| It's been an interesting morning... 10:54 - Oct 29 with 2291 views | footers |
Here at footers HQ.
Not sure why I'm posting this here but maybe some of you will find this little story interesting.
As some of you may know, I along with some ex-colleagues quit our jobs at the beginning of the year to go out on our own. We found an investor willing to back us and he found what seemed like the perfect technology partners for us to work with. All good. Now, nearly ten months down the line and a couple of weeks away from our first proper investment round, we've found out that these tech people are scam artists.
All year we have worked with them on developing our product and they've strung us along for all that time. We've flown them to the Far East, Malta, America, bought them all sorts of things, from hotels to dinners, equipment etc. More to the point, we've funded them more than £1m in investment in that time.
When Pushkin came to Shovekin over the weekend (our investor wanting to see the final product and their refusal to show him), he did a little digging and found out the horrible truth about these guys. One was an actor who had nothing to do with technology and his son (they are the 'company') was working as an events organiser this time last year, again with zero tech experience!
What amazes me is how well they pulled the scam off, by giving just enough correct information when pushed, were able to keep straight faces all the time (even delivering long speeches at our launch event last month) and demanding to be paid in cryptocurrency, which is how we work anyway but is obviously untraceable.
I thought scams like this were just the stuff of films, but today I know much different! I just can't believe someone I was speaking to just last week was fobbing me off in such a believable way... We'll still be able to go ahead with another partner, so no real harm done to the project (well, aside from all that dosh!) but word to the wise- do your homework, get lawyers on the contracts and don't be afraid to challenge people when it comes to project delivery!
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 10:58 - Oct 29 with 2229 views | wkj |
Sending you the warmest of wishes during this sickening turn of events. Its like you guys got Paul Hursted and lead to believe you were dealing with competent professionals :( |  |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 10:59 - Oct 29 with 2206 views | BasingstokeBlue |
Ouch! |  |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:01 - Oct 29 with 2176 views | footers |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 10:58 - Oct 29 by wkj |
Sending you the warmest of wishes during this sickening turn of events. Its like you guys got Paul Hursted and lead to believe you were dealing with competent professionals :( |
Ha! Yeah, exactly- underdelivered and walked off with a nice big swag bag! Just glad I'm not the one who got robbed. And if you knew our main investor, he's not a guy you really want to be stealing from... Appreciate the hugs :) | |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:04 - Oct 29 with 2157 views | north_stand77 |
That's sickening.
I don't understand d how human beings can think it's their right to rip off and steal from other human beings.
Good luck with your project anyway |  | | |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:05 - Oct 29 with 2145 views | wkj |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:01 - Oct 29 by footers |
Ha! Yeah, exactly- underdelivered and walked off with a nice big swag bag! Just glad I'm not the one who got robbed. And if you knew our main investor, he's not a guy you really want to be stealing from... Appreciate the hugs :) |
I now have pictures in my head of Duncan Bannatyne going in to some scam shack in the style of the S.A.S. - Silver linings ol'chap | |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:06 - Oct 29 with 2138 views | brazil1982 |
That's truly rotten. Brave enough to go it alone then professionally scammed - that's very bad luck, sorry to hear that. |  | | |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:07 - Oct 29 with 2126 views | Steve_M |
Were you working with Marcus Evans?
Flippancy aside, that's seriously annoying. Hope there is no lasting damage to your plans, your finances or your health. Best wishes for Take 2. |  |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:08 - Oct 29 with 2113 views | Darth_Koont |
Crikey! One of the worst and most brazen examples I've heard but doesn't surprise me massively.
I suppose these scammers are just taking what seems frighteningly normal (get the money irrespective of whether you know what you are doing or not) to an extreme. There are so many charlatans out there stealing a living and making money from bluster that it unfortunately makes complete sense as a business model. |  |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:09 - Oct 29 with 2101 views | DanTheMan |
Really sorry to hear that. |  |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:09 - Oct 29 with 2096 views | Marshalls_Mullet |
Sorry to hear that, its rotten luck.
Pity your investor didn't do that digging earlier. The cryptocurrency thing sounds like a bit of a warning sign.
Fair play for setting up on your own. You and your mates will probably look back on this in 5 years time as a minor set back. |  |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:14 - Oct 29 with 2053 views | footers |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:09 - Oct 29 by Marshalls_Mullet |
Sorry to hear that, its rotten luck.
Pity your investor didn't do that digging earlier. The cryptocurrency thing sounds like a bit of a warning sign.
Fair play for setting up on your own. You and your mates will probably look back on this in 5 years time as a minor set back. |
Yeah, I was surprised at his lack of due diligence. He's paid the price for it now, mind you! A funny old world when some people think nothing of sending hundreds of thousands a month to someone they barely know with no contracts in place... naieve is a massive understatement.
