Help with a possible USA-based scam

[heather glass]

Dear yakkers

I'm embarrassed to have to send this post, but it seems I may have
got myself scammed.

I was contacted by a Bill Alcott, purportedly of law firm Jewett,
Teft and Talbot in Lithia Springs Georgia, and asked to do a small,
fast turnaround part of a larger translation (http://www.jttlaw.com/).

Now that the invoice is due and payable, there is no sign of Mr
Alcott, emails to his purported law firm are not responded to, and
the hard copy of the invoice was today returned marked 'Not at this
address'.

I have so far found three others in the same boat, albeit not who
necessarily work in the J-E language pair.

If there is anyone who knows, or knows of either of these entities,
would they mind letting me know: either on or off list.

I would also appreciate any advice from anyone in the US about how I
might be able to find out whether any of the lawyers at the website
actually exist.

Thank you and regards

Heather Glass@shouldadunmaduediligencefirst!!
--
==============================
Heather Glass
Japan Australia Word Services Pty Ltd
TEL: (+61 8) 9371-7800
==============================

[Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven]

-On [20100702 11:25], heather glass (ja...@iinet.net.au) wrote:
>I would also appreciate any advice from anyone in the US about how I
>might be able to find out whether any of the lawyers at the website
>actually exist.

Aren't all lawyers in the USA supposed to have registered with the bar
association in their state? That would be one way to get more information.

--
Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven <asmodai(-at-)in-nomine.org> / asmodai
イェルーン ラウフロック ヴァン デル ウェルヴェン
http://www.in-nomine.org/ | http://www.rangaku.org/ | GPG: 2EAC625B
Knock on the sky and listen to the sound! - Zen saying

[Nora Stevens Heath]

Jeroen wrote:

> Aren't all lawyers in the USA supposed to have registered with the bar
> association in their state? That would be one way to get more information.

There's no Bill (or William) Alcott registered with the State Bar of
Georgia. He may be (or may have been) a paralegal or other staff member
at that law firm and thus not listed in the bar. More alarming is the
fact that none of the lawyers listed on the firm's site are listed in
the Georgia Bar.

This page is also worrying:

http://www.jttlaw.com/Profile.htm

"Obradovich [who??] provides professional legal services..."

"We are located in downtown ."

The firm looks more like a shoddily assembled collection of
ambulance-chasers to me. I have no more information on them from the
unpaid-invoice side of things, but Heather, I'm afraid you might be in a
pinch.

Nora

--
Nora Stevens Heath <no...@fumizuki.com>
J-E translations: http://www.fumizuki.com/

[Matthew Schlecht]

On Fri, Jul 2, 2010 at 9:50 AM, Nora Stevens Heath <fumi...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> http://www.jttlaw.com/Profile.htm
>
> "Obradovich [who??] provides professional legal services..."
>
> "We are located in downtown ."
>
> The firm looks more like a shoddily assembled collection of
> ambulance-chasers to me.  I have no more information on them from the
> unpaid-invoice side of things, but Heather, I'm afraid you might be in a
> pinch.

     It might be worse that that.  A google search of the name of the firm shows only hits for the web site itself, ProZ where it was "registered" on June 30 of this year, and the Aquarius site (pre-ProZ job clearinghouse site) where it was "registered" in May of this year.
     Despite the slick look of the web site, I suggest it exists only in cyberspace.
     The phone number (877-629-1110) is unlisted, very unusual for a legitimate law firm.
     When I google-map the address, 850 Maxham Road, Lithia Springs, GA, this is an industrial park with semi-tractor trailors lined up outside what must be warehouses: http://tinyurl.com/25z43mm.
     There's no indication they have any U.S. presence at all, or where exactly they come from.
     If you're a ProZ member or subscribe to Payment Practices or a related list, you could do a community service by posting an alert, but the only way you might possibly track these folks down now for your payment is if there were any indication in the work itself whom was the end client.

Matthew Schlecht

[Warren Smith]

It appears that these folks copied and edited (incompletely, as it
turns out) the http://www.obradovich.net/ web page (which I would
guess is for a legitimate law firm in Canada).

I just left a message with Attorney Obradovich telling him that his
name is on this other web page, and that he might want to check it
out. (There is also a "Gloucester Yoshida, J.D." on page. What sort of
name is that!?)

