Site That Used ASD’s Name And Made Odd Claims While Bowdoin Was Negotiating With Prosecutors Goes Offline
A website known as ASD2Day.com that was registered Aug 19 in the name of a Florida woman now is throwing a server error and appears to be offline.
ASD President Andy Bowdoin was in negotiations with federal prosecutors when the ASD2Day domain name was registered, and some ASD members were participating in a PR campaign that positioned themselves and Bowdoin as victims of a government prosecution run amok.
Among the claims on the site was a puzzling assertion that U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer was on an Aug. 28 deadline “to determine if the US Attorney General’s case against ASD should move forward.”
Collyer was on no such deadline, and the prosecution’s case was not teetering on the edge of disaster. At the time, Bowdoin was the subject of an order from Collyer to follow-up on pleadings he had made earlier in the case. On July 24, Collyer, noting that neither Bowdoin nor his attorney had followed up on pleadings made in May, ordered them to respond by Aug. 7. That deadline, which applied to Bowdoin, later was extended to Aug. 28 — and then until Sept. 14 — when Bowdoin’s attorney notified the court that Bowdoin was negotiating with prosecutors.
The ASD2Day site featured Pro-ASD content by an unnamed writer and a headline titled “Inside Information.” It described ASD’s “business concept” as a “proven reality” and used meta descriptions such as “Picture of a Flight Simulator Plane, to give an emotional feel.”
ASD2Day.com claimed, among other things, that ASD could not be a Ponzi scheme because the script employed by the autosurfing firm could not be programmed to permit a Ponzi scheme to occur.
Using overblown, confusing reasoning and language, the site claimed:
“As we all know, ASD has been ruled for an irrelevant acquisition of `PONZI SCHEME OR PYRAMID` ruling. ASD Utilized a well known Traffic Exchange Script in the Online Marketing industry. The Script was named Pats Pro. I myself am a Programmer as well. I have worked with this script before to develop websites and add-ons. By the pure mechanics or functions in the Pats Pro system, there is no function of, that such can be ruled ponzi or pyramid. The PATS PRO system does not work as Ponzi, the written code in the software has no leads to such acquisition either.”
Although the language appeared to be an attempt to suggest that ASD President Andy Bowdoin could not be guilty of operating a Ponzi because the script did not support a Ponzi model, federal prosecutors always have argued that the internal actions of ASD and Bowdoin — not the actions of a script — resulted in criminal instances of wire fraud and money-laundering.
The writer did not say how the script would protect Bowdoin and ASD from another core allegation in the case: that ASD was engaging in the sale of unregistered securities, meaning the company was selling investment contracts and operating as an unregistered issuer and dealer of securities.
Meanwhile, the site claimed that “The well known Internet Giant `Google` Ad sense service is not all that different from the ASD Advertising System (Pats Pro).”
Many ASD supporters have argued that Google and ASD employed a similar business model, but have never explained why Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page — both of whom have personal fortunes estimated at $15.3 billion by Forbes magazine and are tied for 11th spot on the list of the richest Americans — never plunked down $100 for a script that would permit Google to do things like ASD.
Why the ASD2Day site now is offline is unclear. The site included at least two calls to action: “Defend Our Business, Defend Our Rights!” and “ASD2DAY · For a Free Country.”
Among the featured links were:
- Join our stand
- Learn about Defending ASD
- Meet the team
A subhead prompt instructed members to “Find out the Truth” and to “Read Articles, comment [on] them and learn the truth the US goverment doesn’t want you to hear..” The site also included a link to a Meebo chatroom.
The chatroom link still is accessible:
http://widget-cdn.meebo.com/mcr.swf?id=ySKbgEjiEw&eurl=
Two links are visible in the chatroom. One is a link to a failed organization known as ASD Members International (ASDMI), which was formed in October 2008 by members of the Pro-ASD Surf’s Up forum.
Another link is to a URL for a business owned by “Professor” Patrick Moriarty, now under indictment for tax fraud. Moriarty was a founder of ASDMI.
