PDA

View Full Version : Help Bring Down This Scammer - Kirkylarky



renpei
May 11th, 2013, 06:13 PM
So recently, I did a trade with a guy named Kirkylarky over FPN.
Very Curteous and nice fellow.
So what happened was I made a post asking for suggestions on a new pen. He messaged me telling me he had a Sailor 1911 he would like to trade and its a great beginner pen and whatnot.

I said sure. He was local but he insisted he could not meet up and we should just ship it to each other.
I said why not. He told me he sent a lot of ink samples and a surprise and I was really excited.

Today, Edwaroth of FPN notified me, when I posted on here:http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/244986-suggestions-for-a-new-pen/#entry2674195

That kirkylarky is a scammer and was banned on here.



Anyways, the point is, I want to find all the people scammed by him and find a way to bring him down.

david i
May 11th, 2013, 06:30 PM
I am having a bit of trouble following this.

A person at FPN claims that FPG banned him. Here at FPG I see a claim that FPN banned him. I don't see what was the offense. Too, you don't mention how you yourself were scammed, although you do assert the fellow is a scammer.

I'm happy to hear what is happening, as the fellow has registered at FPB, but I don't see an actual story here of scammery.

What's the story?

regards

david

Laura N
May 11th, 2013, 06:43 PM
Look here (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2359-WTT-WTB-a-large-list-of-pens-P).

I for one am grateful that Dan posted that to let everyone know.

david i
May 11th, 2013, 07:14 PM
Good to know, but I still wonder what's the story.

regards

david

dannzeman
May 11th, 2013, 08:20 PM
Here's the story: Kirkylarky (also registered as Kirklarsen and from here on out referred to simply as Kirk) offers to trade or sell pens and then doesn't ship them.

When asked to provide images of the pens he either says he doesn't have a camera or uses images that aren't his. One user who notified me of Kirk's strange behavior forwarded me their PMs and Kirk actually admitted to having used images that weren't his in an attempt to carry on with the trade.

During the negotiation Kirk says he'll provide a tracking number but then makes up some excuse as to why he can't provide one. Usually it's because shipping with tracking is too expensive or he lost the tracking number.

He's always eager to give the other person a much better deal by trading his pens for ones that are worth far less and by including lots of ink samples and/or gifts with his shipment.

I had even made a deal to trade with Kirk when I received a couple of warnings about him. Our deal was my VP and a bottle of ink for his Pilot Custom 823. Kirk told me he had shipped the pen with tracking but forgot the number back home:

Hey Dan!
I have brought both good news and bad news :P
The good news is I shipped it off yesterday evening! The shipping fees were quite exorbitant but quite reasonable for the size and weight of the box :P I ended up paying about... $60 for the box to be shipped ;) I think I went a little overboard with the ink samples and the surprise and the overall presentation of the package. The other good news is, unless an elephant sits on the package, everything should get to you in at the most, 2 pieces ;P

The bad news is my internet died... Which is why I couldn't message you yesterday. I'm in Ottawa right now for the weekend to go house hunting and I'm leeching of the hotel's Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, I left the shipping reciept in my coat pocket 450 km away. Which means I don't have the number on me...

Anyways, I get back (assuming everything goes as planned) on Monday and I will send it to you then if thats okay :P

Then, a few days later when I ask for the tracking number he says:

i couldnt ship it with trafked becuse it worked out to about $65 for the package.. i hope its okay :$

So then I ask for an image of the shipping receipt but he says he doesn't have it anymore.

When I banned him I told him why and I gave him a chance to have the ban lifted if he could show me one tracking number or shipping receipt for any pen that he's sold or traded. He replied by saying he wasn't obligated to show me any kind of info.

If I or anyone he's supposedly sent pens to actually receives them, then I'll lift the ban and apologize.

renpei
May 11th, 2013, 09:06 PM
Good Guy Dannzeman :)
Saving people from scammers since 2013

On a more serious note, because the police wouldnt take a 16-year-old kid complaining about stolen pens seriously, I will be paying him a visit tomorrow.
Wish me luck!

Tracy Lee
May 11th, 2013, 09:50 PM
Identical to my experience, and I mean VERBATIM. My first trade is now my last. It's a shame, for sure, but at least he got a hefty customs bill with mine since I wouldn't lie on a customs form. I will not miss the pens I sent, and financially am unaffected, and I am grateful for that. But it was like having someone bad in your house. Onward and upward, I can't be a victim unless I allow it, which I will not do. Not my nature, but I AM defensive for the others who were duped. Lesson has been learned, now back to my regularly scheduled programming with the cool geeks I have come to know and love here. :) And I still have other pens looking for new homes over in the for sale thread! :-)

Tracy Lee
May 11th, 2013, 09:56 PM
Good Guy Dannzeman :)
Saving people from scammers since 2013

On a more serious note, because the police wouldnt take a 16-year-old kid complaining about stolen pens seriously, I will be paying him a visit tomorrow.
Wish me luck!

Renpei, promise you will be smart and safe. No pens are worth you getting into trouble or hurt. He could be seriously mentally unstable. The ability to commit fraud without remorse is indicative of a broken psyche at the very least. You said you weren't sure he even lived there? Just give that action some thought. I've written it off and this is my last post on the matter.

Jon Szanto
May 11th, 2013, 09:59 PM
Hey renpei, what Tracy said. It is NOT worth it to take matters into your own hands. Do NOT force the issue in a real-time, face-to-face. Not smart.

drgoretex
May 11th, 2013, 09:59 PM
Sad thing is that a person like this could just re-register under a different identity any time, and just continue with the same scam, no problem.

Ken

Laura N
May 11th, 2013, 10:00 PM
Good Guy Dannzeman :)
Saving people from scammers since 2013

On a more serious note, because the police wouldnt take a 16-year-old kid complaining about stolen pens seriously, I will be paying him a visit tomorrow.
Wish me luck!

Renpei, promise you will be smart and safe. No pens are worth you getting into trouble or hurt. He could be seriously mentally unstable. The ability to commit fraud without remorse is indicative of a broken psyche at the very least. You said you weren't sure he even lived there? Just give that action some thought. I've written it off and this is my last post on the matter.

I agree with this advice. Taking the law into your own hands is a satisfying thought, but doesn't always work out well.

I wouldn't be so sure about the police not taking you seriously, either. It seems like there are more victims than just you.

renpei
May 11th, 2013, 10:33 PM
Most of the victims are international. I've looked around and unless you've done some terrible shit (something to do with 4 letter acronyms? RICO, NATO, or that stuff) no one is going to bother tracking you down. Especially international mail/email fraud. Unless it get really serious.

I don't know if its my teenager brain or if I am just stupid but I cannot bear the thought of him stealing from more people. And I suffered a fairly large loss and I do not like it.

if I get hurt, this is Canada. Free healthcare!
If I get arrested, I'm a minor. I have straight A's. In the International Baccalaureate Program. I do 30 hours of volunteering a month. I do research at University of Toronto. Which means even if this goes to trial and whatnot, the fact that I am a minor and I am such an awesome person ;) means that I will probably get off easy.

Its worth it

heraclitus682
May 11th, 2013, 10:43 PM
IT IS NOT WORTH IT! I work in corrections and before that had various jobs where I put guys in the prisons I now work at. There are lots of intelligent kids in there for doing stupid things. This is a stupid thing to go to his house. Not worth it. Crazy things can happen in situations like this. You won't win.

caribbean_skye
May 11th, 2013, 10:43 PM
Most of the victims are international. I've looked around and unless you've done some terrible shit (something to do with 4 letter acronyms? RICO, NATO, or that stuff) no one is going to bother tracking you down. Especially international mail/email fraud. Unless it get really serious.

I don't know if its my teenager brain or if I am just stupid but I cannot bear the thought of him stealing from more people. And I suffered a fairly large loss and I do not like it.

if I get hurt, this is Canada. Free healthcare!
If I get arrested, I'm a minor. I have straight A's. In the International Baccalaureate Program. I do 30 hours of volunteering a month. I do research at University of Toronto. Which means even if this goes to trial and whatnot, the fact that I am a minor and I am such an awesome person ;) means that I will probably get off easy.

