Comment/Respond

I have still problems posting comments to “normal” articles, but those I can find through the menusystem works (like this one).

My system:
Windows Vista + IE8 (normal security settings, I haven’t changed anything).
Java version 6 update 32. I have one deactivated Java(tm) plugin 2 SSV-helper object, but this has been deactivated by Java under an update, so I’ll believe it’s just a safety copy.

I have tried the normal tricks:
Restart browser, reboot, Windows update

Related symptom:
I cannot mark/highlight text with the mouse (to copy the text). I have experienced the same symptom on 1 other website in the last 6 months. The frontpage or articles like this are not affected by this symptom.

Main symptoms:
The inputboxes (Name, Email, Website) receives focus on mouseclick, but the cursor only show 1 blink before it disappears. I can’t paste text into them either, but the premade choices works (the username and Email I have used here).

The messagebox works in the same way (no cursor, no input, no paste). Quoting a whole comment works, but it will gradually become very boring if I’m only able to repeat other people’s comments. :)

“Enter” will execute the default Submit-button.

Now you have a description of the symptoms and the system affected, and I will also post solutions if I find any.

admin

M_Norway,

Please see if the Contact form works for you. As a test, just try to send a word or two. Click on the Contact PatrickPretty.com link near the top of the page.

If you’re able to submit through the Contact form, I can accept the comments you want to make on an individual story and report them in the appropriate thread.

If the Contact form doesn’t work for you, I’ll send an email to you and you can submit comments that way for reposting.

That’s perhaps two temporary ways to handle the posting problem.

My apologies for the trouble you’re experiencing with the Comments form. This has happened about five or six times over the years, and I’ve never been able to pinpoint the cause.

Patrick

M_Norway

@Patrick

I think I have found a solution to bypass the input problem:

1. Click in one of the inputboxes (Name, Email, Website)
2. TAB to move the control to the next box in the group (and Shift Tab if you want to move in the other direction).

Atleast the cursor shows up in the boxes with this method, and I’m able to write comments. This method can be used as a “workaround”.

So a description of the problem will be that SOME parts of this website won’t handle mouseclicks from SOME computers, but it will accept keyboard commands.

admin

Thanks for letting me know about this, M_Norway.

Patrick

admin

Jul 6, 2012

At 11:40 a.m. today, a would-be poster directed a comment at this thread complaining about “pukes like you” trying to take down an unspecified program.

The post clearly was designed to harass.

Patrick

Sue Ferdig

Aug 5, 2012

This man, Arthur Ferdig, clearly needs to be frequently checked on. His fraud was not for just 12 years, it has been since 1963. He has caused three deaths due to his ripoffs–all suicides. I married (then divorced) this brother in the ’70s. Also, someone needs to take a closer look at his (former) wife, Elaine. She has also benefitted from his unlawful endeavors, as have his three daughters and their husbands.

Arthur Allen Ferdig has been released!: Hi, you did a story on this guy in May.Is someone going to locate him to interview him and find out how he got away with it for 12 years.Thanks, JERRY Hendickson.I’m just a relative of Arthur’s.Arthur Allen Ferdig Register #73780-004 White Male 71 – He was released on 10/19/2011BULLETIN: Arthur Ferdig, Operator Of Collapsed Tradex Ponzi Scheme, Sentenced To Federal Prison For Tax Evasion; IRS Says Money Diverted To Offshore Accounts And Shell Companies
By PatrickPretty.com 8:30 pm May 5, 2011

Evelyne Germain

Aug 27, 2012

I enter zeekrewards through friend and I bought 5000.00 bits may 30 I try to cash some money It did not happen the same week the site was closed no one can access it please help me. I would like to know how I am going to get my money back address [deleted by admin].

Winnie Pijuan

Sep 1, 2012

Evelyn,

Didn’t your up line / friend.explained to you that you are purchasing bids and that it is
Not refundable?….you are supposed to sign a form that states” that you are not
Buying an investment, stocks or Bond nor an equity… You signed this form that you are aware of this before you can buy bids…. These bids are credited to you and will be
“retired” after 90 days, but you can share in the retail sales profit for 90 days based on the purchases of $5,000….

