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ASM #252 CGC 9.8 Record Sale - something fishy going on? - Holder Tampering Incident confirmed by CGC
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Started by spidermanbeyond,

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silent06

silent06

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Hello. I am the Ebay buyer that purchase the two Amazing Spider-Man 238s Newsstand from briva3 or Comic Selects  and possibly by way of ComicLink  an Incredible Hulk 340. I became aware of this scam via the negative feedback left on briva3 Ebay seller account and the podcast provided by West Coast Davengers and 9.9 Newsstand.  I also believe the New Mutants 98 book that was part of the New Mutants Mark Jewler scam that was discussed in one of the podcast is possible a regular Newsstand edition I won in an auction from briva3 prior to the New Mutants Mark Jewelers auction by him. I suspect at last minute he needed the regular NM 98 newsstand as after I successfully won the auction he canceled the purchase through Ebay.  There has been a question of briva3 real name, location and possible contact information. Based on the shipments of the ASM 238s, a conversation I had personally with him as well as messages exchanged and most recently information provided to me by Ebay for the return of the ASM 238 books to him, I have contact information for him.

In my attempt make a claim with Ebay, I also submitted a return request, as that was the only option available, through their resolution center noting that the seller had been identified as defrauding buyers and that I would like to file a fraud claim. My hope was that  using the term fraud would trigger a keyword alert in their system and that someone from Ebay would reach out to me directly. It was to my surprise on Friday that I received a response from Ebay stating that the seller, briva3, had responded and approved my return request for the ASM 238 books. This concerns me as I now don't believe Ebay is aware that this is a case of the seller defrauding buyers and subsequently attempt to take action against the seller. If that is in fact the situation, it ties into my other concern of the books from buyers requesting returns being shipped back to the seller and used later in some new manner to defraud collectors in the future. While I want to be made whole financially, if possible. I don't want the books to be returned to briva3 only to be used in some nefarious manner down the line because of lack recourse or actions that allow briva3 to slip through the cracks. From the perspective of being one of the buyer's impacted by this scam, I would much rather CGC request the books forward to them, make the concessions to the buyers and either retain the books or regrade them accurately to possibly be sold at a later date at the new correct grade. In conjunction with that effort, enact new security measures that prevent a scam like this and the defrauding of buyers, in this manner, from occurring in the future. 

I would like to thank Dave at West Coast Davengers as after receiving the approved return response from Ebay, I reached out to him and he provided me his thoughts on the issue I am facing in returning the books to briva3 as well as recommended that I post on this forum for the perspective, thoughts and awareness of its members. 

Below are the links to the auctions for the ASM 238s I won on Ebay as well as the auction I won for the NM 98 that briva3 retracted the purchase for. If you look at the feedback of the bidding history and feedback count of the buyer for the auctions, you can see they were all won by the same buyer. Also, I have provided a link to the Incredible Hulk 340 that sold on Ebay and then was sold to me via ComicLink a few months later. The certification numbers are the same but I believe the books could possibly be different.

 

 

ASM 238s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NM 98
 
 
 
 
IH 340
 
 
 
 
 

Reposting as a new member my post was awaiting moderator approval

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Microchip

Microchip

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On 12/25/2023 at 10:38 AM, silent06 said:

Hello. I am the Ebay buyer that purchase the two Amazing Spider-Man 238s Newsstand from briva3 or Comic Selects  and possibly by way of ComicLink  an Incredible Hulk 340. I became aware of this scam via the negative feedback left on briva3 Ebay seller account and the podcast provided by West Coast Davengers and 9.9 Newsstand.  I also believe the New Mutants 98 book that was part of the New Mutants Mark Jewler scam that was discussed in one of the podcast is possible a regular Newsstand edition I won in an auction from briva3 prior to the New Mutants Mark Jewelers auction by him. I suspect at last minute he needed the regular NM 98 newsstand as after I successfully won the auction he canceled the purchase through Ebay.  There has been a question of briva3 real name, location and possible contact information. Based on the shipments of the ASM 238s, a conversation I had personally with him as well as messages exchanged and most recently information provided to me by Ebay for the return of the ASM 238 books to him, I have contact information for him.

