Is this for real?

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Posted By: Richard

Just browsing the bay and found this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=31718&item=5188140144&rd=1

with a link to this website:

http://www.top-sports-cards.com/web/baseball.html

Is this for real?

Cardshop in Rome?

Anyone ever heard of them?

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

No. This is the same guy(s) who stole most of the images off of my website and a few other dealers' sites well over a year ago. He went by the name of Toni last time around. Still using Yahoo to host his site.

I was looking at his site earlier today and was amazed he was still in doing this.

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Posted By: Ray

website from Rome, eBay address is Natick, MA.

sound like that guy Toni?

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Posted By: vetekbob

I saw that seller site last night and I was wondering the same thing when I read their TOS as the TOS isnt very favorable at all to the buyer of prewar cards that I could see. Unless I am completely deft and wasnt using the site calculator wrongly, the price conversion on the pre war cards seems off to me but maybe someone will gladly tell me I am a moron lol ( couldnt resist )
The other thing that bothers me in looking at one of their auctions and checking the feedback, it seems they have changed sellerID at some point in time and if they had such great feedback why would you register a new ID? Maybe its all on the up and up and I am just not reading things right but either way I dont think I will be buying 206, goudeys, or any other vintage from Italy lol
Robert

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Posted By: vetekbob

ahhh so there is a rat next to the cheese then lol thanks for the heads up gents

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Posted By: steve k

Looks like Toniscards moved from London to Paris now to Rome. A "world class traveler" that Tony is, and a world class scammer and thief.

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Posted By: Josh K.

To erase any doubt, this e98 cobb is listed on ebay right now by one of our board members:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=57993&item=5186813299&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW>

This card is in the "dealers" inventory (same card, only slabbed by GAI):



Different slabs, but if you compare the "old put" stamp on the back of the two scans and the lower left corner on the front, its clearly the same card.

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Posted By: vetekbob

Its sadly amazing the trouble he is going thru on the website. I sure hope no one gets suckered into that

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Posted By: Richard

I am not a web page guru, so I don't know how much time it would take to put together a website like that. But from the ignorant eye, it looks like a LOT of work. This guy must have a lot of time on his hands. I guess he only has to score one big sale from someone who doesn't know and he can cash in? Doesn't seem worth it to risk the authorities chasing him down.

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Posted By: Josh K.

Its too bad - some of his prices on the e98's were pretty reasonable.

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Posted By: vetekbob

Maybe if those sellers whom he stole card scans of can somehow alert the proper authorities as to his current ongoings on ebay as well as his site and maybe the black helicopters will buzz over head.

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Posted By: robert a

It kinda sucks to see my d304 wagner on that guys website.
Wish there was something someone could do, but there will always be losers like this guy out there.

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Posted By: vetekbob

Is it practical to watermark card scans when selling them online so that it makes it that much harder for someone to remove it and try and pass it off as their own? I have used watermarks before and if you try to remove such from the scan it really messes the scan up.
Robert

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Posted By: Josh K.

Just out of curiousity, how do you put a watermark on a scan?

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Posted By: Josh K.

The card that started this thread has also now been removed by ebay.

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Posted By: vetekbob

Josh, if you want to see what I am referring to, look me up on ebay and click on my ME page and you will see a watermark on two scans that I have up on there of something I purchased off ebay. You can use Paintshop Pro as well as several other graphic programs and I am sure others can give tips and such as well. Only takes a few minutes to create one. If you have a website where you list your cards or what have you I would do such just to help cut down on such things as this. Granted, it someone wants to rip off a scan bad enough they can do it if they are willing to go through a lot of trouble and time and putting a waternark on the scan helps to deter such activity.
Robert

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Posted By: davidcycleback

They have a fine looking establishment, complete with automatic doors. I think I bought my groceries there Monday.

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Posted By: Scott Elkins

I believe Greg had it re-slabbed by SGC, as it was in the GAI holder for a while. It was in the SGC holder (and still is) when I acquired it from Greg. Only one known so far, so I don't know where his is (besides the website and his imagination), but mine is in my safe.

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Posted By: steve k

"Toni" for sure has never had any baseball card business in London, Paris or Rome. He has most probably never even touched a baseball card. No doubt he does his dirtywork from some country in the former Soviet Union whereby white collar crime is basically "tolerated" when paying off the local legislators and judges. You may think you are sending money to Rome or Massachusetts, and initially maybe you are, but through various money changing agents that money in a brief period of time will windup in Tonis bank account in that former Soviet Union country. Your chances of getting your money back are zero. Without a doubt, "Toni" or whatever the present name is, consists of a group of very clever arch-criminals.

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Posted By: Josh K.

Thanks Robert.

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Posted By: Scott M

Leon,

Correct me if I'm wrong but it looks like this person decided to help themselves to your All Star Base-Ball Chance as well...

Edited to fix link...

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Posted By: warshawlaw

credit ebay (?) for acting fast (???)

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Posted By: leon

the da** bast****.....yes, that would be my Chance that I paid 2 arms and 1 leg for....maybe I can get royalties or something?

