zentaxchicago.com

I happened to visit the whois of this domain (zentaxchicago.com) and was surprised to find that it's registered to an offshore address. I decided to google the address and was stunned to see that this name/address is associated with a long list of fraudulent websites, many of which involve finance in one form or another.

Here is the whois info (does this look familiar to anyone?):

Registrant:
Domain Discreet
ATTN: zentaxchicago.com
Rua Dr. Brito Camara, n 20, 1
Funchal, Madeira 9000-039
PT
Phone: 1-902-7495331
Email: [email protected]
Registrar Name....: Register.com
Registrar Whois...: whois.register.com
Registrar Homepage: www.register.com

Domain Name: zentaxchicago.com
Created on..............: 2009-08-12
Expires on..............: 2012-08-12

Fortunately, I've not given this company any personal information. Is there some way to determine whether this site and related tax preparation services are also involved in fraud? If so, what needs to be done to shut them down?

I also checked the whois on eddiepatel.com, the supposed proprietor and it is registered to the same name/address. That site's index page says it's under construction...

It all seems very strange to me - any ideas?

The address you see in the WHOIS is not the address of the company. I'll try to explain: when signing up for a domain you can choose to keep your details open to everyone and visible for whoever does a WHOIS on that domain, or you can choose to keep it private (mostly for an additional fee). In that case we see the address and details of the company that keeps the real registrant data hidden. All clients that chose to keep their details hidden will have those identical registrant details in the WHOIS.

So the only link between zentaxchicago.com and those other fraudulent websites is that they used the same company -- definately no evidence that they are fraudulent as well. One might conclude from this that they must have something to hide, if they want to pay extra to keep their details hidden. It is true that some scammers will use this tactic, but there are many legitimate sites that use such services as well.

That's the theory. If I look at the actual content and organisation of this company, the first results from searches were http://www.ripoffreport.com/accounting/ ... -bbd50.htm and http://www.scaminformer.com/scam-report ... 44150.html (same article). It seems that it's a dirty business, indeed. I can't give a conclusive reply as I'm not familiar with the exact US laws and this isn't really within the scope of this forum - we handle Advance Fee Fraud - so I will repeat the advice given on those other sites: it's best to stay far away.

Hes been sought after by the City of Chicago and the Attorney General, and imposed fines by both, and declared operating illegitimately.

I don't think that the people on this forum will be able to do much against him, I suggest that all complaints should be directed at the Attorney General.

I hope this helps

Michael, thanks for your reply (and sorry I forgot to include the whois initially - I edited the post and added it).

I do understand that it's a private registration ("Domains Discreet" or "Names Discreet"). But although private, it' not a US registrar - it's on the island of Madiera, wherever that is (off he coast of Africa?)... and this registrar's name is associated with unending fraudulent sites and schemes.

I did initially encounter the post you mention on ripoffreport. That's what got me searching further. If you search on the registrar name alone (without the domain): Rua Dr. Brito Camara, n 20, 1
Funchal, Madeira 9000-039 PT, all kinds of crazy stuff comes up - including many accusations of fraud across a number of industries. This page is especially interesting. http://creatinganimage.com/phpauction/About%20Domains%20Discreet.htm

Also there are a few irregularities, as to the services offered on the site. They ask that anyone interested in services fill out a tax organizer which of course includes all kinds of personal financial data.., and also to sign an engagement letter that doesn't specify the exact services (there are blank lines for that). The tax organizer is also out of date (not for the current tax year). Also the addresses and locations listed are not what one would expect... (a rentable meeting room, as opposed to an actual office?).

So it sounds like, unless someone has been victimized and files a complaint, there is nothing that can be done?

No problem. I deal with fake sites day in day out, a whois search more or less doesn't affect me

Technically, the registrar is register.com (which is based in the US) and domain discreet is only the related company providing the privacy service. Sorry for being pedantic, my OCD must be playing up again

I know DD is connected to many fraudulent sites. But this doesn't mean we can automatically assume that DD itself is fraudulent. Compare it to Western Union: Everywhere on the internet you'll find scam reports when you search for Western Union. They offer a legitimate service, which happens to be very useful for criminals and therefore very popular with them. But that still doesn't mean Western Union itself is fraudulent. It's a legitimate company, which is being (ab)used by criminals.

So it sounds like, unless someone has been victimized and files a complaint, there is nothing that can be done?

I am afraid that's the harsh reality. Unless a crime has been committed, the police can't (or won't) do anything. I agree that this tax organiser looks very shady and I wouldn't touch it with a 20 ft. pole.