VanMalmsteen scam

  • Thread starter Thread starter LickliterAmps
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MetalThrasher said:
All I have to say is I hate a thief!
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Nothing worse than a thief, but it seems so much worse than theft when it’s a guitarist robbing a guitarist. Especially when the dude has already done it, and in an act of subterfuge, returns under a different name, joins the side of the anti fatbagg faction, after first defending fatbagg, eventually ripping fatbagg publicly & demanding payback, cleverly tricking people into thinking it wasn’t fatbagg (in disguise), and then really sticking it to us, robbing tons of dudes, and sitting at home with his new found cash and gear, shrieking with delight, at the sheer gullibility of his fellow guitarists.

This guy is a truly nasty piece of work.

This is an outrage!!

He must be held accountable!!

There’s a special place in hell for guitarists robbing guitarists!!!

Musician on musician theft takes a true sociopath and son of a bitch to execute, with no qualms whatsoever about screwing his fellow guitarist out of their hard earned cash and killer gear!!

Viva la justice!!!!

Viva la MIGHTY GORILLA GANG!
 
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glpg80 said:
A lot of us that have been on the forum for close to two decades now have in fact made real friends in real life from here. Im thankful to have met a few in real life and someday hope to take Dave up on his offer once I finish my Marshall and go jam on it together at his place since I respect his ears. A few others I can call or text and make music plans or just talk gear if I have a question and need help with something. Those that knew Dan will admit his passing was a lot harder than imaginable since many did keep in touch with him. Life’s short and way too short not to enjoy the company of good people. If all people see on this site is a bunch of screen names, then that’s ok. There’s opinions I don’t agree with online but in person the people are great. I do emphasize the long term aspect though - know who you’re dealing with.
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Yes, life is way too short. The older you get, the faster time passes. It’s absolutely dreadful. Enjoy life as much as you possible can.
 
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scottosan said:
Someone has to recognize him. It’s been confirmed by several people now that shipped stuff to him, that this is him

https://youtube.com/@jonathanellison2239
There’s got to be a record somewhere of some relationship between Jonathan Ellison and Diane Mosley in Georgia
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just clicked the link. This dude has stacks of Bogners, including the 100a, Tyler guitars, etc. I can’t believe he still posts videos on YouTube after he has robbed so many people. Do people leave comments on his videos demanding their money back?

This is an outrage!!
 
^ Yep. Takes a narcissist's to be able to do that. That is not drugs or alcohol talking.

mooncobra said:
There’s a special place in hell for guitarists robbing guitarists!!!

Musician on musician theft takes a true sociopath and son of a bitch to execute, with no qualms whatsoever about screwing his fellow guitarist out of their hard earned cash and killer gear!!
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Agreed. Thievery is bad enough.

I could understand a homeless person stealing a loaf of bread to feed their starving children but even even that is low. When it gets down to "art lover" stealing from anther "art lover" on a forum dedicated to that art - that is a special kind of low. Praying on people that feel comfort within their group, in this case a forum(s). Almost like stealing from a church but not quite as bad as that.
 
LP Freak said:
Not always true
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Agree. I look at longevity on a member 1st and transactions. I had bought and sold shit tons on Harmony Central and the TGP before being banned from both because of my user name and being threatened by management. The threats was a no go so I told them to fuck off. I have never had a problem with anyone using gift/ money orders, what not. I think I bought a ocean turquoise strat from pschodave( I think) here years ago under my old username and I used gift and wouldn't blink unless it was from a Newb. Longevity matters- ask a girl.
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
Good point, that is what that protection is for. I understand the sellers not wanting that but work it into your price. Though obviously now I know it will be linked to taxes but still, it is the ultimate protection.
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The problem is it’s not just the 3% anymore It’s the tax burden and the extra filing work associated.
 
He always manages to have high end gear. look at this, he has a 100a and 100b. . How hurting could he be? I think he robs people simply because he can and wants more gear. He clearly changes his user name and builds up a trustworthy persona for a while. Then he strikes.

 
MusicIsLife said:
It sucks that this shit has to happen, and I appreciate having them outted here. Can't you just dispute it with whomever processed the transaction?

I wouldn't do business with anyone who used PayPal F&F for goods and services. They're already telling you there are times when they'll rationalize not doing what they'd agree too. Then it's pretty much a guessing game as to what each person's threshold is after that. Not interested, my integrity can't be sold for 3%. If you used Paypal F&F, you sent a gift, your money is gone. Sorry :-(
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Using PPFF is not a universal indicator that someone has or will not follow-through on a deal, nor that your money is gone. There are many who simply dont agree with the principles of taxing used gear or who don’t want to deal with the headache of 1099’s and unnecessary reporting. The system is fuching broke that way. I’ve never burned anyone in a gear deal, nor ever been burned. Maybe I’m lucky, and all the people I’ve dealt with were, too? I consider my integrity and credibility to be highly important. I wouldn’t do anything to comprise that, because that’s who I am. I’ve bought and sold a bunch of gear over the past several years… the majority of which were PPFF.
 
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If you guys want to mess with him, go to his youtube feed and start posting away in the comments section on his videos. Most are still open.

 
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MusicIsLife said:
It sucks that this shit has to happen, and I appreciate having them outted here. Can't you just dispute it with whomever processed the transaction?

I wouldn't do business with anyone who used PayPal F&F for goods and services. They're already telling you there are times when they'll rationalize not doing what they'd agree too. Then it's pretty much a guessing game as to what each person's threshold is after that. Not interested, my integrity can't be sold for 3%. If you used Paypal F&F, you sent a gift, your money is gone. Sorry :-(
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The reason a lot of us ask for FF payment is you have to pay income tax on paypal transactions now. This started this year. Im not paying 28% on what i sell for forum prices. Fuck that. No one cares about the 3%. Ever occur to u there is a bigger reason?