Warren Smith
(My son lived in Lithia Springs, Ga., last year, but never met any of
these folks...)

[jmarc...@comcast.net]

Warren wrote:

It appears that these folks copied and edited (incompletely, as it
turns out) the http://www.obradovich.net/ web page (which I would
guess is for a legitimate law firm in Canada).

I just left a message with Attorney Obradovich telling him that his
name is on this other web page, and that he might want to check it
out.

Hmmm.... Could this all somehow be part of that nefarious Russian spy ring?????


John Marchoro

[Alan Siegrist]

heather glass writes:

> I was contacted by a Bill Alcott, purportedly of law firm Jewett,
> Teft and Talbot in Lithia Springs Georgia, and asked to do a small,
> fast turnaround part of a larger translation (http://www.jttlaw.com/).

I did a Whois search on the domain name jttlaw.com and found that it is
registered to:

Pellerin, Stanley
2515 Winding Creek Dr.
Lithia Springs, GA 30122
US
Email: stan...@hush.com
(877) 629-1110

This address is the same as that of Divine Connections Assisted Living,
presumably a retirement home for the aged. The phone number for "Mr.
Pellerin" is the same as the one listed on the JTT Law web site. I dialed it
and actually got a recording, so it does appear to be a valid telephone
number. Someone must have paid the telephone bill, at least once. I tried to
do a reverse lookup on the telephone number, but directory assistance said
that they cannot do so with a toll-free number such as that above.

I tried sending an email to the address above, and immediately got a
delivery failure notification back.

The scamsters seem to have covered their tracks fairly well, so perhaps the
only way to find the culprits is to hire a private investigation firm that
may have more tools at its disposal.

Best regards,

Alan Siegrist
Carmel, CA, USA

[Alan Siegrist]

I wrote:

> I did a Whois search on the domain name jttlaw.com and found that it is
> registered to:
>
> Pellerin, Stanley
> 2515 Winding Creek Dr.
> Lithia Springs, GA 30122
> US
> Email: stan...@hush.com
> (877) 629-1110

I looked into some additional information from the Whois lookup, and found
that the web site is hosted at a company called Flux Services Inc.
(UltraWebsiteHosting.com) in Seattle, Washington phone number (877)
850-7850.
http://www.ultrawebsitehosting.com/

They seem to be a real company, so this might be the strongest lead to
tracking down the scamsters.

[Alan Siegrist]

John Marchioro writes:

> Hmmm.... Could this all somehow be part of that nefarious Russian spy
> ring?????

Real sensitive, John. Heather was the victim of a scam and is out real money
and you are milking it for kicks and giggles.

Jackass.

Regards,

[jmarc...@comcast.net]

I wrote:

> Hmmm.... Could this all somehow be part of that nefarious Russian spy
> ring?????

Alan replied:

Real sensitive, John. Heather was the victim of a scam and is out real money
and you are milking it for kicks and giggles.

Jackass.

I offered to help her off-list the minute I read her e-mail message, as I have done many times for many others.

Save your moral indignation, please, it ill suits you.


John Marchioro

[Warren Smith]

What I am trying to figure out is why somebody would go through all
the effort to set up a bogus law firm. It has to be part of a bigger
scam than to get a couple of free translations.

Heather -- I don't think you are under any obligation to maintain
confidentiality with a scammer... What was the translation about?

Also, I Googled JTT Law and came up with this:
JTT Law Medical Malpractice and Personal InjuryJTT Law are Toronto
personal injury medical malpractice disability claim lawyers in
Ontario.

Note that it says "Ontario," which is where Obradovich is. (This might
be because Google is displaying some metatext that the scammer did not
edit out, if Obradovich's web content were stolen and Obradovich is
uninvolved.)

I wrote to Mr. Obradovich, and he wrote me back, seeming concerned. He
is likely going to be reviewing this thread.

Warren

[Alan Siegrist]

I contacted the Seattle police department about how to report this crime,
and they directed me to the following web site:
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

It is probably best for Heather to file the complaint herself. Even if she
is not able to get compensation or restitution for her losses, taking this
route may get the wheels turning promptly to get the fraudulent web site
shut down so that no one else is victimized.

[Alan Siegrist]

John Marchioro writes:

> Save your moral indignation, please, it ill suits you.

