Hey you guys, i have this great oceanside property in arizona, righrt on the beach, huge condo, just needs a little fix up and we can rent for gobs of money, All i need is about 6 guys to send me $1000.00 each, and we will make a killing on this deal, Im waitin by the mail box. (does anyone see anything wrong with this proposal). Moral is...anything that seems too good to be true...IS. Dont be taken by scammers.
BEWARE!!! Fraud going on in Chicago.
- Thread starter Swimdude776
- Start date
- Status
The saga continues! 
We were considering selling our local pet store here in Florida, and listed it with a business broker. After several months with a few nibbles but no serious bites, our broker contacted us to let us know that an Anthony Kroeger who owns Waterworks LLC in Michigan was seriously interested in buying the store.
His first offer was laughable, as opening bids usually are...he'd pay us 10% down, and 10% every month thereafter until it was paid for. In return, he'd take immediate control of the store and start paying all our expenses immediately. (I don't THINK so!!) We were free to continue working for him as manager/employees.
I countered with a more reasonable offer...and to make a long story short, we finally agreed at terms that were not only much more reasonable, but much less likely to swindle us.
Then I suggested my long-held dream of actually expanding the store, instead of outright selling it, and going into partnership together.
The e-mails between Tony (and sometimes his "personal assistant," Ed) continued. He told me he's fully in favor of expanding, because he has tremendous resources to wholesale fish and plants, and is setting up stores all over Florida, of which mine will be a key player. (I have to say here that while some of his ideas for expansion were really wacked, many of them were very good, and I may use them in the future.) We start discussing hiring employees, splitting profits, etc., with an eye toward remodeling our existing store and the larger empty unit next door, and combining them into one large retail/wholesale business.
Through it all, he's telling me that he's undergoing reconstructive dental surgery which has not been going well, and so he's going to essentially be an absentee partner for the next year, maybe a little longer. He'll provide the money and the supplies, I'll handle things on a daily basis, and we'll both profit 50/50.
There were some small things that didn't add up, such as there is a Waterworks LLC listed in Michigan, but it belongs to two gentlemen who own a pair of auto lube stores and several office buildings. Also none of my regular fish vendors had heard of Waterworks Fish Farms in Florida, despite his claims of owning three fish farms near Tampa. There were other things, too, but too small and numerous to mention here. Suffice to say that, having been scammed before, I was suspicious and began to dig deeper. And the more I found (or didn't), the more worried I became.
Today my daughter-in-law pulled up several news articles, and this forum posting...and all my suspicions were realized. All I need to confirm that the man you're talking about, and the man who's trying to buy my business, are the same is his social security number...and I think I know where I can get that.
Fortunately for us, we never signed any paperwork, and no money changed hands. (Not that we likely would have received any, if we'd been gullible enough to sign a contract without thoroughly vetting the buyer). But it is proof that even though he's still in jail, he is still capable of scamming and causing trouble.
When we did further background checks on him, we found that his a.k.a. is Anthony Edward Kroeger...hence "Ed," his personal assistant. And isn't it curious that the amount of time he claimed he'd be in recovery just about lines up with how long it'll be before he comes up for parole review! (I have no doubt that if he didn't get parole, he'd come up with some other excuse for not showing up...assuming, of course, that it ever had gone that far, and he hadn't swindled us out of everything but our skivvies by that time!)
I wonder how the Parole Review Board will feel when they learn that he's still operating behind bars? I wonder what that will do to his chances of early parole?
Ballsy. Stupid, but amazingly ballsy!!
We were considering selling our local pet store here in Florida, and listed it with a business broker. After several months with a few nibbles but no serious bites, our broker contacted us to let us know that an Anthony Kroeger who owns Waterworks LLC in Michigan was seriously interested in buying the store.
His first offer was laughable, as opening bids usually are...he'd pay us 10% down, and 10% every month thereafter until it was paid for. In return, he'd take immediate control of the store and start paying all our expenses immediately. (I don't THINK so!!) We were free to continue working for him as manager/employees.
I countered with a more reasonable offer...and to make a long story short, we finally agreed at terms that were not only much more reasonable, but much less likely to swindle us.
