Beware of Thorny

[utcrazy]

Hello all,

I just want to make sure no one else is scammed by the user "Thorny" on these forums. It's a shame that someone would scam innocent hosts.

Anyway, Gary Mcnughton (or so he called himself) ordered 6 months service of a Dual Xeon server on December 21st of 2007.

First Name: Gary
Last Name: Mcnughton
Email: Removed
Phone:
Address: Withheld
City: Livingston
State: West Lothian
Country: GB
Language: English
Package Type: Dedicated Servers ( DEDI )
Domain Package: Dual Xeon 2.4gHz 4GB RAM
Payment Type: 2checkout

His credit card charged back a few days ago, and he claimed that it was stolen and the account was closed so he would pay via paypal. No response since then, a few hosts have come to me claiming similar stories about him.

We usually send these to collections, but I suspect that the address given is a fake and the number possibly a fake as well. Maxmind gave this order as "Slightly higher risk because between the billing address and the user's actual location is larger than expected"

Make sure to not do any business with Thorny and alert any friends you have at other hosts. I am going to try and do whatever I can to track him down and ensure he is held accountable I am not sure if FWS will take any action as far as banning this user, but I certainly would. I have his IP if any mod would like to confirm.

Thanks

[Eclouds]

Thanks for the heads up.

[Jordan Mclay]

thanks utcrazy,

He actually signed up for one of my servers a while back and it was cancelled for fraud maxmind said the same thing, i think his location was showing as england.
The guy obviously has a screw loose.

I live near West Lothian, ill ask around to see if "thorny" is known to anyone ;)

[iBrightDev]

yeah, i love his negative posts of GR, even though he was canceled for fraud.

[hamster]

thanks for the heads up ut :D

[Cam.]

Thanks for the notice Mark ;)

I'll be sure to watch out for that one :)

[Decker]

The 2 pieces of address are correct but a street or postcode would be needed to narrow it down, the mobile number doesn't help either. Make sure you get a post/zip code on sign up makes tracing a load easier :wink2:

[Thorny]

Wow, a thread all about me, time to defend myself?

Hello all,

Just to let you know that there is no scam here what so ever, i have had my CC detaisl stolen which i told UT xrazy, upon closure of my account the bank did an automatic "chargeback" on transactions within the past 6 months as that is when i started shopping online.

And your correct, i no longer live in Scotland/West lothian, i've moved. I have contacted UT via pm and also via email explaining my current situation. Mothers taken ill with a shadow on her lung, however i have managed to get to the bank and resolve this issue, and as for any other server purchases, may i just add that i have never used another credit card for purchases.

If you wish to discuss this further please contact me via pm, although i do not promise to reply as i am at the hospital most nights

Thanks

[James]

I'm really not sure about the ethical boundaries pushed here. Does the provider have the rights to post somebody's signup details in public? Never mind a chargeback, what about privacy laws and client confidentiality?

The provider concerned knew this person was a member here and deliberately created this thread to try to harm and humiliate him, posting his private details in public. I don't care if there was a chargeback, this is wrong way to deal with the situation.

[Thorny]

I have no problem with my name etc posted, but please remove the number. UT has taken this the wrong way and is pissed at the fact he didnt get his money straight away.

I am working to resolve this, i am not a scammer, keep this post open all you like but i know where i stand and if my details are not taken down legal advice shall be taken against the board itself and the OP.

Thanks

[T^2]

I'm really not sure about the ethical boundaries pushed here. Does the provider have the rights to post somebody's signup details in public? Never mind a chargeback, what about privacy laws and client confidentiality?

The provider concerned knew this person was a member here and deliberately created this thread to try to harm and humiliate him, posting his private details in public. I don't care if there was a chargeback, this is wrong way to deal with the situation.

Yea...if a host has a privacy policy it most likely states clearly that you will not disclose personal information unless requested by law.

[utcrazy]

Forgive me if I don't believe you Thorny, but another provider told me you gave them the same story a few months ago. When a client attempts to scam myself and other hosts out of thousands of dollars, they revoke the privacy right as to prevent future scamming attempts from them. We will see if Thorny is legitimate. I removed any information that would've been deemed personal, his name and general area isn't' exactly something that is private. But again, I'm not just releasing client information for fun, I'm giving information about name and certain signup details as to prevent something similar from happening to you.

[Eclouds]

Why would the bank do a chargeback for all transactions in the past 6 months? I don't understand that. Did you lose your card 6 months ago and waited until recently to call it stolen?

[Jordan Mclay]

Don't blame me for butting in also, but when my card was stolen only the transactions from the last few days were reversed.

Can't really see the bank reversing charges from a card lost six months ago, probarly turn around and say sorry you have left it too late or something to the same effect.

[Thorny]

I have just explained this to Justin via PM,

6 months ago were when there we're spending anomolies if you like, these weren't picked up by myself, and tbh i can't remember what i have and havent bought from thos anomoly dates, so they have done a 6 month charge back. This co-insides with my security protection plan i have on my finances...

I am staying in contact with UT, whilst also trying to spend some time with my mother in hospital

[Corazu]

I have just explained this to Justin via PM,

6 months ago were when there we're spending anomolies if you like, these weren't picked up by myself, and tbh i can't remember what i have and havent bought from thos anomoly dates, so they have done a 6 month charge back. This co-insides with my security protection plan i have on my finances...

