My strangest post yet: a chance to invest, with me, in diploma mill futures

Pay attention! This could be fascinating.

Vast amounts have been written here about the huge diploma mill operation that started with U of San Moritz, then Palmers Green, Glencullen, Harrington, Shelbourne, Brentwick, etc. Run by one or more Americans living in Romania. Addresses in the UK, printing in Israel, banking in Cyprus. Sending millions of spam messages a week ("You have qualified for a prestigious...") More than 70,000 fake degrees sold, including medical. Big secondary business in fake drivers licenses.

For the past 3 months, I've been communicating (Email and telephone) with a disgruntled Romanian employee of this operation. His disgruntlement seems to stem from the fact that the American owner(s) have taken in over $100 million, and he is paid the equivalent of $1,500 a year.

He offered to sell everything he knows -- names of the American(s), street addresses, bank information, some customer information, and so on -- for $3,000. I approached everyone I could think of, from the FBI ("we don't deal with non-US stuff unless terrorism is involved") to 20/20, 60 Minutes, and so on ("We don't pay informants -- and anyway we are more interested in the users of the degrees than the sellers"). To date: no real interest.

Today the man in Romania reduced his price to $1,000 saying he is desparate for money.

Now I'm really intrigued, even if there is nothing obvious that I could personally do with the information, except this: Allen Ezell (the retired FBI agent who started and ran their DipScam diploma mill task force for its entire life) and I are doing a book together on diploma mills. The definitive book, we like to think. Whatever happens with regard to the Romanian operation, it is a good story -- and a much better story if anything happens to this operation as a result of the information provided.

Here's where I'm going with this:

What if ten (or fewer) people formed a partnership for the purpose of buying this man's information. (Matters of trust, logistics, etc., come later; needless to say I've thought a lot about this.) Ten shares at a hundred bucks each. No more than 2 per person.

What the partners would get for their investment:

1. Lots more juicy inside information, starting immediately with a 4-page write up I did for the FBI and some media people, with all the hard information, soft information, and gossip I have heard on the operation, including some rather inflammatory gossip I would not like to see posted publicly.
2. Participation in planning the logistics of the operation.
3. Rather high levels of satisfaction (I predict).
4. Ongoing feedback (a private website and chat room, perhaps) on just what is going on.
5. And, as soon as Ezell and I get our advance on the proposed book, I pay the partners $200 for every $100 invested. (Disclaimer: we have not offered the book to a publisher yet, nor will we for 3 or 4 months. It will NOT be Ten Speed. My agent, Laurie Harper, is very enthusiastic about the prospects of a major publisher making a decent advance. But no guarantees.)

I've gone back and forth on the matter of anonymous partners/investors, and I don't think I want that. Added risks. (Incidentally, I did ask, and get, the OK of the man in Romania to post this proposal here.) So if you want to 'buy in,' I would want a name and address and phone. I will not, of course, share it with the other partners or anyone else without your permission.

And I would ask for your promise not to share information outside the partnership (such as on this forum). I will be the spokesman.

Yes, of course I could put up the entire $1,000 myself, but I prefer not to for these three reasons:
1. Share the risk
2. Much more interesting process
3. More brains to pick for thoughts on logistics of the operation, what to do with the information, and so forth.

So there it is, folks.

I'll buy two shares, thus eight to go. It is late Saturday night. I have no notion of whether they'll go fast, or whether there will be zero interest. You can Email me at: [email protected] (you'll get an immediate reply from my spam filter service, and have to click once on the reply for it to go through). Or call (510) 528-4253 between 9 and 9 Pacific time, 7 days. Or fax (510) 528-4254.

Thanks for your attention.

John
(My resume is at http://circledance.tripod.com)

 

21 hours later report: 7 sign-ups, 1 possible.

 

I interpret this thread to be an experiment by John to see how easily 8 suckers can be parted with their money.

Hahahahahahahahahahah.

 

Thank you for the vote of umconfidence, Gert.

In an effort to avoid being suckered out of our money, I've been reflecting on logistics of this transaction, and would welcome thoughts and comments.

We may well reach a point soon where (a) we have the money this man wants and (b) he has -- well, let's call it a Box.

We don't want to buy an empty or useless Box. And he presumably doesn't want to send a valuable box to strangers who might choose not to pay him.

The only solutions I can think of lie in the direction either of FTF or escrow.

Face-to-face in Romania could be a major risk. If this is a hoax, and if I were running an illegal $150 million business . . . (etc.) Conceivably in some other neutral or better protected place.

Escrow: If we could agree on a third party, to whom he would send the Box and we would send the money, and then, if the Box is found to contain what is promised, the money would be sent on. Would he agree to such a thing? Could we find a mutually agreeable third party? Remains to be seen, I guess.

Any other methodologies? Conceivably something electronic, involving scanned and Emailed data?

Thanks

John

John Bear
[email protected]

 

If this really is a $100 million dollar international enterprise, it's not just some guy operating a home business. It's most likely organized crime that you are dealing with.

Things could get dangerous both for you and for the Romanian guy, assuming that he isn't trying to scam you.

This is going to require considerable care and expert advice.

 

I'm not so sure discussing it outside "the black" will help, either.

Pay first, then receive, might be a required risk. Some sort of escrow would be nice, but this is a rather small amount of cash to go to such extremes.

I would not do FTF in another country. Risk/reward seems a bit askew.

 

Going to Romania with $1000 in cash to meet a shadowy figure? Better to tape raw steaks to your body and run naked through the Komodo Dragon exhibit.

I'd cheer for a "half now, half on delivery" arrangement if one could be had.

 

You only live once!

I'm interested!!!

Here is the email I just sent to John Bear:

You only live once. Count me in.

 

On this Monday afternoon, Sept. 23, there are eight people (+ me) saying 'yes' and one 'probably,' so we may have our minyun. On the other hand, a couple of back-ups wouldn't be a bad idea, and perhaps a little extra budget for escrow fees and/or the follow-up phone call that I want, with the guy, after reviewing the materials.

The nine people: 7 forum regulars, 1 lurker who has not posted, I believe, and one 'celebrity' outsider whom I invited.

The three thoughts on 'escrow' so far:

1. It doesn't really seem necessary for this size amount.
2. Half payment now, half on satisfactory delivery.
3. Use eBay escrow service: Romanian posts his 'Box' as 'Box of tripe' with a minimum price of $1,000, and we buy it, subject to escrow inspection.

More, inevitably, soon.

John

 

And here they are (with John on phone to Romania):

 

Cheerleaders: Grab your pom poms!

We will be laughing all the way to the bank while you... sulk in your loss. < wink >



Think of it this way: We are advancing the cause of education while you are... jeering from the sidelines with your pom poms!!! < smile >

 

All I see in my browser is a little red x. If that's what you see, try this: http://www.homestead.com/333maxwell/files/keycop.jpg.

 

I wish I was on-line this weekend and not working in my lit review. I would have found the $100.

Just shows that a doctorate is not a marginal revenue/marginal cost decision!

bummer!

 

Enough people have joined in this madness, so the project will march forward. We'll make reports from time to time. Thanks for your interest.

John

 

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

 

Thank you, Gert, for not including the preceding lines.
"Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred."

John Bear, who lived for two years just down
the road from Tennyson's home, in
Freshwater, Isle of Wight

 

LOL!!!

Let's not jump to premature conclusions!!!

 

DL SORROW


My mother groaned, my father wept:
Into the dangerous world I leapt,
Helpless, naked, piping loud,
Like a bear hid in a cloud.

Struggling in my father's hands,
Striving against my swaddling bands,
Bound and weary, I thought best
To avenge my mother's fake BS.