Its worth it

Just a word of caution, a friend of mine felt similarly when we were teenagers (although he didn't have good grades nor volunteer work) and many many years later he's straightened up his life, figured out what he wanted to do with his life and went to University. He decided that he wanted to be a lawyer, however because his charge was fairly serious, while he has finished law school and even practises, he can never be called to the bar. While I understand that you've been hurt, sorry to hear that, please do think of possible long term consequences before you do something you can't undo or recover from.

heraclitus682
May 11th, 2013, 10:50 PM
Just curious. What pens did you lose?

david i
May 11th, 2013, 11:41 PM
Thanks Dan,

That would appear to be more than enough info to justify my putting his actions at FPB on hold.

best regards

david

Carole
May 11th, 2013, 11:49 PM
Good Guy Dannzeman :)
Saving people from scammers since 2013

On a more serious note, because the police wouldnt take a 16-year-old kid complaining about stolen pens seriously, I will be paying him a visit tomorrow.
Wish me luck!

Renpei, all the above is good advice. Getting arrested is never a good idea. All those mitigating factors are not a slam-dunk that a trial will turn out well for you. And all the health care in Canada can't help you if you're not breathing.

If you're determined to do something, how about contacting your local tv stations, or some other investigative consumer fraud reporters? They might be interested in the unusual angle of a 16 year old who's into fountain pens as a hobby. And they have access to resources that would help you find out more about this person.

Also, Kirk baby has probably read all of this by now so he has a heads-up that you're coming. Stealth is not just for fountain pens. :cool: Please think it over.

kaisnowbird
May 12th, 2013, 12:31 AM
Wow! Thank you for letting us know.
I almost traded with him. He offered a Waterman Serenite blue for two of my pens... Luckily I backed out last minute (Thanks to Eric who gave me some sage advice).
:hail:

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 12:44 AM
Renpei is the name I was given by Amazon of the person who collected the gift certificate I sent. And no, I haven't had the Carene he promised and no, I will not just chalk it up to experience.

Pendragon
May 12th, 2013, 12:50 AM
Perhaps this would help?

Internet Crime Complaints (https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx)

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 01:56 AM
Meanwhile, folks have been sending him pens in trades. He's after cash so will be selling them on. The easiest place to sell them is fleabay. It might be worth setting up a search on fleabay for whatever pen you lost. He will be back here, in fact I'm pretty sure he already is.

View from the Loft
May 12th, 2013, 04:07 AM
Renpei,

Please, please listen and act on the sensible advice that you have been given here. It is not worth getting hurt (or worse) or losing your dream career over some pens, no matter what their loss means to you - trust me, a police record or conviction can come back to haunt you decades later.

Now I hear and understand that you are a young student, so what did he take from you and let's see what can be done to assist.

View

CS388
May 12th, 2013, 04:31 AM
Renpei is the name I was given by Amazon of the person who collected the gift certificate I sent. And no, I haven't had the Carene he promised and no, I will not just chalk it up to experience.

Man, I'm confused, here.

So, is Renpel the scammer, now? Or is he still the guy who is going to go round to Kirk's house to rectify or do damage (bad idea, Renpel. Never works, except in TV land, The Soprano's, etc etc)

I've been bitten a couple of times with internet deals (haven't we all?). Always reluctant to chalk it up to experience - but at the end of the day, it has usually proved the best course of action.
Forget, warn others and move on.

Good luck.

Tiggercat
May 12th, 2013, 04:34 AM
I got stung for a Kaweco Ice Sport. My thought was to have a nice discussion with the RCMP, especially since I have his address.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 05:09 AM
Renpei is the name I was given by Amazon of the person who collected the gift certificate I sent. And no, I haven't had the Carene he promised and no, I will not just chalk it up to experience.

Man, I'm confused, here.

So, is Renpel the scammer, now? Or is he still the guy who is going to go round to Kirk's house to rectify or do damage (bad idea, Renpel. Never works, except in TV land, The Soprano's, etc etc)

I've been bitten a couple of times with internet deals (haven't we all?). Always reluctant to chalk it up to experience - but at the end of the day, it has usually proved the best course of action.
Forget, warn others and move on.

Good luck.

That is exactly what I'm saying. When Kirk conned me, it was via an Amazon gift certificate. I sent $135 for a pen. Never got the pen. Reported his fraud to Amazon on Friday and they told me that the name on the account he used was RENPEI

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 05:19 AM
Hello Renpei,

I'm sure you remember me. :) Here's what I would like you to do. I would like you to send me a nice gift certificate via Amazon, in the amount of $135. That's what you took from me and that's what I want back. I would like you to send it within the next 12 hours. If you decide not to return my money, I will haul your scrawny rear into court. If you imagine that your location prevents this, you are quite wrong. Do you think I'm threatening you? You would be correct to assume it.

Now if you doubt me, I'm very happy to give you the details of the last clown who tried to scam me out of my property. He faced a court summons and had to pay up. You will too.

You have 12 hours. What's your pleasure?

Have a really nice day.

Anne

carlos.q
May 12th, 2013, 06:38 AM
This is a very confusing thread... :confused:

CS388
May 12th, 2013, 06:51 AM
This is a very confusing thread... :confused:

Nah, it's simple:

Renpei, who is Kirk, is going to go round to Kirk's house, where he already lives, and beat himself up for scamming himself.
Meanwhile, Annie is going to take Renpei to court for $135.
Then Renpei is going to counter-sue Annie for saying his butt is scrawny and implying he may be a clown.

Another average day in the world of fountain pen lovers.

Apologies to all concerned, if I got it wrong - ah, what the hell, take me to court, too.

Enjoy.

david i
May 12th, 2013, 07:09 AM
This is a very confusing thread... :confused:

Suspect I alluded to that in my first post...

regards

david

heraclitus682
May 12th, 2013, 07:33 AM
Good scam going on. I would be weary of sending any pens to Canada at the moment. I believe he is going by at least one other name on this forum. I will contact Dan backchannel with what little information I have.

mhguda
May 12th, 2013, 07:49 AM
renpei has been active on FPN only from april of this year, but has been pretty active. See here (http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=user_activity&mid=103067)

gwgtaylor
May 12th, 2013, 07:57 AM
Us Canadians are not to be trusted. Muah-ha-ha-ha!!!

Laura N
May 12th, 2013, 07:59 AM
Wait, there was (yet another) newer FPN-er from Toronto who raised my ... concerns ... by talking about some pens he had that didn't work correctly that he then wanted to sell or trade. I can't remember the specifics right now, because I haven't had enough coffee, but the dates are similar, and this was also someone who said he was a student.

Something is definitely ... odd.

I guess we'll have to wait until Renpei responds.

Laura N
May 12th, 2013, 08:09 AM
And also see this post (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/3-Welcome-Give-Away-1?p=28293&viewfull=1#post28293) (number 18), which might be in the wrong thread by accident.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 08:18 AM
Wait, there was (yet another) newer FPN-er from Toronto who raised my ... concerns ... by talking about some pens he had that didn't work correctly that he then wanted to sell or trade. I can't remember the specifics right now, because I haven't had enough coffee, but the dates are similar, and this was also someone who said he was a student.

Something is definitely ... odd.

I guess we'll have to wait until Renpei responds.

I'm not familiar with what goes on on other boards and have no interest in finding out. I suspect we won't hear from him under the current ID. He'll open another account and rinse and repeat the same process. I did try to email him but the account has been closed. What a surprise.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 08:18 AM
And also see this post (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/3-Welcome-Give-Away-1?p=28293&viewfull=1#post28293) (number 18), which might be in the wrong thread by accident.

Yes, another victim of the scam.

hari317
May 12th, 2013, 08:43 AM
First thing the victims must do is compare the shipping address they sent their pens to.

heraclitus682
May 12th, 2013, 08:51 AM
First thing to do is sort out victim from thief.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 08:59 AM
First thing to do is sort out victim from thief.

I can prove I am not the thief. Anyone who requires that proof needs only to ask.

