website scam + selling vouchers but they can't seem to be redeemed

Forums › Off topic › website scam + selling vouchers but they can't seem to be redeemed

hattrick123

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#205181 2-Nov-2016 07:41

Hi there

There is a website out there that sell gift vouchers for gardening services. My partner was gifted one from a friend but it has never been fulfilled after numerous phone attempts and emails to the said website. I think its a scam myself, but I am not sure how I can prove it. Can you advise how or who I can get to investigate? Or can I contact whoever is hosting the website and get them to do something?

I have currently found this https://www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/report-or-resolve-a-problem/scams-spam-and-fraud/scams and have emailed netsafe, so will see how I go. But if there is anything else I can do let me know.

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#1662421 2-Nov-2016 07:52

Is it a NZ based website and how much are we talking about?

hattrick123

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#1662430 2-Nov-2016 08:00

it's a .co.nz, and it's only a $100 but just don't wanna see it happening to others. can post the full website, but not sure if I should or firstly investigate it further.

sidefx

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#1662432 2-Nov-2016 08:02

Have you done a whois, etc on it? Sadly, it being a .co.nz domain doesn't mean much.

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#1662435 2-Nov-2016 08:10

.co.nz does not mean much these days as anyone can get them.

Do a whois on the domain and see if it goes back to a nz company.

From there you can do a companies lookup to get names etc

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#1662436 2-Nov-2016 08:11

What is the URL?

hattrick123

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#1662443 2-Nov-2016 08:26

Url is:

http://gardeningservicesauckland.co.nz/

I did do a whois and investigate further but I did not get very far, or the info i did get I did not know what I could do with it. I will see if i can dig out the info I have pulled up before.

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Vocus

#1662447 2-Nov-2016 08:36

Does this help? That's what's in the whois ... so maybe a good place to start

registrant_contact_name: Image Glass Ltd
registrant_contact_address1: Po Box 34-873 Greenmount
registrant_contact_city: Auckland
registrant_contact_province: Auckland
registrant_contact_postalcode: 2014
registrant_contact_country: NZ (NEW ZEALAND)
registrant_contact_phone: +64 95349632
registrant_contact_email: rankmefast@gmail.com

hattrick123

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#1662451 2-Nov-2016 08:43

please delete this if I should not be posting this info?

From the whois, below, I pulled out this company

Image glass ltd
http://www.coys.co.nz/company/?no=4797979-IMAGE+GLASS+LIMITED

and this other relevant contact info

Line 15: % undertake market research via direct mail, electronic mail, SMS, telephone
Line 47: registrar_phone: +971 4 123 9000
Line 57: registrant_contact_phone: +64 95349632
Line 66: admin_contact_phone: +64 95349632
Line 75: technical_contact_phone: +64 95349632

Line 49: registrar_email: help@crazydomains.com
Line 58: registrant_contact_email: rankmefast@gmail.com
Line 67: admin_contact_email: rankmefast@gmail.com
Line 76: technical_contact_email: rankmefast@gmail.com

Again not sure what to do with it. I did email this guy rankmefast@gmail.com enquiring about gardening services and he replied saying he did but he never came back to me after I wanted to call him to arrange. The more I think about it it could be ok but just very bad comms, at least that is what he will say. My partner was mainly trying to contact them via info@gardeningservicesauckland.co.nz or the number on the website 02102212861, but got no joy, either not active, no reply.

