If you rip off someone on an internet forum

[Jim B.]

....you could REALLY get e-jumped and your whole life wrecked.

DO NOT mess with these guys.

On a forum, a young 18 year old guy puts up an ad for New gears for a 4x4 for $100.

Another forum member buys them, and sends the check. Seller cashes the check and says he made a mistake, the price was supposed to be $125, changes the original post to make it look like it was really $125 all along.

Then, he admits the gears were actually used, not new (they had been in his truck for 6 months.) Finally ships the gears, and buyer refuses to accept them, and notifies the Forum, (A VERY TOUGH CROWD), and asks for his money back. Seller refuses.

THEN the forum jumps this guy, and RUINS HIS LIFE.

Remarks like: "For those who think they stand a squirt of pi$$ in a hurricane's chance of getting one over on forum members, do not disturb the dark undercurrent that never makes itself seen, but is felt and perceived by all"

and: "It looked like they stuck an M80 up an octopus' a$$ lit the fuse stood back and waited for Darwin to show up"

An eventual refund and weak apology came, and a later hang up call to the buyers wife, but it was TOO LATE.

Before a 73 page thread got locked, over 700,000 views and links to over 600 forums in a few days, the following was posted about the guy: His ebay ID, a GOOGLE EARTH picture of his house, his address, home value, mortgage and tax details, personal credit history, date of birth, height, weight, phone number, bank information, T shirts and bumper stickers sold on CafePress, entries made in Wikipedia, Frappr, and UrbanDictionary, links to his job and school, photos of his truck and license plate number, pictures of his father sister and mother, highschool yearbook photos, photoshopping of his pictures, personal threats of a forum picnic and trip to his home for a personal beatdown, and much, much more.

"Charles Wentzel" became an instant internet word for "Scammer"

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=399203

^^^^Long story, starts out slow, then becomes, in turns, scary, educational and hilarious. At least three bags of popcorn needed.