Avoid the trader: ichorclaw (Page 1 of 3)

Did he confirm addresses? If so, you should contact mods/deckbox team as this is a clear violation of the rules. Confirmation of address indicates that both user's are obligated to follow through and as such, he should receive some form of punishment for failure to comply with the rules.

Last edited by iamsolipsism (2012-11-15 14:37:38)

Per ichorclaw's current profile (not sure when s/he changed it to the following):

"Family issues, no longer trading"

I feel for you.  I have a trade in progress now with a trusted trader.  Per the post office, he received his cards two weeks ago (I have delivery confirmation info), but has not marked them received.  I've also not seen his cards.  Normally, our exchanges take a few days.  The most frustrating thing is the lack of communication (especially when you can see by their status that they have been online).

*UPDATE* My trading partner got in touch with me today, after I asked the folks at support@deckbox.org to review the situation.

Last edited by HikingStick (2012-11-15 19:03:45)

On Reddit his username was icitrik. I tried a trade with him long ago with no return. This is M Lee from Katy, TX, correct?

I've been researching this recently.  Unfortunately, it is very difficult to prove fraud with an isolated case.  The postal inspection service looks for patterns of fraud when evaluating cases.  I'm not saying one should not pursue such avenues, but am just noting that it might be hard to prove.

That said, each time a person reports a fraud involving a person/address, it helps establish the pattern that might eventually allow them to take action against someone.

Yes I had issues with the same guy... I normally send with 24 hours of the trade being agreed upon, unless something else happens, but then I tell the person what's going on and then try my best to get it out ASAP.  This guy?  Nope.  Read on:

Zuul36 Sure this will be fine. 17 Oct

Zuul36 I'll send in the morning. 17 Oct

ichorclaw same 17 Oct

Zuul36 DC #9400 1096 9993 7240 4341 35 18 Oct

Zuul36 Hi there, I show my cards have reached you, but I haven't received the foil Blood Crypt. 27 Oct

ichorclaw I just checked and did get the cards 27 Oct

ichorclaw It should have reached you, if you don't see it by monday or tuesday, let me know and I'll take care of it 27 Oct

Zuul36 Thank you. 28 Oct

ichorclaw I am assuming this eventually reached you? 06 Nov

Zuul36 Yesterday, yes. Postmarked the 30th. 07 Nov

So he never sent it out when he was supposed to on the 17th,  on the 27th I questioned him on it and he reacted like he did send it when he was supposed to.  Now I live in a town which is 2.5 hours by car away from Katy (Pflugerville) and it's supposed to take longer than 2 days to reach me by post?  I'm sorry, but I was receiving items from Maine faster than from this guy in the same state.

Plus the postmark gave him completely away on his lie.  Look.... I'm fine if you have a life problem... we all have them but at least CONTACT YOUR TRADE PARTNER!

Last edited by Zuul36 (2012-11-15 21:05:03)

To me, that's the real lesson for all the rest of us.

From everything that I see this appears to be an honest mistake.  A mistake handled poorly I agree, but no bad intentions.

I highly doubt ichorclaw had no bad intentions. An honest mistake occurs once and the user will attempt to rectify said mistakes. ichorclaw made no attempts to truly fix his mistakes; his whole Paypal/SCG refund had proven to be bogus. (No user has received the refund.)

Though he may have personal issues, this is still not reason enough to lie about sending, especially a month's delay. If I was trading, I would want to know what the deal is at all times, regardless of personal issues.

To be honest, ichorclaw on any other trading forum would be banned at this point and users would be told to file for mail fraud. Deckbox is still relatively new and isn't as strict on security (a huge flaw in their system) so ichorclaw will probably get away with this without consequence; however, I hope that the deckbox team see this as an opportunity to step up their rulings, security and safety for their users.

I am in contact with ichorclaw on another forum that we are both members of regarding a trade we arranged here, I will keep the thread posted. I have received successful trades from him in the past, so I'm inclined to believe that something's happened that has prevented him from contacting us.

This is the exact post MOTL moderators make in terms of trade rippers cases.  I would suggest following this. 

I suggest you file for mail fraud.

1. What exactly is mail fraud?
The first important link is to the USPS postal inspectors website:
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/
More specifically, here is the link to Title 18 of the USPS Postal Code regarding Mail Fraud, Swindles, and the use of a Fictitious name for mail delivery in cases of fraud:
http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/usc18/mailfr.htm

In synopsis, mail fraud is a felony offense and for every individual instance of fraud the ripper “shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both”. Remember that each individual letter that is stolen and each instance of ripping that occurs is considered a separate prosecutable felony offense! Once convicted of a felony, the felon will have to disclose their felony offense on all job applications throughout their life. Felons are also automatically barred from certain sensitive government and civil jobs that involve classified information and employer trust. In short, a felony lasts a lifetime.

It is also important to note that the Postal Code specifically references those using a false name to obtain delivery. If someone misrepresents their identity for the purpose of obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, they will be found guilty of mail fraud.

2. How do I file for mail fraud?
If you are indeed the victim of mail fraud, you have a couple of different options, all of which are extremely easy to use and not time-consuming at all:
You can call or visit your local post office to obtain help and to file the Mail Fraud Complaint Form.
You can find a postal inspector near you who can help more with your problem:
http://www.usps.com/ncsc/locators/find-is.html
You can use this link to an online Mail Fraud form and file your mail fraud complaint in a couple minutes!:
https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/form … laint.aspx
There is even a toll-free number that you can call to obtain help!
1-800-372-8347 Mail Fraud Hotline

Keep all evidence that you have regarding your complaint. Print out and include all unedited original emails, physical addresses, supposed names, lists of all items involved, names and contact information for any other people with similar problems, etc. All these things are vital to a successful prosecution and compensation for your loss. If you choose to file mail fraud using the online form, you will receive an automatic letter acknowledgement and your claim will then be processed. If you have all the information neatly organized and well presented, your claim will be processed faster. Similarly, if your loss is monetarily large or involves multiple parties, your claim will be prioritized accordingly.

For fraud cases within the US, I would contact the local police department of the ripper (or contact your local PD and request an “agency assist” to an investigator in the city where the ripper lives). They will take your complaint information and send a detective to physically interview the ripper (or his parents). Remember that the law is there to work for you.

I have successfully completed trades with ichorclaw as well.  I mean there are situations that can come up that would make it unable to respond.  Trips to hospitals, staying in hotels, not everyone has the money to pay for wifi when they aren't at home.  And if you don't have time to go to the post office to drop off the cards, you probably don't have time running around town looking for places with free wifi.  That's just my opinion.  Cancelling the trade was a little weird though, so that makes me suspicious.  As far as delaying the simultaneous send, I agree that it isn't correct and they should get negative feed back for it, but if the cards arrive in the reported condition, negative feedback is enough for me.  I'm not going to avoid a trader because it took them a week or two to get the trade sent.  I'll just leave them feedback that reflects that to let people that trade with them in the future know what to expect.