A domain investor was defrauded by a serial scammer, who used a false identity and payment location.
Mr. Stanley Chen acquired MCV.com from a person called “Patrick Sitrok” but the domain was stolen, and Network Solutions eventually repossessed it.
How did Mr. Chen fall for this scam?
Months earlier, he had acquired the domain 3620.com on Sedo, from the same person. That transaction cost $20,478 dollars according to Namebio.
The seller in that transaction provided the following address:
14999 Preston Rd, Dallas, TX 75254
A simple Google search reveals that this address is the location of a Tom Thumb grocery store in Dallas, Texas!
It is not clear where payment was sent to, for that Sedo transaction, or whether there is a current claim against 3620.com, most likely a stolen domain name.
Domain investors engaging in transactions with unknown individuals, are encouraged to perform extensive background checks, including seeking phone communication and photographic or video evidence of the domain’s existence in the seller’s registrar account.