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 09:15 AM
@Annie
Is that so? I actually have no idea why that would be.
I would swear to god that I have nothing to do with this.
I can garuntee that I am who i say I am.
I know this is far from hard evidence but you can look me up on facebook. My name is Renpei Chen, I live in Aurora, I am 16, and whatnot. I have had that facebook account for years now. You can message me on there to prove that that is me. If it helps, I will upload a picture of my driver's liscence to prove that I am who I am.

I know this is a bit unlikely but is he by any chance also commiting identity theft?

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 09:19 AM
@ Annie, that was in reply to an earlier post claiming that I took your money.

@ mhguda. I have only been active since April because that was when I started using fountain pens.

Anyways, like I said, look me up on facebook and Ill give you a picture of my drivers liscense to prove I am who I say I am.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 09:25 AM
@Annie
Is that so? I actually have no idea why that would be.
I would swear to god that I have nothing to do with this.
I can garuntee that I am who i say I am.
I know this is far from hard evidence but you can look me up on facebook. My name is Renpei Chen, I live in Aurora, I am 16, and whatnot. I have had that facebook account for years now. You can message me on there to prove that that is me. If it helps, I will upload a picture of my driver's liscence to prove that I am who I am.

I know this is a bit unlikely but is he by any chance also commiting identity theft?

I think that is unlikely. So why not copy all of the correspondence you have with your scammer and post it here. I'm guessing you have some?

My patience is wearing a little thin on this.

hari317
May 12th, 2013, 09:32 AM
First thing to do is sort out victim from thief.
yeah who knows. good luck with that.

seffrican
May 12th, 2013, 09:45 AM
First thing to do is sort out victim from thief.
yeah who knows. good luck with that.

I would say the victim - or victims, there appear to be more than one - is the person who sent a pen to kirkylarky and received nothing in return.

The question of whether kirkylarky is a scammer/thief depends on whether he has received pens sent in trade but has no intention of sending back other pens in return. That would seem to qualify as theft of some kind.

My own role in this:

I had correspondence with kirkylarky about doing a possible trade. I was going as slow as possible to see if I could verify him to some extent before committing. Then, on Thursday, I had a PM from Dan saying that kirkylarky had been banned for scamming, and another PM from user Kirk Larsen saying that he had been banned for scamming by Dan, but that we could still do the trade if I wanted. I told Kirk Larsen that I would be holding off until I knew what was going on.

Dan has Kirk Larsen's postal address, so he can post it for everyone to verify, or if it is not desirable to post an address in the open, Dan could compare the addresses that were handed out to different people.

Be careful out there, people, it's the Internet.

mhguda
May 12th, 2013, 09:45 AM
@renpei
Identity theft: the thought crossed my mind, especially since I had noticed your posts on FPN and so was surprised by the turn of events. But then you kept quiet.
I did think it strange that you would start a thread like this if you were him.
@annie
I guess hari's suggestion bears following up. If someone is stealing a 16y.o.'s identity this person is really scary.

Sailor Kenshin
May 12th, 2013, 09:53 AM
Post the address of the scammer? Not a bad idea.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 09:54 AM
First thing to do is sort out victim from thief.
yeah who knows. good luck with that.

I would say the victim - or victims, there appear to be more than one - is the person who sent a pen to kirkylarky and received nothing in return.

The question of whether kirkylarky is a scammer/thief depends on whether he has received pens sent in trade but has no intention of sending back other pens in return. That would seem to qualify as theft of some kind.

My own role in this:

I had correspondence with kirkylarky about doing a possible trade. I was going as slow as possible to see if I could verify him to some extent before committing. Then, on Thursday, I had a PM from Dan saying that kirkylarky had been banned for scamming, and another PM from user Kirk Larsen saying that he had been banned for scamming by Dan, but that we could still do the trade if I wanted. I told Kirk Larsen that I would be holding off until I knew what was going on.

Dan has Kirk Larsen's postal address, so he can post it for everyone to verify, or if it is not desirable to post an address in the open, Dan could compare the addresses that were handed out to different people.

Be careful out there, people, it's the Internet.

There seems to be some doubt here about who the thief is. I sent him 135 dollars for a pen I have not received. Does that make me the victim or the thief?

Despite having pms from several members, nobody has been able to provide a mailing address to me. That's a bit of a shame as it is, I am told, helpful for the police report. I have given the scammer the opportunity to give me back my money with a deadline of 12:17 tonight. I doubt that will happen. If it doesn't, well I'll leave it to the police, Amazon and my lawyer. Let's see what evidence we get from him that he has been the victim...

inky
May 12th, 2013, 09:56 AM
First thing to do is sort out victim from thief.
yeah who knows. good luck with that.

I would say the victim - or victims, there appear to be more than one - is the person who sent a pen to kirkylarky and received nothing in return.

The question of whether kirkylarky is a scammer/thief depends on whether he has received pens sent in trade but has no intention of sending back other pens in return. That would seem to qualify as theft of some kind.

My own role in this:

I had correspondence with kirkylarky about doing a possible trade. I was going as slow as possible to see if I could verify him to some extent before committing. Then, on Thursday, I had a PM from Dan saying that kirkylarky had been banned for scamming, and another PM from user Kirk Larsen saying that he had been banned for scamming by Dan, but that we could still do the trade if I wanted. I told Kirk Larsen that I would be holding off until I knew what was going on.

Dan has Kirk Larsen's postal address, so he can post it for everyone to verify, or if it is not desirable to post an address in the open, Dan could compare the addresses that were handed out to different people.

Be careful out there, people, it's the Internet.

This is exactly what happened to me. After Dan contacted me, Kirklarsen contacted me saying he had been banned for a misunderstanding and was working to sort it out with Dan. He said that he was willing to still trade but if I wanted to cancel the trade that might be best. I agreed with him and we canceled the trade. The last thing he asked me was if I would be willing to trade with him if he was reinstated. I didn't reply and user name kirklarson has since been banned as well.

While it is a shame a few of us were caught up by Kirk, I am glad I wasn't alone. There are still many more of us who are reputable on the board. Unfortunately that is all subjective and things like this make it harder to decide what to do. In the end I suppose, trust your gut. Mine was yelling at me the whole time I was setting up the trade with him but I chose to ignore it because I was eager for the new pens. Shame on me for that and I'm glad Dan was able to bail me out before I made a colossal mistake.

mhguda
May 12th, 2013, 10:04 AM
First thing to do is sort out victim from thief.
yeah who knows. good luck with that.

I would say the victim - or victims, there appear to be more than one - is the person who sent a pen to kirkylarky and received nothing in return.

The question of whether kirkylarky is a scammer/thief depends on whether he has received pens sent in trade but has no intention of sending back other pens in return. That would seem to qualify as theft of some kind.

My own role in this:

I had correspondence with kirkylarky about doing a possible trade. I was going as slow as possible to see if I could verify him to some extent before committing. Then, on Thursday, I had a PM from Dan saying that kirkylarky had been banned for scamming, and another PM from user Kirk Larsen saying that he had been banned for scamming by Dan, but that we could still do the trade if I wanted. I told Kirk Larsen that I would be holding off until I knew what was going on.

Dan has Kirk Larsen's postal address, so he can post it for everyone to verify, or if it is not desirable to post an address in the open, Dan could compare the addresses that were handed out to different people.

Be careful out there, people, it's the Internet.

There seems to be some doubt here about who the thief is. I sent him 135 dollars for a pen I have not received. Does that make me the victim or the thief?
Annie, you are definitely the victim - but whose victim are you? Was it renpei who got your money, or someone else posing as renpei? I think that is a legitimate question. It does not cast doubt on you - but it makes the situation more confused. But not impossible.

hari317
May 12th, 2013, 10:05 AM
Is renpei a common name in his country? such a unfortunate coincidence is certainly possible?

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 10:18 AM
He's gone awful quiet since I asked him for proof he was a victim but oddly, I have just been told that he has been active in the last ten minutes on another pen board.

dannzeman
May 12th, 2013, 10:19 AM
Do not post addresses publicly. If you have dealings with Kirk or renpei please send me their addresses.

hari317
May 12th, 2013, 10:26 AM
Do not post addresses publicly. If you have dealings with Kirk or renpei please send me their addresses.

you can check the IP address of their posts and more details. it will help narrow down.

