You guys have to read this

[Mike P]

OK Skip, here's the Cliff Notes version.

19 year old kid posts ad for "new" aftermarket gears ("bran" new ) for sale on a 4x4 website for $100 + $15 shipping. Another member sends him a check for $115. Kid goes back a couple of days after cashing the check and edits his post to make it $125 + $15, and tells the guy he owes him another $25 before he'll ship the gears. Unfortunately for the young scammer, both the buyer and the webmaster have saved copies of the original, unedited post. They go back and forth, kid not only doesn't send the gears, but takes an "Eff You" attitude with everyone who calls him on it. So, guys with web savvy start poking around, find threads on other sites where he's scammed people (including a lot of unfavorable ratings on eBay) and a post on another truck site where he mentions that he got hosed for the installation of the "bran new" gears and had them taken out after running up some mileage on them. The guy then tells him to stuff the used gears and send him a check instead as a refund. Kid sends the used gears anyway, guy refuses delivery, and finally, after a lot of personal info being posted which demonstates that the kid isn't only a thief, but a dork and a liar to boot, he gets a 7/11 money order that he can't get cashed until tomorrow. So, he has no idea whether the kid sent him a good money order. Meanwhile, every 4x4, car, offroading, motorcycle and now all other types of websites are posting links to the thread and young Charlie Wenzel of San Luis Obispo, CA is now the most infamous personality on the internet.

Great exchange back on page one or two--webmaster "kid, send the gears or I promise you your life will be a living hell". Kid "how are you gonna make my life a living hell---throw me off this lame-assed website?" Webmaster--"kid, you'll see".

I think the family and the kid had to change their landline, cell and e-mail addies over the weekend from all of the calls they were getting after every piece of personal info about the kid was posted for the whole world to see. Including the fact that he's 19 and hosing a 16 or 17 year old girlfriend.

Don't ever phark with 4x4 off-roaders, is the moral of the story

You can't read the whole thing--you just have to scan over a lot and hit the highlights.