How come you refuse to name the person who is the owner of the site? I have always wondered why you very rarely mention any names even when those names are Public Information.
I on the other hand am not under any sort of non obligation to not post this information and think that the public at large has a right to know. To not tell people who is behind some of these outrageous activities is a crime in itself.
Registrant:
Barbara Cruz
2805 E 5 AVE
Hialeah, Florida 33013
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: ASD2DAY.COM
Created on: 19-Aug-09
Expires on: 19-Aug-10
Last Updated on: 19-Aug-09
Administrative Contact:
Cruz, Barbara fbocusa@gmail.com
2805 E 5 AVE
Hialeah, Florida 33013
United States
(786) 290-3129
Technical Contact:
Cruz, Barbara fbocusa@gmail.com
2805 E 5 AVE
Hialeah, Florida 33013
United States
(786) 290-3129
c’mon, Jack; take it easy – Patrick’s one of the good guys!
PWD
Maybe it’s because some folks don’t tell everything they know. And like you said, it’s Public Information so it’s easy to locate. Patrick usually blogs about things not so easy to find, and has proven his journalistic capabilities time and again.. Why question him now?
Good grief, Jack.
Patrick
So why wasn’t the ‘mystery programmer’ called to testify on ASD’s behalf? This could have all been over with already. lol. Shouldn’t that be the burning question in all the ASD faithfuls minds?
Jack or Patrick,
This is TOTALLY off topic, but one time someone posted a website where you could go and see how many hits a certain site was receiving, do you know what I’m referring to? Thanks in advance.
Hi Sicilian,
Perhaps you’re thinking about alexa.com.
http://www.alexa.com/
Patrick
Sicilian,
Or perhaps siteanalytics.compete.com
http://siteanalytics.compete.com/
It has been mentioned here, along with alexa.
Patrick
Hi Whip,
Good question.
Regards,
Patrick
The Pats Pro script can be easily found on google. What is interesting is this quote from the programmers site:
That date is around the time when ASD was raided.
The PATS Pro Script was developed by IT at Rollersoft which is locaated in Belgorod, Russia. I’m surprised the ASD2Day site didn’t attempt to link Rollersoft to the “Russian hackers” who supposedly “stole millions” from ASD!!
Which reminds me, Patrick, did AVGA contact law enforcement regarding the “thefts” they say left them millions of dollars short? You remember, the situation they were conducting an “internal investigation” about, in an effort to uncover who had ripped off the rip-off artists. Or did the “theft” take place in Uruguay (at least technically) putting the member-thieves (presumably located in the U.S.) out of reach of the Uruguayan Policia? One thing that seems to get overlooked by converts to these supposedly safe and legal scams is that when thefts of member’s funds are reported, calling law enforcement doesn’t seem to be an option, and the die-hard believers (like sheep) never even complain. They’d rather be ripped off and broke than called a TROLL.
Isn’t it ironic that when Jack Arons “insulted” ASD (i.e. told the truth about Andy and the scam), Andy contacted Florida’s Attorney General – the highest law enforcement officer in the state. (I bet he’d like a mulligan on that decision.) But when Russians stole millions of dollars from his company (way before Jack insulted him), old Andy just closed down the scam and started a new one. He didn’t call the Quincy Police Department or the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Department, much less the AG. I guess he didn’t think stealing millions was as important as being insulted, since the millions that were stolen (NOT!) belonged to the members, not to him.
I dearly hope that one day Cowden will share all his war stories about researching Andy’s lies, and what Andy said when he thought he was making a plea deal on his criminal case, and that with a deal in place Cowden wouldn’t be releasing all the records, so the loyal ASD members wouldn’t find out about his cheatin’ ways.
Not everyone chooses to lead with their chin.
Hi Marci,
AVG announced that it reported the theft to state and federal authorities. I have not seen a paper trail on it, which does not mean the purported theft was not reported.
Although AVG identified a suspect in its announcement, I have not reported the name. My reasoning is that the information is confusing. It seems clear that a theft inside AVG could have occurred at multiple points by multiple individuals.