I am staying in contact with UT, whilst also trying to spend some time with my mother in hospital

EDIT: I may be mistaken, I'm now having trouble believing Mark..there's another dedi request from thorny dating to march 8th..and he was the first response.

[Thorny]

Corazu, either you are very nieve or just plainly out to pick an argument. Yes my mother is in hospital with a shadow on her lung, (look it up) i have been in contact with the bank to sort out this mess that has been cuased, and believe me Justin isn't the only person to be affected by this charge back. I suggest this thread is closed/removed quite simply it's got to a point where i have now explained myself, i have been in touch with justin and things are being sorted

[Corazu]

Corazu, either you are very nieve or just plainly out to pick an argument. Yes my mother is in hospital with a shadow on her lung, (look it up) i have been in contact with the bank to sort out this mess that has been cuased, and believe me Justin isn't the only person to be affected by this charge back. I suggest this thread is closed/removed quite simply it's got to a point where i have now explained myself, i have been in touch with justin and things are being sorted

You're right, sorry, I just found that when someone's obviously in the hole, that's the type of stuff they pull, so when it's true it's hard to believe.

After reading a couple other posts..I don't know. I'm butting out like I should have been.

Sorry.

[.Andy]

Corazu, either you are very nieve or just plainly out to pick an argument. Yes my mother is in hospital with a shadow on her lung, (look it up) i have been in contact with the bank to sort out this mess that has been cuased, and believe me Justin isn't the only person to be affected by this charge back. I suggest this thread is closed/removed quite simply it's got to a point where i have now explained myself, i have been in touch with justin and things are being sorted

Good luck with your mom. I wish you the best of luck. From what I've talked to you you seem like a reasonable guy and I have faith you will get this worked out asap.

[utcrazy]

No word from Thorny since his last PM, we'll see if he's the real deal.

[James]

What are you expecting? For him to pay up the full 6 months again? If that is the case I'm not sure public torture is the wait to go. If I was Thorny right now I would never pay up...

They have a saying, customer is king. I agree with clients exposing bad hosting services but I am against providers trying to expose bad clients on public forums, no matter what they have done. It's just unprofessional. Some chargebacks come with the territory. Report him to certain authorities and dbs and move on, get over it.

[Thorny]

FFS Justin what dont you understand about mother being very ill meaning i have very little time on my hands, FFS just knock it off you'll get the ----ing money

[Decker]

A lot of things don't add up with Thorny's statements James.

It's been called out and needs to be seen to go one way or the other now.

And there he is now :)

[James]

A lot of things don't add up with Thorny's statements James.

Sure, I can do maths :) But it's the conduct and integrity of the host I am interested in here. There is always going to be different kinds of clients, all the time.

[Decker]

Hosts have to live with the outcome of their conduct, others will be waiting to see if they would consider the subject as a possible client now or never :wink2:

[Jan]

Hosts have to live with the outcome of their conduct
Indeed!

[utcrazy]

Hosts have to live with the outcome of their conduct, others will be waiting to see if they would consider the subject as a possible client now or never :wink2:

It appears that FWS hosts are more concerned with commenting on the integrity of hosts (even when they have been doing this for a while now) rather than keeping good uptime. Again, Thorny hasn't paid anyone, so we have no clue if his story is true or not. Don't jump the gun too fast, I didn't give out any personal information aside from his name, which you need to know in preventing fraud orders.

Thorny was very happy wit our services and there has been no network or power downtimes during the duration he's been with us. If he is who he says he is, then we can continue our business relations for many years.

[Dini]

I'll have to take Mark's side here. This kind of situation is just too typical

[Decker]

I'm interested in the chargeback explaination, at that timescale a criminal fraud investigation would be required, and would not necessarily require the chargeback to take place but be advised of the possibility.

[utcrazy]

Still no word from Thorny.

[utcrazy]

Just as an update, I never received any payment from Thorny. He has stopped communication for a little while now.

[LSComputers]

Am sorry to hear your having problems still... It seems over time something happens to users/hosts/clients that just turn things screwy and this is the outcome we see from it :(.

Thanks for the updates, I know you havent gotten any thing from him.. But I also think its clear you probally never will. I would say to send this to collections etc.

Or possibly call his bank ( with the details you have and his last 4 details of the credit card ) You should be able to contact your merchant to get his banks details and call them see what they say happened. They do have the right to refuse comment but its worth a try.

[James]

I think it is too late to be chasing this + slim chance. The quicker you forget about it the better in cases like this... :(

[[DWH]Yuxuan]

I believed Thorny in the beginning about his mother, but now I can start to see his real colours... Still no reply from him? Sorry to hear about this UT.

[Darknight]

Yuxuan;974254']I believed Thorny in the beginning about his mother, but now I can start to see his real colours... Still no reply from him? Sorry to hear about this UT.
I didnt, He didnt type it in a belivable way
"Mother has taken ill" - Sounds like something in a movie with the setting of the 1800s
That was just taking the piss outa us.
Most people would say
My mother is really sick in hosptial, I have been there alot bla bla bla bla

[Eclouds]

It takes more time to answer this thread than to send the payment. Never believed him.

[Jan]

Yuxuan;974254']I believed Thorny in the beginning about his mother,
Let's hope for everyone's sake it wasn't true.

[[DWH]Yuxuan]

Well, generally, I like to leave people the benefit of the doubt, at least on the first encounter of the person. But I guess you could call me naïve, or gullible, whichever one you prefer.

