GOM defrauded again?!

It's all a go now and I was able to withdraw the money. TY very much to reputable GOM businessmen. I think the new 30 day rule will be very helpful in preventing situations like this.

I wonder what security precautions Anshe will be taking with her new linden trading enterprise. Anshe?

I think of IGE as a real company as I do Linden Lab, I do not think of GOM as a real company for some reason I just picture it two guys selling game money I mean really thats all it is when you look at it. Anshe is just a woman selling game money too.

Lets all point fingers that'll get us far.

Ladies and gentlemen,

For publishing a statement that was too easily misinterpreted as an unsubstantiated charge of IGE's involvement in criminal behaviour, I am sorry. I was angry and tired and should have chosen my words better.

I have no evidence of IGE's involvement in this fraud except the word from Linden Lab that the L$ were sold to them from multiple day-old avatars within a very short period of time.

The site has recovered. We are open for business. We lost a lot of money.

We have some new verifications in place in an attempt to limit fraud like this in the future and it has already caused some people grief. We will work out a policy that is good for everyone - just give us time to stop the bleeding.

I am waiting to hear from Daniel at Linden Lab regarding the outcome of his chat with IGE, and I'm hoping that he has a solution both for the current problem and fraud control in general.

Once again, I'll encourage anyone to contact me by email.

Zep

Why is linden lab getting involved? If they are going to be doing all the footwork they have nothing to loose kicking you guys out this place and doing it on their own.

Thank you Zeppi! I think this shows a lot for your integrity and honesty. Which is something important to me as to whom I trust with my money. I am sorry you've been a victim of this fraud and hope that someday Paypal will come to reality and join the 21st century. Best of luck cleaning this up with Linden Labs, Paypal, and IGE.

Goods are tangible. The L$ ALWAYS belong to Linden Labs, they have the sole rights to the ownership.

I sense a lack of historical knowledge.

Really, do your homework, eh? I'm only a little irritated because you seem to be attacking rather voiciferously with little reason. Don't you have your large piles of cash to attend to? Weren't you just complaining a few posts ago about not being able access your wealth?

The shrill complaints are giving me a headache.

I have 5k in GOM thank you! Which i think is alot considering i have only been playing since september! I am not attacking, I am asking for answers of which I do not know.

If the lindens don't protect the perceived value of the linden dollar, the entire economy grinds to a halt, and you'll have tons of cnotent creators no longer making stuff. thus making the world boring, thus increasing the likelihood of SL going under.

Thank you for answering me and not being rude like Maxx did. Maybe he needs to learn how to use the ignore feature I have quickly learned of.

Lots of interesting stuff there. I have heard some nightmare stories from friends in the past. One of my best friends, a very apt IT manager who does many, many financial transactions online, refuses to use them period. I haven't in months and as a matter of fact, I think I will go close out my account.

Sorry this happened again!

I think that first and foremost that we all need to remember that regardless of what has been said……..what someone did is ripoff a member of our community for about 1500 rl dollars. I think under the circumstances many of us would be a little upset too (and if not, please feel free to forward any extra cash that you wouldn’t miss to my paypal account.)

Regardless if you trade on GOM, many do and then spend the lindens purchasing items in sl. Online gaming fraud has been around a long time and regardless if you trade your online game money at IGE, GOM, EBAY, your own website or just have someone pay you via paypal YOU take the chance of having your online items or money ripped off. GOM could reverse the transactions (like ebay and paypal do) and let their customers suffer the loss. But instead choose to take the loss themselves. Something that should be applauded.

IGE is quick as many have said….for small amounts…but try to go and buy or sell a large amount there (unless you are an established customer) …it doesn’t just happen if you are new. And in fact, many times it is denied. They have been in the business of selling online money to long not to have safeguards in place. IMHO I think that is the point GOM was trying to make.

Good luck GOM and if there is anything that I can do to help, please let me know. Thanks! Mash

There has already been a link to http://www.paypalsucks.com/ posted. From my own perspective, I only use Paypal if I really, really have to (such as getting L$s through GOM into my bank account in quicker time than a mailed money order would take). I have had more than one negative experience with Paypal's customer support and methods. And the fact that there is no legislative protection for your money when in the Paypal system is really, really scary. I never process any transactions through them for amounts I couldn't afford to "lose".

Well, I guess all those sole proprietorships and partnerships in the small business world aren't really real companies either. I guess the only way to be a real company is to hire a large number of people. Tell me, what's your employee count cut-off point before you'll consider an enterprise to be 'real'?

IGE is probably bigger than linden labs, at least in profit.

They are. What they turn over in big games like Everquest or WoW must really dwarf Second Life - at this stage. In some article I read they have more than 100 employee (most part time students in HK) and turn over 7-digit or 8-digit US$ amount.

Paypal is a security nightmare period and I don't care who from the PayPal/eBay universe comes crashing down on me. As a matter of fact, I would love for them to have to explain their security and controls in a public forum (i.e. court). From what I have read here and heard from others in-world, I would be looking PayPal square in the eye in this matter before IGE or anyone else.

GOM has handled this very well and I believe they are doing everything to investigate this and make sure it does not happen again. Some of you whiners who lurk here just to find controversy to pounce on need to get a life.

Out of over 5000 paypal transactions, I have had one chargeback.

The same can not be said for my regular merchant account.

For me, Paypal has been anything but a security nightmare, but rather the most secure format for transactions on the web.

Getting someon's CC info is just a matter of looking through their purse or wallet.

Getting a password takes a lot more work.

IGE also has offices in New York and Miami Beach - in fact their office here is about 10 minutes from me, though I have never seen it. The currency exchange is operated in Hong Kong - but the corporate offices are in the US.

Great to know that outsourcing has allowed IGE's execs to move into the US. =\
/sarcasm

Yes, that is a major point. You don't get reimbursed for accepting counterfeit, you don't get to keep stolen goods even if you had no idea they were stolen, and if you are holding those goods, you have to prove that you were completely ignorant of the origin of the goods/funds, otherwise they'll say you were in on it.

Hey Anshe, I couldn't help notice...how does one make money as a Prisoner? (You advertise you can make L$ as a Prisoner in your "Earn L$" area...).

Not a slag at all, it just sounds like a fun and interesting way to make money. Are you required to bang a tin cup on the holding cell bars rhythmically...or perhaps play unusual melodies on a harmonica?

Prisoner: "I'm a prisoner."

Q: "What was/is your crime?"
A: "Making money as a prisoner!"
Q: "How do you get out of it?"
A: "Why would I want to?"

Necromancer!

Multiple Paypal accounts stolen?

So has REAL LIFE law enforcement been notified? Is $1500 US actually involved here? So we're talking grand theft or something then? Isn't stealing a paypal account akin to stealing a credit card?

Then you have the means through which the accounts were stolen (in addition to the illegal usage of them), social engineering, haxxoring, or whatever...pretty serious crimes where I come from.