Scammers are fucking it up for guys like me that are used to flipping through a ton of stuff.

My hope is there are enough of us that do business the right way so that im not regressed to having to trade my stuff in at a guitar center to avoid the tax man.
 
I wonder if this is the same damn guy years ago with the Recto
Sheet rock in a box scam
 
tonedover said:
The reason a lot of us ask for FF payment is you have to pay income tax on paypal transactions now. This started this year. Im not paying 28% on what i sell for forum prices. Fuck that. No one cares about the 3%. Ever occur to u there is a bigger reason?
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The tax burden didn't change this year, only the reporting requirement. You don't have to pay anything more than you did before, it only affects you if you're engaging in commercial sales but not reporting them as such. Anything we sell online is commerce when we use commercial services, even if it's just personal gear. This is nothing new.

I just have a CPA do my taxes. It's an additional $120 or so for the form and the work, but once they factor the stuff I buy, depreciation, and everything else we can legally deduct, it costs waaaaay less to treat goods and services as goods and services. I know it's not just about saving 3%, because you're actually not saving anything, it's costing you more.

And for what? It's still a wire transfer from your bank to paypal, and then again on the recipients' end. It's not off anyone's radar.

On the plus side, loss from fraud is also deductible, so some of y'all gonna get the benefit of that ;-)
 
tonedover said:
The reason a lot of us ask for FF payment is you have to pay income tax on paypal transactions now. This started this year. Im not paying 28% on what i sell for forum prices. Fuck that. No one cares about the 3%. Ever occur to u there is a bigger reason?

Scammers are fucking it up for guys like me that are used to flipping through a ton of stuff.

My hope is there are enough of us that do business the right way so that im not regressed to having to trade my stuff in at a guitar center to avoid the tax man.
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"Q: Will the updated 1099-K Threshold Change apply if I sell personal property, like a couch or an item at a garage sale, for $600 or more if it was sold for less than its original value? Will I be issued a Form 1099-K?
Form 1099-K is an IRS informational tax form that is used to report goods and services payments received by a business or individual in the calendar year. While banks and payment service providers, like PayPal and Venmo are required by the IRS to send customers a Form-1099K if they meet the $600 threshold amount, there are certain amounts that may be included on the form that are generally excluded from gross income and therefore are not subject to income tax. This includes:
  • Amounts from selling personal items at a loss
  • Amounts sent as reimbursement
  • Amounts sent as a gift
So, for example, if you purchased a couch for $1200 and sold it for $800, this amount would not be subject to income tax."
 
MusicIsLife said:
I just have a CPA do my taxes. It's an additional $120 or so for the form and the work, but once they factor the stuff I buy, depreciation, and everything else we can legally deduct, it costs waaaaay less to treat goods and services as goods and services. I know it's not just about saving 3%, because you're actually not saving anything, it's costing you more.
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I'd have to look at my taxes, but I think properly reporting sales ended up with a net reduction of about $6K of my adjusted income last year. When you report sales, you also get to deduct purchases, depreciation, and scads of other things. When they're being taxed as commerce, you can even deduct the mileage if you have to drive to exchange gear. And if you're getting any income using the gear, that opens up an entire other world of deductions. Unless we're dealing in cash and handshakes, nothing we're doing is off the radar of anyone anyway.

I see the argument other places too. The idea that you're saving money or keeping things off the radar is fallacy. FortT6and2 has another great example above.

You do you though, that's fine. There's just a lot of false FUD around the reason people avoid using a service that could prevent them from being on the losing end of a scammer, which is ultimately what we all care about.
 
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FWIW, here's where you can go to report shit like this if you want. It often depends on the number of victims and the amount of the loss, but it's the best chance of getting someone's attention:

FBI Internet Crime Complain Center

Once you have a formal complaint legitimizing the accusation, take it to Paypal. Sometimes that alone will get you an exception on refunding charges on gift/FF payments. You also have a much higher chance of this succeeding if you call them.
 
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MusicIsLife said:
I'd have to look at my taxes, but I think properly reporting sales ended up with a net reduction of about $6K of my adjusted income last year. When you report sales, you also get to deduct purchases, depreciation, and scads of other things. When they're being taxed as commerce, you can even deduct the mileage if you have to drive to exchange gear. And if you're getting any income using the gear, that opens up an entire other world of deductions. Unless we're dealing in cash and handshakes, nothing we're doing is off the radar of anyone anyway.

I see the argument other places too. The idea that you're saving money or keeping things off the radar is fallacy. FortT6and2 has another great example above.

You do you though, that's fine. There's just a lot of false FUD around the reason people avoid using a service that could prevent them from being on the losing end of a scammer, which is ultimately what we all care about.
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deductions? are you generating income from playing music? is so, awesome.
my cpa says as a hobbyist im liable.

same thing for guys who collect comics or trains or what the fuck ever. thats why there is even a bill being proposed in congress for better considerations on costs and taxation on hobby goods not sold commercially.

same thing for the 1099k ill get from reverb - so i can only sell stuff on reverb thst i bought there to prove sale price unless i have independent receipts.

look id love to be wrong but my cpa has been adamant about it as my music gear is hobby equipment. in fact i REALLY hope to be wrong as i have a ton of shit in my office id love to sell but i wanted to get past the first year of this new law.
id love more details as an excuse to go to a different guy after 25 years,,,
 
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