I was not commenting on any matter of morals. Since you have demonstrated
your lack of morals by your past behavior on this particular list, I will
forgive you if you have no understanding of morals.

I was commenting on a lack of sensitivity and human compassion on your part
when I called you a jackass.

[jmarc...@comcast.net]

I wrote:

> Save your moral indignation, please, it ill suits you.

And Alan replied:

I was not commenting on any matter of morals. Since you have demonstrated
your lack of morals by your past behavior on this particular list, I will
forgive you if you have no understanding of morals.

I was commenting on a lack of sensitivity and human compassion on your part
when I called you a jackass.

Well, it is not for nothing that I call you "Alan the Tedious".

Since you are engaging in public chest-beating again, I have a question for you, Alan. About a decade ago, there was a company called Sohsei International that cheated over a dozen translators then on this list, and by my count at least 70 or so around the United States. There was an ongoing discussion about it on this list at the time. Perhaps I missed something, but I do not recall you ever saying a syllable about any of it, or offering anyone any assistance. So my question is, "Where were you then, Mr. High and Mighty?"

It is nice that you have belatedly discovered that payment practices is an important issue for freelancers, but frankly, Alan, you have been noticeable to date primarily for your lack of concern about the issue. I have certainly never seen you post to TCR or the other payment practices lists. You also do not steer people with payment issues who post here to such lists, where they might get some real assistance.

This may also amaze you, Alan, but just because some of us do not publicly pound our chests about how we help others with payment practices problems does not mean that we do not care about the issue, or that we are not helping them. We just do it quietly, and not for others' public consumption.

Maybe you should walk the walk for a while, instead of just talking the talk, based on some idling Googling and one phone call.


John Marchioro

[Alan Siegrist]

Yes, John, I have not found the cure for cancer, an infinite clean power
supply, or a way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East or on Earth.
Please continue to tell the list everything else I have not done.

[jmarc...@comcast.net]

Alan wrote:

Yes, John, I have not found the cure for cancer, an infinite clean power
supply, or a way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East or on Earth.
Please continue to tell the list everything else I have not done.

That's right, Alan. You call me a "Jackass". In response, I point out how farcical it is to see you masquerading as the Purple Pimpernel of Payment Practices, based on your complete lack of interest in the issue to date. And then you this gets turned into me posting insults about you to the list. Anything but address the real issue, which is that your interest in payment practices has been nil to date, and you have never helped with such a problem, and probably would not know where to start.

Why don't you just go back to your conspiracy theories about attack dogs? At least THAT was amusing.


John Marchioro

[John Zimet]

Come on guys, this is a mailing list for translators.

 

John

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[heather glass]

Dear All, but firstly Alan and John

The one difficulty with the respective different time zones we are
all in is that I have only just got up to find I missed the
opportunity to intercede before this escalated.

I actually found John's post about the possible Russian spy ring
connection very funny.

As JTT Law was top of mind this morning, and what has me out of bed
even as the sun comes up, it was a real pleasure to have the funny
side of this pointed out.

So pax guys.

I am blown away by the range and detail of the advice you have all
given me, both on (Jeroen, Nora, Matthew, Warren, Alan) and off
(John) list.

I will gratefully collate it and circulate it to the other people I
know have been affected.

For myself, I had tracked down the Georgia Bar (thanks, Jeroen and
Nora) and found the lawyers don't seem to exist. I did take the
liberty of emailing two lawyers, one with the name of Talbot and one
with the name of Jewett, to let them know their names may have been
'harvested'.

I tend to agree with Nora and Matthew, it seems this is potentially
an ambulance chaser, but his posing as a personal injury claim
practice suggests most definitely that translators are not his
target. Most definitely a worry, and yes, I will file a claim
(thanks, Alan).

As to what the translation was about, in hindsight there were warning
bells I didn't hear, starting with the fact that the 'gentleman'
didn't quibble over price (I just thought they were in a tearing
hurry and it was only a small part of so much larger a job) and
probably ending with the fact that it seemed to be litigation
involving a Mitsui subsidiary: which is as far from personal injury
as you can get. Duhhh!

I got sucked in by the fact that the work was needed fast.

The worst part is that if it were only me, I would have just written
it off to my stupidity, kept it to myself, and not 'outed' myself
here (though perhaps to the loss of others who may potentially be
caught by the same scammer). But I asked a colleague to collaborate
with me, so I owe her money.

