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General Business Discussions This is a general purpose forum open to business related topics concerning Reptiles and Amphibians that are neither appropriate for the Board of Inquiry, nor sales, purchase, or trade solicitations.

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Old 12-17-2002, 11:53 PM   #1
Seamus Haley
Impersonators

This is hardly a new situation but I was wondering if anyone else has any thoughts about the matter or additional protective measures besides the few I have already thought of...

People impersonating vendors with a quality reputation, it certainly occurs in a number of formats or forums where there are no safeguards in place to ensure that who you think you're talking to is who you're actually talking to.

I was reminded of this tonight when I saw someone with an AOL Screenname DonHamperReptile, was this Don Hamper? I have no idea, I don't know the man personally and had no way of knowing if it was or not, I do know that Don uses the e-mail hamper@pythons.com but I have no idea if he uses AOL or not... The person using that name was trying to sell herps. If it was actually Don then, hey, no problems but if it was not then there could have potentially been serious reprecussions if anyone had been interested in any of the animals he said were avaliable (not identical to the avaliability list on Mr. Hamper's web-site but again, that doesn't automatically mean anything). There was a Bobclarkreptile in the same chat a few days earlier which I am fairly certain was not Bob as it was unable to list the nomenclature for a Burm when asked... Also looking to sell reptiles that the individual behind it probably didn't have.

I'm sure a few of those reading this can remember back before Kingsnake required a verified e-mail to register a name and there were forty Bob Clarks fighting with sixty Dave or Traci Barkers and none of them were real, causing problems for the actual individuals who's names were being lifted.

Being ripped off by a person under the guise of someone else with no more specific information on who was behind it is bound to only come back on the person who was impersonated, harming their reputation and causing rumors and dissatisfied potential customers.

These actions of attempted identity theft are along the same lines as picture theft but it seems that the avaliable means of recourse are a bit harder to get to, a quick e-mail to a person's ISP will get a picture removed but reporting identity fraud is a much more difficult and hard to prove, process as I understand it.

Someone actually attempted to impersonate me at one point when I was known publicly to have been out of town and away from my computer, offering radiated torts for sale to people who know me personally until they were laughed into ambiguity (I very very rarely offer animals up for sale and I really don't like torts and I'm not generally quiet about it). They attempted this by transposing a lower case L in a screenname into an upper case i, it would have been sufficient to fool people who didn't know me that they were being confronted by a legitimate dealer (I'm not even anything close to a "Name" but it just goes to show it can happen to anyone).

So, as a buyer, outside of verifying contact information through as many potential sources as possible and doing buisness through only verifiable e-mail addresses or contact numbers, what potential protection would a consumer with less experience at identifying BS or with a less developed sense of how a legitimate dealer tends to behave go about ensuring that they are protected from this sort of nonsense?

As an individual who someone has attempted to impersonate, what preliminary steps can be taken to stop individuals who attempt this sort of nonsense?

As a bit of a minor additional and slightly related issue, what does someone do if there is an individual who legitimatly has the same name commiting acts that are... less than desireable? An easy example, although both great guys and honest buisnessmen would be Kevin Dunn from Dragons Den and Kevin Dunne from Radical Reptiles (I hope I got the E in the right place, if I didn't I apologize)... I really feel for the poor guy who wants to do honest buisness but happens to be named Jesse Underhill.

Any thoughts are welcome, it's not really a specific problem for me personally but I've seen a great number of people who attempt identity theft and I was wondering how some of those impersonated individuals dealt with it.
 
Old 12-18-2002, 07:37 PM   #2
HerpVenue
Seamus,
First of all....Happy birthday to you.

Second...I have already thought of this situation. That is the only reason I am still paying aol for their services. That way no one can use the e-mail RitchieReptiles@aol.com. I have also signed up for hotmail and yahoo and go.com and a couple others. That way no one can impersonate me. I am sure I have forgotten some e-mail companies. If you find anymore free e-mail companies let me know......that way I can sign up.

As for people with the same name (first and last) I would suggest they get a business name....even if they are not a business. That way we can differentiate.
 
Old 12-18-2002, 08:30 PM   #3
Seamus Haley
Quote:
First of all....Happy birthday to you.
Thank you for the sentiment but it's not actually my birthday, I had a bet going with a friend about how many days I could continually update my profile to keep my name listed down there before somebody noticed. Tomorrow I was going to be 1460 years old but the bet has now ended.

Good thoughts on the free e-mail accounts, it's a small matter of a half hours effort to get most if not all of those cleared up so that nobody can steal something similar to your name. I'm not sure if it would be worth paying for new e-mail addresses through the assorted ISPs but if you've already done buisness on one name, it is important to keep it.

Thanks for the reply and thanks for winning me $20.
 
Old 12-18-2002, 09:14 PM   #4
HerpVenue
Basically I have my own mail that I pay for.
Aol is the only other one I also pay for.


anyway I am sure there are other e-mails out there I have not gotten too. But at least I got most if not all, the free ones covered.
 
Old 12-19-2002, 08:23 PM   #5
Doug Hotle
During my research days I once had a person call me and identify themselves as a Department of Natural Resources staff biologist. He was needing information on den sites and other locations for timber rattlesnakes. I thought it was odd, for one, I had never heard of the guy, for another the information, although sensitive, is available to all DNR biologists with a valid interest. A few pointed questions and he stumbled and promptly hung up.
Later, I am assuming it was the same person had called the University that was also involved in the study and presented themselves as me and asked about locations of timbers as well as locations of a few other protected species. He didn't get far there either.

Other than that I can't say I have had much of a problem. At least that I am aware of.
 

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