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Posted By: Robert

He almost got me about a year ago when i started collecting again after a 20 year layoff. I have to admit that he put together a hell of a scam. I put together an initial trail order which he claims to of shipped and has this delivery company that is legit give you a tracking number that you can verify on line. While the package is on the way you are suppose to wire him the money, my deal was to send $4700 to London and I was to unsure so I sent $47. I delayed him to see if the package would come and he sweated me. I then did a google on him and that is how I found this board. I emailed him of my new knowledge about him and he just went away wtih a smile looking for the next victim. I think he lives somewhere in the midwest. He improved his site but still has that same errors on purpose to make people think he is from Europe. Last site had pictures of some guuy claiming to be Toni, and last time his prices where way to cheap that was what made me suspicious, I see now that he has raised his prices.

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Posted By: Scott Forrest

he would be in jail by now. The U.S. has strict laws concerning internet fraud, spamming, etc., but most of the fraud is based somewhere where we can't do anything about it. Eventually the U.S. will have to threaten the other countries (less aid, etc.) in order to get them to crack down on fraud originating in their countries. It's a global economy, but not global rules.

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Posted By: Anonymous

I remember that mother ^$&&*$@#. Toni is not only a scam artist.... he is a hacker too. Two years ago, he hacked into someone's ebay and email account and offered me a good deal on some t206. He told me he could sell it offline. I Western Union him $500 and he disappeared. I am sure he is doing pretty good and now setting up his own "online store" now.

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Posted By: Mark

I guess you know you've made it when your cards show up in Toni's inventory. I hope to have cards worthy of Toni's image theft someday.

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Posted By: Scott Forrest

This guy always asks that you send via Western Union once you see the package is 'moving'. Did he actually ship anything (empty box perhaps)?

BTW - today his name is Martin Gore.

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Posted By: David Yoken

Hey everyone,

I just pulled this information about the owner of the domain name top-sports-cards.com:

Here you go, you can even call him; here's him name and phone number, that a**hole.

Domain Name.......... top-sports-cards.com
Creation Date........ 2005-03-28
Registration Date.... 2005-03-28
Expiry Date.......... 2008-03-28
Organisation Name.... Francis Gross
Organisation Address. 1225 Simms Heights Road
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. Kingston Springs
Organisation Address. 37082
Organisation Address. TN
Organisation Address. UNITED STATES

Admin Name........... Francis Gross
Admin Address........ 1225 Simms Heights Road
Admin Address........
Admin Address........ Kingston Springs
Admin Address........ 37082
Admin Address........ TN
Admin Address........ UNITED STATES
Admin Email.......... top_sports_cards@yahoo.com
Admin Phone.......... +1.6154441262

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Posted By: will watson

runscott,

he uses a fake shipping company, complete with fake invoices, fake online tracking, etc.

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Posted By: David Yoken

Ok, so I just called the # in TN, and it's a trucking company, and they are very upset that whoever this guy is is using their number. I've sent along to them all of this information on the domain name, and they said that one of their clients' computers was hacked a few weeks ago....

Maybe we can get to the bottom of this and find out who this f@#()$* really is.

Dave
P.S. Please don't call the # listed; they seem like a very nice, small trucking operation.

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Posted By: steve k

<<< Here's the guy's info >>>

No offense but you obviously don't understand how the domain registration process fully works. Once a domain name is registered, the domain name owner has the password for this name and address information area, and that name and address information can be changed to anything the owner wants. I'm not sure about the legalities of not having the correct name and address listed, but rest assured this scammer is not interested in legalities. That is definitely not his name and address.

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Posted By: steve k

Well - you already discovered that while I was typing - LOL

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Posted By: Scott Bob

I think Toni hires somebody in US creating/updating his site. He is smart and knows how to make his site looks professional and avoid getting caught. He should be pretty wealthy by now... he has my $500 at least.

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Posted By: Scott Forrest

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your interest.

I understand your hesitation and I know that there are a lot of dishonest persons on the auction sites.
I assure you that I am a honest and a serious person and I don't need any trouble for me and my family for any sum of money.

Just look at my website and tell me I'm a fraud... http://www.top-sports-cards.com>/

Do you think I have this business because I cheat peoples?

To protect my business I have adopted the following polices:

- I will ship the package first and I will email you the tracking number.
- When you will see the package is moving, I want you to send me the payment confirmation in the same day or latest the next day.
- As a payment method I have chosen Western Union's services because they always served our interests in a professional manner and helped me gain buyers. I consider promptitude a vital condition on the modern eCommerce markets and a guarantee of quality.

Nobody forces you to buy from me and accept my payment conditions.
You know I've had two many people rip me off and I need to protect my business.

As an honest person, I will not suggest you anything else then I already told you !

Regards.

Martin Gore
www.Top-Sports-Cards.com

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Posted By: jamie

martin gore is a band member of depeche mode. prior to this alias, this scumbag was using an auto racer's name (can't remember but it had a distinct italian flair to it). hed place high-end auctions on ebay with an unreachable reserve and then proceed to offer the item to almost everyone who bid. like clockwork. i cant believe he's not in jail yet

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

When these clowns first showed up I was able to get their site taken down 3 or 4 different times as they always host through yahoo. I contacted a woman by the name of Bonnie, if still employed there, can be reached at 408 349 3687 or 408 349 5125 (think this is her direct line) or via e-mail at shopping-advocacy@yahoo-inc.com.