[Patrick]

It's been almost 2 weeks, plenty of time to sort out a charge back - I am starting to have doubts as well. Thorny doesn't seem to be away either as he was on FWS just an hour ago.

[fattony69]

I paid thorny for services of reseller hosting. He was great. He always answered my questions and I had no problems until this occurred. I am a currently in school which makes it hard for me to make payments and Thorny was easy on me for having late charges. Lately, I can't download my backups being at school and so when this happened, I haven't had at all very updated backups since I am always at school. I would personally pay it because I want my backups so I can move on and go, but I have very low on finances and as of now, my only some what form of income was my sites. This hits me hard. It seems like he was a great guy and perhaps he is going through a hard time. Sometimes, you can't jump to conclusions, but all I want is recent backups please.

[utcrazy]

I paid thorny for services of reseller hosting. He was great. He always answered my questions and I had no problems until this occurred. I am a currently in school which makes it hard for me to make payments and Thorny was easy on me for having late charges. Lately, I can't download my backups being at school and so when this happened, I haven't had at all very updated backups since I am always at school. I would personally pay it because I want my backups so I can move on and go, but I have very low on finances and as of now, my only some what form of income was my sites. This hits me hard. It seems like he was a great guy and perhaps he is going through a hard time. Sometimes, you can't jump to conclusions, but all I want is recent backups please.

We'll see if Thorny comes back to pay his debt, mods please confirm that Tony's IP is not the same as Thorny's.

[James]

You won't... Seriously, forget about it and move on. It's the best thing to do. I bet it has given you enough anger and stress already...

[fattony69]

We'll see if Thorny comes back to pay his debt, mods please confirm that Tony's IP is not the same as Thorny's.

Once you find that both our ips are totally different and IF he doesn't, I get screwed? There is something wrong about screwing only a student who has just been getting by.

[Eclouds]

The only person "screwing" you here is Thorny.

[fattony69]

The only thing I want is my backups to personal sites I run and a forum. That is it, which is on the server. I just want to get them and be done with this whole ordeal and get on my way.

[Eclouds]

Then contact Thorny and ask him for the backups. Nothing anyone else can do. Thorny did not pay, the host had to shut it down. Do you think hosting companies keep the data for people who don't pay hoping the person will come back 2 years later and pay?

[fattony69]

I have and I also have been trying to conjure up the money myself so I can get on my way.

[Chris L.]

UT's Privacy policy likely forbids him from giving you a backup.
Sorry,
Chris

[[JSH]John]

Thorny is the only one that can get your backups for you. Even if you saved up more than enough to pay off his debt, UT couldn't give you the backups for privacy reasons.

I've been following this thread for a while and thought Thorny might have genuinely had a problem with his credit/debit cards, but now I'm starting to believe it was a complete lie. Hopefully he will come back and pay his debts but he's getting himself a bad name unless he comes back soon and sorts all this out.

[fattony69]

First thing I was told was this:


Yes I was, I am waiting for him to bill his bills. We can retrieve your files for $79.95

Thanks

[LSComputers]

Well the longer you wait the longer you quicker those files will be deleted. UT doesnt need to have a server dormate so if your really wanting your files, get the money asap or start over.

Hate to be blunt but it looks like you were screwed in all this as well.

[Cam.]

First thing I was told was this:

Now that's interesting... That would violate all sorts of privacy laws, wouldn't it?

[Decker]

If the server was managed then it would be okay to approach the server supplier, and that the supplier charge a fee for recovery and delivery.

[utcrazy]

Correct, there would be no way of telling who owns the accounts, so I don't think I can give you the backups in any way tony. If you took over Thorny's contract, with his permission, then I would be able to give you access then.

[Decker]

I don't think I would suggest taking 'that' contract on. Although is there a way that the correct person with login details to access the data can?

It would mean the box would still have to be accessible.

[utcrazy]

I don't think I would suggest taking 'that' contract on. Although is there a way that the correct person with login details to access the data can?

It would mean the box would still have to be accessible.

It's a tricky situation, the boxes data is still in tact for the time being.

[Decker]

Is a difficult one Mark, one keeping it as it is when it's not paying for itself. Sometimes providers can override rules to ensure client data security (and customer satisfaction).

It takes time and effort and a charge is not uncalled for, maybe if the client could provide to you sufficient details of ownership of the data then a deal could be worked out?

Your both being held to ransom by the same person, alledgedly (term included for usual reasons), which is unfair to both parties. Your more understanding than that.

[Corazu]

I don't think the contract thing is a good idea.

On that note, I understand your position Mark, but you could bring up the server briefly to allow tony to log in and retrieve his data. There's probably a way you could put a block on all the other accounts as well while bringing it up just for him - though not sure of the technicality with the policy for that.

I don't think bringing the server up briefly to let him get his stuff would hurt, or be against any policy really. If you found other customers who needed the stuff too, then it would be something nice to do.

It is a tricky situation though, thorny would easily be able to grab his stuff too, and there's no real way to stop just that without tampering with data ergo, breaking the privacy policy.

I really don't envy your position at all. Good luck, here's to hoping Thorny comes through.

[Jan]

mods please confirm that Tony's IP is not the same as Thorny's.

Not even remotely close.

[fattony69]

Not even remotely close.

Thank you for proving that.