Winnie Pijuan

Sep 1, 2012

Evelyn,
Your share of the retail sales profits for 90 days from the date that you purchased the bids are the earnings that you can withdraw and the original $5000 will be “retired”, meaning it will be deducted from your total VIP point balance… If and when you cashed out your 90 days earnings and your 5000 VIP Points are retired, you have then a zero balance on your VIP points and Zeekrewards doesn’t owe you any money at all…

Then if you don’t want to have a zero balance, that’s when you re-purchased bids from part of your retail sales profit share… If you have any other questions, I would be more than glad to answer or explain to you…

K. Chang

Sep 1, 2012

Winnie is speaking as a Zeek. This is a plain-speak version:

Zeek was closed by the Feds as a huge scam. Your money is now in the hands of court-appointed receiver whose job is to return your money… AFTER he gets it back to wherever Zeek had scattered it to (at least 8 places have been publicly identified, more to come) and registered all of you, how much you lost, and all that. THEN he’ll be able to pay you back. This will take 2-3 years. Remember, there’s up to 2 MILLION of you affiliates.

Any one telling you “you’re not buying investment” is repeating the SAME line Zeek had once spread. As Zeek is determined to be fraud, and its owner plead no contest (i.e. “I’m not gonna fight”) figure who’s speaking the truth yourself.

Disgruntled

Sep 4, 2012

What are your thoughts on Receiver, Ken Bell cashing all the uncashed cashier’s checks that could have been rightfully returned to the owners instead of being cashed? Looks like it could have saved them a lot of work in figuring out where that money came from and to whom it belonged to. Seems criminal to me, but what do I know…I thought ZR was a legitimate company!

admin

Sep 4, 2012

Disgruntled: What are your thoughts on Receiver, Ken Bell cashing all the uncashed cashier’s checks that could have been rightfully returned to the owners instead of being cashed?

My thoughts are that Ponzi = Pain. There is just no escaping it. Under the principles of equity, the victims of Ponzi schemes share the pain equally and the money gets placed in a pool from which pro rata shares will be distributed to the victims one day.

Disgruntled: Seems criminal to me, but what do I know

The blame for this is the burden of the Ponzi schemer, not the receiver. Lots of folks will try to shift blame to the receiver and poison the well in other ways. There was no receiver in the AdSurfDaily case, but uncashed checks also were involved. ASD’s apologists immediately tried to shift blame away from Andy Bowdoin and to the U.S. Secret Service.

One of the emerging sidebars in the still-new Zeek story is that some of the celebrated Ponzi pimps on MoneyMakerGroup and TalkGold are trying to demonize the receiver and his purported “cronies.”

Zeek benefited from its Ponzi-board cheerleaders, including cheerleaders who turn a blind eye to fraud scheme after fraud scheme. Now, they want the world to believe that both the government and the receiver are evil.

Patrick

K. Chang

Sep 4, 2012

Disgruntled: What are your thoughts on Receiver, Ken Bell cashing all the uncashed cashier’s checks that could have been rightfully returned to the owners instead of being cashed?

Nope. Consider this. There are THREE groups of people:

G1) People who already sent money to Zeek
G2) People who sent money to Zeek, and funds are in transit
G3) People who had NOT sent money to Zeek.

G2 belongs with G1, not G3.

Furthermore, receiver’s job, returning all of Zeek’s money to all the victims, means exactly that: ALL of the victims. If he doesn’t cash all the checks in transit and add all of them to Zeek’s assets, then G1 is NOT treated the same as G2.

G2 wants to be classed separately even though they ALREADY SENT IN THEIR MONEY and thus belong to G1.

Finally, in the Madoff case, at least one group, who put money into Madoff’s scheme in the last 20 days, tried suing the trustee Irving Picard claiming they should get their millions back because it hadn’t been co-mingled with all the Madoff funds. That argument was rejected.

Blame Zeek for fraud. Anything else is bogus.

Disgruntled

It’s probably naive to think we would get all of our money back? If they do a clawback to cover the victims’ losses it seems there would be enough to get everyone’s money returned. I wonder how long it will actually take to sort through all of it? What is your opinion of the lawsuit against SEC that they wrongfully charged Zeek? Are they wasting our money we put in Zeek? Is that lawful to use the victims’ money to fight the lawsuit?

admin

https://patrickpretty.com/2010/06/13/apologists-interrupted-two-court-rulings-show-that-hyip-operators-players-setting-stage-for-painful-downfalls-foreclosures-woman-loses-home-while-new-mom-loses-everything/

Disgruntled: It’s probably naive to think we would get all of our money back?

It’s hard to say, Disgruntled. I’ve seen recoveries from pennies on the dollar to dimes on the dollar.

