2. Our experience
March 23, 2008
Contact
In November 07 Xclusive Media were advertising for creative help on www.craigslist.com. The first job on offer was to redesign and build a new Xclusive Media website. This was done by our agency and indeed they continue to illegally use the branding and logo developed in that process.
Realisation
Looking back there were a few clues to him not being genuine like lack of verbal contact, slow response to specific questions and lack of urgency to produce content for above project. The events that set the alarm bells ringing were, predictably, to do with getting paid. Fictitious accountant employees, lies about money leaving their account and failed PayPal payments all pointed to a less-than-rosy picture.
Eventually, through Google searches we uncovered information about SD which confirmed our suspicions that he was a fraudster. We have since been in touch with an extended number of victims found by searching the internet, and begun contact with the UK police who have informed us that SD is currently wanted for skipping bail and he is wanted by up to 4 individual forces.
Scott Dylan also used our bank details to set up Direct Debits in order to pay for his utility bills, and it is highly likely that the attempted PayPal transfer was done using a stolen credit card.
Outcome
It seems that Scott Dylan has an understanding of the UK legal system and manages to avoid detection and capture by operating in a kind of grey area. On one hand he is a known criminal and one would hope any contact with him that is reported to the Police would trigger the appropriate action. However on the other hand he deals with people in a business capacity and therefore any grievances with him are classed as a civil case.
His business addresses are all fictional, which makes any civil proceedings virtually impossible. Anyone wishing to pursue him may have to consider private firms to track him down and engage with quality legal representation. Of course since most of the people he abuses lose out financially they are unable to afford to do this.