In my attempt make a claim with Ebay, I also submitted a return request, as that was the only option available, through their resolution center noting that the seller had been identified as defrauding buyers and that I would like to file a fraud claim. My hope was that  using the term fraud would trigger a keyword alert in their system and that someone from Ebay would reach out to me directly. It was to my surprise on Friday that I received a response from Ebay stating that the seller, briva3, had responded and approved my return request for the ASM 238 books. This concerns me as I now don't believe Ebay is aware that this is a case of the seller defrauding buyers and subsequently attempt to take action against the seller. If that is in fact the situation, it ties into my other concern of the books from buyers requesting returns being shipped back to the seller and used later in some new manner to defraud collectors in the future. While I want to be made whole financially, if possible. I don't want the books to be returned to briva3 only to be used in some nefarious manner down the line because of lack recourse or actions that allow briva3 to slip through the cracks. From the perspective of being one of the buyer's impacted by this scam, I would much rather CGC request the books forward to them, make the concessions to the buyers and either retain the books or regrade them accurately to possibly be sold at a later date at the new correct grade. In conjunction with that effort, enact new security measures that prevent a scam like this and the defrauding of buyers, in this manner, from occurring in the future. 

I would like to thank Dave at West Coast Davengers as after receiving the approved return response from Ebay, I reached out to him and he provided me his thoughts on the issue I am facing in returning the books to briva3 as well as recommended that I post on this forum for the perspective, thoughts and awareness of its members. 

Below are the links to the auctions for the ASM 238s I won on Ebay as well as the auction I won for the NM 98 that briva3 retracted the purchase for. If you look at the feedback of the bidding history and feedback count of the buyer for the auctions, you can see they were all won by the same buyer. Also, I have provided a link to the Incredible Hulk 340 that sold on Ebay and then was sold to me via ComicLink a few months later. The certification numbers are the same but I believe the books could possibly be different.

 

 

ASM 238s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NM 98
 
 
 
 
IH 340
 
 
 
 
 
 

Please keep us updated (thumbsu

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Steven Valdez

Steven Valdez

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On 12/25/2023 at 3:51 AM, agamoto said:

This is beyond ridiculous at this point. CGC MUST call the FBI and they need to do it NOW. The guy is going to be closing accounts, hiding evidence and he's going to get away with all this unless investigators get some warrants and get access to deleted/hidden posts, etc. 

Maybe there IS a massive sting operation going on right now. If so, CGC/FBI wouldn't want to reveal their tactics until the perp is apprehended.

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JTD

JTD

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On 12/24/2023 at 6:58 PM, Steven Valdez said:

Maybe there IS a massive sting operation going on right now. If so, CGC/FBI wouldn't want to reveal their tactics until the perp is apprehended.

They don’t have to reveal any tactics to say, hey, we are looking in to this and this is what we are gonna do in the meantime…it doesn’t reveal anything…the silence speaks volumes…

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MAR1979

MAR1979

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On 12/24/2023 at 7:51 PM, silent06 said:

Hello. I am the Ebay buyer that purchase the two Amazing Spider-Man 238s Newsstand from briva3 or Comic Selects  and possibly by way of ComicLink  an Incredible Hulk 340. I became aware of this scam via the negative feedback left on briva3 Ebay seller account and the podcast provided by West Coast Davengers and 9.9 Newsstand.  I also believe the New Mutants 98 book that was part of the New Mutants Mark Jewler scam that was discussed in one of the podcast is possible a regular Newsstand edition I won in an auction from briva3 prior to the New Mutants Mark Jewelers auction by him. I suspect at last minute he needed the regular NM 98 newsstand as after I successfully won the auction he canceled the purchase through Ebay.  There has been a question of briva3 real name, location and possible contact information. Based on the shipments of the ASM 238s, a conversation I had personally with him as well as messages exchanged and most recently information provided to me by Ebay for the return of the ASM 238 books to him, I have contact information for him.