Disgruntled: If they do a clawback to cover the victims’ losses it seems there would be enough to get everyone’s money returned.

You should not make that assumption. Money almost always goes missing in Ponzi schemes — for instance, a winner might have bought a new house or new car with the fraudulent proceeds. Even if the receiver forces the sale of the house or car, the proceeds may not be enough to satisfy the obligation to the receiver estate.

Remember: Ponzi = Pain:

This story is an illustration of that:

Disgruntled: I wonder how long it will actually take to sort through all of it?

No easy answer to this. It could take years. On occasions, receivers will provide an interim distribution. It’s often just pennies on the dollar.

One of the most infamous recent Ponzi schemes is the 3 Hebrew Boys Case in South Carolina. The case devolved into a sovereign-citizens sideshow, but the receiver was able to recover about 46 cents on the dollar. That’s a high amount, as these things go:

https://patrickpretty.com/2012/05/16/bulletin-victims-of-3-hebrew-boys-forex-ponzi-swindle-that-devolved-into-sovereign-citizen-sideshow-will-get-back-46-cents-on-the-dollar/

Disgruntled: What is your opinion of the lawsuit against SEC that they wrongfully charged Zeek?

My opinion is that the “winners” may try to gum up the mix, something that happened in the ASD case. I’d further say there may be some overlap between ASD winners and Zeek winners and that there is panic within a certain Zeek sphere.

Disgruntled: Are they wasting our money we put in Zeek? Is that lawful to use the victims’ money to fight the lawsuit?

I’m not sure who you mean by “they.”

Patrick

Disgruntled

Thank you Patrick for your insight, hopefully they will do an interim distribution and it will be $.50 on a $1 at least, that will help a lot of people.

Disgruntled: Are they wasting our money we put in Zeek? Is that lawful
to use the victims’ money to fight the lawsuit?

Patrick: I’m not sure who you mean by “they.”

“They”=SEC using Zeek assets to fight the lawsuits against them (i.e. SNR Denton). The exZeek people are talking like that may be the only way we’ll ever see our money again because they fear the receiver will spend all Zeek’s assets on shuffling papers so to speak. I just don’t want the lawsuit to cause undo spending of Zeek’s assets so we get as much back as possible.

I’m still so confused on how this went as far as it did, we assumed since there were so many “good lawyers”, SEC (supposedly) approving this business; they had the compliance course we had to take, a lot of MLM watchdogs approved of it; even some judges and attorneys were involved in Zeek; I called the Attorney General’s office to check on the legitimacy of it and all they said is they can’t recommend or not recommend a company. I wish they’d given a warning, I wouldn’t have even thought about doing this! Who gets involved in a ponzi scheme?? Not me!! (At least I didn’t think something like this would ever happen to me! Craziness!)

I know there has GOT to be some legitimate MLMs out there. If I ask you about some of them, you’ll tell me if they are legitimate? If not, WHO does a person ask when the SOS, AG or anyone else doesn’t tell it to you straight?

Thanks for your help!

admin

Disgruntled: “They”=SEC using Zeek assets to fight the lawsuits against them (i.e. SNR Denton). The exZeek people are talking like that may be the only way we’ll ever see our money again because they fear the receiver will spend all Zeek’s assets on shuffling papers so to speak.

The receiver will be funded from Zeek assets. That way, the cost isn’t passed on to taxpayers. As I noted earlier, the demonization of the receiver already has begun on the Ponzi boards.

I am not privy to any SNR Denton plans. I noticed in one of the early fundraising calls from the Zeekers, the name of former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum was dropped. Some of the Zeekers appear to be trying to create the impression that Zeek couldn’t possibly be a Ponzi scheme if McCollum’s law firm was willing to take on the Zeekers as clients.

A similar thing happened in the ASD case when Akerman Senterfitt, a prominent firm, emerged as Andy Bowdoin’s lawyers. Name-dropping is a big part of Stepfordian MLM.

The ASDers initially positioned Akerman Senterfitt as the “Perry Mason” team, with the government positioned as led by “Gomer Pyle.” When things didn’t go ASD’s way, the ASDers quickly sought to slime Akerman Senterfitt. After that, the ASDers slimed Bowdoin’s first criminal attorney.

The Zeek receiver is a former federal prosecutor who also has worked on the defense side of the aisle. He is well-known at the Justice Department for his work on a terrorism case in North Carolina about 10 years ago. Of course, the Ponzi board enthusiasts already are trying to smear him.