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 10:36 AM
Hey
@Dannzeman why did you not just IP ban Kirk?
@Annie. I was on FPN looking for the messages.
I will not be on/will be on a lot less in the next few hours. I am going to volunteer from 1pm to 4pm
As for the address below, if you google 35 usherwood st, the most relevant posts would be from my mothers business. She is an art teacher. If you google 35 usherwood st renpei chen, you will find that I have worked as an assitant for my mother.

Here are some other pages to prove my legitness. I will gladly provide a picture of my drivers liscence to dannzeman if he requests it.
http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/renpei-chen/5a/403/b07
https://www.facebook.com/renpei.chen?ref=tn_tnmn (feel free to add me)


Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 16:03
Good Afternoon!
i saw ur post and I have a Sailor 1911 and it is a great pen.
It has an F nib and is black. received it as a graduation gift and it brand new
Let me know if your interested.
P.S. I would prefer a trade over a sale.
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 16:44
I do not have many pens
What are you looking for
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 16:54
What do you have :)
Iam interested in anything ;)
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 16:56
I have a Monteverde Invincia Deluxe in chrome trim. I have a Pilot Custom Heritage 92. And I just bought a Waterman Expert.
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:02
im interested in all 3!!! ;)
i can give you a 1911 and a sailor pro ger realo for them?
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:03
Can I see some pictures of the pens?
Also, Im not sure yet. I want to see what people are suggesting. Chances are, Im gonna go with a Lamy 2k or 2x TWSBI but Im not sure yet
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:06
Sure thing. Just give me a few minutes to take the pics.
definitely think it over ;)

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:22
Unfortunately, my camera is broken and i cant take a picture. if youwant, i can go an buy a new one later today?
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:35
that will not be neccessary. I do not want to trade away all my pens.
The Invincia is my first fountain pen and I really love the Pilot
Can we just do the Waterman expert for the sailor 1911?
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:37
sure soudns good! :)
my address is :
[edited by dannzeman to remove address]
ill get packing :) Ill include some ink and a little surprise
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:46
Wait. Why can we not meet up? your profile says your in Richmond Hill. I go to school there so I can meet you anytime during the day
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 15:39
well, I am busy during the day.
Anyways, your package is ready to go. just give me your address and i wil ship i tomorw
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 19:36
Well, I am really interested but it seems risky.
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 23:10
We dont need to trade if your hesitant :)
Let me knw if u still want to trade! I dont want to leave you in an uncomfortable position.
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 00:54
so i was lying in bed and thinking and i really do want that pen...
Ill do it if you will ship with tracked shipping?
My address is:
[edited by dannzeman to remove address]
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 29 April 2013 - 01:04
Sounds good :)
I will get your pen out as soon as posible.
I will let you know when its shipped ;)
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 01:15
Thanks! Really looking forwards to it!
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 01:34
I will be sleeping now
feel free to txt me [edited by dannzeman to phone number]
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 29 April 2013 - 10:00
i went to the post office and tracked shipping is $50.
can we just do untracked? u dont need to to do tracked either.
I will throw in a bottle of akkerman to make up for the inconvience.
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 10:16
Hmmm. I'm not sure.
I really want the akkerman though! Those bottles are so cool.
I guess fine. I will ship later today
Reply

Kirkylarky
Sent 29 April 2013 - 13:24
Shipped! :)
Hope you enjoy!
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 17:31
Just finished school and walked to the post office. Did not know it was so far!
Anyways the waterman is in the mail. Let me know as soon as you get it.
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

renpei
Sent 6 May 2013 - 10:41
I am still waiting for the package. It has been a week and should have arrived by now
Reply
Report

Kirkylarky
Sent 6 May 2013 - 11:32
Maybe it got lost in the mail. I am still waiting for yours too.
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 6 May 2013 - 11:51
I will wait another week.

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 10:38 AM
@Hari. My name is chinese. It is an uncommon name even there. I am certain that I am the only Renpei Chen in the world.

I just realized if I am able to pay him a visit, he could easily do the same...
Do you think its possible? Now i am scared...

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 10:45 AM
Hey
@Dannzeman why did you not just IP ban Kirk?
@Annie. I was on FPN looking for the messages.
I will not be on/will be on a lot less in the next few hours. I am going to volunteer from 1pm to 4pm
As for the address below, if you google 35 usherwood st, the most relevant posts would be from my mothers business. She is an art teacher. If you google 35 usherwood st renpei chen, you will find that I have worked as an assitant for my mother.

Here are some other pages to prove my legitness. I will gladly provide a picture of my drivers liscence to dannzeman if he requests it.
http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/renpei-chen/5a/403/b07
https://www.facebook.com/renpei.chen?ref=tn_tnmn (feel free to add me)


Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 16:03
Good Afternoon!
i saw ur post and I have a Sailor 1911 and it is a great pen.
It has an F nib and is black. received it as a graduation gift and it brand new
Let me know if your interested.
P.S. I would prefer a trade over a sale.
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 16:44
I do not have many pens
What are you looking for
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 16:54
What do you have :)
Iam interested in anything ;)
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 16:56
I have a Monteverde Invincia Deluxe in chrome trim. I have a Pilot Custom Heritage 92. And I just bought a Waterman Expert.
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:02
im interested in all 3!!! ;)
i can give you a 1911 and a sailor pro ger realo for them?
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:03
Can I see some pictures of the pens?
Also, Im not sure yet. I want to see what people are suggesting. Chances are, Im gonna go with a Lamy 2k or 2x TWSBI but Im not sure yet
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:06
Sure thing. Just give me a few minutes to take the pics.
definitely think it over ;)

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:22
Unfortunately, my camera is broken and i cant take a picture. if youwant, i can go an buy a new one later today?
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:35
that will not be neccessary. I do not want to trade away all my pens.
The Invincia is my first fountain pen and I really love the Pilot
Can we just do the Waterman expert for the sailor 1911?
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:37
sure soudns good! :)
my address is :
[edited by dannzeman to remove address]
ill get packing :) Ill include some ink and a little surprise
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 17:46
Wait. Why can we not meet up? your profile says your in Richmond Hill. I go to school there so I can meet you anytime during the day
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 15:39
well, I am busy during the day.
Anyways, your package is ready to go. just give me your address and i wil ship i tomorw
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 28 April 2013 - 19:36
Well, I am really interested but it seems risky.
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 28 April 2013 - 23:10
We dont need to trade if your hesitant :)
Let me knw if u still want to trade! I dont want to leave you in an uncomfortable position.
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 00:54
so i was lying in bed and thinking and i really do want that pen...
Ill do it if you will ship with tracked shipping?
My address is:
[edited by dannzeman to remove address]
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 29 April 2013 - 01:04
Sounds good :)
I will get your pen out as soon as posible.
I will let you know when its shipped ;)
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 01:15
Thanks! Really looking forwards to it!
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 01:34
I will be sleeping now
feel free to txt me [edited by dannzemanto remove phone number]
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

Kirkylarky
Sent 29 April 2013 - 10:00
i went to the post office and tracked shipping is $50.
can we just do untracked? u dont need to to do tracked either.
I will throw in a bottle of akkerman to make up for the inconvience.
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 10:16
Hmmm. I'm not sure.
I really want the akkerman though! Those bottles are so cool.
I guess fine. I will ship later today
Reply

Kirkylarky
Sent 29 April 2013 - 13:24
Shipped! :)
Hope you enjoy!
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 29 April 2013 - 17:31
Just finished school and walked to the post office. Did not know it was so far!
Anyways the waterman is in the mail. Let me know as soon as you get it.
Reply
Report
Edit
Delete

renpei
Sent 6 May 2013 - 10:41
I am still waiting for the package. It has been a week and should have arrived by now
Reply
Report

Kirkylarky
Sent 6 May 2013 - 11:32
Maybe it got lost in the mail. I am still waiting for yours too.
Reply
Report

renpei
Sent 6 May 2013 - 11:51
I will wait another week.

