Zeke Scam

[tstage]

Does anyone remember specifically when zeke came on board here at the forum?  And how many total posts he had?  I was just pondering about a possible link between zeke and another former forum member...

Tom

[canoncityxp]

Thanks to you and yours, Dave.  Words are not sufficient for the love I have for all who have served to protect us.

I too was suspicious of the miraculous survival, the near death condition of late and then the sudden discharge.  Even Micheal Moore couldn't dream up a scenario like that.  Would have made a powerful segment in SICKO by including Satan (aka insurance company) to Zeke's b.s.

[simon1966]

Tom, I was curious as well because to me his name came out of the blue.  It was not a screen name that I was familiar with at all.  He had I believe about 400 posts.  The vast majority were on the Toy train collecting forum.

[MisterBeasley]

When you look at the numbers, it doesn't add up.  He was too young for the first Iraq war, so now he claims he served 3 tours since the start of the second war in 2003?  Considering recuperation time, those must have been very short tours indeed.

He did carefully avoid saying he got any medals.  Saying he was wounded might lead you to the conclusion that he got a Purple Heart, but that's your conclusion, not his claim.  It may be that he's quite aware of the laws, and is intentionally putting together a misleading story which is not technically in violation of the Stolen Valor Act.

I would think the Original Poster, and anyone else who has seen their "acts of kindness" for sale by this bum on eBay, should contact eBay and explain that the items he is selling were obtained fraudulently.  I don't know what eBay would do, but it's probably a better option than leaving negative feedback.

[Train 284]

And here I thought I had found a model railroader who was a good personand lived in the same town as me. You guys want me to go see this guy for myself? Bonneyview is a short 10 minute drive from where I live.

[Dave Vollmer]

When you look at the numbers, it doesn't add up.  He was too young for the first Iraq war, so now he claims he served 3 tours since the start of the second war in 2003?  Considering recuperation time, those must have been very short tours indeed.

He did carefully avoid saying he got any medals.  Saying he was wounded might lead you to the conclusion that he got a Purple Heart, but that's your conclusion, not his claim.  It may be that he's quite aware of the laws, and is intentionally putting together a misleading story which is not technically in violation of the Stolen Valor Act.

Mr B,

I know he's not in violation of the letter of the Stolen Valor Act, but if his stories are lies, he's certainly in violation of the spirit of the law.

Now, he said he was in his 30s and had been in the Army 11 years.  I'm just shy of 33 and I passed my 11-year service mark back in March (I was barely old enough for a commission!).  So that part adds up.  But then, I was in high school for the first Gulf War!

Honestly, there are days even when I feel like a fraud, since I only served there for four relatively quiet months (2003) and was never wounded.  I came back to a staff job (Commander's aide) that ended up keeping me stateside.  Then I was sent back to school for a PhD.  So my contribution to the war effort was tiny compared to some.

So when Zeke told his story I felt awed and ashamed.  If he's telling lies he'll have a lot of explaining to do to a lot of dead vets someday when his turn comes.

[Cox 47]

Well after reading all the posts....I think I'll keep on praying for "Zeke"...and for myself I pray that it won't harden my heart when some one comes along in real need...Cox 47

[Anonymous]

Well after reading all the posts....I think I'll keep on praying for "Zeke"...and for myself I pray that it won't harden my heart when some one comes along in real need...Cox 47

Well said. 

[loathar]

tstage-I was wondering that too. I don't remember him before Memorial day.(knew THAT story was a load of bull!) He did have over 300 posts but I never went back in his history to check him out. If you change your screen name it doesn't automatically change it on your old posts. I bet we would find he had a different name not too long ago.

I'm going to pray for Zeke...Pray he gets his butt stomped by a group of Marines in a VA hospital burn ward! His kind are the lowest form of pond scum out there! The only reason to turn the other cheek is so they are both rosy red from being slapped.

[mononguy63]

Honestly, there are days even when I feel like a fraud, since I only served there for four relatively quiet months (2003) and was never wounded.  I came back to a staff job (Commander's aide) that ended up keeping me stateside.  Then I was sent back to school for a PhD.  So my contribution to the war effort was tiny compared to some.

Dave, don't you dare for even a moment think less of yourself for what you consider a limited role. If you've worn a uniform in service to our country, then you deserve and demand the respect and thanks from the rest of us whom you've served, regardless of the manner of that service.