In my attempt make a claim with Ebay, I also submitted a return request, as that was the only option available, through their resolution center noting that the seller had been identified as defrauding buyers and that I would like to file a fraud claim. My hope was that  using the term fraud would trigger a keyword alert in their system and that someone from Ebay would reach out to me directly. It was to my surprise on Friday that I received a response from Ebay stating that the seller, briva3, had responded and approved my return request for the ASM 238 books. This concerns me as I now don't believe Ebay is aware that this is a case of the seller defrauding buyers and subsequently attempt to take action against the seller. If that is in fact the situation, it ties into my other concern of the books from buyers requesting returns being shipped back to the seller and used later in some new manner to defraud collectors in the future. While I want to be made whole financially, if possible. I don't want the books to be returned to briva3 only to be used in some nefarious manner down the line because of lack recourse or actions that allow briva3 to slip through the cracks. From the perspective of being one of the buyer's impacted by this scam, I would much rather CGC request the books forward to them, make the concessions to the buyers and either retain the books or regrade them accurately to possibly be sold at a later date at the new correct grade. In conjunction with that effort, enact new security measures that prevent a scam like this and the defrauding of buyers, in this manner, from occurring in the future. 

I would like to thank Dave at West Coast Davengers as after receiving the approved return response from Ebay, I reached out to him and he provided me his thoughts on the issue I am facing in returning the books to briva3 as well as recommended that I post on this forum for the perspective, thoughts and awareness of its members. 

Below are the links to the auctions for the ASM 238s I won on Ebay as well as the auction I won for the NM 98 that briva3 retracted the purchase for. If you look at the feedback of the bidding history and feedback count of the buyer for the auctions, you can see they were all won by the same buyer. Also, I have provided a link to the Incredible Hulk 340 that sold on Ebay and then was sold to me via ComicLink a few months later. The certification numbers are the same but I believe the books could possibly be different.

 

 

ASM 238s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NM 98
 
 
 
 
IH 340
 
 
 
 
 

Reposting as a new member my post was awaiting moderator approval

Sad to hear that you got taken in, but glad you are coming forth!

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Sigur Ros

Sigur Ros

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On 12/24/2023 at 7:58 PM, Steven Valdez said:

Maybe there IS a massive sting operation going on right now. If so, CGC/FBI wouldn't want to reveal their tactics until the perp is apprehended.

It's a tad hard for me to believe the company that puts out 9.8's with pages missing, 9.8's with the cover missing, etc., etc., is organizing some big sting  ;)

Screenshot_20231224_202318_Instagram.thumb.jpg.79a90261c02b03f1883afccc56aa22a0.jpg

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ADAMANTIUM

ADAMANTIUM

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I'm not sure how recent these all were, or if that matters with ebays process. I'm also wondering if this seller has the funds to reimburse, which might escalate it through ebay on its own or may give you time to explain further.

On 12/24/2023 at 6:51 PM, silent06 said:

Hello. I am the Ebay buyer that purchase the two Amazing Spider-Man 238s Newsstand from briva3 or Comic Selects  and possibly by way of ComicLink  an Incredible Hulk 340. I became aware of this scam via the negative feedback left on briva3 Ebay seller account and the podcast provided by West Coast Davengers and 9.9 Newsstand.  I also believe the New Mutants 98 book that was part of the New Mutants Mark Jewler scam that was discussed in one of the podcast is possible a regular Newsstand edition I won in an auction from briva3 prior to the New Mutants Mark Jewelers auction by him. I suspect at last minute he needed the regular NM 98 newsstand as after I successfully won the auction he canceled the purchase through Ebay.  There has been a question of briva3 real name, location and possible contact information. Based on the shipments of the ASM 238s, a conversation I had personally with him as well as messages exchanged and most recently information provided to me by Ebay for the return of the ASM 238 books to him, I have contact information for him.

