Financial Credit Merchant Services - Fraud

WARNING about the following company:

Financial Credit Merchant Services
FC Merchant Services
FCMS

On 05/7/04;
I was told by Joseph Sorge of FCMS (financial credit merchant services)
that if I send $2500 to them ; they would set me up with credit card
processing. He stated he would send the contract after monies were
received. After the monies were sent by my banks WIRE department, I
sent FCMS confirmation of the wire by EMAIL.

FCMS then sent me the contract with rates almost TWICE as much as previously
quoted (4 hours later, on the same day)

When i requested a refund due to the inflated rates (fraud) on the contract, they refused.
I was out $2500.00

I never received the cc processing service for this money. They kept this money.
The reason I sent the $2500 so quickly was because I was told on the phone by FCMS
" send $2500 and we will LOWER the fees , but you have to send it today and you will be setup in two days "

The agent who referred me (as of the date of this posting) still has not received the $500 promised.

Please remember, (as of the date of this posting) NO SERVICE has been provided for this money.
Email and Phone calls to the members of this LLC have gone unanswered.

Here are the members of this company:

Name: STEVE GRAHAM
Name: LUKE NGO
Name: LEROY J COSTINE

(*** PERSONAL INFORMATION EDITED ***)

If you have victimized by this company or know someone who has been, here are 3 very
useful links:

https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01

http://www.ifccfbi.gov/cf1.asp

http://www.attorneygeneral.state.az....tions_eng.html

Ah.

Hit me up.

I have this really cool bridge for sale.

And my friend in Nigeria has access to $37 million and if you send me your banking details I can guarantee you $5 million.

First Russian Brides and now this.. both first posters.

Is it a full moon of what?

:biker:

Quote:

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Originally posted by CuriousToyBoy
Ah.

Hit me up.

I have this really cool bridge for sale.

And my friend in Nigeria has access to $37 million and if you send me your banking details I can guarantee you $5 million.

First Russian Brides and now this.. both first posters.

Is it a full moon of what?

:biker:

---

the fact that it is a FIRST post here
and is mentioning a company and it's officers and
stating fraud - speaks LOUDLY of someone possibly
wanting to risk this board's legal liability
in a defamation suit...

touchy situation....

if the info is true - one would want to know...
but... at what risk do we expose ourselves
(as a board) to have that blatant sort of
negative post - exposed with no rebutal
from the accused...

touchy situation...

might be some typos in this post...
but...
my head hurts today - and I don't care...

:)

~Bell

I must agree with the need for caution on premitting such posts, whether a member's first or 100,000,000.

The thing that really gets me is that the posting individual clearly states the comeon and method of this alledged fraud. The key words are "must send it today." What is important about "today" -- why not tomorrow. What the poster failed to mention is how he came upon this company. Did he get an unsolicated phone call, unsolicated email or did he research, find the company, and initiated the transaction himself? Certainly any smart business owner would have at least made a few calls concerning this company -- the Better Business Bureau. Also would have asked for references. Clearly we don't know from the post if the poster's business was internet related or one that had a credit card processor unit. I am worked and own several resturants and use such services. You know I've heard a lot of comeons and need for urgency. My reply is simple. Set up an appointment - bring the equipment and contact. By the time to arrive for the meeting, I will have researched your company, checked with my bank as to any information they have concerning your company, etc... It doesn't take $2,500 to set up cc processing -- the processing telenet unit does not even cost that much.

Well maybe he got hookers, drinks, and dinner before he was fuck'd for $2500.00 for to set up cc processing? :wacko:

It's funny how people don't research things before the just sign up for the first person that comes along.

Quote:

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Originally posted by andymike
It's funny how people don't research things before the just sign up for the first person that comes along.

---

It's funny that you mention that... because a small amount of research on my part to validate this information or dispute it gave me enough information to decide to leave the post (without personal information). And I found that much of the information about the problems others have had was avialable prior to 5/7 as stated by the poster.

Buyer beware. A lot of red flags were flying in this pitch to warn me off. Some simple research in cc processing and merchant accounts would have made it abundantly clear that $2500 was usurious, no matter how fast an account could be set up (eventhough standard practice requires an application and review process with the better companies).

Gary-Alan

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Gary-Alan
It's funny that you mention that... because a small amount of research on my part to validate this information or dispute it gave me enough information to decide to leave the post (without personal information). And I found that much of the information about the problems others have had was avialable prior to 5/7 as stated by the poster.

Buyer beware. A lot of red flags were flying in this pitch to warn me off. Some simple research in cc processing and merchant accounts would have made it abundantly clear that $2500 was usurious, no matter how fast an account could be set up (eventhough standard practice requires an application and review process with the better companies).

Gary-Alan

---

:)
SE's are our friend...

and smart business minds such as your's KNOWS that...

(I'm glad you saw this post... I was about to PM you or Lee -
but then thought - I'd wait a tad - I know you two always
see everything... but I wouldn't have assumed that you were
home and saw it - if it had been here for more than 12 hours
I'd have reached you privately with a "heads-up" )

:)

~Bell

Well I have seen this post ad nausem elsewhere too. While it is sad someone got taken, this appears, in my opinion, not to be a warning but a personal vendetta by this guy towards this company, whether justified or not, and hopefully it won't turn into the spam attack it did on the other board.

just my pennies worth
Ian

Quote:

---

Originally posted by gaystoryman
Well I have seen this post ad nausem elsewhere too. While it is sad someone got taken, this appears, in my opinion, not to be a warning but a personal vendetta by this guy towards this company, whether justified or not, and hopefully it won't turn into the spam attack it did on the other board.

just my pennies worth
Ian

---

I don't think it will turn here, honestly. Lee and I watch the board as much as we can and have Mods who can take care of things if we weren't avaialble.

I agree that this seems more of a personal vendetta than a warning.

At the same time, since I did check the info out, the reason I decided to leave it (without home addresses, of course) is to turn it into a warning for our members, at the least. There has been enough info made available online to warrant a heads up.

If those were business addresses I would have actually left them, but at least two were home addresses. So I decided to side with caution. That, to me, is just bad form (vendetta or warning aside)

Bell thanks for the look-out!!!! ;)

My best,
Gary-Alan

:yeah: :yeah:

What he said ;)

Regards,

Lee

No fraud has taken place. I have offered many times to have Mr. Mikhals processing. He was sent out a contract with a $2,500.00 application fee posted on it prior to May 16, 2004. He sent in the $2,500.00 fee on 5/14/2004. He then proceeded to say he had been lied to about the amount of the fees. I agreed to change the fees to the requested amounts and sent out a new contract with the application fee zeroed out since he had already paid it. I am prepared to live up to the contract he signed. We are in the process of litigation and I hope when the Judge dismisses this case he is just as diligent posting the results of the case as he has been in slandering our good name on countless bulletin boards.

Thank you to Gary-Alan for removing the personal information. We appreciate it.


Steve Graham