Man Loses $20M After Taking Laptop for Repair

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Twenty million dollars. Say it with me…twenty…million…dollars. Wow. They must have seen this guy coming a mile away. :eek:

The hard-to-believe story started started in 2004 when moneyed pianist Roger Davidson asked Mount Kisco computer store owners Vickram Bedi, 36, and his Icelandic girlfriend Helga Invarsdottir, 39, to rid his computer of a virus. On learning of Davidson's wealth, the pair are alleged to have concocted an elaborate social engineering scam that defrauded him of somewhere between the $6 million the police have been able to confirm with an upper figure of as much as $20 million.
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i wished i could lose 20 million..... *looks in wallet* yay i got 2 bucks.
 
How do we know the cult from the Da Vinci movies aren't out to get him? Maybe this computer shop's virus removal really is so good as to warrant 20 million. Nobody thought of that eh? :D
 
Vickram and Helga... the pianist should have known that they weren't computer techs... but vikings in disguise.
 
k1pp3r said:
This story has made it official, there is no hope for mankind
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There is no hoping. This is so sads. Almost as sad as the fact that I''ve woned $50 mil in the state lottery, but I need to pay an electronic cuorier $5,0000, which I don't have :(, to transfer the monise to my account in the United Status of Americas, if someone could loan me the money, I would be gladly to split the $50 million dollars US with them.

P.S. If you're thinking this is a scam you are so wrong that I don't even want to talk to you so please don't contact me and be rude about it. Also: [/sarcasm]
 
Either the victim is dumber than a pile of bricks or he's making it up... If they seriously managed to convince him that Polish priests from Opus Dei were trying to assassinate him and overthrow the US government (and that it somehow concerned his hard drive) then they freaking deserve to get away with it.
 
GaryJohnson said:
There is no hoping. This is so sads. Almost as sad as the fact that I''ve woned $50 mil in the state lottery, but I need to pay an electronic cuorier $5,0000, which I don't have :(, to transfer the monise to my account in the United Status of Americas, if someone could loan me the money, I would be gladly to split the $50 million dollars US with them.

P.S. If you're thinking this is a scam you are so wrong that I don't even want to talk to you so please don't contact me and be rude about it. Also: [/sarcasm]
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PM sent.
 
hordaktheman said:
Either the victim is dumber than a pile of bricks or he's making it up... If they seriously managed to convince him that Polish priests from Opus Dei were trying to assassinate him and overthrow the US government (and that it somehow concerned his hard drive) then they freaking deserve to get away with it.
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Or they could just actually, like, you know....earn money like non parasites. I'm not sure where this culture of giving credit to scammers and con artists comes from, but I hope it stops.
 
This is a tough one, does taking advantage of gross stupidity qualify as a criminal act? I am not so convinced. While I will agree they are complete scumbags, I just am not convinced this should be criminal. It seems to be more of an moral/ethical dilemma.
 
Truly bizarre that ppl are so stupid...wait a minute we voted Obama into office
 
nelson-haha.gif
 
If your not smart enough to keep 20 million dollars than you deserve to lose it.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
Or they could just actually, like, you know....earn money like non parasites. I'm not sure where this culture of giving credit to scammers and con artists comes from, but I hope it stops.
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You're missing the point... I was suggesting that it sounds made up. When something sounds too good to be true then it can also apply to news stories.

For example, if you hire someone to track down your would-be assassins then I wouldn't think that you'd also hire them as treasurer for your musical charity (like this guy apparently did). Likewise, if you were a scammer then you would probably know better than to accept the job.
 
hordaktheman said:
You're missing the point... I was suggesting that it sounds made up. When something sounds too good to be true then it can also apply to news stories.

For example, if you hire someone to track down your would-be assassins then I wouldn't think that you'd also hire them as treasurer for your musical charity (like this guy apparently did). Likewise, if you were a scammer then you would probably know better than to accept the job.
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Yea, it does sound like fiction for sure. You never know, though, musicians can be very eccentric.
 
Trust those who are honest and respectful. Ill be glad to repair your pc for $1M. I will come to your place, remove the virus, secured your data and show you step by step tips ;)
 
I really have a hard time feeling sorry for people that are that rich and that stupid :(
 
Sounds like a guy was getting black mailed and got sick of it and called the cops. Made up a ridiculous story to make it seem plausible.
 
Should have taken it to the Geek Squad, could have gotten the anti-Opus Cannibal Cult protection for half that price.
 
There used to be a story about a guy going to a nuclear plant, pointing to a pipe and saying to replace it. he then gave a bill for a few thousand dollars. when the other people complained that all he did was point at the pipe he brought up all his schooling and experience that allowed him to be able to diagnose problems.

well, to my mind "computer repair" is about the opposite. some people have certs, which means they spent a couple of weeks studying for a test. There is no "repair" it is all about "replace". "Experience" now means how to do a "google search".

anyway interesting examples have been articles where the reviewers create simple problems in computers (loose memory, bad cables, etc) and see how much computer repair shops charge to "fix" them. Some were honest and just corrected the obvious problem for free. others quoted for things like motherboard replacements.
 
shyboi said:
Explain your self!

As a self-employed "Computer repair man" I take umbrage with this comment.
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Take as much umbrage as you want, but that doesn't change the huge number of shysters preying on the gullible and uninformed.

Over and over simple issues are up-sold to include ridiculous services and unnecessary repairs - often to well above the current value of the customers four year old HP.
 
jiminator said:
............ "Experience" now means how to do a "google search". .......................
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My Google-Fu is better than most.

Decibel said:
Take as much umbrage as you want, but that doesn't change the huge number of shysters preying on the gullible and uninformed.

Over and over simple issues are up-sold to include ridiculous services and unnecessary repairs - often to well above the current value of the customers four year old HP.
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I've run into computer sales guys for other companies that we partner with and they make me SICK! Anything for a sale regardless if the customer needs it or not. Lucky our shop is not like that even though we could use the sale.
 
More like 160,000$ a month to keep quiet about the pedobear Helga found while working on his computer.
 
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