In my attempt make a claim with Ebay, I also submitted a return request, as that was the only option available, through their resolution center noting that the seller had been identified as defrauding buyers and that I would like to file a fraud claim. My hope was that  using the term fraud would trigger a keyword alert in their system and that someone from Ebay would reach out to me directly. It was to my surprise on Friday that I received a response from Ebay stating that the seller, briva3, had responded and approved my return request for the ASM 238 books. This concerns me as I now don't believe Ebay is aware that this is a case of the seller defrauding buyers and subsequently attempt to take action against the seller. If that is in fact the situation, it ties into my other concern of the books from buyers requesting returns being shipped back to the seller and used later in some new manner to defraud collectors in the future. While I want to be made whole financially, if possible. I don't want the books to be returned to briva3 only to be used in some nefarious manner down the line because of lack recourse or actions that allow briva3 to slip through the cracks. From the perspective of being one of the buyer's impacted by this scam, I would much rather CGC request the books forward to them, make the concessions to the buyers and either retain the books or regrade them accurately to possibly be sold at a later date at the new correct grade. In conjunction with that effort, enact new security measures that prevent a scam like this and the defrauding of buyers, in this manner, from occurring in the future. 

I would like to thank Dave at West Coast Davengers as after receiving the approved return response from Ebay, I reached out to him and he provided me his thoughts on the issue I am facing in returning the books to briva3 as well as recommended that I post on this forum for the perspective, thoughts and awareness of its members. 

Below are the links to the auctions for the ASM 238s I won on Ebay as well as the auction I won for the NM 98 that briva3 retracted the purchase for. If you look at the feedback of the bidding history and feedback count of the buyer for the auctions, you can see they were all won by the same buyer. Also, I have provided a link to the Incredible Hulk 340 that sold on Ebay and then was sold to me via ComicLink a few months later. The certification numbers are the same but I believe the books could possibly be different.

 

 

ASM 238s
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NM 98
 
 
 
 
IH 340
 
 
 
 
 

Reposting as a new member my post was awaiting moderator approval

Welcome to the boards, wish it was under better circumstances 

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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Posted (edited)
On 12/24/2023 at 12:29 PM, Buzzetta said:

Again Roy, no one "laughed".  There is no need for the dramatic. 

Some people did, but my reply wasn't to you, it was a general reply. 

Edited by VintageComics
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comeaux

comeaux

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CGC has been a complete debacle, ZERO quality control with upside down comics, incorrect labels, foreign objects inside slabs, scuffed slabs, Newton rings, puddling, swapped comics inside holders, THE COLE SCHAVE SCAM (thread was locked to protect the insiders) with inside sources and a plethora of other issues. CGC STINKS. The CGC Turd Slab has been a disaster and the only folks speaking in defense of CGC are some dealers with skin in the game and the usual CGC apologists. This current scam likely involves 1000’s of comics so expect CGC to lock this thread like they did the Cole Schave thread. Why not remove posts they think are offensive instead of lock the entire thread? You know why hm  Fortunately I dumped most of my high value slabs over the last 10 years and the remainder will be sold soon. Sure everyone can say CGC is the best out there but compared to who? CBCS or PGX???xD Also, the perpetrator of this current debacle will not be prosecuted or pursued in any manner so expect these same shenanigans to continue and get worse. Shoving comics in a plastic holder from Chinese vendors with cheap printed labels is not “high tech” regardless of how much people wish it to be so. I used to be one of those amoebas but I am no longer. 

 

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sledgehammer

sledgehammer

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Posted (edited)
On 12/24/2023 at 3:07 PM, Stefan_W said:

Yeah, this is where the name surfaced in this discussion.

I still find it problematic. Without meaning to beat a dead horse, I have a box under my tree that says it is from Santa. If it is not from an official document I do not put much stock in it. The scammer may have just been a big Drew Brees fan and decided to use the name since it would be easy for him to remember. 