Your messages prove nothing. Post the screenshots. My Amazon account is still light by $135 and time is running out.

I would have thought that if you are the victim of ID theft that we have all alerted you to, you would be spending time at the police station today, trying to sort it out, not 'volunteering.'

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 10:46 AM
@Hari. My name is chinese. It is an uncommon name even there. I am certain that I am the only Renpei Chen in the world.

I just realized if I am able to pay him a visit, he could easily do the same...
Do you think its possible? Now i am scared...

Are you? I would be too.

dannzeman
May 12th, 2013, 10:52 AM
Hey
@Dannzeman why did you not just IP ban Kirk?

I did. He's using a proxy so there's not a lot I can do.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 10:59 AM
[QUOTE=renpei;28398]Hey
@Dannzeman why did you not just IP ban Kirk?
[\quote]
I did. He's using a proxy so there's not a lot I can do.

And is Renpei using a proxy?

AndrewW
May 12th, 2013, 11:19 AM
This sounds like de ja vu, like what happened a few years ago over at Head-Fi...
Guys, before you start incriminating renpei, shouldn't we give him a bit of time to gather evidence and whatnot? This is why I hate forum debates over things like this: it always ends with people treating others as guilty until proven innocent. I've read enough through a certain thread on a certain forum I just mentioned, and immediate incrimination and obnoxious attitude was NOT the solution to getting someone else to speak up, especially after having suspicions thrown their way. More likely, they'll just see whoever is acting so as part of some crazy cult (we already are kind of crazy, but in a different way). I don't like to meddle in others' affairs, but in this case, I found it necessary.

Now, to toss my opinion/analysis in: it's very possible that the amazon name was a fake, or, was directed to by kirk, the aforementioned 'scammer', as a means of passing on the blame. Don't go immediately assuming absolute worsts and so on.

I ask you to not be audacious and immediately bat down my words, but just keep them in mind for this. It can be very intimidating for a 16 year old to be accused of such a thing.

mhguda
May 12th, 2013, 11:34 AM
Especially while it seems that he was also a victim... sending his Waterman pen to this person.

dannzeman
May 12th, 2013, 11:35 AM
[QUOTE=renpei;28398]Hey
@Dannzeman why did you not just IP ban Kirk?
[\quote]
I did. He's using a proxy so there's not a lot I can do.

And is Renpei using a proxy?
It wouldn't mean anything if he was. A lot of users here use a proxy.

CS388
May 12th, 2013, 01:10 PM
If 'Kirk' is a professional scammer, he/she could easily be involved in ID theft, too.

Which could account for Amazon providing Renpei's name to Annie -ie Kirk could use victims names to set up accounts?

It's a tangled web! Pens may only be the tip of this iceberg. Watching with interest.

Good luck, all. Stay safe.

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 02:37 PM
@ Annie. Why would I be volunteering instead of at the police station? Well, I didnt have time to cancel and plus, I wont cancel and negatively affect a whole nursing home. Chances are, even at the police station, I cant get the pen back. And the seniors at the nursing home are actually so lonely. I was just there and its mothers day but so many of them are just there all alone.
Also, I want to politely ask you to stop treating me like that. I am in the same boat as you and I just want to try and help. How do you think I feel? I have been preoccupied with my IB exams (if you dont beleive, google it. IB does all their exams at the same time in the world) and now this. I really do not appreciate you treating me like that.
Also, Tracy mentioned that she was concerned about your losses and woosangs. Since im a high school student, I dont have much use for money and I have quite a bit of money saved for university and for future plans, if you tell me what you lost/were supposed to get, I can try my best to help you out. No garuntees though...

I dont think it would be very useful to go to the police. Tracy, who is a lawyer, told me that chances are, the police cannot do anything about it.

I would like to ask for advice on my plans.
I want to pay "kirk" a visit tomorow (i cannot do it today as we are taking my mother out for dinner and shopping)
If Kirk does indeed live there, I plan to ask politely for all of use who have been scammed (No egging, toilet papper, or physical contact if I can help it). If he refuses, I call the police
If it isn't Kirk's address, I will tell the people who live there that they may be involved in International Mail Fraud.

Tell me if this is an okay idea.

@Dannzeman. I do use a proxy for my own safety

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 02:44 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?

Jon Szanto
May 12th, 2013, 02:49 PM
Tell me if this is an okay idea.
NO.

People have said it many times already: you should NOT do a face-to-face meeting with this person. If nothing else, take a moment, sit down, and write out the entire affair on paper, and go to the authorities and make a report. Even if they are unable to 'do anything', you will have it on record that it has been reported with a statement, and any future actions can refer back to that. Don't compound your problem by getting into a situation that could be worse than what you have now.

Please, renpei, stop thinking about going after this person yourself.

PointyThings
May 12th, 2013, 02:53 PM
Thanks Dan,

That would appear to be more than enough info to justify my putting his actions at FPB on hold.

best regards

david


I banned kirkylarky from Fountain Pen Classifieds after several members warned me about him and Dan corroborated.

Also, this guy registered for a second FPC account under the name "zebrapony." When I questioned him about the second account he claimed he set it up for a friend to encourage him to get involved online with pen communities.

Same modus operandi, request for trades and would not post pics or provide info about the supposed pens he was offering for trade.

--Karl

Jon Szanto
May 12th, 2013, 02:57 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?
You are doing the same thing as others: casting aspersions based simply on the wording of a couple of sentences. Until you would have a *lot* more info than that, you shouldn't start making accusations against someone who is (most likely) completely innocent. I looked at that profile and that person has been around a long time and the posts don't look sketchy.

Don't be idly accusing people of stuff unless you've got something more substantial. It only hurts you.

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 03:03 PM
@JOn
you are absolutely right and I should be ashamed of myself for accusing someone of this.
I guess I wasnt thinking properly and I want to apologize for suspecting him without any evidence.

I should not be treating other people guilty until proven innocent espeically since I would not like to be treated like that.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 03:04 PM
@ Annie. Why would I be volunteering instead of at the police station? Well, I didnt have time to cancel and plus, I wont cancel and negatively affect a whole nursing home. Chances are, even at the police station, I cant get the pen back. And the seniors at the nursing home are actually so lonely. I was just there and its mothers day but so many of them are just there all alone.
Also, I want to politely ask you to stop treating me like that. I am in the same boat as you and I just want to try and help. How do you think I feel? I have been preoccupied with my IB exams (if you dont beleive, google it. IB does all their exams at the same time in the world) and now this. I really do not appreciate you treating me like that.
Also, Tracy mentioned that she was concerned about your losses and woosangs. Since im a high school student, I dont have much use for money and I have quite a bit of money saved for university and for future plans, if you tell me what you lost/were supposed to get, I can try my best to help you out. No garuntees though...

I dont think it would be very useful to go to the police. Tracy, who is a lawyer, told me that chances are, the police cannot do anything about it.

I would like to ask for advice on my plans.
I want to pay "kirk" a visit tomorow (i cannot do it today as we are taking my mother out for dinner and shopping)
If Kirk does indeed live there, I plan to ask politely for all of use who have been scammed (No egging, toilet papper, or physical contact if I can help it). If he refuses, I call the police
If it isn't Kirk's address, I will tell the people who live there that they may be involved in International Mail Fraud.

Tell me if this is an okay idea.

@Dannzeman. I do use a proxy for my own safety

Well there is two hours to go before I expect $135 back in my Amazon account. You have failed to show screen shots of the messages you claim you have had from the scammer. If you think my claims are unjust, sue me.

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 03:11 PM
@ Annie. I think you are being unfair and I am sure I am not the only only thinking that.
I will not be paying you $135 for something I did not do no matter how many threats you use..
However, I am willing to give you something because I want to help out someone who is in the same situation as i am except probably less well off financially.

The fact that you are treating me like this disgusts me and offends me.

Anyways, I use prepaid credit cards as I am not of age yet. If you want, I can try and help you out and order a pen for you or something as a gift or something

seffrican
May 12th, 2013, 03:11 PM
First thing to do is sort out victim from thief.
yeah who knows. good luck with that.