I don’t know how the Zeekers plan to proceed and what SNR Denton plans to do for them. If it involves litigating against the receiver, it likely will cost the Zeek victims money.

The Zeekers had better be careful, IMHO. It’s not as though the SEC and Justice Department haven’t seen this type of thing before. It was present as a nearly constant sidebar during four years of the ASD case, and resulted in delay after delay in victims receiving justice.

Patrick

Disgruntled

Thank you. Well, I have to make some money to make up for what I have lost. What is your opinion of these businesses?

Vitel
Cash Texts
Lyoness
Wealth4all
Ultimate Power Profits

Thanks in advance if you can warn me of anything that could be potentially dangerous.

K. Chang

Disgruntled: Thank you Patrick for your insight, hopefully they will do an interim distribution and it will be $.50 on a $1 at least, that will help a lot of people.

Doubt the interim distribution is going to be anywhere close to that. You’re looking at maybe 5%. Irving Picard, Madoff’s trustee (almost same as receiver) initial distribution was only 4% because the rest was tied up in court battles.

“They”=SEC using Zeek assets to fight the lawsuits against them (i.e. SNR Denton).

SNR Denton haven’t sued anybody yet. In fact, the only one saying so is Craddock and Kettner. There has been NO confirmation from Denton. In fact, Craddock and Denton even put up notice that tells everybody stop asking Denton to confirm this. Smelly anything fishy yet?

The exZeek people are talking like that may be the only way we’ll ever see our money again because they fear the receiver will spend all Zeek’s assets on shuffling papers so to speak.

The only thing lawsuit will do is DELAY the distribution… if they ever get into court. Irving Picard, the Madoff trustee, just got permission to disburse another 40+ percent of losses, making his total to close to 50% distribution, amazing performance considering that Madoff spent the his 100+ billion Ponzi down to a mere 200 million… and confessed back in 2008.

I’m still so confused on how this went as far as it did, we assumed sincethere were so many “good lawyers”, SEC (supposedly) approving this business; they had the compliance course we had to take, a lot of MLM watchdogs approved of it; even some judges and attorneys were involved in Zeek;

None of which proves compliance with the law. All that “compliance courses” is aimed at affiliates, NOT at the company itself. Only ONE MLM advocate was a total fan of it. Another did an interview and called it a ‘review’. Others either had no opinion, or considered it be shaky and flaky. SEC never vetted the company. Supposedly Zeek hired a lawfirm that had an ex SEC guy, but this was never confirmed either.

In other words, none of that can be believed. With apologies to Ronald Reagon, “you trusted, but you did not verify.”

AG’s office cannot vet companies. Also, by the time you call them, they are probably sworn to secrecy due to SEC investigation already. It was clear SEC had its eyes on Zeek for MONTHS before August 17th.

If I ask you about some of them, you’ll tell me if they are legitimate?If not, WHO does a person ask when the SOS, AG or anyone else doesn’t tell it to you straight?Thanks for your help!

BehindMLM may be a good place to start. Oz is not afraid to offend a few bosses of schemes (and the scheme defenders).

My own blog, amlmskeptic.blogspot.com, has a lot of short articles on how schemers trick people, what sort of excuses they use, and some analysis of the genre of MLM (but not specific companies).

Cathy Lerman

Oct 9, 2012

Patrick,I have been remiss in not emailing you earlier once I came across your awesome website and blog. Thank you for educating potential victims about frauds and Ponzi schemes. I am sure that the work you do has kept thousands of people from making the same mistake others have made and regretted. Your information on investment frauds, affinity frauds, Ponzi schemes etc. is invaluable to alert people (potential targets and victims) so they recognize a potential fraud and avoid it. Just wanted to say thank you and recognize you for your great work. Keep it up! Regards, Cathy Lerman

Bill Phillips

Nov 14, 2012

Where are the names of these people who hustled so many of us out of our money? I live in North Carolina and along with my 82 year old mother and many of my family and friends we got ripped off. Why don’t you go after this arrogant clown Coach Van who claimed he had 400,000 people in Zeek. What about another hustler who scammed hundreds of people out of $10,000 each and was bragging about all his money, Marty Muns. They guys were the BIG TIME promoters here in North Carolina and no one even mentions their names. PLEASE step up Patrick and expose these scam artists. They have not stopped. They are just doing more scam and defrauding more people out of their money. They need to pay back the money the stole and the AG here in NC needs to put them in jail or the they need a long vacation at Club Fed. I am angry as HELL and I am not going to take this anymore.