I don’t think that makes a whole lot of sense. It was pretty clear when this buyer posted yesterday, if you looked at the tracking information that the information was clear. The tracking number was shown in the eBay messages between them, in that post..It showed the post office location where the comic book was shipped from. I would put it at 1 million to one, that this is anything more than what That Incredible Hulk 340 buyer’s post, showed  it to be.

If you were a scammer, and you were sending someone a comic book that wasn’t quite worth the $5000 that the buyer thought it was , but it was actually worth $2000, Would you put fake return address information on the box, that would cost you $2000 if for some reason that package needed to come back to you? Your argument might make a lot more sense except for that.

Edited by sledgehammer
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VintageComics

VintageComics

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Posted (edited)
On 12/23/2023 at 8:04 PM, drporkchop said:

His first name is Brees, which i found from the box label when he shipped me a Hulk 340 9.8 i won on Oct 24, 2023. When i received the book I found that the book had 4 or 5 color breaking spine ticks along it's black spine and was disappointed that this book was able to be graded a 9.8 by CGC. The book was at most a borderline 9.0 or 9.2 at most.

Luckily Brees allowed refunds on his ebay auctions, and I was able to return and get a partial refund (lost around $200 Cdn due to exchange rate and shipping costs). I tried looking for his address, but the book was shipped back to Ebay Global Shipping hub location at Glendale Heights IL, which was then forwarded to his Forest Hills home.

Fortunately I feel lucky that i was able to recoup almost 90% of the book, unlike others here who were scammed thousands for much higher books. It looks like he was not just swapping out golden age books, or MJ newsstands, but also common books like Hulk 340s.

I messaged him for refund and you can see in the ebay history how he tried to justify his scam by saying lots of CGC 9.8s have spine ticks. Read below.

brees.png

Sorry, just got caught up.

Is Brees the only name you saw on eBay invoice, Paypal invoice and / or the box?

I ask because I've actually seen people use pseudonyms on their eBay accounts over the years. Not sure if it's still possible to do that or not but it used to be a very common practice. Danny Dupcack had a pseudonym IIRC (or several).

It is possible that they're using either a pseudonym or someone else is shipping packages for them?

---------------------------------------------------------

The information I have received, which I have shared with a boardie in this thread who is on top of the discussion, is a very different name.

What I suspect, and this is just a guess, is that when the seller allegedly found this way of gaming the system they possibly started using a pseudonym. 

The name from the information I received is linked to an older eBay account and not the newer accounts, and they may have changed the registered name on eBay at some point at roughly the same time the alleged gaming began. 

That's just a spitball guess at this point. 

Edited by VintageComics
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Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver

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Posted
On 12/24/2023 at 5:00 PM, Pcaedus said:

Lol no one is getting arrested by the freakin fbi if anything this warrants a civil case in court, not a sting operation smh

LOL FBI??? Civil suit sure, but if you are dumb enough to buy something that you never verified as being real, FBI is not getting involved lol, that's a civil matter. However, if I got screwed out of the money that is allegedly involved, man I would be naming names, filing a civil suit against the scammer and CGC, and everyone would know everything about the scammer. I'm shocked at how quiet the victims and people who know the scammer have been.

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MAR1979

MAR1979

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 12/24/2023 at 10:31 PM, Taxi Driver said:

 I'm shocked at how quiet the victims and people who know the scammer have been.

They are trying to dump the books on rubes via Social Media. Likely at just below "FMV" and accepting Friends n Family only type payments.

on a different note I do wonder if Borack is chuckling over this?

 

Edited by MAR1979
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VintageComics

VintageComics

Posted
Posted
On 12/24/2023 at 10:40 PM, MAR1979 said:
On 12/24/2023 at 10:31 PM, Taxi Driver said:

I'm shocked at how quiet the victims and people who know the scammer have been.

They are trying to dump the books on rubes via Social Media. Likely at just below "FMV" and accepting Friends n Family only type payments.

Do you have any proof of this or are you just guessing?

On 12/24/2023 at 10:31 PM, Taxi Driver said:

LOL FBI???

You should read this post. 

 

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