss. Messages went unanswered, and my attempts to reach them proved futile. It was as if they had been swallowed by the virtual void.

Fast forward more than seven months later (yesterday), a flicker of hope emerged. A Telegram notification lit up my screen, and to my surprise, it was from the long-lost client. Excitement quickly turned to suspicion as the messages unfolded. The person chatting with me was definitely not the client becase he knew nothing about our deal and rather was fishing for information from me.

Red flags waved as I realized that the digital landscape had shifted. The client's display name was the same until 24 hours later when it was changed from Alex Merg to John B. (so obviously fake).  

Alarmed and wary, I took a step back to assess the situation. The disappearance of my original client, coupled with the change in name, raised concerns about the legitimacy of the individual on the other end of the screen. It begged the question: Was this the same client, or had their account fallen into the wrong hands? Since this client held a large amount of crypto, could he have lost his phone and more? Was he kidnapped?


Beware of the Telegram account @roii99s, as it appears to now be in the hands of a criminal. Whether the original client's phone was lost or a more sinister plot is at play, it serves as a reminder that the digital realm requires constant vigilance. If you have a suggestion on how to report this to law enforcement such as Interpol, do let me know. Every crypto holder should also be careful out there, especially if you're a whale.



Update: Another writer is accusing Alex of scam as seen here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5454791.msg62339214#msg62339214. Personally, I wouldn't subscribe to that since he hasn't even been active on blockchain since May. Moreso, I only did half of the job with the anticipation that he would pay up before completing it. Further more, he's got more than enough coins to decend to the level of scamming a measly $1,500 or $2,500 from me and steve5946 as the case may be.

Who would know a Telegram user with username Jesse Cooper? I don't know how they found out that Alex gave me a job and what link they have. This particular individual actually tried discouraging me from doing the job after receiving payment from Alex.

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[OgNasty]

Crazy story. I question if there’s really someone out there that would put a $2,500 deposit down with a stranger they met on telegram for a writing project, but I guess crazier things have happened. This is a good example of how escrow could have gotten the seller their full payment after the disappearance of the buyer, but again, seems like a bit of a tale to me.

[stomachgrowls]

Everything could happen.

We could make out possible reasons for that change of ownership of that client account that you are talking.

1. Hacked account
2. Had given the account to someone else neither sold or voluntary

We cant tell that your previous client was kidnapped or been abducted just because his messaging account was held by other person?
No its not. If he isnt the real client that you have transacted or deal in the past then its better to ignore.
Dont hope about on the balance that your client has into you, yes its a waste since you havent get paid
but it is already that too long and its better not to make yourself that too hopeful.

We know that being concern is there but there are things in life that isnt within our reach and there's no point on keep bothering yourself.

[hugeblack]

Often these scammers use services that provide temporary numbers or even Telegram accounts, and after a period of time they sell them or the service provider sells them, and a third party may buy them. Therefore, this third party does not necessarily have to be a scammer, but it is better not to deal with any account on Telegram without using escrow.

Back to your story, did they pay you the remaining $4,000, or did the project stop, or what?

[un_rank]

Beware of the Telegram account @roii99s, as it appears to now be in the hands of a criminal.

That can as well be changed by whoever is in control of the account at the moment.

I do not think the situation suggests at all that the user was kidnapped, possibly lost access to their account and has not been able to recover it, or had an accident.

This is a good example of how escrow could have gotten the seller their full payment after the disappearance of the buyer, but again, seems like a bit of a tale to me.

If the buyer never received the product, will the escrow opt to give full payment to the seller, or wait to get a word from all involved parties.

- Jay -

[stompix]

In April, a client reached out to me via Telegram for a writing project. Eager to do this job, we agreed on terms, and they committed to paying $4000 for the job. An upfront payment of $2500 was made, setting the stage for what seemed like a promising collaboration.
~
Red flags waved as I realized that the digital landscape had shifted. The client's display name was the same until 24 hours later when it was changed from Alex Merg to John B. (so obviously fake).  

Hmmm, HMMMM!!!!!!!!  

So, Alex Merg contacted me to work on a project via TG. All went well for a while since March until after submiting the 4th batch of 100 articles of which he paid 50% upfront. With a balance of $2500 remaining.

And further on
https://ninjastic.space/post/62083431

It's November, 7 months ago means still April from last contact so it kind of aligns with the other events.
Get in touch with the other guy, he might know something, then, it's your choice, but depending on where you live police might be not doing a thing to laugh and kick you out of the station.

