Internet Fraud Alert

[Johanna]

----- Original Message ----- From: "Francis Burdett-Mills" Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 1:52 AM Subject: Internet Fraud.

I have had to remove the PayPal buttons from my site as a means of purchasing my leather Instruction Manuals, this is a temporary action & Google Checkout is still available so would be purchasers can still get copies.

I used PayDotCom as a download agent, the procedure was that a client would be sent from PayDotCom to PayPal & after payment was made the client was given a download link by PayDotCom to download a Manual.

This has worked fine for some years & apart from paying fees to both PayDotCom & PayPal needed no imput from me. So what went wrong & why am I now involved with a police investigation into Internet Crime?

On the 16th of January I received a payment through PayPal for two Manuals which went through to my bank account (less fees of cause). On the 28th of January after investigation PayPal returned the payment to the account holder as his account had been compromised. I had to return the payment to PayPal as only physical goods that are shipped are covered by their guarantee. Electronic transfers are intangible goods & don't qualify for any form of protection. (A point worth remembering)

The Purchasers name was different to the account name I received but this did not appear as suspicious to me as not all Artisans are computer literate & often get a friend or family member to purchase on their behalf. During discussions with PayPal it was suggested that I also contacted the police regarding the theft of the Manuals as this was relevant to their own case which was being dealt with by the police Internet Fraud Department.

I was not told by PayPal or the police the extent of this fraud or what other goods were purchased (if any), as I am only part of what they appear to be looking at. Directly after PayPal had returned the money to the account holder 2 more manual were paid for using that account & downloaded. That's why I have now cancelled my account with PayDotCom & temporally removed the PayPal payment Buttons.

I will shortly be installing a script for a Shopping Basket that allows customers to purchase Manuals using both PayPal & Google Checkout but this time those choosing PayPal will receive their Manuals after registering in the same way as those using Google Checkout.

Can I please ask all Leather Workers & Manual Users to be on the look out for Cheap Leather Instruction Manuals No's 1 - 2 & 3. These are Lengthy Professional e-books & represent pat of a series I am writing which will not only be equal to the old & now defunct 2 year full time City & Guilds course structure which I used to moderate & teach when I was HOD at the London Leather College.

That means they are unique & easily recognised if peddled in their present format. It is however possible that the contents may be broken up & used to sell as smaller booklets, after all the Manuals as they are carry a copyright on practically every page. I find it hard to believe anyone is likely to want to be bothered any way I don't sell a vast amount World Wide, Leather Work is not a large industry or hobby & most people are happy with the skills they have already acquired or been taught & are naturally not in the market to upgrade, why should they if their work id selling well they probably don't need to.

When it comes down to the crunch we may be looking for some dodgy leather workers wanting to learn their skills on the cheap, like the people who make leather items & advertise on those Adult leather sites. No before someone suggests it I am not going to trawl those sites, as those dodgy sites are one of the best ways to pick up a computer virus. I would be in even worse trouble then.

I always offer free on-line help to all manual purchasers, this is compliant with UK Government e-learning initiative & I am listed on the Government's Skills Provision Site. So if anyone is offered these Manuals without that backup or spots them offered on the Internet Please email me that information. I am told by the police that I can publish the names given although they are probably false see below:

A, Joseph. Mengele supposedly had his PayPal account compromised. I emailed him directly the sale was made & had no reply. It was not until over a week later that he suddenly discovered that his account had been used. The names & addresses given as purchasers were: Karl Reinagel 2645 Holiday Hill Florissant, MO, 63033 United States (for 3 Manuals) & Derrill J Martin 4064 Old Hwy 94 S St. Charles, Missouri,

63304, United States (for 1 Manual).

Can I also ask that you all post this on any Leather Web Ring, Forums, etc. That you belong to or have access to.

Regards Francis Burdett-Mills (site www.theleatherconnection.com)

[barra]

Joseph Mengele!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jordan]

My thoughts exactly, when I read the name my first thought was " fool me once shame on me" etc.