[meteorite-list] UPDATE: EBAY SCAM ALERT - balogne_t

Fri Dec 28 21:39:48 EST 2012

This is one of the great things about meteorites and the meteorite
world : the close-knit nature of this small community.  Sure, we have
our disputes, feuds, and outbreaks of general pissiness, but we tend
to rally together when faced with adversity or crime.  Just look at
how everyone reacts when a scam is exposed, or when a member of the
community falls on hard times or has something bad happen to them.
Many of us don't know Alain Carion and have not dealt with him
personally, but yet everyone had a genuine reaction of horror and
regret when his car and meteorites were destroyed by thieves.  When
catastrophic illness visited the Foote family, the community rallied
to help.  When Gary Fujihara's meteorites were stolen, the honest
buyer returned them to him for free.  There are more examples, but
there is no need to list them all.  Suffice to say, we come together
when it counts.

Unlike most other "collectibles", the meteorite world is a difficult
nut to crack for scammers.  Sure, fake meteorites are all over eBay,
but those sellers are rogues who operate outside the community.  And
when one of our own is caught doing something illegal (like
misrepresenting common meteorites as rare meteorites), we don't
hesitate to run that person out of town on a rail and they become
persona-non-grata for life.   This community of dealers and collectors
is the most closely-knit I have ever seen, and we are privileged to be
a part of it : even if we don't always agree on everything.

Best regards,

MikeG
-- 
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On 12/28/12, Anne Black <impactika at aol.com> wrote:
> Yes, you are right, that guy obviously has very limited knowledge of
> the Meteorite World, since he does not even know you! (he must have
> been living under a rock!)   ;-)
>
> Please do let us all know if you get more information.
> Thanks.
>
>
> Anne M. Black
> www.IMPACTIKA.com
> IMPACTIKA at aol.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ruben Garcia <rubengarcia85382 at gmail.com>
> To: Anne Black <impactika at aol.com>
> Cc: meteoritemike <meteoritemike at gmail.com>; Meteorite-list
> <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
> Sent: Fri, Dec 28, 2012 7:11 pm
> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] UPDATE: EBAY SCAM ALERT - balogne_t
>
>
> Anne, Mike and all,
>
> Here's what I know.
>
> He's unaware of personalities in the business and doesn't seem to
> grasp just how small this community is. He actually told me that since
> I didn't belong to the IMCA I couldn't know very much about
> meteorites. Through his emails I've deduced that he felt like (since
> my website was down for the last six months and my videos are no
> longer on youtube) I was an unknown and therefore an easy target.
> Which is why I put my site (at least in part) back up!
>
> "He DOES buy outside of ebay" - said my friend that has dealt with
> him, and while he's not been successful in taking money from my
> friend, he's NOT been 100% honest in his dealings.   He's very very
> shady!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 6:57 PM, Anne Black <impactika at aol.com> wrote:
>> True, and since I do not use a shopping cart he would have to email
> me first
>> to tell me what he wants. And I certainly hope to catch him at that
> point.
>> Unless he uses a different name!
>> (I wonder if he reads the MetList).
>>
>>
>>
>> Anne M. Black
>> www.IMPACTIKA.com
>> IMPACTIKA at aol.com
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
>> To: Anne Black <impactika at aol.com>
>> Cc: rubengarcia85382 <rubengarcia85382 at gmail.com>; Meteorite-list
>> <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>> Sent: Fri, Dec 28, 2012 6:39 pm
>> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] UPDATE: EBAY SCAM ALERT - balogne_t
>>
>>
>> Good question.  I have never heard of this person until Ruben's
>> warning, but he is now on my list of people to avoid.  If he tries
>> buying anything from my website, I will delete the order, restock the
>> item, and refund the payment immediately.  I would suggest others with
>> websites outside of eBay should do the same.  A scammer can't file a
>> PayPal case if the payment was immediately refunded.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> MikeG
>>
>> --
>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>> Web - http://www.galactic-stone.com
>> Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>> Twitter - http://twitter.com/GalacticStone
>> Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/galacticstone
>> RSS - http://www.galactic-stone.com/rss/126516
>> -------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> On 12/28/12, Anne Black <impactika at aol.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Ruben,
>>>
>>>  From what you have learned so far about that guy, does he buy only
>>
>> and
>>>
>>> strictly from Ebay, or does he also buy directly from websites?
>>> I am sure I am not the only one who would like to know!
>>>
>>>
>>> Anne M. Black
>>> www.IMPACTIKA.com
>>> IMPACTIKA at aol.com
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Ruben Garcia <rubengarcia85382 at gmail.com>
>>> To: Meteorite-list <Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
>>> Sent: Fri, Dec 28, 2012 5:16 pm
>>> Subject: [meteorite-list] UPDATE: EBAY SCAM ALERT - balogne_t
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> If you've been following the emails of late about eBay user
>>> (balogne_t) then you know how his scam works and that he's already
>>> taken me and others for hundreds of dollars.
>>>
>>> Through this forum I was able to find a person that knows of him and
>>> has had dealings with him, outside of eBay - that's all I can say for
>>> now.
>>>
>>> However, I am not finished with my crusade of making sure he never
>>> attempts to con, scam, or cheat anyone else. I am almost certainly
>>> going to set up an "eBay scams" page on my website that prominently
>>> features this scum bag.
>>>
>>> I've received over 30 emails from list members saying they blocked
>>> this guy. If you haven't yet blocked him do it now before he hits you
>>> next.
>>>
>>> Here is a link to block him on ebay.
>>> http://pages.ebay.com/services/buyandsell/biddermanagement.html
>>>
>>> DO IT NOW!
>>>
>>> His name and address is
>>>
>>> Sam Tougant
>>> 3075 Robson Drive
>>> Coquitlam BC  V3E 2S6
>>> Canada
>>>
>>> His eBay name is  balogne_t   and his paypal name is  Pietro Ferraro
>>> (how this name doesn't match his address I don't know - but he says
> he
>>> shares the account with 4 others...hum)
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> http://www.MrMeteorite.com
>>>
>>> Ruben Garcia
>>> ______________________________________________
>>>
>>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
>>> Meteorite-list mailing list
>>> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>>>
>>>
>>> ______________________________________________
>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
>
> http://www.MrMeteorite.com
>
> Ruben Garcia
>
>
>