I would say the victim - or victims, there appear to be more than one - is the person who sent a pen to kirkylarky and received nothing in return.

The question of whether kirkylarky is a scammer/thief depends on whether he has received pens sent in trade but has no intention of sending back other pens in return. That would seem to qualify as theft of some kind.

My own role in this:

I had correspondence with kirkylarky about doing a possible trade. I was going as slow as possible to see if I could verify him to some extent before committing. Then, on Thursday, I had a PM from Dan saying that kirkylarky had been banned for scamming, and another PM from user Kirk Larsen saying that he had been banned for scamming by Dan, but that we could still do the trade if I wanted. I told Kirk Larsen that I would be holding off until I knew what was going on.

Dan has Kirk Larsen's postal address, so he can post it for everyone to verify, or if it is not desirable to post an address in the open, Dan could compare the addresses that were handed out to different people.

Be careful out there, people, it's the Internet.

There seems to be some doubt here about who the thief is. I sent him 135 dollars for a pen I have not received. Does that make me the victim or the thief?

Despite having pms from several members, nobody has been able to provide a mailing address to me. That's a bit of a shame as it is, I am told, helpful for the police report. I have given the scammer the opportunity to give me back my money with a deadline of 12:17 tonight. I doubt that will happen. If it doesn't, well I'll leave it to the police, Amazon and my lawyer. Let's see what evidence we get from him that he has been the victim...

Annie, I don't believe I cast any aspersions on you, I was trying to clarify the situation in the light of Hari's implicit question.

I will PM Dan with the address I was sent by kirkylarky so that he can compare with the one he has, and (presumably) he can report back.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 03:26 PM
First thing to do is sort out victim from thief.
yeah who knows. good luck with that.

I would say the victim - or victims, there appear to be more than one - is the person who sent a pen to kirkylarky and received nothing in return.

The question of whether kirkylarky is a scammer/thief depends on whether he has received pens sent in trade but has no intention of sending back other pens in return. That would seem to qualify as theft of some kind.

My own role in this:

I had correspondence with kirkylarky about doing a possible trade. I was going as slow as possible to see if I could verify him to some extent before committing. Then, on Thursday, I had a PM from Dan saying that kirkylarky had been banned for scamming, and another PM from user Kirk Larsen saying that he had been banned for scamming by Dan, but that we could still do the trade if I wanted. I told Kirk Larsen that I would be holding off until I knew what was going on.

Dan has Kirk Larsen's postal address, so he can post it for everyone to verify, or if it is not desirable to post an address in the open, Dan could compare the addresses that were handed out to different people.

Be careful out there, people, it's the Internet.

There seems to be some doubt here about who the thief is. I sent him 135 dollars for a pen I have not received. Does that make me the victim or the thief?

Despite having pms from several members, nobody has been able to provide a mailing address to me. That's a bit of a shame as it is, I am told, helpful for the police report. I have given the scammer the opportunity to give me back my money with a deadline of 12:17 tonight. I doubt that will happen. If it doesn't, well I'll leave it to the police, Amazon and my lawyer. Let's see what evidence we get from him that he has been the victim...

Annie, I don't believe I cast any aspersions on you, I was trying to clarify the situation in the light of Hari's implicit question.

I will PM Dan with the address I was sent by kirkylarky so that he can compare with the one he has, and (presumably) he can report back.

So there's no doubt...

2645

Sailor Kenshin
May 12th, 2013, 03:26 PM
Thanks Dan,

That would appear to be more than enough info to justify my putting his actions at FPB on hold.

best regards

david


I banned kirkylarky from Fountain Pen Classifieds after several members warned me about him and Dan corroborated.

Also, this guy registered for a second FPC account under the name "zebrapony." When I questioned him about the second account he claimed he set it up for a friend to encourage him to get involved online with pen communities.

Same modus operandi, request for trades and would not post pics or provide info about the supposed pens he was offering for trade.

--Karl

That name 'zebrapony' sounds familiar.

reprieve
May 12th, 2013, 03:30 PM
That name 'zebrapony' sounds familiar.

There is a "zebrapony" registered here at FPGeeks. He/she made an introductory post here (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2495-Hello-All!).

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 03:31 PM
@ Annie. I think you are being unfair and I am sure I am not the only only thinking that.
I will not be paying you $135 for something I did not do no matter how many threats you use..
However, I am willing to give you something because I want to help out someone who is in the same situation as i am except probably less well off financially.

The fact that you are treating me like this disgusts me and offends me.

Anyways, I use prepaid credit cards as I am not of age yet. If you want, I can try and help you out and order a pen for you or something as a gift or something

Nice try. It aint working. Screen shots please of how you have been scammed.

reprieve
May 12th, 2013, 03:36 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?

JustinJ is a long-time member of Fountain Pen Network, and he has made a number of substantive posts here as well. I really do not believe he is this kirk scammer.

Storm Cat
May 12th, 2013, 03:38 PM
This thread is getting really weird, a lot accusations being tossed around without a lot of proof, and now some poor schmuck over at FPN's getting his named tossed in the pot because of a PM he sent to someone.

Dan comparing the addresses that are sent to him is a good idea and hopefully should help sort things out.

The idea that Kirkylarky may be using other people's screen names to perpetuate scams is a real possibility.

Annie, no offense, but if you're in the UK and Renpei is in Canada, your legal fees on the other side of the pond must be realllly cheap to make an overseas lawsuit for $135 worthwhile. And Renpei wants to play Batman and face this stranger down, not knowing a damn thing about how many marbles the guy might have loose? :confused:

Yep, it's a weird thread, and the one valuable thing about it is to use caution when selling or trading and know the people you're dealing with.

Storm Cat
May 12th, 2013, 03:43 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?

JustinJ is a long-time member of Fountain Pen Network, and he has made a number of substantive posts here as well. I really do not believe he is this kirk scammer.

Blast, where is the THANK YOU button when you need it.

Thank you, Reprieve, for stepping up for JustinJ. I don't know him, but he doesn't deserve having his named smeared over something that's getting badly whacked out of proportion.

I sure hope no one else gets treated like that because they PM someone about a possible pen trade or sell.

Again, Thank You. And when I find the Thanks button, I'll click it!

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 03:50 PM
This thread is getting really weird, a lot accusations being tossed around without a lot of proof, and now some poor schmuck over at FPN's getting his named tossed in the pot because of a PM he sent to someone.

Dan comparing the addresses that are sent to him is a good idea and hopefully should help sort things out.

The idea that Kirkylarky may be using other people's screen names to perpetuate scams is a real possibility.

Annie, no offense, but if you're in the UK and Renpei is in Canada, your legal fees on the other side of the pond must be realllly cheap to make an overseas lawsuit for $135 worthwhile. And Renpei wants to play Batman and face this stranger down, not knowing a damn thing about how many marbles the guy might have loose? :confused:

Yep, it's a weird thread, and the one valuable thing about it is to use caution when selling or trading and know the people you're dealing with.

Wow. So, I'll just give up then right, because he's across the pond? No, I don't think so.

seffrican
May 12th, 2013, 03:51 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?

JustinJ is a long-time member of Fountain Pen Network, and he has made a number of substantive posts here as well. I really do not believe he is this kirk scammer.

Blast, where is the THANK YOU button when you need it.

Thank you, Reprieve, for stepping up for JustinJ. I don't know him, but he doesn't deserve having his named smeared over something that's getting badly whacked out of proportion.

I sure hope no one else gets treated like that because they PM someone about a possible pen trade or sell.

Again, Thank You. And when I find the Thanks button, I'll click it!

Look at the bottom left of the post, it's there!

The thread has turned weird. I can see that emotions are running high, but let's stick with the facts that are known, for preference.

I have PM'd the address that I was given to Dan. It seems like it's a place of work, because it appears as the address of a business in the Canadian Yellow Pages.

@Renpei: cool it, man. Don't go see a scammer yourself, call the police on them. It's something they get paid to do.

