Help Expose propertyrecordlookup.com - Scammed Me

I got scammed on the internet for the first time and just found your site.

I am a smart person and have been to avoid such issues. I am reporting propertyrecordlookup.com to law enforcement. I have created a blog and posted around the internet getting help from people to get more details to provide to law enforcement.

I found the site in google, nothing seemed out of place at the time and I gave them my credit card number. The site didn't have results for my property and instead of being charged $1 like they advertise on their site, I was charged $14.95, they told me I signed up to a membership for 1 year and was going to be billed $180!

Since my purchase I have found out that this site will produce positive address matches for fake addresses and will tell you they found your information and request that you pay.

Summary of the Scam: You put in a address (real or fake) they tell you they have the information you are looking for. They tell you to pay $1, instead of charging you $1 they charge you $14.95 for a year.

I have contacted my bank and they recommend for me to cancel my credit card. This will prevent other random charges from showing up on my card. The bank told me that sites like this will sell credit cards to others to be charged.

Myself and others are gathering information to provide law enforcement. I will copy the information I have collected. Please help me gather more information on this site.

Website Credibility Checklist: these are the signs that this site is fraud! (Thanks Peep Laja for this information)

1. Their address and phone number is not visable on the site = Sketchy, real businesses allow you to contact them.
2. It is easy to contact them via a contact us link? = NOPE, real businesses want you to contact them.
3. No about us page with staff bios and pictures = Warning sign
4. Site was registered September 6, 2013 = They have been in business about 1 MONTH
5. Site domain is registered for only 1 year = Real sites register domains for longer than 1 year, scam sites tend to register domains for the shortest time.
6. Domain is privacy protected = reputable sites don’t hide their identity from their customers.
7. Obivious lies can be found on the site. (Nobody else knows how many bathrooms?!)
8. They have numerous complaints online.
9. They have over 2,000 google plus followers. Can a business that is 45 days old get over 2,000 followers?
10. The google follower is even more suspicious when compared to Propertyrecordlookup.com facebook page, which has 2 likes. Facebook is more popular than google plus, why such a big difference?
11. Facebook page doesn’t allow customers to post customer experience = good businesses accept good and bad feedback
12. Linkedin must also be cursed because it too could only get 1 follower.

I have created a website <removed link Mike W> documenting everything. Please help me gather more information.

Who are they? Where are they? I can't find out.

Maybe some joker trying to sell info he gets from his mother's MLS subscription?

( I use http://www.zillow.com/ )

Domain Name: PROPERTYRECORDLOOKUP.COM

Registrar URL: http://www.godaddy.com

Updated Date: 2013-09-06 11:56:53

Creation Date: 2013-09-06 11:56:53

Registrar Expiration Date: 2014-09-06 11:56:53

Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLC

Registrant Name: Registration Private

Registrant Organization: Domains By Proxy, LLC

You may be surprised to learn that some major corporations operate in a manner not too dissimilar to this, but they make some effort to comply with the law, even if their methods can only be described as 'sharp practice'.

It would be interesting know whether or not your bank has reversed any of those charges and under what name they appear on your bill. A company can only process credit charges with a merchant trader facility and if they face a large number of chargebacks, they'll have it taken off them, or conditions and charges imposed that hurt them badly. By making a chargeback you can try to expose who it is behind this, as I've known the identity be hidden behind meaningless initials, and there's a possibility that your card was processed by someone completely different. A merchant trader facility can become a money making machine if it is being used by disreputable persons.

The credit card is looking into the charges but they recommended canceling the credit card to prevent further fraud charges.

I don't know if the bank can reverse the charges but they said it can be desputed. It is a nitemare and being without my card makes me so mad.

Is there a way to make a formal complaint to Google?
Can my bank find out who charged my card?

The credit card is looking into the charges but they recommended canceling the credit card to prevent further fraud charges.

I don't know if the bank can reverse the charges but they said it can be desputed. It is a nitemare and being without my card makes me so mad.

Is there a way to make a formal complaint to Google?
Can my bank find out who charged my card?

Can the Godaddy.com tell me the owner of the site?

I'm not a legal expert and, though UK and US law are very similar, consumer law in this area does differ. Under UK law it wouldn't be possible to use a website in that form to collect money because it doesn't identify who you are dealing with (among other things). A website isn't a legal entity in any jurisdiction of which I'm aware and I don't know how you can form a binding legal obligation/agreement with an anonymous entity. It seems unlikely that your card has been charged by the website, though the charge on your account may bear that name and whoever provides the facility has an agreement with the entity behind the website and knows their identity.

The fact that you electronically 'signed' the charge with an unidentified and anonymous party that isn't a legal entity seems to me to represent good grounds on which to dispute the charge. Equally powerful is the apparent failure to notify you of the amount you were going to be charged. Indeed the amount you were notified you were going to be charged is clearly stated on the website. For this reason I would take screen prints of the website as it stands now.

The rule is not to enter your card details on any website unless you know with whom you're dealing, and are confident of their reputation.

In simple terms a card provider cannot charge an amount to your account just because a third party states you have authorised them to charge you. If they do not hold such authority then your card provider has to reimburse you. You have to bear in mind that card provider's are often reluctant to do this, so you may have to be firm and persistent, and consider how this could affect your relationship with them.

Oh dear - I've turned up a whole slew of similar websites that I presume operate in a similar manner, but based on different topics such as DMV records.

I tried live chat, no luck.

