Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!brolga!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!lance!surf!paul
From: paul@surf.sics.bu.oz.au (Paul Davis)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next
Subject: net.honesty
Keywords: honesty, fraud, overseas
Message-ID: <1387@surf.sics.bu.oz.au>
Date: 15 Nov 90 00:03:36 GMT
Reply-To: paul@terrapin.bus.bu.oz.au (Paul Davis)
Followup-To: paul@terrapin.bus.bu.oz.au
Organization: Bond University School of Business
Lines: 69

THIS POSTING IS NOT ABOUT NEXT COMPUTERS BUT IS ABOUT THE NEXT COMMUNITY!

SKIP IT IF YOU WISH!

Declan writes:
>Paul, I have a signed agreement which says that everything was
>included in the purchase, including ODs.  If you have a problem with
>that, please take it to email, and don't clutter up the net with
>personal traffic.

I don't care about your signed agreement Declan.  What is the matter,
can't you bring yourself to lie in public?  Try: "I included the 3
optical disks you paid me for."  Surely you can convince yourself
that is true.  And as for cluttering the net, I think saving another
trusting soul a couple of hundred of dollars is worth the bytes, not
to mention bringing the topic of net.honesty up for discussion.

alex. - cs211s10@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu writes:
>it sounds to me like whoever you're flaming is contributing a lot more
>than you are.  why don't you try to redeem whatever shreds of
>self-respect you might still have, slink back to your hole, and not
>bother us again?"

Alex,
I thought he was pretty helpful too, but what's his motivation?
One assumes that someone so visible in comp.sys.next is to
be trusted somehow; but as you illustrate, anyone can post.  I'm hoping
that other potential victims do better.  You obviously are not in a
position to care about whether other people get victimized, nor are
you in a position to know the facts of the case.  Whatever.

Netters,
First of all, thanks to the netters that wrote with suggestions, offers
and condolences.  I don't think this guy is going to find another
victim here in comp.sys.next, which was partly my intention.  His
email has started working again too (amazing that!), but its obvious
from his mail and his post here that he's not going to make good;
so... look on the bright side of life:

Recommendations that I have for other overseas netters after
considering the mistakes I made:

1) Do business only with firms, they have a reputation to protect.

2) If you must do a swap or trade with a netter, see if you can find
   a knowledgable agent on the scene.  My agent didn't know any
   better and let himself be talked out of my goods at the time
   and still paid for them. ie. "He won't need those."

3) DON'T deal through e-mail.  Get the particulars of the deal on
   one sheet of physical paper, in writing, signed.

4) Realize that if anything goes wrong, there probably isn't any
   international legal remedies worth the cost so whoever has the
   cash (or goods) is going to get off scot-free.
   
If anyone else has constructive suggestions or experiences please email
and I will include them in a monthly anti-fraud posting for new netters.
It is probably inevitable and desirable that netters take advantage of
the news to trade bits.  An ounce of prevention...

Yours Truly, (fuck it, flame away!)
paul

-- 
Paul Davis   Internet: paul@terrapin.bus.bu.oz.au
P.O. Box 65  School of Business  Bond University  QLD 4229 AUSTRALIA
Telephone: (075) 952 291  fax: 953 3220
(-; Co-member of OzNeXT - the Australian NeXT User's Group ;-)