@Annie: please acknowledge that I didn't imply you were the thief, an accusation you made upthread. Also, I see that you sent a voucher to kirkylarky, but your screenshot doesn't show who it was redeemed by - so it's not obvious to us why you are convinced it was renpei.

@Everyone: facts, facts are good. Wild speculation is bad.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 03:58 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?

JustinJ is a long-time member of Fountain Pen Network, and he has made a number of substantive posts here as well. I really do not believe he is this kirk scammer.

Blast, where is the THANK YOU button when you need it.

Thank you, Reprieve, for stepping up for JustinJ. I don't know him, but he doesn't deserve having his named smeared over something that's getting badly whacked out of proportion.

I sure hope no one else gets treated like that because they PM someone about a possible pen trade or sell.

Again, Thank You. And when I find the Thanks button, I'll click it!

Look at the bottom left of the post, it's there!

The thread has turned weird. I can see that emotions are running high, but let's stick with the facts that are known, for preference.

I have PM'd the address that I was given to Dan. It seems like it's a place of work, because it appears as the address of a business in the Canadian Yellow Pages.

@Renpei: cool it, man. Don't go see a scammer yourself, call the police on them. It's something they get paid to do.

@Annie: please acknowledge that I didn't imply you were the thief, an accusation you made upthread. Also, I see that you sent a voucher to kirkylarky, but your screenshot doesn't show who it was redeemed by - so it's not obvious to us why you are convinced it was renpei.

@Everyone: facts, facts are good. Wild speculation is bad.

I'll say it again. I spoke to Amazon.com on Friday to report the fraud. They told me that the gift certificate was redeemed in the name of Renpei. I have yet to see any screenshots from this guy who claims he was scammed having asked for them repeatedly. I have forwarded all the information I have to Dan.

Storm Cat
May 12th, 2013, 04:04 PM
This thread is getting really weird, a lot accusations being tossed around without a lot of proof, and now some poor schmuck over at FPN's getting his named tossed in the pot because of a PM he sent to someone.

Dan comparing the addresses that are sent to him is a good idea and hopefully should help sort things out.

The idea that Kirkylarky may be using other people's screen names to perpetuate scams is a real possibility.

Annie, no offense, but if you're in the UK and Renpei is in Canada, your legal fees on the other side of the pond must be realllly cheap to make an overseas lawsuit for $135 worthwhile. And Renpei wants to play Batman and face this stranger down, not knowing a damn thing about how many marbles the guy might have loose? :confused:

Yep, it's a weird thread, and the one valuable thing about it is to use caution when selling or trading and know the people you're dealing with.

Wow. So, I'll just give up then right, because he's across the pond? No, I don't think so.

It's easy to throw around the threat of lawyers and lawsuits. I see it all the time, it never goes anywhere but seems to give the threatener a sense of satisfaction. When your lawyer in the UK contacts the law firm in Canada that will handling the suit, please post images of the paperwork between the two firms and, of course, the paperwork served on Renpei. BTW, I'd like to see a copy of your legal bill, too. I doubt your attorney will be handling this on a contingency basis....

TBH, you haven't presented any real proof against Renpei. Maybe he is kirkylarky, but it is also entirely possible that someone is using Ren's screen name. If kirkylarky is a practiced scammer, deflection could well be part of his method of operation. In which case, you're accusing some poor kid in Canada who visits elderly people at nursing homes of being a thief.

Annie
May 12th, 2013, 04:14 PM
This thread is getting really weird, a lot accusations being tossed around without a lot of proof, and now some poor schmuck over at FPN's getting his named tossed in the pot because of a PM he sent to someone.

Dan comparing the addresses that are sent to him is a good idea and hopefully should help sort things out.

The idea that Kirkylarky may be using other people's screen names to perpetuate scams is a real possibility.

Annie, no offense, but if you're in the UK and Renpei is in Canada, your legal fees on the other side of the pond must be realllly cheap to make an overseas lawsuit for $135 worthwhile. And Renpei wants to play Batman and face this stranger down, not knowing a damn thing about how many marbles the guy might have loose? :confused:

Yep, it's a weird thread, and the one valuable thing about it is to use caution when selling or trading and know the people you're dealing with.

Wow. So, I'll just give up then right, because he's across the pond? No, I don't think so.

It's easy to throw around the threat of lawyers and lawsuits. I see it all the time, it never goes anywhere but seems to give the threatener a sense of satisfaction. When your lawyer in the UK contacts the law firm in Canada that will handling the suit, please post images of the paperwork between the two firms and, of course, the paperwork served on Renpei. BTW, I'd like to see a copy of your legal bill, too. I doubt your attorney will be handling this on a contingency basis....

TBH, you haven't presented any real proof against Renpei. Maybe he is kirkylarky, but it is also entirely possible that someone is using Ren's screen name. If kirkylarky is a practiced scammer, deflection could well be part of his method of operation. In which case, you're accusing some poor kid in Canada who visits elderly people at nursing homes of being a thief.

It is amusing that it would seem I am the only one who is required to provide proof. No matter, you must believe what you want.:)

PointyThings
May 12th, 2013, 04:18 PM
That name 'zebrapony' sounds familiar.

There is a "zebrapony" registered here at FPGeeks. He/she made an introductory post here (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2495-Hello-All!).


The zebrapony on FPC registered on May 6 and used an email address that began with "kirkylarky," the same email address that Annie sent the Amazon gift card to (as seen in her Amazon screenshot).

No doubt in my mind that zebrapony is kirkylarky.

AndrewW
May 12th, 2013, 04:37 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?

JustinJ is a long-time member of Fountain Pen Network, and he has made a number of substantive posts here as well. I really do not believe he is this kirk scammer.

Blast, where is the THANK YOU button when you need it.

Thank you, Reprieve, for stepping up for JustinJ. I don't know him, but he doesn't deserve having his named smeared over something that's getting badly whacked out of proportion.

I sure hope no one else gets treated like that because they PM someone about a possible pen trade or sell.

Again, Thank You. And when I find the Thanks button, I'll click it!

Look at the bottom left of the post, it's there!

The thread has turned weird. I can see that emotions are running high, but let's stick with the facts that are known, for preference.

I have PM'd the address that I was given to Dan. It seems like it's a place of work, because it appears as the address of a business in the Canadian Yellow Pages.

@Renpei: cool it, man. Don't go see a scammer yourself, call the police on them. It's something they get paid to do.

@Annie: please acknowledge that I didn't imply you were the thief, an accusation you made upthread. Also, I see that you sent a voucher to kirkylarky, but your screenshot doesn't show who it was redeemed by - so it's not obvious to us why you are convinced it was renpei.

@Everyone: facts, facts are good. Wild speculation is bad.

I'll say it again. I spoke to Amazon.com on Friday to report the fraud. They told me that the gift certificate was redeemed in the name of Renpei. I have yet to see any screenshots from this guy who claims he was scammed having asked for them repeatedly. I have forwarded all the information I have to Dan.

I was trying to imply this earlier in a post, but I'll go ahead and say it now: two things:
It's pathetically easy to set up an Amazon account in someone else's name. I could do it right now, if I so felt like it, easily any provided name. When I made my Amazon account, they only checked for e-mail validity, so it'd be pathetically easy to do this to simply frame someone.

Also, (regardless of Mac or Windows) do you really expect the average high school student to know how to take a screenshot of a computer screen? Unless they're a dedicated computer programmer (I do so for Android, but that's a whole different thing), I wouldn't expect them to. I didn't know until a while ago. Even for Windows, most people don't know how. Since I am talking about it now, it's Fn + Prntscrn. Then use paste in paint/image editor.


And you know what, make that a few more things: I would say it's not very believable, in my view, for renpei to be the culprit here; this is after stitching together some info from FPN (check this thread out (http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php?/topic/244566-sailor-1911-vs-pilot-custom-heritage-92/)) (and no, I'm not trying to be creepy, renpei, I'm just dead sick of people going at things with the 'guilty until proven innocent attitude'). Given the in time frame, the events laid out by renpei, I'd say it's more than possible that Kirky over there set up an account in the name of renpei. Of course, I don't have all of the information, but given what I can find, this was the most plausible explanation.