Please wait for a site operator to respond.
You are now chatting with 'Alice'
Alice: Welcome to Customer Service Livechat. In order to pull up your account, could you please provide me the email address, full name and zip code you used to order our services?
you: No. I am trying to find out your zip code.
Alice: Could you please tell me the details of the situation you are experiencing? Then I will be able to better assist you.
you: A person has made a public report about this site. I am a consumer advocate. I can't determine the location of the company that owns this site.
Alice: For office location questions please contact customer support at 1-877-888-0889. We are available 24 x 7.

Did find a name:

Cody Oliver
Customer Service Agent at VehicleHistoryRecord.com
Wilmington, Delaware (Greater Philadelphia Area) Automotive

Customer Service Agent
VehicleHistoryRecord.com
Public Company; 51-200 employees; Automotive industry
January 2013 – Present (10 months)

I am currently a Customer Service Agent for both VehicleHistoryRecord.com and PropertyValueLookup.com. My daily tasks include managing a team of Live Chat Representatives, receiving and distributing customer concerns, personally addressing any questions and comments, as well as ensuring customer satisfaction always comes first.
Customer Service Agent
PropertyValueLookup.com
January 2013 – Present (10 months)

http://www.linkedin.com/in/codyoliveragent



Now, perhaps Cody will stop by and tell us where this company is and how to get that subscription canceled?

Hey, Cody?

"Peace of mind comes at a price - a low price. The search is only $1.00 for each VIN"

Domain Name: VEHICLEHISTORYRECORD.COM

Registrar URL: http://www.godaddy.com

Updated Date: 2013-08-14 10:46:25

Creation Date: 2013-08-14 10:46:25

Registrar Expiration Date: 2014-08-14 10:46:25

Registrar: GoDaddy.com, LLC

Registrant Name: Puneet Khanna

Registrant Organization:

Registrant Street: B-7/67-68, Sector-3

Registrant Street: Rohini

Registrant City: New Delhi

Registrant State/Province: Delhi

Registrant Postal Code: 110085

Registrant Country: India

Terrance mentioned some associated sites. I think it is these?

http://www.crunchbase.com/user/lookuprecords

Recent edits by Cody Oliver
Date Entity Status
9/30/13 at 3:18pm DrivingHistory.com Live [new]
9/25/13 at 10:20am PropertyRecordLoo... Live [new]
9/25/13 at 9:57am DeathCertificateL... Live
9/24/13 at 11:12am DeathCertificateL... Live [new]
9/16/13 at 12:56pm PropertyValueLook... Live [new]
9/12/13 at 10:40am DrivingRecordsLoo... Live [new]


Read more: http://www.crunchbase.com/user/lookupre ... z2i8uNxt72
Follow us: @crunchbase on Twitter | crunchbase on Facebook


Cody Oliver is Following: (3)

DrivingRecordsLookup.com
PropertyValueLookup.com
DeathCertificateLookup.com


Read more: http://www.crunchbase.com/user/lookupre ... z2i8uhBMeJ
Follow us: @crunchbase on Twitter | crunchbase on Facebook

I did turn up other connections, associations and even names but I don't want to muddy the water and go off on wild goose chase when the OP's focus should be on getting his money back. I've come across situations like this before, though none where the charging party is unknown, and the only possible way to get your money back is through your card provider. As mentioned, if you have a delicate relationship with them and don't want to upset them, this could be tricky. In the UK we have an independent government body (the Financial Ombudsman Service) who can be used as a lever to make a card provider take action, because it's pretty standard that they will be reluctant, but firm persistence without being confrontational is the best tactic.

If you are successful then it will benefit any other future victims of this or associated attempts to charge people's cards improperly, as any significant level of chargeback's will see the merchant trader facility get pulled and without that the set up collapses.

We don't usually cover sites like this, because they typically fall in the grey zone, basically offering to sell people information they can get for free with just a couple of searches.

However, this one crosses the line. As the OP has indicated, you can put in a completely fictional address (I used a street name that doesn't exist in the town I entered) and the site will claim that they have property information and try to get you to pay for a report.

Clearly, that alone is enough to scream "don't touch!"

Any good ideas on how to get the word out that this site is a scam and should be avoided?

This scam has been discussed> on the Rip-Off reports. A victim disputed the charges and was able to get his credit card company to do a three way call with "customer service". It turns out that the service and several others are owned by HomeValue.US.Org. The charges were reversed. However several other reps, including "David Wilson" and "Karmen Jones" have been answering consumer complaints on line.

The WhoIs reported that the domain was owned by Shwetha Bagla of Orange Cube. There is at least three sites operating in the same fashion.However, a WhoIs on the parent shows it was edited 9/2013, but has Privacy Protection. That in itself is suspicious-why hide the domain info?

My own experience and advice is that you should never agree to one of these 'three way calls'. In my opinion such an arrangement is highly improper and, if your grounds for disputing the charge are those described by the OP, such a call won't remedy the situation. In the situation and circumstances described, in my opinion, the charging party simply doesn't have authority to make the charge they have made and it is the charging company's responsibility to justify their charge, which they cannot do. If that is so, your card company must make the refund to you. Effectively the charging party or their facility provider must evidence to your card company that they hold your authority, but with screen prints of their website they obviously do not hold such authority for the reasons I mention.

Getting you to speak to the charging party merely muddies the water and does not reflect the responsibilities of the parties involved.

From the information you have given tinker the organisation behind this is easily traced and appears to be based in India.