I can tell you all the details about every sing site and all you would want to know. I just want files back. I have him on msn and he hasn't been on since before this incident occurred.

[utcrazy]

Thorny wasn't in any contract, he had committed to 6 months. I would like to give Thorny fair time in case he is legit, it doesn't seem so, but we'll see.

[Decker]

It is a tricky situation though, thorny would easily be able to grab his stuff too, and there's no real way to stop just that without tampering with data ergo, breaking the privacy policy.


Actually it's easier than you think, no one needs root access, and privacy policy doesn't come into it under the circumstances as it would be clients who own the data.

So Marks clear on it.

[fattony69]

Actually it's easier than you think, no one needs root access, and privacy policy doesn't come into it under the circumstances as it would be clients who own the data.

So Marks clear on it.

If I understand that correctly, I own the data because I paid for that space. I don't know. I hate being dragged through this because there are points made on both sides. All I need is just to get my files and go. There isn't a whole lot and it would be quick.

[Corazu]

Will, if he just brought the server up...what I was saying is that it would be quite easy for thorny to also log in and grab any data he had on the server, and there's no way to stop that...granted there shouldn't be data that thorny needs anyway, since if he was going to pull this ---- he probably already has backups.

But yea, you're right, other than that..I don't think there would be a problem.

EDIT: Mark could probably just bring it up with a deny on thorny's IP, or allow tony and deny everything else..or just bring up ftp..or something..

I think there's a way to do it..I'm not sure though..I'm not in the position so I'm not sure what his options are for that. Besides just bringing the server up completely for a couple of minutes.

[Decker]

If I understand that correctly, I own the data because I paid for that space. I don't know. I hate being dragged through this because there are points made on both sides. All I need is just to get my files and go. There isn't a whole lot and it would be quick.

Not quite, it is your data, if it can be proven, not just buying space.

Corazu, your way wide of the mark for doing his.

[fattony69]

I can answer all the questions needed.

[Decker]

Contact UT

[utcrazy]

I still need to protect Thorny's files and they are in fact his even when you upload your content to his server. The server was running cPanel so in order to retain a backup, that would need to be put back on. The fee I told you for retrieving the files (cPanel + our time to create/upload/retrieve the backup) still stands. Kind of protects everyone seeing as it shows some commitment on your side as not being Thorny. I will have to KVM in, change root password, etc. so it's not something I'm going to do out of the goodness of my heart considering I lost a substantial sum on Thorny.

[fattony69]

I have the passwords still and everything. I can barely afford $80, if I did, it would take me some time,and you are punishing me for his misdoings. I am sorry, but this is very unprofessional.

[utcrazy]

I have the passwords still and everything. I can barely afford $80, if I did, it would take me some time,and you are punishing me for his misdoings. I am sorry, but this is very unprofessional.

It's just the costs associated with getting the files, there is really nothing I can do about them. I didn't have anything to do with Thorny's doings aside from being his server provider. As a side note, I am discussing this case with my collection lawyers tomorrow.

[Chris L.]

UT, I need to call bull----.
It would take less than 4 minuets to edit grub to boot without the root password or change the password using passwd. Maybe 15 minuets if you had some odd or complex authentication for the KVM. If you power up the server ftpd should be auto-started along with httpd. Perhaps you could rent the cost of powering the server up to fat tony. If you were ultra-nice, you would rent it to him at an hourly rate... Or even a daily rate.
When you bring a cPanel server up without a license, you have 30 days to get a license before cpanel is disabled. Perhaps you could do it as a favor should fat tony decide to purchase a shared hosting account from you.
Chris L.
PS: Here is how to login as root without a password: http://linuxgazette.net/107/tomar.html

[Vesica]

UT, I need to call bull----.
It would take less than 4 minuets to edit grub to boot without the root password or change the password using passwd. Maybe 15 minuets if you had some odd or complex authentication for the KVM. If you power up the server ftpd should be auto-started along with httpd. Perhaps you could rent the cost of powering the server up to fat tony. If you were ultra-nice, you would rent it to him at an hourly rate... Or even a daily rate.
When you bring a cPanel server up without a license, you have 30 days to get a license before cpanel is disabled. Perhaps you could do it as a favor should fat tony decide to purchase a shared hosting account from you.
Chris L.
PS: Here is how to login as root without a password: http://linuxgazette.net/107/tomar.html

Word. I totally agree.

[James]

This is really turning into a baby fight.

[LSComputers]

Would have to agree James... these people complaining over files your not his client, he does not have to assist you if he does hes doing things hes not required to so dont complain to him complain to your host :).

Anyways, Mark, I had my friend email you so you should have gotten it.

[fattony69]

This could all be over if I could receive what I need and leave.

[LSComputers]

This could all be over if I could receive what I need and leave.

Then call thorny, Mark is not responsible to help you.

[fattony69]

Thorny has been untraceable. So instead, I thought it would be smarter to skip the middle man and go to the source. Same like any other problem one might face in life.

[Chris L.]

fat tony:
Go to http://www.whois.sc/thorny'sdomainname.com
obviously replace the domain name. You may be able to get a phone number to call that guy.

[fattony69]

fat tony:
Go to http://www.whois.sc/thorny'sdomainname.com
obviously replace the domain name. You may be able to get a phone number to call that guy.

Thanks a lot, I never thought of doing such.