The question is, did Amazon provide a last name? Because it's plausible that Kirk would not know his full name, resulting in only setting up with a first name and a random last one.


Also, @renpei, if you read this, the commands to take a screenshot on windows are as follows: fn + prntscrn (does not change if you're on Linux, on the off chance that you are)
For Mac, it's Shift + Command + 3. That should help you sort stuff out. :)
Don't forget to black out sensitive info.
And whatever you do, don't go see the guy in person. It's the most dangerous thing you could do, and I would not do it unless I knew that I could easily acquire a great deal of backup, both legal and political in terms of making sure that it's the right guy. Even then, there would still be second thoughts regarding it.

heraclitus682
May 12th, 2013, 05:28 PM
Zebrapony has contacted me on this forum in regards to trades. I have contacted admin.

Sailor Kenshin
May 12th, 2013, 05:48 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?

JustinJ is a long-time member of Fountain Pen Network, and he has made a number of substantive posts here as well. I really do not believe he is this kirk scammer.

Blast, where is the THANK YOU button when you need it.

Thank you, Reprieve, for stepping up for JustinJ. I don't know him, but he doesn't deserve having his named smeared over something that's getting badly whacked out of proportion.

I sure hope no one else gets treated like that because they PM someone about a possible pen trade or sell.

Again, Thank You. And when I find the Thanks button, I'll click it!

In my browser it's on the bottom left, straight down from the user name.

JustinJ
May 12th, 2013, 05:54 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?



No, I am not Kirk. I have been on Fountain Pen Network and been a member since 2009. If you must know, I wanted to see what you would say to me. I wrote you a PM to see how you would respond. You really did not try to further the trade. You were honest about the pens. I agree with others that cool heads should prevail in this circumstance. I am not comfortable accusing anyone without proof.



Justin

Tiggercat
May 12th, 2013, 06:00 PM
First, I have a child not yet in kindergarten who knows how to take a screenshot, so it's a bit silly to suggest a high school student couldn't do it.

Second, I have seen the business name at the shipping address, but if you look at satellite imagery, it's a house in a residential subdivision. It's probably a home business.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

JustinJ
May 12th, 2013, 06:06 PM
I got this message today on FPN... It seems like Kirk. What do you guys think?

JustinJ
Sent Today, 10:24
Hi,
I noticed that you had a few pens that run out of ink fast. I have a Pilot 823, what would you be willing to trade for it?

JustinJ is a long-time member of Fountain Pen Network, and he has made a number of substantive posts here as well. I really do not believe he is this kirk scammer.

Thank you for saying something. I just noticed tonight the rest of this thread.

Manny
May 12th, 2013, 06:23 PM
This is gettin freaky man...mad, crazy, insane - freaky.

AndrewW
May 12th, 2013, 06:30 PM
First, I have a child not yet in kindergarten who knows how to take a screenshot, so it's a bit silly to suggest a high school student couldn't do it.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Maybe my high school's an exception to this rule...Although what you say isn't all that surprising. I have a little brother who plays on an iPad far too much, and taking screenshots on that device is simple as pi(e). I think he's got at least 30 or 40 screenshots for no reason... Anyways, I was referring to a full-blown computer, not a mobile device. Ask your kid that maybe? :p


Now I'm worried I was too aggressive in what I wrote earlier. :rain:

JustinJ
May 12th, 2013, 06:35 PM
This is gettin freaky man...mad, crazy, insane - freaky.

This puts the "What Is Up With FPN" thread to shame. This will be one thread that I remember.

david i
May 12th, 2013, 06:37 PM
This is gettin freaky man...mad, crazy, insane - freaky.

Got Popcorn?

-d

heraclitus682
May 12th, 2013, 06:40 PM
Plus kirkylarky is just fun to say. I can't stop saying kirkylarky...kirkylarky

Jon Szanto
May 12th, 2013, 06:59 PM
JustinJ is a long-time member of Fountain Pen Network, and he has made a number of substantive posts here as well. I really do not believe he is this kirk scammer.

Thank you for saying something. I just noticed tonight the rest of this thread.
Yes. If you'll also note, without naming you I mentioned similar things slightly before that (http://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/2502-Help-Bring-Down-This-Scammer-Kirkylarky?p=28453&viewfull=1#post28453), and in the post following that, renpei apologized. I think that is worth noting.

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 07:14 PM
Yes I did apologize. I am sorry JustinJ. Im sure you have pure intentions but my experiences made me twist it into some wicked scheme
Please forgive me for calling/accusing you of sacmming

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 07:15 PM
Here are the screenshots. It was a lot of copying and pasting though. I didnt bother doing the entire converstaion but I can if neccesary

http://i.imgur.com/OftPMZG.png

JustinJ
May 12th, 2013, 07:29 PM
Yes I did apologize. I am sorry JustinJ. Im sure you have pure intentions but my experiences made me twist it into some wicked scheme
Please forgive me for calling/accusing you of sacmming

I accept your apology. I'm sure that is a lot of pressure if you are innocent being accused of something. Your response to me at FPN was not one of trying to scam me. Hopefully, this can be resolved and everyone can get back to the enjoyment of fountain pens.

I hope that others will step forward if they have been taken. I know that it can be embarrassing. More than likely, everyone has been scammed sometime in their life.

I am glad that you brought this to everyone's attention. You may have saved someone else the loss of a pen.

Personally, I would go to the police and tell them what has happened. My guess is this person is not using their own address. They are more than likely using different addresses of people that are not aware that a person is using their mail.

renpei
May 12th, 2013, 07:49 PM
Thanks for understanding.
Which means I shouldnt go to the police.
The police would only launch an investigation and burden the lives of innocent people.
I will knock on the door, say hi, and just ask. That will be it. It will be done in broad daylight. Nothing will happen to me.

The thing is, Kirk cannot use a fake name or address if he gets something that requires a signature which is good because of 2 possible outcomes:
1. Kirk is using a fake name. He cannot pick up his items. 15 days pass and the item is returned to the sender
2. Kirk is using a real name. He is easily tracked down.

Manny
May 12th, 2013, 09:17 PM
http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m496/gclef1114/Tutuguans/0512132312b-1_zpsfd69a98e.jpg

Jon Szanto
May 12th, 2013, 09:53 PM
2649

Bogon07
May 12th, 2013, 11:08 PM
Thanks for understanding.
Which means I shouldnt go to the police.
The police would only launch an investigation and burden the lives of innocent people.
I will knock on the door, say hi, and just ask. That will be it. It will be done in broad daylight. Nothing will happen to me.

The thing is, Kirk cannot use a fake name or address if he gets something that requires a signature which is good because of 2 possible outcomes:
1. Kirk is using a fake name. He cannot pick up his items. 15 days pass and the item is returned to the sender
2. Kirk is using a real name. He is easily tracked down.

In the perfect world yes but some-one who is setting out to defraud will cover these possibilities :
Kirk can use a fake ID
Post delivered to your door can be just signed for - couriers have no signature to reference against and none have ever checked for ID. Maybe this is different in other countries.
Kirk can sign the pickup card authorisation and pick up the items using his real identity on Kirk's behalf.
Kirk could have the items sent to a friend's address who may or maynot have any idea what Kirk is up to.

Best of luck and most importantly be extra careful.

dannzeman
May 12th, 2013, 11:42 PM
I'm closing this thread because the conversation had become less than useful. I've got a PM box full of messages to go through. If anyone has any useful information please PM me. I'll update this thread once I sort through everything.

dannzeman
May 16th, 2013, 04:27 PM
After having read through all the PM's regarding this issue and reviewed the accounts involved, I'm sorry to say that I can't take any more action than I already have.

I've banned kirkylarky and Kirklarsen, but as I said earlier, since he's using a proxy there's not a lot I can do.

Renpei has given me identifiable information but there was no way I could link him to kirkylarky, Kirklarsen, or zebrapony, or anyone else.

I'm incredibly sorry for those that have lost pens, time, and money engaging with this person and situation.

If you have a comment or question, please send me a PM.