Then I suggested my long-held dream of actually expanding the store, instead of outright selling it, and going into partnership together.
The e-mails between Tony (and sometimes his "personal assistant," Ed) continued. He told me he's fully in favor of expanding, because he has tremendous resources to wholesale fish and plants, and is setting up stores all over Florida, of which mine will be a key player. (I have to say here that while some of his ideas for expansion were really wacked, many of them were very good, and I may use them in the future.) We start discussing hiring employees, splitting profits, etc., with an eye toward remodeling our existing store and the larger empty unit next door, and combining them into one large retail/wholesale business.
Through it all, he's telling me that he's undergoing reconstructive dental surgery which has not been going well, and so he's going to essentially be an absentee partner for the next year, maybe a little longer. He'll provide the money and the supplies, I'll handle things on a daily basis, and we'll both profit 50/50.
There were some small things that didn't add up, such as there is a Waterworks LLC listed in Michigan, but it belongs to two gentlemen who own a pair of auto lube stores and several office buildings. Also none of my regular fish vendors had heard of Waterworks Fish Farms in Florida, despite his claims of owning three fish farms near Tampa. There were other things, too, but too small and numerous to mention here. Suffice to say that, having been scammed before, I was suspicious and began to dig deeper. And the more I found (or didn't), the more worried I became.
Today my daughter-in-law pulled up several news articles, and this forum posting...and all my suspicions were realized. All I need to confirm that the man you're talking about, and the man who's trying to buy my business, are the same is his social security number...and I think I know where I can get that.
Fortunately for us, we never signed any paperwork, and no money changed hands. (Not that we likely would have received any, if we'd been gullible enough to sign a contract without thoroughly vetting the buyer). But it is proof that even though he's still in jail, he is still capable of scamming and causing trouble.
When we did further background checks on him, we found that his a.k.a. is Anthony Edward Kroeger...hence "Ed," his personal assistant. And isn't it curious that the amount of time he claimed he'd be in recovery just about lines up with how long it'll be before he comes up for parole review! (I have no doubt that if he didn't get parole, he'd come up with some other excuse for not showing up...assuming, of course, that it ever had gone that far, and he hadn't swindled us out of everything but our skivvies by that time!)
I wonder how the Parole Review Board will feel when they learn that he's still operating behind bars? I wonder what that will do to his chances of early parole?
Ballsy. Stupid, but amazingly ballsy!!
You know, this guy can definitely get charged for a federal crime as he is using the postal system and crossing state lines. He must have gotten a pretty good lawyer because here in Chicago, our cops actually know what they're doing. My buddy's brother is a Chicago cop, and I'm going to the academy soon and working on my bachelor's in Law Enforcement, and they're definitely not dummies around here.
[/QUOTE]The saga continues!
We were considering selling our local pet store here in Florida, and listed it with a business broker. After several months with a few nibbles but no serious bites, our broker contacted us to let us know that an Anthony Kroeger who owns Waterworks LLC in Michigan was seriously interested in buying the store.
His first offer was laughable, as opening bids usually are...he'd pay us 10% down, and 10% every month thereafter until it was paid for. In return, he'd take immediate control of the store and start paying all our expenses immediately. (I don't THINK so!!) We were free to continue working for him as manager/employees.
I countered with a more reasonable offer...and to make a long story short, we finally agreed at terms that were not only much more reasonable, but much less likely to swindle us.
Then I suggested my long-held dream of actually expanding the store, instead of outright selling it, and going into partnership together.
The e-mails between Tony (and sometimes his "personal assistant," Ed) continued. He told me he's fully in favor of expanding, because he has tremendous resources to wholesale fish and plants, and is setting up stores all over Florida, of which mine will be a key player. (I have to say here that while some of his ideas for expansion were really wacked, many of them were very good, and I may use them in the future.) We start discussing hiring employees, splitting profits, etc., with an eye toward remodeling our existing store and the larger empty unit next door, and combining them into one large retail/wholesale business.
Through it all, he's telling me that he's undergoing reconstructive dental surgery which has not been going well, and so he's going to essentially be an absentee partner for the next year, maybe a little longer. He'll provide the money and the supplies, I'll handle things on a daily basis, and we'll both profit 50/50.