Jim

Now, back to the trains...

[modelalaska]

Well after reading all the posts....I think I'll keep on praying for "Zeke"...and for myself I pray that it won't harden my heart when some one comes along in real need...Cox 47

Very good advice indeed.

Peter 

[Milwhiawatha]

Doug good to see some good people are left in the world (that would be you) but unfortunately there are bad people to (zeke) Where were you guys when my mom was in the hospital with 3 infections and then my dad lost his job due to out sourcing? Kidding. i wouldnt have come on here complaining about the situation. But seriously you guys are great nicest people I have talked to on th enet, the only other people are some fishing online buds I have. I'm proud of the hobbies I'm in and proud of many of the people in them. All hobbies have bad apples, unfortunately us good hearted folks always seem to get took.

[Fergmiester]

Dear Doug

Let's get back to the issue at hand. You feel betrayed and rightly so. There has been some talk of the Zeke in the CS and his issues and I for one really didn't know all the particulars though I could see that 1 + 1 was not = 2. I tend to be a cynic, which is to my detriment as caring as I am I am always on my guard. It has been my experience and I've been burned before and will be burned again no doubt, there is an element within our society that makes up a certain percentage of the population that cannot tell the truth to save themselves. Could be pathalogic, could be a number of issues. They are always there and will always be there. So remember this...

What goes around comes around He will have his day in court

So go easy on yourself

 Fergie 

[simon1966]

http://www.rccanada.ca/bb/viewtopic.php?t=33248&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=75&sid=244e5f1c33fd5e3a13b18e9509e7d27b

This is the link back to the RC site that first tried to warn us over here about him.  The chap that placed the warning got banned as well from trains.com!

[lionel2986]

Well I've decided to keep my thoughts to myself. I just hope this incident doesn't effect these forums. Now I'll think twice before giving things away. Maybe I'll only give things away to people I can see face to face.

[MAbruce]

I've been saying this for years:  When it comes to on-line forums you just can't be sure who is on the other keyboard (with very few exceptions).

Although I did find it odd that the member ID used had been around for a while with a fairly high post count.  It just didn't fit the usual (recently joined) troll-like profile.  Perhaps this was a legitimate ID that was hijacked?  

[selector]

I replied to this thread much earlier, but the post doesn't appear.

I was skeptical, yet it is in my nature to offer encouragement.  Also, I recall no solicitation for goods, favours, support, information, or money, just "Jenny" passing along "Zeke's" misfortunes.  If Jenny is indeed part of a scam, it is a brilliant stroke.

In any event, I gave nothing more valuable than my good wishes.  The receiver(s) is free to do with them as he/she pleases, including paving their way to Hades.

[Wayzata Modeler]

 

It me, Ethel again.  I am bedside of Wayata Modeler.  Surrounding me are the machines and IVs that sustain his life.  The doctors and nurses talk to me in hush tones - sharing that its all up to Wayzata Modeler now.  His ability to find purpose and meaning to his life is what will bring him back to all of us.

  Wait, he is trying to communicate to me!  Since he is paralyzed below the neck, his only way to communicate is to point to letters of the alphabet holding a pencil between his pale, drawn lips.  Let me see..... B..., I....,G  (this is so hard as tremors constantly surge through his frail body)...B....,O.....,Y    (what could be so important to him now that he is using all of limited strength to communicate?!).....H....,  E.......R.....E     (I dont understand, I dont understand, who could possibly understand what he is so frantically trying to communicate!?) .....Y....,E......,T   

 He has now collapsed, having fully sapped all his strength to point out these letters.

BIGBOYHEREYET

What could it mean?,  maybe you, his closest and dearest friends understand what this dear man is trying to share? - what seems to be the only thought and purpose that sustains him above the black abyss of death.

 

 

 

[Cederstrand]

***Dave, THANK YOU for your Service and I am glad you came through uninjured. I share your anger to learn of such a false claim by the Zeke entity.  Thanks for the extra tidbit on potential penalties for doing so. However, like the USPS, laws are broken daily and authorities are too busy working more serious crimes to tackle the lesser stuff. Never hurts to mess with bad people though, IMHO.