Edit:
I got the number, though it doesn't lead to the country he put where he lives.

[utcrazy]

Looks like our friend Thorny is gone, I suggest maybe a ban on his IP so he doesn't reappear as another scammer.

[utcrazy]

Just informed by some random person that Thorny told them he did steal a credit card to use in this transaction. He's still lurking somewhere, if anyone has any information on his whereabouts please let me know so I can pass the information along to the police.

[Eclouds]

I suppose my gut feeling was right :)

The excuses were unbelievable and with all the time he took to respond here, he could have paid the outstanding balance already.

@fattony:
Mark doesn't have to give you anything. You should have done research before purchasing from Thorny to make sure he was registered, had contacts, and also proved to not be a "fly-by-night" company (which it was). Mark has no obligations towards you but Thorny does. If today Marks wants to format the server, it isn't any of your concerns as you cannot just go up to the source and ask to get data that is "owned" by the middle man.

Your name is not on the contract (although void) thus Mark is not required to do anything for you. He stated he would do it for a fee, if your data is so valuable then you know what to do. Otherwise, there is no point in asking every day for the data as it will get you nowhere.

[Jan]

Just informed by some random person
And you always believe "some random person"? :eek3:

[Erizo]

And you always believe "some random person"? :eek3:

Assuming he just "got scammed" by Thorny, shouldn't he not believe some random person? Just a thought.

[fattony69]

I suppose my gut feeling was right :)

The excuses were unbelievable and with all the time he took to respond here, he could have paid the outstanding balance already.

@fattony:
Mark doesn't have to give you anything. You should have done research before purchasing from Thorny to make sure he was registered, had contacts, and also proved to not be a "fly-by-night" company (which it was). Mark has no obligations towards you but Thorny does. If today Marks wants to format the server, it isn't any of your concerns as you cannot just go up to the source and ask to get data that is "owned" by the middle man.

Your name is not on the contract (although void) thus Mark is not required to do anything for you. He stated he would do it for a fee, if your data is so valuable then you know what to do. Otherwise, there is no point in asking every day for the data as it will get you nowhere.

I can understand that, but I don't get why he can't just do it. I spent many, many months on just a few blogs. All written by me and I want them back. It isn't that hard. I can understand he isn't required, but like I took a lot of time and these websites I have been doing for quite a while. It isn't like I am asking him to move over a huge thing or anything. Just something small and quick. I am sorry that he got scammed. It sucks. He seemed very nice and always helped me. I am just asking for my files. I don't comprehend the complexing and difficulty of this.

[utcrazy]

I explained how it isn't just a pop onto the server to grab the files. Formatting this box tomorrow, if you want to retain your files, please PM me.

Thanks

[Erizo]

I can understand that, but I don't get why he can't just do it. I spent many, many months on just a few blogs. All written by me and I want them back. It isn't that hard. I can understand he isn't required, but like I took a lot of time and these websites I have been doing for quite a while. It isn't like I am asking him to move over a huge thing or anything. Just something small and quick. I am sorry that he got scammed. It sucks. He seemed very nice and always helped me. I am just asking for my files. I don't comprehend the complexing and difficulty of this.

It is, in fact, harder than it seems to you. AND it involves thinking to how to do it withouth breaching the contract/privacy policy.

Do you know what is NOT hard? Making daily/bi-daily backups of your sites.

[[JSH]John]

Some people will never understand.

[utcrazy]

John;975597']Some people will never understand.

Indeed. :)

[fattony69]

I am a student. Trying to learn the ins and outs of this stuff. I had a blog...well had a blog since it was going to be deleted and a few others about sports and my favorite videos. I can't really backup at school because first I live here and the internet for some reason will never download the whole backup. I rarely go home to do so. So, when this happen, I haven't been home in a while, so my backups are very old. I am sorry. I can't afford the $80 and now all of my stuff will be deleted. Happy?

[Chris L.]

Come on UT. You could rent theserver to him for $20 / day. You would just have to power it on. ftpd and httpd would autostart. there would be no privacy issue because you wouldn't give him the root password. $20 / day would more than cover the bandwidth charges.
Chris

[LSComputers]

Yea Fattony69 I am your finally about to relize that were not responsible for your poor choice in a host..

Thats an harsh comment, but personally I have seen you bring more drama about your problem (hijacking anyone) then the issue the threads about. Simple lessons learned:

1) Never purchase from someone with an unsure track record.
2) Always keep offshore backups
3) Never contact your hosts host. They dont have to do anything for you.

[Decker]

I can't really backup at school because first I live here and the internet for some reason will never download the whole backup. I rarely go home to do so. So, when this happen, I haven't been home in a while, so my backups are very old. I am sorry. I can't afford the $80 and now all of my stuff will be deleted. Happy?

Well you've just stated the futility of asking to get access to download your backup - if you can't anyway that's a second point that UT is not responsible for.

If you can come to an arrangement with Mark, I'll download it for you and split it into small pieces (that you can download-most likely a filesize restricion to save students battering the schools bandwidth) and put it on one of my boxes for you to access for a while.

That is 'if you can arrange proper legitimet access'

[fattony69]

Its out of my hands now. I have yet to hear a reaction from UT.

@LS

It was my first time actually paying for hosting since, I usually had friends pay. Thanks for the lessons. I will take that into consideration.

[LSComputers]

Its out of my hands now. I have yet to hear a reaction from UT.

