[meteorite-list] Warning about Lahcen Ait Ha

[Rob Wesel - Mobile Device]

He offered me Taza today...still at it.

"Michael Gilmer" <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:

>Hi Gary and List,
>
>I respect your patience and willingness to bring this out into the
>open to warn others.  You gave this dealer two months of chances to
>make the deal right and if he had quietly gotten away with his scam,
>other people would have gotten burned as well.
>
>Whatever that material is, it is certainly not Taza, nor is it any
>meteorite at all.  I don't know what it is, but it looks very odd and
>not very meteoritic.  It is certainly not the same material pictured
>in the initial offer photo.
>
>Do you still have this bogus material?  If so, maybe you get could
>Blaine to shoot his "Element Gun" at it and get some idea of what that
>stuff is.  Is it some kind of sandblasted slag?
>
>You may have little recourse to get your money back on this deal, but
>look at it this way - the entire world via Google now knows about this
>scammer.  His chances of ripping off another buyer have just decreased
>substantially.  All of us should keep our eyes open, because he may
>resurface later using another identity.  This particular scammer has a
>Facebook account and several list members are on his FB friends list.
>Can any of those people verify for us that the scammer is still
>actively posting on FB?
>
>Best regards,
>
>MikeG
>
>-- 
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Meteorites & Amber (Michael Gilmer)
>
>Website - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>Facebook - http://tinyurl.com/42h79my
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>EOM - http://www.encyclopedia-of-meteorites.com/collection.aspx?id=1564
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>On 6/22/11, Gary Fujihara <fujmon at mac.com> wrote:
>> Aloha all,
>>
>> I want to warn everyone about a dishonorable dealer of meteorites who
>lives
>> in Morocco by the name of Lahcen Ait Ha.  Lahcen offered a 748g lot
>of NWA
>> 859 Taza iron meteorites by showing me pictures of them by email.  I
>> purchased the lot, but when I received his package, I realized that
>the
>> material he sent me was not the same as the ones in the pictures. 
>Not only
>> that, but I have doubts whether the material is meteoritic at all. 
>Needless
>> to say, I returned the material immediately and contacted Lahcen to
>get a
>> refund.   He has stalled and to this point has refused to return my
>money.
>> Several honorable Moroccan meteorite dealers have contacted Lahcen to
>talk
>> sense into him to return my money, but these efforts have been
>fruitless.  I
>> have now waited over two months for resolution and yet there is no
>solution
>> in sight, despite my efforts and those of my friends in Morocco.
>>
>> http://bigkahuna-meteorites.com/_BogusTaza.jpg
>>
>> I must say that the vast majority of meteorite dealers in Morocco are
>of
>> unquestionable integrity and good character.  It is a pity that such
>a
>> person is able to continue to perpetrate his fraudulent actions
>there.
>>
>> I implore all to NEVER DEAL WITH Lahcen Ait Ha.
>>
>> I never make posts like this because I have never had a need to do
>so.  But
>> extenuating circumstances have forced me to make this public
>immediately to
>> protect others from being victimized by this person.  Thank you for
>your
>> understanding and caveat emptor.
>>
>> Gary Fujihara
>> Big Kahuna Meteorites (IMCA#1693)
>> 105 Puhili Place, Hilo, Hawai'i 96720
>> http://bigkahuna-meteorites.com/
>> http://shop.ebay.com/fujmon/m.html
>> (808) 640-9161
>>
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Rob Wesel
www.nakhladogmeteorites.com
-- 
Sent from my mobile phone. Please excuse my brevity and any typos.