Rob

[Cederstrand]

[What goes around comes around " border="0" width="15" height="15" /> He will have his day in court]

Sadly, that isn't always enough. A bastar* named Chuck starved horses we and others had sold him over a two year period while buying more (he always paid cash) until his County found the starved animals and rescued them. One was euthenized (a once beautiful mare we sold him), the others have been placed in wonderful new homes and are recovering well. The worst part is he had plenty of money to hire a good enough lawyer to get entirely away with it. No jail time, not even fines, nothing. So, if I may offer my two bits, justice in court doesn't cut it anymore. But he is going to pay for what he did in time, one way or another. Yes, I don't get angry, I get angry and get even. Rob

[Cederstrand]

Hey, I have Sarcoidosis (look it up) and my wife still needs surgery on her shoulder for a huge bone spur. (All True) So, what do we get?LOL Getting older is not a fun experience, but at least we get to and the alternative isn't all that desirable. Hope everyone has a great day and spends some quality time with loved ones..."their model trains". -Rob

[jfugate]

Interesting thread ... and the original Zeke thread was a bit too good to be true for there to be a person like Jenny, and too bad to be true for one person to have all those ailments in one body. I'm not saying such people don't exist, just very unlikely, which means we should be wary until it's proven out.

One key learning from this is that people can pose as anybody from anywhere over the web and there's really little we can do to check out their story. Some learnings:

1. If the person has no established track record with the group, probe deeper to find out their motives for being here and posting such off-topic personal information. Even though we all care, posting details of your medical condition is off topic for this forum and should be moderated closely, IMO.

2. It's perfectly acceptable to ask for photos to back up their claims. True photos can be faked too, but words alone can be faked in moments with only some minimal writing skills. Photos can take hours or days to fake and require quite a bit more skill.

3. It's okay to be cautious. For example, any time a telephone sales person calls me any more, I tell them, "Hey listen. I did not originate this call, and you could be anybody. So unless I originate the call, I don't do business over the telephone. Goodbye." Same applies to posters on here. We can say: "Can you back up your claims somehow? It's really easy to come on here and post almost anything ... we want to believe you and help out, but some kind of proof is required before we do any more than offer you some encouraging words."

Unless the person has a solid track record with this group, DO NOT send them anything ... money, goods, anything. Sorry to take that position, but it's the wise position to take in this day and age of the world wide web, where any crackpot in the world could pose as anybody anywhere and sucker all us compassionate and well-meaning people into giving them the shirt off our backs. 

[MisterBeasley]

For example, any time a telephone sales person calls me any more, I tell them, "Hey listen. I did not originate this call, and you could be anybody. So unless I originate the call, I don't do business over the telephone. Goodbye."

I'm a bit more subtle.  First of all, I've signed up for every "do not call" list I can, and I'm happy to report that it really does filter most of them out.  However, I still get the occasionally nitwit.  So, I just politely say, "Just a minute..." and put the phone on the table.  I check back again about 10 or 15 minutes later to make sure he's gone before I hang up the phone.

[SteamFreak]

Like Dave, I was taken in by Zeke's Memorial Day testimony, and even though I've never served I'm angry that someone would impersonate a wounded vet for some ill-gotten gain. Unlike some claiming to have clairvoyance () I didn't see it as a scam, since there was no monetary request, but the compounding list of ailments was beginning to stretch credibility. I even made a Daffy Duck reference, because it was beginning to sound like a cartoon.

Dave V, you shouldn't feel in any way diminished about the role you played in defending the country; if only every soldier's tour of duty could be so blessedly uneventful. You certainly didn't know what was in store when you stepped up to the plate, but you did it just the same. I remember how you told Zeke you felt awed and humbled by his heroism, so the consequences of this deception go far beyond financial fraud. It would be great if this individual could be prosecuted, but if not maybe some real veterans could visit that address and give "Zeke" a firsthand lesson in shock and awe.

Doug, don't get cynical and lose your generous spirit because of one jerk.