It's brisk, bright day in Perth Western Australia, and the birds are
singing......

We live and learn.

Thanks again
Heather Glass

[heather glass]

Dear yakkers

I have to apologise to Mitsui. My early morning brain did me wrong.
One of the parties is Mitsubishi Electric and Electronic USA. The
other is one 'Don' of Grail Semiconductor. And here he is:
http://www.fearnotlaw.com/articles/article1999.html

Fascinating!

Seems he couldn't afford lawyers to sue parties in Singapore.

Seems he can't afford translators to sue Japanese parties either....
Heather Glass

[David Bernat]

"heather glass" <ja...@iinet.net.au> wrote:

>Dear yakkers
>
>I have to apologise to Mitsui. My early morning brain did me wrong.
>One of the parties is Mitsubishi Electric and Electronic USA. The
>other is one 'Don' of Grail Semiconductor. And here he is:
>http://www.fearnotlaw.com/articles/article1999.html
>
>Fascinating!
>
>Seems he couldn't afford lawyers to sue parties in Singapore.
>
>Seems he can't afford translators to sue Japanese parties either....

Do you have any information on a court docket number? Attorneys for
Mitsubishi might be overjoyed to learn of misconduct on the part of
attorneys for the opposing side.

[heather glass]

Dear All

At the risk of boring you all, the internet is such a wonderful tool.

I have found that the key person in all this appears to be one Donald
Stern, of Grail Semiconductor, a highly litigious person. His company
has been acquired by Oteegee Innovations Inc. which just completed
due diligence on June 10 and in addition to Don's technology, has
acquired the right to pursue various chip manufacturers for legal
breaches. My conclusion is that Oteegee Innovations is the source
client of this Bill Alcott guy. What's scarey (or maybe it's not if
you know more about the US than I do) is that Oteegee is based in Los
Angeles. Do legitimate technology firms reside there? I reckon myself
that Oteegee is probably an ambulance-chaser as well, although the
acquisition is written up all over the place.

[heather glass]

At 9:44 AM +0900 3/7/10, David Bernat wrote:
>Do you have any information on a court docket number? Attorneys for
>Mitsubishi might be overjoyed to learn of misconduct on the part of
>attorneys for the opposing side.

No, but the firm that originally submitted the injunctive relief
application in November 2009 was suing Don Stern back in 2004 for
non-payment of retainer. Scam upon scam. Like I said: fascinating!

[David Bernat]

"heather glass" <ja...@iinet.net.au> wrote:

>No, but the firm that originally submitted the injunctive relief
>application in November 2009 was suing Don Stern back in 2004 for
>non-payment of retainer. Scam upon scam. Like I said: fascinating!

http://www.faqs.org/sec-filings/100318/PAY-BY-THE-DAY-HOLDINGS-INC_8-K/f8k031210ex10i_paybytheday.htm

[David Bernat]

"heather glass" <ja...@iinet.net.au> wrote:

>Dear All
>
>At the risk of boring you all, the internet is such a wonderful tool.
>
>I have found that the key person in all this appears to be one Donald
>Stern, of Grail Semiconductor, a highly litigious person. His company
>has been acquired by Oteegee Innovations Inc. which just completed
>due diligence on June 10 and in addition to Don's technology, has
>acquired the right to pursue various chip manufacturers for legal
>breaches. My conclusion is that Oteegee Innovations is the source
>client of this Bill Alcott guy. What's scarey (or maybe it's not if
>you know more about the US than I do) is that Oteegee is based in Los
>Angeles. Do legitimate technology firms reside there? I reckon myself
>that Oteegee is probably an ambulance-chaser as well, although the
>acquisition is written up all over the place.

Digging further......

Oteegee may or may not be based in Los Angeles, depending on whether the
company moved from Western Ontario, Canada.

If Oteegee is in reality based in Los Angeles, its attorneys are located
in Studio City (supposition only).

Everyone appears to be a piece of work in search of a buck to be gained
by barratry.

[heather glass]

At 10:47 AM +0900 3/7/10, David Bernat wrote:
>... to be gained by barratry.

Well there you go. I just learnt a new word! Thanks, David. Heather Glass

[David Bernat]

"heather glass" <ja...@iinet.net.au> wrote:

>Well there you go. I just learnt a new word! Thanks, David.

You're welcome.