Many thanks for all your comments. It's not really going to affect much on my side but it was certainly a shock to the system hearing that this morning. We soldier on! Although at the moment we resemble something like Monty Python's Black Knight... :) | |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:15 - Oct 29 with 2039 views | Ftnfwest |
Sorry to hear that and hope the rest of the project etc pulls you through ok. Just seems we’re asked to or at least invited to trust more and more people/individuals as time goes on but the level of trust you can get to goes down and down |  | | |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:16 - Oct 29 with 2031 views | Pinewoodblue |
if your product requires patents I hope they have been sought in your company's name and not the scammers.
There appears to have been a serious shortcoming with your due diligence checks, Did you receive any advice from your bankers accountants, or did the scammers, by going down the crypto currency route, avid the necessity for bankers involvement?
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:16 - Oct 29 with 2033 views | wkj |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:14 - Oct 29 by footers |
Yeah, I was surprised at his lack of due diligence. He's paid the price for it now, mind you! A funny old world when some people think nothing of sending hundreds of thousands a month to someone they barely know with no contracts in place... naieve is a massive understatement.
Many thanks for all your comments. It's not really going to affect much on my side but it was certainly a shock to the system hearing that this morning. We soldier on! Although at the moment we resemble something like Monty Python's Black Knight... :) |
If your investors feels like investing another million in another fruitless cause, I could do with my student loans paid off, and also funding for my PhD in software engineering (which I wont be doing for another 5 years) | |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:18 - Oct 29 with 2025 views | StokieBlue |
Really sorry to hear that, unbelievable what some people will do to get some money.
Crypto is actually traceable at the points it enters and leaves the echo-system, you can track all the wallet transfers on the blockchain. Not sure that would help you recover any money when it is converted into cash as it would depend where that was and I have absolutely no idea on the legalities of that.
SB |  |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:19 - Oct 29 with 2016 views | eireblue |
Well that's just cr@p isn't it.
Hope this is just a bump on the road for you. |  | | |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 11:59 - Oct 29 with 1899 views | fabian_illness |
Thats awful news.
Hope you get some sort of retribution against them.
The world is a rotten place.
Keep fighting. |  | | |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:00 - Oct 29 with 1892 views | giant_stow |
Very crappy - feel for you. On the bright side though, how exciting to be moving in a world where you can attract that sort of investment - played! |  |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:03 - Oct 29 with 1870 views | footers |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:00 - Oct 29 by giant_stow |
Very crappy - feel for you. On the bright side though, how exciting to be moving in a world where you can attract that sort of investment - played! |
The tech world's awash with silly money, mate! Shame me and the rest of the crew have been on starvation wages to make everything else happen...
But I'll tell you something I've also just realised... these two scammers, their (I assume made-up) last name was Craven! You couldn't make it up, hiding in plain sight! | |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:07 - Oct 29 with 1843 views | giant_stow |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:03 - Oct 29 by footers |
The tech world's awash with silly money, mate! Shame me and the rest of the crew have been on starvation wages to make everything else happen...
But I'll tell you something I've also just realised... these two scammers, their (I assume made-up) last name was Craven! You couldn't make it up, hiding in plain sight! |
They deserve beats for that - bludy cheek.
I wish I could ask you more about what the project is about, but I guess nows not the moment. I guess you spotted a nice niche to fill. | |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:10 - Oct 29 with 1827 views | IpswichKnight |
Ouch! must have been gutting for you and your colleagues. Another one here who thinks that someone somewhere didn't do their job on the on-boarding and due diligence of these chancers. | | | |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:10 - Oct 29 with 1824 views | footers |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:07 - Oct 29 by giant_stow |
They deserve beats for that - bludy cheek.
I wish I could ask you more about what the project is about, but I guess nows not the moment. I guess you spotted a nice niche to fill. |
Nah, it's fine. Pretty boring but it's a payments system built on blockchain and AI. Had some really good feedback from investors, those itk already (not that that means much in business) but hopefully our investment round goes successfully before the end of the year and we can crack on from there.
Then maybe I can finally leave my desk for more than an hour a day! | |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:13 - Oct 29 with 1802 views | giant_stow |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:10 - Oct 29 by footers |
Nah, it's fine. Pretty boring but it's a payments system built on blockchain and AI. Had some really good feedback from investors, those itk already (not that that means much in business) but hopefully our investment round goes successfully before the end of the year and we can crack on from there.
Then maybe I can finally leave my desk for more than an hour a day! |
Interesting stuff. Best of luck with it and here's hoping all that effort gets a reward. | |
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| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:14 - Oct 29 with 1795 views | footers |
| It's been an interesting morning... on 12:10 - Oct 29 by IpswichKnight |
Ouch! must have been gutting for you and your colleagues. Another one here who thinks that someone somewhere didn't do their job on the on-boarding and due diligence of these chancers. |
Quite right. I'm not sure what he was thinking, but in our line of work transacting through crypto is quite common, although those transactions are usually backed up by contracts. Goes to show how easily trust can be built up, especially if you're dealing with professional scammers. | |
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