There were some small things that didn't add up, such as there is a Waterworks LLC listed in Michigan, but it belongs to two gentlemen who own a pair of auto lube stores and several office buildings. Also none of my regular fish vendors had heard of Waterworks Fish Farms in Florida, despite his claims of owning three fish farms near Tampa. There were other things, too, but too small and numerous to mention here. Suffice to say that, having been scammed before, I was suspicious and began to dig deeper. And the more I found (or didn't), the more worried I became.
Today my daughter-in-law pulled up several news articles, and this forum posting...and all my suspicions were realized. All I need to confirm that the man you're talking about, and the man who's trying to buy my business, are the same is his social security number...and I think I know where I can get that.
Fortunately for us, we never signed any paperwork, and no money changed hands. (Not that we likely would have received any, if we'd been gullible enough to sign a contract without thoroughly vetting the buyer). But it is proof that even though he's still in jail, he is still capable of scamming and causing trouble.
When we did further background checks on him, we found that his a.k.a. is Anthony Edward Kroeger...hence "Ed," his personal assistant. And isn't it curious that the amount of time he claimed he'd be in recovery just about lines up with how long it'll be before he comes up for parole review! (I have no doubt that if he didn't get parole, he'd come up with some other excuse for not showing up...assuming, of course, that it ever had gone that far, and he hadn't swindled us out of everything but our skivvies by that time!)
I wonder how the Parole Review Board will feel when they learn that he's still operating behind bars? I wonder what that will do to his chances of early parole?
Ballsy. Stupid, but amazingly ballsy!! [/QUOTE]
is this for real
I know
Sculley is tony ?
and he definitely slept at fish boys house lol
We were considering selling our local pet store here in Florida, and listed it with a business broker. After several months with a few nibbles but no serious bites, our broker contacted us to let us know that an Anthony Kroeger who owns Waterworks LLC in Michigan was seriously interested in buying the store.
His first offer was laughable, as opening bids usually are...he'd pay us 10% down, and 10% every month thereafter until it was paid for. In return, he'd take immediate control of the store and start paying all our expenses immediately. (I don't THINK so!!) We were free to continue working for him as manager/employees.
I countered with a more reasonable offer...and to make a long story short, we finally agreed at terms that were not only much more reasonable, but much less likely to swindle us.
Then I suggested my long-held dream of actually expanding the store, instead of outright selling it, and going into partnership together.
The e-mails between Tony (and sometimes his "personal assistant," Ed) continued. He told me he's fully in favor of expanding, because he has tremendous resources to wholesale fish and plants, and is setting up stores all over Florida, of which mine will be a key player. (I have to say here that while some of his ideas for expansion were really wacked, many of them were very good, and I may use them in the future.) We start discussing hiring employees, splitting profits, etc., with an eye toward remodeling our existing store and the larger empty unit next door, and combining them into one large retail/wholesale business.
Through it all, he's telling me that he's undergoing reconstructive dental surgery which has not been going well, and so he's going to essentially be an absentee partner for the next year, maybe a little longer. He'll provide the money and the supplies, I'll handle things on a daily basis, and we'll both profit 50/50.
There were some small things that didn't add up, such as there is a Waterworks LLC listed in Michigan, but it belongs to two gentlemen who own a pair of auto lube stores and several office buildings. Also none of my regular fish vendors had heard of Waterworks Fish Farms in Florida, despite his claims of owning three fish farms near Tampa. There were other things, too, but too small and numerous to mention here. Suffice to say that, having been scammed before, I was suspicious and began to dig deeper. And the more I found (or didn't), the more worried I became.
Today my daughter-in-law pulled up several news articles, and this forum posting...and all my suspicions were realized. All I need to confirm that the man you're talking about, and the man who's trying to buy my business, are the same is his social security number...and I think I know where I can get that.
Fortunately for us, we never signed any paperwork, and no money changed hands. (Not that we likely would have received any, if we'd been gullible enough to sign a contract without thoroughly vetting the buyer). But it is proof that even though he's still in jail, he is still capable of scamming and causing trouble.