I got the below from here https://www.whois.net/

-----------------------------------------------------------------

% Terms of Use
%
% By submitting a WHOIS query you are entering into an agreement with Domain
% Name Commission Ltd on the following terms and conditions, and subject to
% all relevant .nz Policies and procedures as found at https://dnc.org.nz/.
%
% It is prohibited to:
% - Send high volume WHOIS queries with the effect of downloading part of or
% all of the .nz Register or collecting register data or records;
% - Access the .nz Register in bulk through the WHOIS service (ie. where a
% user is able to access WHOIS data other than by sending individual queries
% to the database);
% - Use WHOIS data to allow, enable, or otherwise support mass unsolicited
% commercial advertising, or mass solicitations to registrants or to
% undertake market research via direct mail, electronic mail, SMS, telephone
% or any other medium;
% - Use WHOIS data in contravention of any applicable data and privacy laws,
% including the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007;
% - Store or compile WHOIS data to build up a secondary register of
% information;
% - Publish historical or non-current versions of WHOIS data; and
% - Publish any WHOIS data in bulk.
%
% Copyright Domain Name Commission Limited (a company wholly-owned by Internet
% New Zealand Incorporated) which may enforce its rights against any person or
% entity that undertakes any prohibited activity without its written
% permission.
%
% The WHOIS service is provided by NZRS Limited.
%
version: 7.40
query_datetime: 2016-07-25T11:36:10+12:00
domain_name: gardeningservicesauckland.co.nz
query_status: 200 Active
domain_dateregistered: 2012-05-31T08:08:31+12:00
domain_datebilleduntil: 2020-05-31T08:08:31+12:00
domain_datelastmodified: 2014-12-17T18:05:42+13:00
domain_delegaterequested: yes
domain_signed: no
%
registrar_name: Crazy Domains FZ-LLC
registrar_address1: Office 210, Building 11
registrar_city: Dubai lnternet City
registrar_province: Dubai
registrar_postalcode: 500472
registrar_country: AE (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES)
registrar_phone: +971 4 123 9000
registrar_fax: +61 8 9422 0801
registrar_email: help@crazydomains.com
%
registrant_contact_name: Image Glass Ltd
registrant_contact_address1: Po Box 34-873 Greenmount
registrant_contact_city: Auckland
registrant_contact_province: Auckland
registrant_contact_postalcode: 2014
registrant_contact_country: NZ (NEW ZEALAND)
registrant_contact_phone: +64 95349632
registrant_contact_email: rankmefast@gmail.com
%
admin_contact_name: Image Glass
admin_contact_address1: Po Box 34-873 Greenmount
admin_contact_city: Auckland
admin_contact_province: Auckland
admin_contact_postalcode: 2014
admin_contact_country: NZ (NEW ZEALAND)
admin_contact_phone: +64 95349632
admin_contact_email: rankmefast@gmail.com
%
technical_contact_name: Image Glass
technical_contact_address1: Po Box 34-873 Greenmount
technical_contact_city: Auckland
technical_contact_province: Auckland
technical_contact_postalcode: 2014
technical_contact_country: NZ (NEW ZEALAND)
technical_contact_phone: +64 95349632
technical_contact_email: rankmefast@gmail.com
%
ns_name_01: ns2376.hostgator.com
ns_name_02: ns2375.hostgator.com
%

xpd

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#1662464 2-Nov-2016 08:59

Interesting the registrant is Image Glass, who does nothing with gardening, and has a very professional site etc. I'd possibly contact them and say that theyre down as one of the contacts and see what happens.... might just be that they have a staff member who is friends/relation of the gardening guy and did it as a favor through the company account.

XPD / Gavin

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Oblivian

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#1662465 2-Nov-2016 09:08

The rankmefast is a dead giveaway

My bets on Blackhat SEO scam to rank the hell out of that URL or others attached in the back-end crawl

Kyanar

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#1662971 2-Nov-2016 21:31

Rank Me Fast is an "SEO company":

http://www.localist.co.nz/l/czgchy

Probably wouldn't know the first thing about gardening.

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ubergeeknz

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Vocus

#1662982 2-Nov-2016 21:55

They may well have built the site for a gardening business who are either just not answering or worst case, out of business. It's common (although slightly questionable ethically) for web hosts/web designers to retain domain registration for clients.

I'd be giving them a short time longer for a reasonable response and then looking to get a chargeback on your credit card.

edit: actually that website looks pretty sketch. No company name, no address, no real "identity" at all. I think call your bank tomorrow and get the charges reversed.

My advice? Find a small local business owner to do the work who can come around and give you a quote face to face :)

Oblivian

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#1662983 2-Nov-2016 21:58

Not a big fan of the promised visit SEO types that do the outsourcing methods to fake such search hit/visit numbers - bug the hell out of me.

Theres farms of them in India and Vietnam using free proxies creating accounts on forums I help moderate faster than they can be closed down to raise backlink stats. All the while destroying both places reputation value. To show what, you had 300 Visits today by a crawler. Ooooh aahhh.... And theres now 2000 links back to your site for people to visit! be it on forums completely unrelated to your business or interests...

Oblivian

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#1662985 2-Nov-2016 22:04

Flexinews.com also comes back with same registrar details

gzt

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#1662991 2-Nov-2016 22:15

Call the registrant contact number listed at Image Glass (+64 95349632) and see if they make any sense. Ask them if that company offering the gardening service is an nz company and if so, the company name. If so, it will be in the nz companies register with contact details.

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