[Nwada001]

If your story is real, then there could be some sort of possibility for why things happen that way: either the person lost the device and has no means of getting it back, or the mobile number was also not retrieved. In my country, if your mobile number is inactive for some months, the service provider will sell the number to another customer, which could also be a possible means for someone to use and recover the telegram from the old users.
 
Or it could also be that, as a result of what Hugblack mentioned, scammers making use of online mobile number providers for social media verification who have a higher network or pay more can get your own number from you and restrict your access, so that could also be the case.
 
So in the writing job that you were given to conduct, there is no private information given to you that could be used to track down your clients that give you work if you really want to get your work done or refund the money.

Crazy story. I question if there’s really someone out there that would put a $2,500 deposit down with a stranger they met on telegram for a writing project, but I guess crazier things have happened.

The story has already been questioned the first time the OP came up with it earlier this year, in June 2023. Update on Someone Paid Me $2,500 in April and Forgot...

[_BlackStar]

Often these scammers use services that provide temporary numbers or even Telegram accounts, and after a period of time they sell them or the service provider sells them, and a third party may buy them. Therefore, this third party does not necessarily have to be a scammer, but it is better not to deal with any account on Telegram without using escrow.

Back to your story, did they pay you the remaining $4,000, or did the project stop, or what?

In the story - the client disappeared and could not be contacted after the initial payment, possibly subsequent payments were not made. But this is an old story that was then pumped back up by the OP under the pretext of warning others about the potential for fake people controlling his client's telegram account. If the OP is honest and has no other motive - then it would be logical for him to send the bitcoin back to his client's address without shouting to find out where the client is, especially since he knows his client is a large crypto owner.

Alarmed and wary, I took a step back to assess the situation. The disappearance of my original client, coupled with the change in name, raised concerns about the legitimacy of the individual on the other end of the screen. It begged the question: Was this the same client, or had their account fallen into the wrong hands? Since this client held a large amount of crypto, could he have lost his phone and more? Was he kidnapped?

[Newchanka]

Often these scammers use services that provide temporary numbers or even Telegram accounts, and after a period of time they sell them or the service provider sells them, and a third party may buy them. Therefore, this third party does not necessarily have to be a scammer, but it is better not to deal with any account on Telegram without using escrow.

Back to your story, did they pay you the remaining $4,000, or did the project stop, or what?

They paid $2,500. I did half the job as we agreed. I'd have completed it if they paid the balance of $1,500.

[Newchanka]

Often these scammers use services that provide temporary numbers or even Telegram accounts, and after a period of time they sell them or the service provider sells them, and a third party may buy them. Therefore, this third party does not necessarily have to be a scammer, but it is better not to deal with any account on Telegram without using escrow.

Back to your story, did they pay you the remaining $4,000, or did the project stop, or what?

They paid $2,500. I did half the job as we agreed. I'd have completed it if they paid the balance of $1,500.

In April, a client reached out to me via Telegram for a writing project. Eager to do this job, we agreed on terms, and they committed to paying $4000 for the job. An upfront payment of $2500 was made, setting the stage for what seemed like a promising collaboration.
~
Red flags waved as I realized that the digital landscape had shifted. The client's display name was the same until 24 hours later when it was changed from Alex Merg to John B. (so obviously fake).  

Hmmm, HMMMM!!!!!!!!  

So, Alex Merg contacted me to work on a project via TG. All went well for a while since March until after submiting the 4th batch of 100 articles of which he paid 50% upfront. With a balance of $2500 remaining.

And further on
https://ninjastic.space/post/62083431

It's November, 7 months ago means still April from last contact so it kind of aligns with the other events.
Get in touch with the other guy, he might know something, then, it's your choice, but depending on where you live police might be not doing a thing to laugh and kick you out of the station.

I couldn't figure out what happened in the chat at https://ninjastic.space/post/62083431. Was Alex scammed by the previous writer?

Everything could happen.

We could make out possible reasons for that change of ownership of that client account that you are talking.

1. Hacked account
2. Had given the account to someone else neither sold or voluntary

We cant tell that your previous client was kidnapped or been abducted just because his messaging account was held by other person?
No its not. If he isnt the real client that you have transacted or deal in the past then its better to ignore.
Dont hope about on the balance that your client has into you, yes its a waste since you havent get paid
but it is already that too long and its better not to make yourself that too hopeful.

We know that being concern is there but there are things in life that isnt within our reach and there's no point on keep bothering yourself.

Even their blockchain activity stopped around the same period.