Kim Rapp

Dec 27, 2012

Actually all ponzi schemes should be legal if the U.S. Government can operate the largest ponzi known to history – Social Security. The definition of ‘ponzi’ certainly fits. Early contributors reaping the benefits of those who put in later and will never see their money. ‘Stimulus Package ?’ Taking money from those who earned it and throwing it at companies who mismanage funds with no consequence? And the Federal Bank. Worst scam of all. The Federal Bank is owned by PRIVATE BANKERS, has NO connection to government, has no congressional oversight, is regulated by NO AGENCY, and answers to NO ONE! Just prints money as a ‘loan’ to the US Government increasing the debt interest that can never be repaid. See the ‘Debt Clock’ spinning away? That is the monstous runaway interest piling up for the printing of that money that is backed by nothing.

Whip

Dec 28, 2012

You are waaaaaay late to the party. Not the governments fault you lost money in a scam.

scratchycat

Dec 28, 2012

Bill Phillips:
Where are the names of these people who hustled so many of us out of our money? I live in North Carolina and along with my 82 year old mother and many of my family and friends we got ripped off.Why don’t you go after this arrogant clown Coach Van who claimed he had 400,000 people in Zeek.What about another hustler who scammed hundreds of people out of $10,000 each and was bragging about all his money, Marty Muns.They guys were the BIG TIME promoters here in North Carolina and no one even mentions their names. PLEASE step up Patrick and expose these scam artists.They have not stopped.They are just doing more scam and defrauding more people out of their money.They need to pay back the money the stole and the AG here in NC needs to put them in jail or the they need a long vacation at Club Fed.I am angry as HELL and I am not going to take this anymore.

Have the victims reported these people through the FBI?

charles

https://wyobiz.wy.gov/Business/FilingDetails.aspx?eFNum=124140054248244202106130196003083025054100091089

Dear Patrik,
You shared last year some information on Text Cash Network.
The wyoming secretary of State website gives today the information that Text Cash Network inc is administratively dissolved for tax purposes .What does this mean exactly?

Many thanks
Regards

admin

charles: You shared last year some information on Text Cash Network.
The wyoming secretary of State website gives today the information that Text Cash Network inc is administratively dissolved for tax purposes .What does this mean exactly?

https://wyobiz.wy.gov/Business/FilingDetails.aspx?eFNum=124140054248244202106130196003083025054100091089

Many thanks
Regards

Hello Charles,

It perhaps means that yet another scam linked to Phil Piccolo soon will have to find yet another corporate shell to dupe the public.

Patrick

Nell Thrower

If the SEC started it’s investigation in April, WHY were affiliates not notified in someway. Had I known, I would have NEVER presented what, I thought, was a great opportunity to my friends and family. I feel that the State has some responsibility in this. At the very least, their $4 million fee should be added back to the “pot” to repay victims. I just hope the receiver realizes that everyone loses something, and does not use up valued assets on pursuing folks with (say) $100 or less invested. It would cost more to just reimburse them a nickel than it would to just take them out of the equation. Percentage is certainly NOT fair: I know that there are a high number of folks who puchased just $10 in bids – so 50% of their loss is $5, 50% of a $10,000 investor is $5,000. Where is the fairness in that? I just hope Bell has the brass to tell some folks to just suck it up and be real. Also, I do hope the folks who were big earners do have to return some of their earnings. I am fairly confident that a number of top earners, who also were “friends” with office folks, KNEW that something was up because I know of at least 2 who “suddenly” started taking 100% of earnings even though they were advising others not to. This did not pass the smell test!! It DID sound like a good thing, and the actual “penny auction concept” sounded so real. We were all lied to.

littleroundman

Nell Thrower: If the SEC started it’s investigation in April, WHY were affiliates not notified in someway.

With the greatest respect, Nell, but, how on earth do you propose the SEC could accomplish such a thing without tipping off the criminals behind Zeek ???

All it would take is one affiliate to slip up, the information would be all over the ‘net in seconds and the criminals would be laying on a beach in some country with no extradition treaty in hours.

Please direct your anger at the people who really are responsible for your losses and not those who are doing their darndest to stop it happening again and ensuring victims get at least something back.

Rest assured, the victims were the very least of Burks and Cos’ consideration.

admin