Does this firm exist and it's this a valid business license?

[Lu]

I think the odds of them being punished are close to zero. But if you want to try, an obvious first step would be going to the police with this story. I was going to suggest also alerting your embassy in China, but then thought that they are probably already well aware of this kind of scam and might even warn people on their website or when asked for advice, so contacting them is probably not of any additional use.

[gato]

Assuming your have the bank transfer details, you could provide that as evidence to people you talk at the police or embassy.

The people who took your money are not completely anonymous. You do have some paper trail. It's just a matter of how much time you want to put into this to get some level of justice (either punishment or compensation).

[roddy]

I'd expect the bank account to have been opened with a fake ID, with or without help from the bank staff (seriously, how much would it take to bribe a bank clerk in some provincial town?). Or maybe it's in the name of some stooge - there's a common scam in the UK where you see job ads for 'payment processors' or something. Your 'job' would be to accept payments into your bank account then send them on via transfer or Western Union, retaining a percentage as your wages. All well and good until the police come round. 

 

You've already lost your money. Your question now is how much time do you want to lose on top of that. 

 

The seven year old domain was being used by a legit (we must assume) business a couple of years back

http://web.archive.org/web/20110207233713/http://lydxcy.com/

 

more recently it appears to have not been working. They might buy up old domains people have let lapse so a quick check makes it look like the site has been in existence for longer .

[abracadabra]

I will try to do as possibile to warn the people. I know that i will not get back my money, but i would like to help someone to not get scammed. Everywhere where i called, police, goverment etc. They told me i lost my money and they cannot do nothing. THe question is: WHO CAN DO SOMETHING if police and goverment don't do ANYTHING. These criminals will continue to scam freely without no problems?

If it's so, what the hell of world we are living it????????

[abracadabra]

I don't want to hire a chinese lawyer, because i know it will cost me from 3 to 6 000 euro. I must take 5 000 of the money that i lost. If i take a lawyer, probably i will lost not only this money, but also other 3 - 6000 euro, and so i think not to do it, because the money that i send to these bastards, were last of my money, and now i am refunding all clients, so i lost in totaly 10 000......what a shame.....

[Lu]

 

If it's so, what the hell of world we are living it????????

The same one we've been living in for thousands of years: don't give a stranger your money without some kind of security that you will get your goods. Caveat emptor, as the Romans used to say.

[abracadabra]

You're right, but i think that someone must do something if high number of people are in danger from these bastards scammers, there are people that had been scammed, like me, from the same websites. Tomorrow i will go to the Web Police of my country, the unique police that could help to me not to take my money back, but to do something for the other people, i asked them if it is possibile Interpol, and said me that they will contact them to report this case. I hope so.

[imron]

The only police who can maybe do anything about it are the Chinese police.  Unless you are willing to spend the time and money to pursue this through the Chinese legal system you're better off to just forget about it.  Even if you do decide you want to pursue it through the Chinese system, I would say there's little if no chance of success.

 

If you don't want them to scam others, the best thing you can do is try to raise the awareness of this issue.  Speak to you local newspaper and see if they will publish a story about your experience - try to spread the word that:

 

"If you are being offered branded electronics at a significant discount, from a company you've never heard of, which takes payment by Western Union or by transfer to a Chinese bank account - it's a scam. Yes, it's that simple".

 

and

 

"If something seems too good to be true, it probably is".

 

Raising awareness is the best way to prevent these people from scamming others.

[imron]

Posting this link for future reference.  It contains a whole boot load of good advice, plus links to the websites of many of the provincial Adminstrations for Industry and Commerce.

[abracadabra]

Going to the webpolice, told me that if they are more than 10 people with loss , minimum 2000 € per person, they will give the case to Interpol. This week i see already www.arfbe.com down. I am glad if these bastards can get what they diserve. Be careful everybody buying online!

 

P.S ... Do you think that the person of the banktransfer account, where i transfere money, is a real person, right? Or in China don't ask a lot of documents to open a bank account?

[tysond]

It's easy enough to find someone who needs money, ask them to open an account, tell them to transfer whatever comes in to a another account (or withdraw and give cash in person), and let them keep a percentage.  This can happen in any country.

 

http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/694306

 

The guy doing the transfers might be aware that it's a dodgy deal, and it could possibly land him in some trouble, but greed about earning some easy money can quickly cloud their judgement.