[Rruchi man]

In April, a client reached out to me via Telegram for a writing project. Eager to do this job, we agreed on terms, and they committed to paying $4000 for the job. An upfront payment of $2500 was made, setting the stage for what seemed like a promising collaboration.

Some people can be very easy trusting and liberal with money. Sometimes it is because they have enough money, sometimes it is also due to naivety.

However, the tale took an unexpected turn when, after the initial contact, my client vanished into the digital abyss. Messages went unanswered, and my attempts to reach them proved futile. It was as if they had been swallowed by the virtual void.

I suspect more that due to his easy trusting character, he may have been hacked via phisphing links and not kidnapped.

Alarmed and wary, I took a step back to assess the situation. The disappearance of my original client, coupled with the change in name, raised concerns about the legitimacy of the individual on the other end of the screen. It begged the question: Was this the same client, or had their account fallen into the wrong hands? Since this client held a large amount of crypto, could he have lost his phone and more? Was he kidnapped?

Their Telegram accounts have been compromised. Your client is still alive somewhere, just that he has lost contact with you.

[2girls]

In April, a client reached out to me via Telegram for a writing project. Eager to do this job, we agreed on terms, and they committed to paying $4000 for the job. An upfront payment of $2500 was made, setting the stage for what seemed like a promising collaboration.

However, the tale took an unexpected turn when, after the initial contact, my client vanished into the digital abyss. Messages went unanswered, and my attempts to reach them proved futile. It was as if they had been swallowed by the virtual void.

Fast forward more than seven months later (yesterday), a flicker of hope emerged. A Telegram notification lit up my screen, and to my surprise, it was from the long-lost client. Excitement quickly turned to suspicion as the messages unfolded. The person chatting with me was definitely not the client becase he knew nothing about our deal and rather was fishing for information from me.

Red flags waved as I realized that the digital landscape had shifted. The client's display name was the same until 24 hours later when it was changed from Alex Merg to John B. (so obviously fake). 

Alarmed and wary, I took a step back to assess the situation. The disappearance of my original client, coupled with the change in name, raised concerns about the legitimacy of the individual on the other end of the screen. It begged the question: Was this the same client, or had their account fallen into the wrong hands? Since this client held a large amount of crypto, could he have lost his phone and more? Was he kidnapped?


Beware of the Telegram account @roii99s, as it appears to now be in the hands of a criminal. Whether the original client's phone was lost or a more sinister plot is at play, it serves as a reminder that the digital realm requires constant vigilance. If you have a suggestion on how to report this to law enforcement such as Interpol, do let me know. Every crypto holder should also be careful out there, especially if you're a whale.

I can't believe that because a person who I didn't know ever and even I didn't met him before in my life how could I gave that person the 2500$ just for messaging me on telegram?

This is out of the World thinking as if you really trust him then it is your own thinking but I don't know how would your trust that person by giving him the money without knowing him.

BTW if this happens to me I would never trust a single person because most people message me through these social media and telegram but I never reply to them and after some days their telegram account got deletes.

[alastantiger]

If I understood your narration very well, I wouldn't be too warried about who the new person is behind the telegram account. I am more concerned about the deposit that has been made to you. Are you going to inform law enforcement agencies and give them the money so that they can carry out an investigation and where possible trace and return the money to the owner since the job was not done? Just block the new person and the problem is solved. Whenever the old person resurfaces, they can always reach via your telegram handle.

[kentrolla]

Right from the beginning till the end I feel something fishy and there's more to it, I have been in this domain for a while and client paying upfront $2500 is something unheard of, regardless of of who the imposter is behind this telegram account which you have mentioned just check with him if he/she can help you understand how did they got this account and there are possibilities of this person getting recycled number and when you discussed about the project he is trying his luck to fish more information. But I don't think anyone paying $2500 and disappearing is normal, to be on a safer end you may report this to the relevant authorities as it could help them if and the client are from same country else just don't stress out.

[Viscore]

Crazy story. I question if there’s really someone out there that would put a $2,500 deposit down with a stranger they met on telegram for a writing project, but I guess crazier things have happened. This is a good example of how escrow could have gotten the seller their full payment after the disappearance of the buyer, but again, seems like a bit of a tale to me.

The story is really odd. Who would dare to trust online and instantly send a decent amount of money and then vanish all of a sudden? Is this some kind of a trap or a joke or whatsoever. But the way I understand it, the first user might have compromised his account and now other person has been using his account and he's trying to put you in a situation where its like nobody happened and he was the same user you have been in a conversation in the previous months.

