I think I know the scammer's identity; now what?

I almost fell for a scam related to the purchase of all-terrain vehicles on Kijiji ("Package Two (2) 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 700 4x4 Trailer Included"). I sent and received two emails from the scammer, but thankfully got suspicious before going any further. The scammers know my real name and phone number, but after doing a fair bit of digging, I believe I've now discovered their identity.

The scam proposed that I send money via a well-designed (but fake) escrow service website called "Buyerian Trading Group" (http://www.buyeriantrading-group.com). (This is the exact same website used under the "INSURIAN TRADING GROUP" scam; only the name has been changed.)

Using internet tools mentioned on the "scamwarners" website, I found the name and address of the person who created/registered the website. Further research revealed that the person had used an old address and previous (maiden) name. Although the woman's name was used, I believe that the real skills behind the website come from her husband, who brags on his personal blog about how good he is with website design, Photoshop, etc. After a night's worth of internet research, I believe I now have accurate names, address, phone number, and even a photo of this husband/wife team.

I reported the scam to Kijiji, who have removed the scam advertisement from their website. However, the bogus "Buyerian Trading Group" website is still up, despite having reported it as a scam to its host (http://www.enom.com). So, there could be others out there who may be taken in by this fraud.

I am tempted to email the scammer(s) back, telling them that I know who they are, but posts in this forum say that this wouldn't be a good idea. I want to nail these guys, as I have found other people on the internet who were suckered in by them. Who can I send my findings to?

You don't know the scammer's identity. Scammers routinely use made-up names and assumed names when registering websites. The same gang uses different names for registering different sites. If the name is real and matches the address, it could be the name of a victim they scammed years ago.

According to analysis of the language used by the scammer, where is he located or where did he grow up?

Alerting the scammer that he is on an anti scam forum will just make him change his fake name, email address and website. Therefore, all warnings about him will not be any good. We will only learn of his of his new information after a victim has posted. We also do this with email addresses. This is why we do not report scammers email addresses. It only takes them 5 minutes to change the email address.

We do report fake websites.

As, Vx stated criminals never use real identifying information.

The English used in the emails is slightly disjointed, but nothing too out of the ordinary for someone typing on a tablet device. Here are the two messages, for your consideration:

Hello,

First of all I want to thank you for your interest for my Two (2) 2007 Yamaha Grizzly 700 4x4 With Trailer and to apologize for my delay because I saw your email just a while back as it had slipped into my junk folder. I don't know much about atvs but these belonged to my father who recently passed away so I know that the atvs have always been properly maintained. I moved out of town when I got married so I used to come back home occasionally, the big distance, my kids and my job doesn`t allow me to come there often but this is not a problem for me as far as the transaction is concerned because I was selling these through BTG anyway. I believe you know what BTG is if you buy and sell online often, if you don't I'll be glad to walk you through the process, let me know if you are still interested so I can get back to you with additional details. The price of the atvs is $3.700 and is not negotiable.

Please click on this link for more pictures : https://plus.google.com/photos/10162639 ... O_2lKHs3QE

Thanks

Jessica Sanchez
Sent from my iPad

and

Hello again,

I`m glad that you are still interested. The atvs are currently located into Buyerian Trading Group warehouse from Whitehorse YT. I have signed a contract with this company because is able to take care of the whole sale (even if I am not there when the sale will take place), meaning that they will ship the atvs to your address and also will handle the payment for me.

I will try to explain you step by step how the company works and I am sure you will be completely satisfied by the services that the company is offering. If you want to buy the atvs through this company simply go on their website (http://www.buyeriantrading-group com) and register for a new transaction. After registering an invoice regarding this purchase will be sent to you with detailed information about the shipping process, insurance, return policy and payment process too, the shipping fees are my responsibility. The most important thing is that this company offers a return policy and you have the right to return the atvs at any time but I am sure you won`t need to use the return policy because the atvs are in excellent condition. I apologize for the long email but I couldn`t explain the process in less words.

Thank you

Jessica Sanchez
Sent from my iPad

It seems rather coincidental that the name used ("Jessica Sanchez") is very close to the name which I found using WHOIS, and the person's current name (which is slightly different again). It also seems very coincidental that the husband purports to be very skilled in webpage design. I've found both of these people individually on Facebook; they appear to be real people.

Domain Name: BUYERIANTRADING-GROUP.COM
Registrar: ENOM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.enom.com
Referral URL: http://www.enom.com
Name Server: NS1.BUYERIANTRADING-GROUP.COM
Name Server: NS2.BUYERIANTRADING-GROUP.COM
Status: clientHold
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Updated Date: 03-sep-2014
Creation Date: 24-aug-2014
Expiration Date: 24-aug-2015

Newly registered website and a one year registration. It is a scam.

Are you asking is this a scam or reporting a scam?

Vx, also already stated scammers assumed the identifies of others. They will often use names of people from previous scams or people that have social profiles.

Bryon,

As per my earlier messages, I know it's a scam. I've done some digging on the name/address given of the person who registered the website, and I've nailed down their real name(s) and current address.

My question is/was, what can I do about it? Who can I pass this info on to?

You can PM, Vx,

I will also send you a PM.

the web site mentioned sure appears to be a scam site. it really is only scammers that plan to be in business only one year.
Domain Name: BUYERIANTRADING-GROUP.COM
Registrar: ENOM, INC.
Whois Server: whois.enom.com
Referral URL: http://www.enom.com
Name Server: NS1.BUYERIANTRADING-GROUP.COM
Name Server: NS2.BUYERIANTRADING-GROUP.COM
Status: clientHold
Status: clientTransferProhibited
Updated Date: 03-sep-2014
Creation Date: 24-aug-2014
Expiration Date: 24-aug-2015

and, there is no site there at all!!! ( no wonder there is a space between the name and .com)
lookup failed buyeriantrading-group.com
Could not find an IP address for this domain name.

Sorry, We could not find http://www.buyeriantrading-group.com

Amazing... It was up just a couple of hours ago. Perhaps my posting here has alerted them.

You can still find it here: http://buyeriantradinggroup.wordpress.c ... group-com/

See my PM.

Also the scammer was not on an Ipad or Tablet. It was his African English.

Do not educate the scammer on his errors.

and this one:
http://insuriantradinggroup.wordpress.com/

and:
http://etraderdepot.wordpress.com/

and:
http://onlineoutlooksales.wordpress.com/

and:
http://easyyardsale.wordpress.com/

Others have said it, but I will reiterate: A scammer skilled enough to create a plausible fake website is generally not going to be stupid enough to register it in his/her own name or details, even maiden name.

Scammers also don't like to pay for things with their own money. If they are not skilled hackers or good at getting the information from their victims, they will often buy stolen credit card account information from the open (criminal) market. Credit card information purchased from hackers may include things like maiden name and basic information. If they use a stolen credit card, the criminals may also register the site in the name of the person whose credit card was used.