Another part of my reasoning is that AVG’s story changed. In March, the surf said its bank account had been suspended because of too many transactions in excess of $9,500. It immediately followed up with a email promotion by known Ponzi promoter Shad Foss claiming $5,000 turned into $15,000 “instantly!”
By May — the same month Bowdoin suggests he was indicted under seal — AVG announced its wire problem had been resolved, and even provided detailed and specific wiring instructions for members to purchase “advertising.”
A company AVG identified as a facilitator of the transfers denied any business relationship with AVG; I interviewed the CEO. AVG then unannounced the wire deal, saying it had become a casualty of failed negotiations. Shortly after that, AVG announced a whopping, 250-percent bonus program.
AVG, in June, suspended payouts, saying members had abused a member-to-member cash button and announcing it was conducting an audit of itself.
Only later did AVG raise the issue of a $2.7 million theft. So, if any of AVG’s story can be believed, it looks as though AVG was ramping up efforts to collect money from members and getting them to buy debit cards when it knew it could not fund rebates — not even in pure Ponzi fashion because its cash flow was seriously hampered.
Near the end, some members even started an appeal for others to gift people into the program — basically, show your confidence in management we don’t identify by ponying up for people you know/care about, so they can be ripped off.
There also was a call to make the 80/20 program mandatory — basically a concession that AVG was a Ponzi scheme — and to isolate major ad-pack purchasers off the books, so they couldn’t drain from the little guy. That, too, of course, is evidence of a Ponzi/fraud scheme.
Given the confusing structure of the enterprise, the use of multiple names — AVG, AVGA, Karveck International, Karveck Corp. — and news releases from other companies claiming to own the eWalletPlus payment processor — it has not been easy to solve certain riddles.
As I’ve mentioned before, I believe the December forfeiture complaint — the one some ASD/AVG members seem to ignore — is an important document. It basically reads like a prequel to what would occur later in AVG.
Prosecutors now have made a veiled reference to AVG, and the RICO attorneys have mentioned it directly. The relationship between ASD and AVG could be very problematic for some people.
Regards,
Patrick
Thanks Patrick!
Patrick,
Thanks so much for the clarification. Is AVG or AVGA still in business, on any level whatsoever? Are small payouts taking place? Or large ones? What are their members saying about obtaining access to their funds? I’ve lost track of that particular aspect of this fraud, but then again I only read your column.
Hi Marci,
The domain name expired in September, and the site was offline for a while. The name then was renewed, and the site came back online.
Both of the key AVG forums went offline after the suspension of payouts in June — the one operated by some of the Surf’s Up Mods/members, and the one operated by AVG.
The AVG forum said it had to close because members were confusing other members. It also threatened members who shared info with copyright-infringement lawsuits, and threatened to call their ISPs to disable their Internet connections for purported abuse.
AVG announced a new plan, then withdrew the plan when members questioned it, and then implied members were too stupid to understand the plan and said the company was going to release it in bite-sized chunks.
This was before the ultimate tank.
Haven’t received any reports of members being paid. There is a ning forum still operational that promoted AVG. Hasn’t been a post since Oct. 6. Some of the folks have used it to pitch other programs.
Headlines include:
* “What would an extra $10,000 EVERY 4 WEEKS D0 FOR YOU?”
* “Please join a Great Opportunity with Q Business Solution”
* “DON’T PASS ON THIS!!!!!”
Some people said Juan Fernandez of ASD was involved in Q Business Solution. There was a post talking about Fernandez and QBS at the old Golden Panda forum on ning, but the post got deleted. There are a few pitches for QBS at the old Golden Panda forum, which is known as “the online success zone.”
Some of the folks have suffered through the loss of Noobing, ADV4U, AdGateWorld and the strange events at BizAdSplash — and they’re still pitching surf programs.
The receiver in the case against ASI, Noobing’s parent, is using every means at his disposal to liquidate the company — including the proposed sale of a stainless-steel wastebasket in the women’s restroom — and they’re STILL pitching surf programs.