@LS

It was my first time actually paying for hosting since, I usually had friends pay. Thanks for the lessons. I will take that into consideration.


Hey fattony69,

Just gotta mention this, because I know my replies were more strick and could have been rude. I will admit back when I started as a client of companies and not an owner, I learned these very same rules. Everything online are stepping stones, as time goes on your learn ways to be more efficent online :).

[fattony69]

Hey fattony69,

Just gotta mention this, because I know my replies were more strick and could have been rude. I will admit back when I started as a client of companies and not an owner, I learned these very same rules. Everything online are stepping stones, as time goes on your learn ways to be more efficent online :).

I understand perfectly. Sometimes you have to be blunt to get your point through. I am just hoping I don't have anything bad happen over this.

[utcrazy]

In order to put the server online, I would need to reset the root password. If Fat tony agrees to buy a cPanel license, then he can get it for $20/day. But that will cost him $43. Still not worth my time, but I'll help if I can.

Thanks

[fattony69]

In order to put the server online, I would need to reset the root password. If Fat tony agrees to buy a cPanel license, then he can get it for $20/day. But that will cost him $43. Still not worth my time, but I'll help if I can.

Thanks

Thanks, I think I can do it, but can't you use a 30 day trial on the cpanel?

[[JSH]John]

I don't think 30 day free trials work after already having a license on the server.

[Eclouds]

That's correct John.

[fattony69]

Ok, I didn't know that. I think I can get $43

[Corazu]

Why don't you contact cPanel and explain the situation..they'll probably give you a free day license. They did a week for me years ago when we had some issues with the server provider's license or something..they ended up extending it a week until the payment went in. I don't remember exactly why we did it..I think it was during a switch to a new provider that didn't offer it and we had to get it on our own but since it was a spur of the moment (since the provider we were with vanished) it was an emergency.

They may do it, never hurts to try.

[Chris L.]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that cpanel will kill itself (but not httpd / ftpd) if it does not have a license.... After it auto starts those processes.
Chris

[Decker]

Once it 'calls home' it will disable automatically yes. Site will still be up but cPanel will not be available.

[Corazu]

well you could always block all outgoing requests from the server...then cpanel will never call home :P

Though I imagine it's based on a receive-to-activate, the script will still send the request through and if it doesn't receive a response in a certain time it will shut down...

Now I want to get a box to test that..

[Decker]

Can't, if it can't talk it won't work and auto disable :)

cPanel have a pretty good activation/licensing system, :wink2:

[Corazu]

That's what I figured. So the only solution besides paying is to get them to give you a temporary license. cPanel's good people, they may help you out.

[Decker]

It's not the only way to backup the account though.

cPanel I have always had great support from and they most likely would issue/reissue a license for a couple of days. But the time and effort involved in them doing it would go outside Marks deadline to reformat the machine.

[[DWH]Yuxuan]

The thing I don't understand is I see Thorny getting online all the time. But he doesn't make any posts. He stopped ever since March 15th. He knows he lost his credibility, so why does he still check up on the forum from time to time?

[fattony69]

Yuxuan;976130']The thing I don't understand is I see Thorny getting online all the time. But he doesn't make any posts. He stopped ever since March 15th. He knows he lost his credibility, so why does he still check up on the forum from time to time?

Thats unfortunately the sad truth.

[Jan]

If he wishes to advertise here again, I would advise him to get things fixed ASAP.

[Darknight]

It is not up to UT to give you files, it was up to you to keep backups.
Its your loss, No ones fult but your own and Thorny...
your lucky the server has not been wiped yet.
You need to understand the fact that its UT's HDD and becuse of that its his and only his choice on what to do with it. - It costs money to bring a server backup....
Next time I hope you will learn to backup, as it is really foolish for anyone not to backup.

[fattony69]

Actually, we are taking care of the matter now.

[Vesica]

Hey, did someone get at least a response from Thorny? Because as [DWH]Yuxuan said, he's checking the forum each day, but I don't think he's replying to anyone so there must be more going on than it seems.

[utcrazy]

I got a rather abrupt PM from Tony about how he deserves to have his files, how I''m standing in his way, how my domain is unprofessional, how the uniquely designed site (he called it a template) was rather un-unique. So Tony, I tried to help you, I'm formatting the server. He tried to send me on a guilt trip over something that has nothing to do with me. Something along the lines of me hiding behind a computer and that I have to learn business ethics. Sorry you don't have the money.

He also called my $100/month Dual Xeons overpriced....

I don't really care, the personal insults are alright in this situation, but it's unfortunate that it was said because I was ready to give him the files.

Have a good day.

[Decker]

Very unfortunate, Tony should realise people tried to help, bar the one who let him down.
On his side, frustration is a hell of a thing to be left with as the only part of something that's left.

Think you just got the brunt of it Mark as your accessible and Thorny isn't.

[Corazu]

Agreed, I don't think anyone really disagrees with you on this except for tony.

I don't really see what else you could have done besides take a big hit on money/resources (and you already have) which isn't really a reasonable option, considering he had every chance to be doing his own backups..it was his responsibility.

But, ---- happens.

[Eclouds]

Good move. After 3 pages of asking for his data without reading that you aren't the one responsible for his data and him sending you that PM, I would do the same. Have fun with it. :beer:

[Darknight]

well IMO he was stupid for not getting a backup then blaming everyone else for his stupid mistake.

