PRLog (Press Release) –
Sep 21, 2006 – Today, Mark Johnson of Victoria and Roberto Diaz of Miami announced that in desperation they have started an anti-fraud chain letter to warn other merchants about a new fraud that is cleverly stealing millions in merchandise from unsuspecting merchants lured into a “great deal”. The two men at opposite ends of North America met by what Roberto says is “fate” after both merchants gave a total of $186,000 in merchandise to a company identified only as “MBE” in exchange for “trade credits”, allegedly allowing them to buy anything they needed for their cash-strapped businesses “tax-free”
through a national barter exchange.
“I met this group after getting a call from a man who said his name was “Kyle Lang” which I now believe is a fabricated name said Mark, who until last Friday owned a struggling import/export business in Vancouver. I was sent a glossy MBE brochure and a letter by Kyle “confirming” that he arranged a “reciprocal trade of goods or services” from another merchant in Dallas. Basically, I was trading $110,000 of Sony play stations for $200,000 of I-Pods from a liquidator in Dallas, which looked like a great deal. Similarly Roberto who is in the auto stereo and alarm business in Florida was approached with a similar deal by a man named “Ed” and his partner “Steve” in New York. “Both of us received official looking letters on “MBE” letterhead with a NJ telephone number of “973-285-3363” which we have since discovered is registered to a non-existent person. “We also were given names and numbers of the companies that we were trading with and when we called those companies, the parties confirmed the deal – just like Kyle and Ed presented them to us”. Roberto explained. “Yeah, we thought we found the goose that laid the golden eggs and basic greed took over” added Mark. But after shipping their merchandise to an address in Mt. Pocono, Pennsylvania, things went south quickly. “Kyle called me to confirm receipt of my shipment and said my play stations were “on their way” by overland freight and I’d have them in about 4-5 days. The I-Pods never showed up and when I called the other merchant I was supposedly trading with, the same guy I spoke with the week before, a woman now answered the phone and said the number I just called was a pay telephone in a New Jersey mall! I almost had a heart attack on the spot” Mark explained. “Kyle’s number was obviously no longer in service”. Other phoney names used were “Steve”, “Chris”, “Mr. Mitchell” and “Mr. Bowles” along with a woman only known as “Marty”.
Roberto also took the bait, but he was burned twice. “Ed” called and said he needed my credit card info to insure the shipment and I believed him. The insurance charge was supposed to be $79.” Not only did Roberto lose his merchandise, but this month he found $28,356.73 of unauthorized charges on his company’s credit card from a Las Vegas hotel, and a jewelry store. “I’ve never been to Vegas” shrugged Diaz