My best advice for you is simply to block that account. If he's really a scammer, then the more that you'll get rid of him and never entertain him again. On the part of the original user you have been in agreement, if he's still alive, I think he's still in the process of trying to access to you so just wait for that time to come.

[Zaguru12]

Often these scammers use services that provide temporary numbers or even Telegram accounts, and after a period of time they sell them or the service provider sells them, and a third party may buy them. Therefore, this third party does not necessarily have to be a scammer, but it is better not to deal with any account on Telegram without using escrow.

Escrow has always been the most preached word to people to use ones they do business online most especially telegram. If the person doesn’t trust an escrow then you will see for yourself that he is scammer. Another thing again concerning Escrow is never use the one provided by the other party making the payment because most of them turn out to be scammers too working together.

As for OP I don’t see kidnap in this case because you can’t just kidnap someone and be using their phone it will be easy to track you down by that if law enforcement agencies who should definitely be looking for the kidnapper get involves

[Casdinyard]

This is just mad mad lol. I'm a writer myself and it sucks that not only are we sidelined since our work's "not that important anyway in the business setting", we're also oftentimes victims of scams like these. Got scammed a year ago as well when I was told that I would be paid 30 bucks per quick read that I would make, I made 100 thinking I'd get paid handsomely until they just vanished from thin air.

One thing that I would really recommend you do, is give them an update that you're finished with the work you're tasked, send a screenshot for reference but do not by all means send them any links or whatsoever that would lead them to your works. Long as they are holding you onto something, they're not going to let go of the process. If I had been a little smart back then I would've done the same but oh well. Good luck my friend.

[Mate2237]

Op you just have to know that the person is a scammer. I mean the second person that chatted you up with ALEX telegram account is a scammer. And Alex is not kidnapped but the person who was chatted you up after the disappearance of Alex was a client to Alex and the person successfully scammed Alex so now he is using Alex account to chat up all the contact to scam them. Now the person asked you to stop the project and letter the person will tell you to refund the money. Therefore, you have to be careful with him before he scam you too.

The story is some funny but there is element of truth. yes as Casdinyard suggested, tell the person that is chatting with that you have finished the job so he should pay the balance and from there you will know the real person behind the scene. Then another thing I am also suspecting is that probably the account has been hacked.

[panganib999]

Op you just have to know that the person is a scammer. I mean the second person that chatted you up with ALEX telegram account is a scammer. And Alex is not kidnapped but the person who was chatted you up after the disappearance of Alex was a client to Alex and the person successfully scammed Alex so now he is using Alex account to chat up all the contact to scam them. Now the person asked you to stop the project and letter the person will tell you to refund the money. Therefore, you have to be careful with him before he scam you too.

The story is some funny but there is element of truth. yes as Casdinyard suggested, tell the person that is chatting with that you have finished the job so he should pay the balance and from there you will know the real person behind the scene. Then another thing I am also suspecting is that probably the account has been hacked.

I’ve heard that there are people out there who could hack your telegram accounts and all that stuff remotely. They just install a trojan virus that triggers when you open a file or aomething along those lines. I’ve been a victim of one in the past, where not only did I get my identity stolen, I also lost all my crypto saved from hot wallets (I was holding around 6000 SLPs that time and this was back when Axie Infinity’s still something for the crypto industry.

I would suggest you stop interacting with that person cause they could send you something later on and you may fall into getting hacked as I did in the past. Be very vigilant my friends.

[Baofeng]

If I understood your narration very well, I wouldn't be too warried about who the new person is behind the telegram account. I am more concerned about the deposit that has been made to you. Are you going to inform law enforcement agencies and give them the money so that they can carry out an investigation and where possible trace and return the money to the owner since the job was not done? Just block the new person and the problem is solved. Whenever the old person resurfaces, they can always reach via your telegram handle.

I don't think that money is the issue here, it was a upfront payment to the OP, so obviously he did the job and just waiting for the rest of the money for the completion. However, the person that he talks to Telegram suddenly disappear and then resurface as some time with a new name and that's why he is asking if it is still the original person that he talks that deposit $2,500 or a different one.

If it is a different person so when the hell does the original person that contacted him and give him the job and the downpayment?

So it's really hard to give advise here, we can all speculate as to what happen to the original person (I assume the OP thinks that hew as kidnapped?). Or it is still the same person, why he went silent after half a year and it seems that he is not concern with his $2,500 or if the job has been finished as agreed and on time?