Competions where the owner scams users?

[Sam1]

Have you ever seen a competition where the person running it has decided that they won't give whatever the prize was to the winner?​

​

I just saw this: http://forumlauncher.com/forums/index.php?/topic/156-ipb-323-giveaway/page__pid__969#entry969​

 

[Martee]

I've heard stories and quite simply, doing such a thing is really, really stupid. Looking over the link you've provided I can tell nobody is going to trust that guy again are they? Why would you want to ruin your rep by doing that.

 

[Sam1]

I found out he wasn't the owner- but an admin on the site. He also scammed (I think it's the same person) Admintalk.net by pretending to offer a free IPB license. He then said he'd convert it over for them from Mybb. After 3 days without conversion, he removed the license and sent a haha sort of email to the owner. He then ddossed the forum multiple times. He was angry because his poor text speak language and useless posting had got him bumped from an Admin to being banned.

 

[Martee]

I remember that story well. Sounds like quite the sad person if thats how he gets his kicks lol. People today eh

 

[bcousins]

Yeah, But the admin of Admintalk.net is a tool. He accused me, I mean, me, of all people, That I was nathan, and that because I offered to help, Not putting IPB on it, But actually fixin a few bugs up, that I was him...

I don't get it.

 

[Sam1]

Ah well, it's because he became nervous about allowing anyone else to help him....

 

[Martee]

And wouldn't you after being 'scammed' like that? Obviously, there is a distinct element of stupidity in believing such an offer but hypothetically, I'd be very worried about people offering help after that, regardless of who they are.

 

[Sam1]

And wouldn't you after being 'scammed' like that? Obviously, there is a distinct element of stupidity in believing such an offer but hypothetically, I'd be very worried about people offering help after that, regardless of who they are.

I agree. If you've known the person a while- offlines or online- then you can make a judgement call as to there trustworthyness. It doesn't even have to be a WHILE, I mean a couple of months (but that's ages on the internet). So for example: If xpl0iter offered me a free IPB license, I would trust him- he's always paid me for stuff ontime, was a great asset at forumhoopla and I've helped him here and on CoolFacts.in/forums. But if a newbie on a forum, or someone I hadn't had previous dealings with, offered me the same thing- I'd want proof.

That's what happened at Philosophybb.net. I bought David, the owner, a new domain (instead of the .info which I'd bought for him before) after he was offered vBulletin. I also offered free webhosting on my reseller account. The person offering it claimed to have tried to install it and said it didn't work. I questioned him as to the error messages. He said they were 404 errors- well how specific is that. He wouldn't try to install it again after I made some changes that may have helped. I went to my host and asked them if there were any issues with installing VB- they said no. So I implied that I didn't think he actually owned a license (as he wasn't willing to work with me to solve the errors)- at which point he blew up at me and sent me some nasty pms and left. He also had previously said to the owner David, that he didn't need nameservers to change the domains host- I mean come on basic webmaster stuff.

 

[Martee]

But even proof isn't enough in todays world Sam! I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for me to steal a screenshot of an IPB license page to show that I had a 'real' license to give you all. That's the only problem with the 'net!

Haha, that guy sounds like a right silly bugger! Just shows the immaturity around the forum world and there is a heck of a lot. You were right to doubt him!

 

[Sam1]

It was a bit of a disappointment for David, but I think I did the right thing

 

[Martee]

Better to be disappointed than have your forum bought down by some idiot though isn't it? You did the right thing!

 

[spork985]

It was especially hard ten years ago when people were doing reseller hostings and giving domains and we were all jumping on each other's forums to help each other.

 

[Jason]

Forum Flock went off the air for some unknown reason and a contest was going on.

 

[Ravenfreak]

Forum Flock went off the air for some unknown reason and a contest was going on.

Yeah that's still a bit shady. I'm not sure what happened, I wonder if something happened to Foster. There was another forum that was a paid to post forum that became abandoned by the site owner recently, and he never paid some of the members who posted on the forum. I think this forum was owned by Brad P, definitely looks bad to either have a contest where members can win money and you don't pay out or have a community that's paid to post and you don't pay your members.

 

[Shortie]

I can't say I have ever come across a forum in which the owner purposely didn't give the prize at the end of a contest and instead just disappeared but I do know that it has happened in the past from what others have told me.

Forum Flock went off the air for some unknown reason and a contest was going on.

I was working on Forum Flock as an admin helping Foster and found the site to be down with no word from Foster, he also stepped down I believe at a forum he was staff at and I never heard from him, I do hope everything is okay with him though.

 

[joelr]

I would have been happy to revive Forum Flock, so if the owner ever does pop his head up, someone let me know.

Being a small hobbyist site is a double edged sword. It's very easy for you to go online, it's just as easy for you to go offline.

For any staff members and community members who have been with me since FE, you know that I bring a level of resources and guaranteed stability to make sure AJ thrives.

 

[Cedric]

I can't say I have ever come across a forum in which the owner purposely didn't give the prize at the end of a contest and instead just disappeared but I do know that it has happened in the past from what others have told me.


I was working on Forum Flock as an admin helping Foster and found the site to be down with no word from Foster, he also stepped down I believe at a forum he was staff at and I never heard from him, I do hope everything is okay with him though.

It's a shame, forum flock had a good vibe at the beginning when they migrated to Xenforo. But it was clear Foster didn't care much about it ever since.

 

[Nomad]

Yeah that's still a bit shady. I'm not sure what happened, I wonder if something happened to Foster. There was another forum that was a paid to post forum that became abandoned by the site owner recently, and he never paid some of the members who posted on the forum. I think this forum was owned by Brad P, definitely looks bad to either have a contest where members can win money and you don't pay out or have a community that's paid to post and you don't pay your members.

Hosting account for forum flock was suspended, therefore, I believe something happened to the owner. Those who were posting for the contest (including me), a site suddenly being wiped out is certainly a disheartening feeling. As far as Brad P. is considered, I am sure that people did not understand how the posting was supposed to me. I have worked on a couple of forums owned by Brad P. and I have always been paid. His last site was not a paid to post forum. I invited people to post for a fixed amount, he paid everyone whom he invited. But poster though it was a permanent job so they continued posting without the contract being renewed. This is certainly not a scam.
And yes, I have participated on a couple of contests where the owner did not have any intention to pay the winners.