When we did further background checks on him, we found that his a.k.a. is Anthony Edward Kroeger...hence "Ed," his personal assistant. And isn't it curious that the amount of time he claimed he'd be in recovery just about lines up with how long it'll be before he comes up for parole review! (I have no doubt that if he didn't get parole, he'd come up with some other excuse for not showing up...assuming, of course, that it ever had gone that far, and he hadn't swindled us out of everything but our skivvies by that time!)
I wonder how the Parole Review Board will feel when they learn that he's still operating behind bars? I wonder what that will do to his chances of early parole?
Ballsy. Stupid, but amazingly ballsy!! [/QUOTE]
is this for real
I know
Sculley is tony ?
and he definitely slept at fish boys house lol
You're a real comic. Don't give up your day job.Scully (me) is a 49 year old redhead Irishwoman. Tony (him) is a skanky white male perp.
Unfortunately he didn't use the postal service...all his contacts to my broker, and subsequently to me, were through the e-mail. There are no federal laws about that.
did you read the whole thread you being tony is funny well maybe not for you but atleast you did not let him sleep over
alright scully you should still inform the parole board on him it couldn't hurt or talk to the Warden .
And also Welcome to MFK !
and I used to live and work in fl in a fish shop or two do you mind telling me and everyone else here where or which place this piece of work was trying to buy off you?
And also Welcome to MFK !
and I used to live and work in fl in a fish shop or two do you mind telling me and everyone else here where or which place this piece of work was trying to buy off you?
Oh yes, I read the whole thing top to bottom. If people would turn that kind of effort into something legitimate, we'd have hot dog stands on the moon by now. 
I can appreciate the humor...but no, it's not particularly funny to me. (Maybe in another 3 or 4 dozen years I'll look back and laaaaaugh......) Fortunately we found out about him BEFORE we got shivved.
Thanks for the welcome! I wish it wasn't under such grim circumstances.
I have a little store in Cocoa Village, Florida, by the name of Rainforest Pet Store. We actually only do a small amount of freshwater fish (7 tanks). We also do a lot of dog/cat supplies, small exotic animals and supplies, reptiles and supplies, etc.
Tony's big plan was to expand into the adjoining unit, which is 5x the size of mine, and turn half of it into freshwater/saltwater fish, with the other half being the dog/cat supplies. Then we'd add birds to the existing unit, and expand the small animal and reptile sections. That's my fondest dream, to make the store big enough to really grab peoples' notice. But it's not going to happen now. (My fear is that if this summer is as bad as last summer, we may end up closing the doors in another month or two. Just no way we can survive it.)
My hubby says that even though we can't tag him on fraud through the post office, we may be able to charge him for attempted wire fraud via the internet. His defense, of course, will be that he's finally "seen the light," and was trying to establish a legitimate business for when he got out. And he's a good enough talker, they might even believe him. But I want to try. I'm tired of walking around with a "screw me" sign taped to my back.
I can appreciate the humor...but no, it's not particularly funny to me. (Maybe in another 3 or 4 dozen years I'll look back and laaaaaugh......) Fortunately we found out about him BEFORE we got shivved.
Thanks for the welcome! I wish it wasn't under such grim circumstances.
coreyweinkoetz;4064031; said:
I have a little store in Cocoa Village, Florida, by the name of Rainforest Pet Store. We actually only do a small amount of freshwater fish (7 tanks). We also do a lot of dog/cat supplies, small exotic animals and supplies, reptiles and supplies, etc.
Tony's big plan was to expand into the adjoining unit, which is 5x the size of mine, and turn half of it into freshwater/saltwater fish, with the other half being the dog/cat supplies. Then we'd add birds to the existing unit, and expand the small animal and reptile sections. That's my fondest dream, to make the store big enough to really grab peoples' notice. But it's not going to happen now. (My fear is that if this summer is as bad as last summer, we may end up closing the doors in another month or two. Just no way we can survive it.)
My hubby says that even though we can't tag him on fraud through the post office, we may be able to charge him for attempted wire fraud via the internet. His defense, of course, will be that he's finally "seen the light," and was trying to establish a legitimate business for when he got out. And he's a good enough talker, they might even believe him. But I want to try. I'm tired of walking around with a "screw me" sign taped to my back.
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