The moderators at Dakka Dakka have been putting together a case against a suspected fraudster, who goes by the name Resin Forge currently, and I have to say, they have done an impressive job collating the evidence. I reprint their evidence here so you can all be warned.
From Dakka Dakka moderator Major Tom
(Find the whole thread here)
I'd just like to announce that this company http://www.resinforge.com/ and these accounts:
http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?357870-Hello!-Resin-Forge-here!
http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?26716-ResinForge-s-Sons-of-Horus-13th-Genetic-Research-Cohort
http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/269314-sons-of-horus-by-resin-forge-a-heavy-conversion-log/
All belong to the infamous internet scammer Daniel Mandelbaum/Matthew Bonder/RedStarOne. This man has been responsible for several large scale scams over Warhammer models in the past (as Three Stage Studios, for example), and should not be trusted with your money under any circumstances.
We've suspected resinforge as having belonged to him since last year, and have been accumulating evidence ever since. But as threads such as these have begun to arise:
http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?31013-Resin-Forge-problems-Wanting-to-pass-along-a-warning
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/523568.page
We feel that the time has come to alert the wargaming community.
We are in possession of a large amount of evidence that leaves absolutely no doubt as to the identity of resinforge being Daniel Mandelbaum. However, we will not be sharing that information publicly. It's taken some considerable detective work on our part over the last four and a half months to establish this as a fact, and if any of his several slips had not occurred, we might very well have missed him (to the detriment of the many people who would inevitably be scammed as a result).
You are of course, free to take this announcement with a pinch of salt, as we are providing no proof other than our word as the Swapshop Moderation team here on Dakka. But please remember if you choose to do so that we have your protection and best interests at heart, and would not make such a public announcement as this unless we were all convinced entirely beyond doubt.
Thank you
Summary of past activites, by order of date:
Conversion Corner website, and RedStarOne account on Dakka:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/290901.page
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/288950.page
URL of website (now defunct) was:
http://www.conversioncorner.com
Miniature Wargame Conversions website, Lord.Serpius account on Dakka, ebay accounts:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/408906.page
URL of website (now mostly abandoned):
http://miniaturewargameconversions.blogspot.com/
Ebay accounts (all now unregistered):
Lord.Serpius ebay account - http://feedback.ebay.co.ukhttp://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=lord.serpius&ftab=AllFeedback
Great.Hobby.Bits ebay account - http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=great.hobby.bits&ftab=AllFeedback&rt=nc&myworld=true
Double.Your.Bits ebay account - http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=double.your.bits&ftab=AllFeedback&rt=nc&myworld=true
Three Stage Studios and Kellz1234 account on Dakka:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/468034.page
URL of website (now mostly abandoned):
http://threestagestudios.blogspot.com/
Resin Forge (his latest effort):
http://www.resinforge.com/
Names used:
Matthew Bonder
Susan Beasley (a relative of his, now deceased)
Daniel Mandelbaum (his real name)
Daniel lives near Houston, Texas. (His actual address will not be posted on the forum, as it is against Dakka policy)
So buyer be warned!
Loken
13 comments:
Nice to see the community and sites steping up to make everyone aware of this with evidence to back it up.
well done guys. I got stung by three stage studio last year. luckily I was able to get a refund but that doesn't mean I was happy with it. not a very nice person.
I ordered two times at Resin Forge and received what i paid for.
i'm quite suspicious about this campaign on Dakka against this website.
Laurent Derrien is obvious Daniel Mandelbaum :P
I think its hard to argue with the case the guys at Dakka has made.
Alec
One of the keys to building a good fraud is to get a small base of initial and even second wave customers who can give a good review and had a good experience to lure more people in, and then when the fraud is uncovered, still have defenders, because of the "Well, he treated me fair, this must all be lies, since everyone's experience is going to have been like mine".
They said they have proof that one of the owners of Resin Forge is Mandelbaum.
I'm not really aware of this guy's previous scams, but i can understand that gamers don't want to buy from someone who stole from the community.
But there may be a legal issue here, libel (not sure of the english word). Do the guys on Dakka prove that several customers of Resin Forge got scammed ?
If this guy isn't forbidden by justice to run a business, and if no one has officialy complained against his new business, there's no story, just some web righters of wrongs.
Libel is not an issue here as truth is an absolute defense. And yes, I am an attorney.
The guy is clearly scamming people. I always wonder why people try to defend someone who is clearly defrauding people.
Alec
Saying it's the truth is not a proof and doesn't make it true...
And being an attorney isn't being a judge.
I hate when lawyers show their degree as if it's the absolute guarantee that they can't be wrong.
I don't wanna defend a thief, i'm just trying to know if some Resin Forge Customers really got scammed and went into justice.
I'm surprised since i had no issue with this website myself.
But maybe i'm being used as his caution...
And if you bothered to read the post on Dakka you would see that this is an open and shut case.
From the author:
"Since Mandelbaum has been definitively outed in the last 2 days, with public evidence (pg 7 of the thread), there isn't too much of a case to make anymore beyond the evidence we have you know? I think linking to the OP and the evidence there, and pointing out that he has been definitively caught as of page 7 should do it."
And I tell you a lawyer because a lot of people throw out terms like "Libel" without knowing what that means or what it entails.
Alec
Yes, there are evidence that he is Mandelbaum. And he doesn't deny on Resin Forge's Facebook page.
But that doesn't mean Resin Forge is another scamm.
Whatever, it probably won't last long, with such good advertising.
I've never seen such an "outing". And i don't say he doesn't deserve it.
I can see where you are coming from Lauren however you are defending a known scammer who has gone out of his way in the past to use people who jump to his defence (just as you have) to gain more time to futher his scams - for example just look at the blogging circle that came to his defence during the 'MinitureWargameConversions' scam.
After they defended him he then proceeded to rip off his fellow bloggers, claim he had cancer and then harass them when they moved on to other blogs.
Basically he counts on you going "well i didn't get ripped off" and defending him, he will use this just as he has used many other people like you in the past - it is part of his MO to have satisfied customers.
Long post is long TL:DR version: he expects you to defend him, its part of his MO, don't fall for it.
It seems that Daniel Mandelbaum has hired a German PI firm to send a cease and desist to DakkaDakka (I couldn't make this up! http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/526190.page ).
This confirms that Daniel runs RF and is all the original thread was created for.
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