Bowdoin suggests he was indicted in May — and they’re STILL pitching surf programs.
Meanwhile, Bowdoin has been sued for racketeering — and they’re STILL pitching surf programs.
Some of the missives from QBS headquarters are signed, “QBS Executive Team.”
I’ve noticed a number of ASD and/or Golden Panda members promoting it, including Surf’s Up people who are complaining that the government hasn’t refunded any ASD/Golden Panda money yet.
Odd dynamic, really. Some of them railed against the government for the ASD/Golden Panda forfeiture, but apparently also purported to be victims of ASD/Golden Panda — and then complained about slow refunds even though Andy’d filings are to blame — and then went out and joined new programs such as QBS.
Patrick
I might buy that for you as a Christmas present. Do you know where and when the sale is?
Ahh Yes……Juan Fernandez! I met him at the Miami rally and my first impression was “where did they find this character?” He looked more like a gangsta hit man than an ‘exec’. I couldn’t figure out why Andy would have someone like Fernandez as part of the management of ASD. Now we know…Andy was training him on how to be a ‘swindler’.
P.S. If I remember right Fernandez had his step-mother up on the stage to thank her for all the things she had done for him…..obviously he didn’t mean anything business-related….that would be Andy’s responsibility……………..
[…] See earlier story. […]
Hello, I am the owner of asd2day.com. If you have any questions, ask them. But all that has been posted is of pure envy and selfishness. I suggest if you have any comments to email them to me.
—
Thank you,
Efrain Vera
Oh, and by the way, Juan Is the owner of QBS. Along with his mom Francisca Mercedes and 2 others.
I seem to have lost my signed Bryan Marsden copy of the ponzi scammers handbook, but I think that was excuse No. 58 or No. 59:
“The naysayers are envious of the success of the ponzi scheme”.
Hi Tony,
It might have been in the Ponzi scammers’ handbook, as you point out.
The prosecutors in the ASD forfeiture case, though, called it “Government Exhibit 5.”
Of course, some ASD members continue to say the government has no evidence.
Here is a fairly lengthy snippet from “Government Exhibit 5” — Andy’s remarks at the Miami Rally, three weeks prior to the seizure:
“But folks, when you’re doing this much good, there will always be evil forces that’s coming against us, to try and stop us. But let me tell you, WE WILL NOT BE STOPPED! If God is for us, who can be against us?!!
“There will always be people who are speaking out against us. But we’ll just continue to grow, grow, grow.
“The negative news that we’re receiving, means that we’re making waves in the market place. Because we’re one of the fastest growing companies on the internet today. Which means that we will always have people shooting at us, and like Don said.
“Now, this is the first time that I’ve ever been shot at. This is not a real blessed experience, but I’ve always tried to analyze why certain things happen. This morning, during my [quiet] time, I was asking, ‘why are we receiving this bad publicity?’ And I came up with about three reasons.
“#I – it’s because our people start making money the very first day that their ad packages are credited to their account. There’s no selling to make that money. There’s no recruiting that you have to do to make that money. How many network marketing companies can make that claim? So we’re always going to have a lot of these big network marketers and companies that own network marketing companies shooting at us.
“I understand that Robert [Fava] was telling me that some of the network marketers are saying that [ASD] is the biggest scam on the internet. But people from these companies are getting involved in us, and their trying to stop it, because as you know, there are only about 5 to 10% of the people in network marketing that really make much monev.
“#2 – Any company, where their success depends on recruiting other people to get them to sell their product, they’re going to speak out about our business. Again, because a lot of their people are getting involved with us.
“#3 – We just have people that are jealous of success.”
Patrick
Efrain
Either you are very naive or you are pulling our legs.
These schemes are totally illegal in the US and in many other countries. In addition, if they are offshore and have US members they are still breaking the law.
Juan Fernandez knows this, Francesca Mercedes knows this and, if she is your Mom, Barbara Cruz knows this.
I assure you noone is envious of people who have jail sentences in the wings.
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