Scam from Medan?

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I received a very disturbing email and comment today by a visitor from Deutschland about his bad experience on Medan! You can see his comments in our guestbook and I have also attached it below in italics.

What disturbed me was that some scammers have used “Medan” to scam people off online as described in the comments which damage the reputation of Medan.

I really hope these scammers are not from Medan as I assumed that if these people created a dummy company, then they may not be from Medan at all and I am sure even their names are fictitious.

There are many great honorable, honest people in Medan.

Scams happens everywhere and everyday, from internet scams, to sms (mobile messages/text messages scams, email scams and even mail scams. Some promises unclaimed prizes, lottery winnings or even inheritance. Some in business dealings. We have heard stories of many scams around the world. This is the first I heard from Medan.

We have to be wise enough to be able to check out everything and make sure everything is legitimate before parting with our money to these scams.

Here is the email / comments by a victim, I have added some tips on “How to Avoid being Scammed Online” at the bottom

Medan crooks badly damage the economy of Indonesia!

A lot of dealers from Europe and the United States get cheated of young criminals from Indonesia and mainly from the city Medan via InterNet. This modern kind of cybercrime This criminality does not only harm the businessmen from the foreign countries, it harms also the reputation of the Indonesian business in the world. Also the institutions of Indonesia. Likewise authorities and institutions of Indonesia appear weakly in relation to a small minority of criminals.

I believe, it exists a problem, which does not admit in the Indonesian public, but it must be known and solved. They use Alibaba.com a Community channel and a place that allows business people to exchange business ideas, communicate business issues and find business resources.

A lot of Criminals meanly from MEDAN – and in my case - Andre Kusmana and Erwin Candra and their company “Original Bike.Co.,Ltd” in Medan, Jl. Putri Hijau No. 25 create a dummy firm. They offer in the InterNet at Alibaba.com not existing goods.

They recruit with the following text and look for international dealers.

“We are the most professional manufacturer and exporter for high end bicycle and spare parts, based in Medan, Indonesia. Our products enjoy fast Sales in worldwide market at present, due to our superior products and professional service. We have some kinds of mountain bikes and many types for choosing.”

They describe their enterprise as Distributor/Wholesaler with 5 - 10 employees and a total annual purchase volume of US$5 Million - US$10 Million. (http://www.alibaba.com/member/id101342118.html)

But nothin exists! They cheat businessman from Europa and North Amerika in simulating buisiness dealings. They arrange dealings and operate in a big scale, promise to deliver and after the international buissinessman had correctly paid the amount to their account, they hide in the suppost obscure internet!

This kind of cybercrime damaged the credit and the reputation of all the fair Indonesian buissinessman in international trade and I think, traders, politicans and the authorities are confronted with the problem to find a solution of this criminal problem and to protect international customers and also Indonesian exporter against this kind of cybercrime!

Erwin Candra!
Andre Kusmana!

I dispatch this text to you, because I would like to get back my deposited 3000 $ I have payed this criminals … but also because I dislike the damage of the Indonesian economy and society.

If you need more Information:
Heinrich Hohage ( Heino.Hohage@gmx.de )
Hasenberger Weg 2a 42897 Remscheid Deutschland

Here Some tips on How to Avoid Falling into Scams Online:

1. Check if the company have a website, many people sell stuff from eBay and Alibaba without a proper company website like the one mentioned below. From the website, check for addresses, phone numbers and organizational structures.
2. With these information, google further to see if these companies actually exists and google to see their reputation online. You could add the word “scam” at the end of their names.
3. Check if the company actually exists offline, by calling them up, or checking with the local authorities. You can usually find the website of local authorities in google.
4. Try not to transfer money directly to the account of the recipients. Use a third party, it may cost more but its an insurance to you.
5. If you are to put a huge purchase order, request for other references from other customers or clients. Or try with a smaller order first to minimize your loss.
6. If you are buying anything online, most reputable sellers, use a merchant account, PayPal, ClickBank, PayDotCom or 2Checkout. These 3 rd party payment processors usually have a money back guarantee policy where, they are able to scrutinize and filter out reputable sellers.
7. If anything looks or sound suspicious, do not continue with your transactions.