[R. T. POTEET]

I tried to look up the 'zeke' topic but couldn't find it so I am going to suspect that it got removed.  I did not respond to it; I was forced to stay off of the forum for a few days and by the time I looked in a few days after its original posting it had already gone to multiple pages.  Something, however, struck me as just a little bit strange and that was the deliberate appeal to sympathy by his galfriend - zeke was at deaths door.  If good ole' zeke was at death's door what was zeke's galfriend doing up on the computer appealing for sympathy. It struck me as just a little strange that, of a sudden, somewhere between forty-eight and seventy-two hours after the topic posting, here come's good ole' zeke, completely out of harm's way - "I'm going to make it through this but it won't be easy and I'm just a poor disabled veteran who can't work and . . . . .'  I have some news for you: if zeke is, in reality,  a disabled veteran he is drawing a military retirement pension which is tax-free; he is also drawing SSI which is also tax-free; and he is covered by Tricare/Champus which will probably cover seventy-five to ninety percent of his medical expenses. In addition to all of this zeke resides in California and when you live on the left coast he has a couple of thousand dollars worth of entitlements per month. 'I.m going to make it through this but it won't be easy and I'm just a poor, disabled veteran who can't work and . . . . ."

My father had a heart attack in 1984 - he was at death's door and spent the better part of the first week in ICU; I had a heart attack in 1997 - mine was painless and I drove myself to the hospital emergency room because I thought that I was having other problems.  I spent six nights in the hospital because they had to transfer me to another hospital where they could do an angioplasty and this was Labor Day weekend - Princess Di bought the farm that weekend if you remember - and they would not transfer me from one hospital to another for something as base as an angioplasty until Tuesday morning, 2 September.

Sorry, zeke; you never did quite attract my sympathy.

Heartless S.O.B., aren't I?

[tstage]

For example, any time a telephone sales person calls me any more, I tell them, "Hey listen. I did not originate this call, and you could be anybody. So unless I originate the call, I don't do business over the telephone. Goodbye."

I'm a bit more subtle.  First of all, I've signed up for every "do not call" list I can, and I'm happy to report that it really does filter most of them out.  However, I still get the occasionally nitwit.  So, I just politely say, "Just a minute..." and put the phone on the table.  I check back again about 10 or 15 minutes later to make sure he's gone before I hang up the phone.

One of my favorite stories to tell was from a few years ago, when our local paper called to solicit subscriptions.

The caller told me about the wonderful deal they had for the first 13 weeks for such and such a price.  I said, "No, I'm not interested".  They then told me about all the various and wonderful articles and features contained in each of the sections.  Again, I said, "No, I'm not interested".

Not to be deterred, the caller went on about something else.  When I came back with the third "No, I'm not interested", I got a rather bemused response from the caller.  They inquired, "Sir, why don't you want to get the Plain Dealer?"

Let me quickly interject here that I love a good, clean joke and/or laugh.  However, I also make it my purpose to be truthful when asked a question by someone.  When I was posed this question by the caller, my mind immediately came up with the "perfect" response.  However, I wanted to be a man of truth so I didn't use it.  Even so, it took every ounce of my will power NOT to answer the caller's question in the following manner:

[breaking down and weeping on the phone]"...because...[sniff] [sniff]...I CAN'T REEEEEAD!!!" [I would continuing on for several more rounds of crying and weeping uncontrollably, eventually hanging up.]

Even as I write the account of this, I still get a big chuckle out of it - even though it didn't use it.  (In a way...I sorta wish I had.)   But, at any rate, hopefully some of you will get a chuckle out of the story, nonetheless.

Tom

[Cheese]

And here I thought I had found a model railroader who was a good personand lived in the same town as me. You guys want me to go see this guy for myself? Bonneyview is a short 10 minute drive from where I live.

Yeah,

You give him a piece of your mind. However, just be sure you can prtect yourself should he be able to defend himself.

You might be in luck though. He might still be recovering from his "heart attack". It was a heart attack allright. His heart was attacked and turned something evil, which is why he scammed people. OFF WITH HIS HEAD!!!

Cheese

[R. T. POTEET]

tstage, I did roughly the same thing only I said:

. . . . . because I only read numbers, I never did learn how to read letters.  When I go on a trip and I see a mileage sign I know exactly how fur it is but I never know where I'm headin' to . . . . . I got a laugh out of the girl on the other end before she graciously thanked me for my time and hung up.

[tstage]

That's a good one, R.T.

Tom 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Here's the answer I use. Why should I spend good money buying the paper when I can just walk over to my parents home and read their paper for nothing?