[Chris L.]

I have my hat off to you for that, UT. Tony, NOT cool.
Chris

[Vesica]

because I was ready to give him the files.

ROFL @ you. Anyway, did someone talk to Thorny or not? He's either offline all the time or he's ignoring the most of us.

[Corazu]

ROFL @ you. Anyway, did someone talk to Thorny or not? He's either offline all the time or he's ignoring the most of us.

What the hell? Honestly, start making some damned sense...

[Jordan Mclay]

warez-it.org hes admin there and is online now, hope this helps!

[[JSH]John]

I've just had a look and yes he's been posting all the time while he's at the "hospital".

[Jan]

warez-it.org hes admin there and is online now, hope this helps!
And you know this how? ;)

[Jordan Mclay]

One of our clients runs the site, "Jamie G" who is thornys friend or something hence i had been talking to him.

And joined up a few weeks ago upon Jamie's request. :)

Edit - It was also in thornys msn name ;)

[James]

Yes Jordan must be downloading stuff from there real regular :D

[Jordan Mclay]

Actually i was reading up tutorials on it and how to get premium rapidshare accounts, no illegal downloads though :P

Edit - Stuff what i said above i actually i downloaded the sims :(

[[JSH]John]

That game can get addictive. :P

[James]

Actually i was reading up tutorials on it and how to get premium rapidshare accounts, no illegal downloads though :P

Edit - Stuff what i said above i actually i downloaded the sims :(

Evidence! oldman2

[Jordan Mclay]

:eek2: :ninja:

[Erizo]

Actually i was reading up tutorials on it and how to get premium rapidshare accounts, no illegal downloads though :P

Edit - Stuff what i said above i actually i downloaded the sims :(

Buy it, support the authors, it's only 5 USD :angel:

BTW, if Thorny is the admin of a warez forum, that explains why he is the one discussed into this thread, lol:tired2:

[Vesica]

Yeah he's indeed the owner of warez-it.org. I registered there and made an account and asked why he did it and I instantly got banned. For those people who don't want to be scammed again, he is planning to start another hosting site: http://www.xternaldrive.com. There are also forums: http://www.xternaldrive.com/forums.

He's indeed a scammer.

[Jordan Mclay]

Hes not a scammer untill we find out so from mark.

[Diri08]

Hi,

First of all, i'd like to point out that Thorny is not the rightful owner of warez-it, I am, he is simply a co-admin. You have no right to bring my forums name into this discussion as its not directly linked to this topic, now is it?

I found this Jordan bloke was registered as a member named: "jordano" & he was reported of pm'ing my members with regards to a warez forum in which he is part of, asking them to join and so on, thats advertising, so i took it upon my self to go and visit this site.

The admin there apologized for what had happened, and confirmed this was Jordan, + I have his IP which we cross referenced.

And for someone who said they weren't downloading illegal content,


Actually i was reading up tutorials on it and how to get premium rapidshare accounts, no illegal downloads though - Jordan

How can you call your self the "Warez-King" on that other forum?

Just making my point here,

Thanks

And another thing, xTernalDrive, I was planning to making this a success, and yes we are using legit sh*t here, but thanks for Vesica, it seems we may have to close down, because your getting rumors spread about us... even before we open, this has been a site where i have put hours into designing, and im not going to let it go down the drain thanks to you. Everyone makes mistakes in their lives, yet you can always change your self around, just think of that, before you go and pick on someone for something when it could have been 20x worse. I've been watching this thread right from the start, and im sick of some of the comments made here,

You can say "im backing my friend up" if you wish, but im sure if you know him the same way i do, and have heard what he's had to say, you would agree with me.

Its time this topic was closed, and the person named "Mark" to post his final outcome, instead of this just going on and on, so we can move on with our lives, rather than have useless members joining and spamming my forum.

As for vesica, i've lost my total respect for you, I know you from before, and no i haven't "blocked" you on msn, I have a completely new msn which i use for personal contacts (not the one which you mentioned on the shout box the other day). Yes he made a mistake, but no need to take it out on me aswell as my community & now a new upcoming website, Im sure you wouldn't like it if i did it to your forums.

So please,

take you time, and read through this post + thread, enough criticism has been made, and its making someones life a misery, I'd like this to be over and done with asap.

Thats F*cking low.

Nite, :fangel:

Diri

If anyone has anything to say about this, you can happily contact me on my forum via PM, im not here to start any fights or arguments, im a genuine person and I would like to resolve this issue within an ongoing topic.

Although I'll say one thing to vesica, thanks, you brought me some members + traffic i guess.

[Dynash]

And another thing, xTernalDrive, I was planning to making this a success, and yes we are using legit sh*t here, but thanks for Vesica, it seems we may have to close down, because your getting rumors spread about us...

if you are talking about the forum, you are linking which is legal if your servers are located where it is legal, but you are exactly sharing open source stuff. & not wanting useless people signing up on your forum, so you tell people to contact you there?.. but i agree, this thread has had alot of attention.:eek3:

[Diri08]

No i was talking about xTernaldrive, a new hosting site which me and thorny were going to start. The warez forum which i run, is hosted legally, where warez linking is allowed, and the IPB FORUM is legit with our own license.

