cuz once again you're turning this thread to your own personal Jihad against Eddie (who will probably ignore you, so you're stuck with me) ... FYI what Eddie said was NOT in conflict with his past stance on deposits (you just read it that way cuz it suits you!) ... and your choice of (negative) words is (kinda)  interesting:  "impose" | "notoriety" | "intimidation" ... it seems to me these fictitious traits of Eddie's may actually be what YOU wished you had (so as to flex your muscles, as it were) ... cuz it sure sounds like envy to me

let's stay focused here, shall we?  this thread is about some poor schmuck (sorry, no offense) being conned out of his money by a (somewhat) novel and (mildly) clever scam that (some) folks (desperately) need to know about. he's already indicated he was thinking with his "little head" but there are other nuances here that are of interest to the board at large IMHO

*

but if all you wanna do is to tell Eddie what a jerk he is, JUST EMAIL HIM!!! (anonymous email accounts are cheap so just go create [email protected] and blast away to your heart's content) ... cuz believe me you're not winning any "hearts & minds" with your pesky posts here

i think the odds of closure on (1) and (2) are slim to non-existant ... i fear it's too late for that -- but i hope/pray i'm wrong (i KNOW how it must burn to be in his shoes)

as for (3) -- letting Bonita know -- him posting this is already the right first step ... hopefully others reading this who know her will tell her about the story ... but it never hurts for someone to directly contact her

but what got me was this agency "Premium Companions" ... it seems i've heard this name before and always in regards to some shady dealings (i have a vague recollection of making a mental note to steer clear of "PC"  but i could be confusing it with another agency) ... was this a reputable agency?  anyone know them well (an ex-client)?  something about this story tells me that PC wasn't entirely clean on this "heist"

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i guess the moral of this story is:  NEVER SEND A DEPOSIT ... as the "never-send-a-deposit camp" has been advocating all along (and just when i was getting tired of hearing it too) ... actually i'm surprised to see even LOTR relaxing his stance a bit ... i personally think deposits are (on rare occasion) somewhat justified and to be 100% B&W on this issue can only mean two things:

1. you'll never again lose a deposit (yeah!  or  duh!)
2. you may miss out on some great dates that wouldn't fly without one  (d'oh!)

i like to evaluate each deal on its own merits in regards to #2 and what the depo$it means to me  vs. what the girl means to me

my own (modified) version of the mantra is:  always TRY to book direct and TRY not to send a deposit

In answer to the three questions listed:

Question 1.  In all likelihood, the money is gone, never to be recovered.  However, you might be able to get some justice and some satisfaction by doing the following...

Question 2.  Open one of the emails "she" sent and click on the "source'" button on the email program (In outlook or entourage, there should be a drop down menu named "VIEW", and the "SOURCE" selection is located there).  In other email programs, I don't know where it is, but it should be there somewhere.

Copy and save the contents of the window that opens... it contains the routing information starting at the source address of the originating email, throughout the various servers it traveled across the web, to your email address.

Since it's a yahoo account, contact yahoo and explain that you were the victim of a scam via one of their email accounts, that you sent money for a service that you never received and that once you sent the money the sender has not returned numerous emails from you asking for a refund.  Ask yahoo what they can do to help or if they have any suggestions as to what other recourse you may have.

If you really want to get medievil on their buttocks, (and why wouldn't you?) contact the police or the FBI.  I believe internet fraud is a federal crime.  Give them the source information you saved, along with the address you mailed the money to.  Remember, what you were doing might be embarassing, but it's perfectly legal.  There is no law against escorting... it's prostitution that LE frowns upon, and since you never met Bonita, no sexual activity took place, hence no laws were broken (and in reality, they probably wouldn't care if there were... they're more interested in catching the felons then they are about a john paying to get laid).

Next, I'd contact the U.S. Postal service and report that you were a victim of mail fraud.  Give them the address you sent the money to.  Again, mail fraud is a federal crime.

Will this help to get your money back?  Probably not, but it MAY prevent others from getting ripped off, and it MAY get the people who stole you money arrested and sent to jail, which next to recovering the funds would be a very satisfying thing.  For $1600, it's certainly worth the effort.

Question 3.  Email or contact any PSE that you know and (briefly) relay your story, asking that if they know Bonita to pass the information on to her.  Also ask any PSE that posts on the various discussion forums to copy and paste your story to the "providers only" sections that many of these boards have.

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Most criminals aren't as smart as they think they are and email addresses aren't as secure as many assume, so they just might not have covered their tracks completely.  They also may rely on the fact that you were sending the money in order to set up a sexual tryst, and figure that you're married and won't complain or are too embarrased to pursue it, or that you're too afraid of some legal consequence to make waves.

Good luck, and keep us informed of any progress you make.


-- Modified on 10/26/2003 12:40:55 AM