[Erizo]

Well, even if no one had said anything about the warez forum, it'd still had bad rumors (xternaldrive) because being owned from Thorny and well.... he doesn't have a lot of members in this thread really happy, lol

[[JSH]John]

Since Thorny is causing so many problems for you Diri08, why not get him to come here and defend himself and your company?

I doubt he ever will come back here, he knows he was in the wrong and lied so many times. I can't believe he even lied about his own mothers health. I guess we all make mistakes in life, but at least some of us correct our mistakes.

[Jordan Mclay]

We see what your saying Diri, But thorny did scam mark and hasn't even offered an appology never mind pay him back.

How can you expect the host to forget about this and to let thorny have a "new" start!

[JohnN]

No i was talking about xTernaldrive, a new hosting site which me and thorny were going to start. The warez forum which i run, is hosted legally, where warez linking is allowed, and the IPB FORUM is legit with our own license.

Dear god have you missed the point. Here at fws people arn't judged as a.ok because their jumping through legal loopholes, if I hop of to some other country and have relations with a 12 year old because its "legal" that doesn't stop the act being completely wrong.

Admittedly your stealing content, not doing underages kids but you catch my drift.

[Diri08]

Go and tell that to the other 100 warez forums around, some which have over 1 million members..

Warez is just a hobby, im not doing the stealing here, im merely posting and linking to the files. Don't tell me you've never gone and downloaded a track from limewire or some other p2p place because you wanted it, because then YOUR stealing content too..

We're all guilty of stealing content, no matter how small it was, but this is drifting into another direction. So Lets finish this topic here. Besides if Thorny did apologize, im sure your all going to give him 100% BS.

[Thorny]

Ok guys,

it's time i came out of the closet, for diri's sake, mark's sake, FWS's sake and everyone else that is loosing sleep over this.

I have been admittedly sat here watching this thread for some time thinking about wtf i should do and how i should go about it, and still i aint come up with anything, other than this post. I do have a few ideas but they are still to be thought about and talked over. Yes i lied about the overall payment, and my initial identity, but i did NOT LIE about my mothers health, she was critically ill, so anyone that's willing to point me out as a bad person for that, go ahead.

I have seen an amazing amount of turns and twists in the recent weeks, and i must say that this is one of the biggest threads, admittedly it should never have been started but due to my initial actions i suppose they had to be.

As some of you MAY be aware i work alongside diri helping him out in the Warez-Scene, he tries to come here and explain a few things, no i didnt ask him to, he was sick of people signing up on the forum, which has nothing to do with this issue and just spamming holy hell out of it. Another thing which postponed me from writing this post. I understand that every host is weary of me, and i understand that SOME of my ORIGINAL details have now been leaked across the web, cheers guys, privacy act and all that....bollox.....

Mark, yes i am still a student and when i signed up for that server of yours it WAS with a CREDIT CARD, of which i accepted as payment for a Design Job i did, age, nieveity, and money came into it all ( THIS MEANS THE CREDIT CARD WAS INFACT UNAUTHORISED BY THE CARD HOLDER). Many people can turn around and scrutinise against me for what it's worth, however i know full well that i aint gonna be able to pay mark back. I dont come from a "well off" family, we sit here and have to scrape our way through each month, fair enough it sounds like a sob story, i don't care, but when i saw that i had access to this credit card it was like winning the lottery, money that i "could" spend and now i sit here, reflect on it and realise what ---- i walked into by doing so.

Now recently i understand that someone has either also framed me or somehow used an ip address i used and signed up for another server under marks company, under the name of i quote: Peter Corcoran. Now whichever funny ---- it is that's done this, unlucky, it didnt get you anywhere.

As for the 2 clients that i did host, Fattony, and Vesica, all i can do is appologise really.

As for mark, i honestly dont know what to do, i've said my 2 cent's i know you aint gonna leave it here, why should you. All i can say is that i ----ed up, and ----ed up bad i did.

May i also ask for this thread to be closed, it has now gone on for 10 pages and is racking up quite a few results on google

[que "FlameWebSpace.Net/Forums"] Flaming

Appologies
Thorny

[Eclouds]

So the credit card was not yours?

[Thorny]

Wow, you're either really poor at english or missed out a whole paragraph. No the credit card was not mine, yet the credit card i used was what i thought came from a legitimate person

PS: The only response i shall give is to either mark, or people associated with his host, any other host has no business here

[Eclouds]

No need to get aggressive. I don't have to read your whole novel, I was asking a simple question. However, after experiencing your attitude, I would recommend that Mark takes this to law enforcement authorities. Fraud is very serious and now that you also openly admitted it, I suggest more action is taken. Mark, message me if you need help.

[Thorny]

@ECLOUDS,

I was not being aggressive, i was merely pointing out the fact that it was stated there that i did not OWN the credit card

[stuffradio]

/Re-opened

[Corazu]

Thorny, that took some balls. Definitely puts you up a bit in my books. I'm sure Mark will be willing to try and work something out with you for repayment.

Yes, you did screw up, and you didn't handle it well either, but at least you realized it, and fessed up.

Kudos to that anyway.

[Jan]

PS: The only response i shall give is to either mark, or people associated with his host, any other host has no business here
I suggest you work privately with those concerned as I can see it won't be resolved here any time soon.

Edit: Just for the record Thorny, I too came from a family that wasn't very well off and because of that, it has made me a better person than I might have been if everything was handed to me on a platter. I learnt from an early age how to manage my money and to this day, have never had an outstanding account anywhere.