FRAUD warning, NATA Computer.

[GammaRayX]

I never dealt with NATA. But on another theory, the owners can be the culprit, and plan this from the beginning. Do legitimate business at a loss to gain coustomers and their trust. Then when they have attained enough credit card numbers, to spring the "scam" and skip town.

A little like a reversed police sting operation.

Then again, it can be just a rotten employee and the owners are ignorant about it.

 

[amb#cog]

Wow I missed this one. I live in RI, and just so happen to be heading up to Rt 2 in Warwick this afternoon.

I deliver pizzas in Portsmouth RI, and was told by one of my customers (a fellow geek of the highest order) that NATA is a good place for overclocking supplies, or else I probably would have never even noticed the place. Good thing that between Hot Deals, and Fs/FT. I have no need to drive up there from Newport to buy stuff, or they would have wiped out my bank account, since I use a debit card only now (CC=debt for a hardware junkie )

I'll go by there, and if they're open. Go in, look around, and ask some questions.

Okay more like bust their chops a little.

It's been said, but this is an actual store, and not just a warehouse.

[sarcasm]I'm still baffled that any scams like this could happen in little ole Rhode Island. :Q[/sarcasm]

 

[monopoly]

For all those wondering about Credit Card protections afforded to the so called 'Debit' Cards, read on....

Some debit cards are issued in your behalf and have the M* or V*SA logos on them. Whether you use them or not is your decision. Rest assured that EVEN if these logos are attached - IF, your bank (whether the account is personal or business) issued them as debit cards, there are NO Credit Card protections (right of return, insurnance, dispute resolution, etc.), except for 'factual acts of fraud' (which may apparently apply here) as are affored for 'genuine' Credit Cards. The problem is, it may take some time to make your case of 'factual acts of fraud' - in which time your funds are tied up and/or may prove to be unrecoverable.

These cards are as if you wrote a check (difference being the card charges are debited immediately). The principle is the same as a check.

 

[rudder]

It could also be they used a defective shopping cart software and a hacker stole all the credit card info. I've ordered from them in the past and they seemed like a reputable company. Maybe they just won't admit something like this happened.

 

[Shuxclams]

<< I'm still baffled that any scams like this could happen in little ole Rhode Island. >>



BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA! Yeah sure, the same place where if someone offers you a &quot;favor&quot; you run for the hills? LOL Come on, the same place that re-elected the mayor after he was convicted of trying to kill his wifes lover? (isnt that the story?) Mafia is suck.........








SHUX

 

[amb#cog]

Tried to kill him with a fire poker (you know the brass ones), then a burning log.

Ever try his marinara sauce?

monopoly I know. That's why I'm lucky.
I keep it low on funds for a reason.

NATA was locked tight. I was there right at closing time, but there was zero sign of life???

 

[mattyrug]

hmmmm..... in RI, come on guys, no such thing as Corruption, or Fraud in this state......
on the other hand, I know NATA was open yesterday. I drove by there on the way through, and they were open, and well lit, but that could be part of a government cover up....
uh-oh gotta run, the CIA's watchin' me

 

[Shuxclams]

Funny story, I took my wife to Federal Hill to get some pizza right across from the &quot;Italian American Cultural Center&quot;, the place with &quot;no windows&quot; , and it was on her first visit to R.I. since she was a kid, she has family in Cumberland, so we're sitting down and waiting for the pie and she says in a less than discreet fashion, &quot;so there alot of mafia around here?&quot; I could have died.




SHUX

 

[amb#cog]

Matt. They are on the way. Resistence is futile.

Sean. &quot;no windows&quot; LOL

That's about as real as the &quot;Irish American Athletic Club&quot;.

So the wife's real smooth huh?

 

[Shuxclams]

Speaking of good Itialian eats, ever been to the vetrans lodge in Cranston? Best damn Polenta in the world, sicilian style of course...



SHUX

 

[amb#cog]

No they wouldn't let me in, because I wasn't a &quot;member&quot;. LOL

I'll have to check that out. Where in Cranston?

We always go to Olerio's (sp?) when we're in Cranston. You just have to love a joint in a (I think it was a convinience srore at one time :Q) strip mall with slammin food, and good service. I like to surprise people with that one. They always think we're entering some kinda dive.

 

[starlitt]

OH GEE that sucks. I wonder why the company went downhill? :Q

 

[marketsons1985]

^bump!^

 

[compuwiz1]

Here is little snippet from Overclockers.com:

&quot;NATA No More? 1/11/01: Mike goes by NATA's retail outlet and tells me they have closed it. A vendor told me they are out of business. Unless I hear differently, assume they are. Joe&quot;


I think they did exactly as Russ said, committing the act, then posting on their website to buy time. :Q

 

[damocles]

I had a situation like this a while back. I bought a CPU online from a company called specificsystems (please note since then they have gone under and the new company using their url has NOTHING to do with them). 2 weeks after placing the order my processor hadnt turned up. What followed was a series of posts on their page commenting about a fire they had had, and a complete lack of responses to my emails. Every now and then i would get an email (obviously a bulk send) stating that all would be well in a week or so.

By this timeI had given up and set my credit card company on them.

(btw they scored a 0.9 on RR, very scarey).


Thanks for you post Russ everybody needs to know when stuff like this happens.

 

[compuwiz1]

Their website is still functioning, but I wonder if ordering still works. I'm not trying it! :Q

 

[li1997]

:disgust:

Ok guys,

If any of you actually order from NATA Computers then you will know exactly who I am, My name is Lee Isensee, I was the Sales Manager of NATA. I left at the end of October beging of November. Here is the real story straight up..

After I left the company was left only a few people one of which was Jesse P. (Head Tech.), he later left at the end of November. Leaving the company basically empty of people who could (A) speak english (B) fix computers (C) Sell computer stuff with some knowledge.
So on December 1st the owner decided to try to automate the internet side of the company. We had always hand done all internet based orders by hand to ensure no fraud, no illegal activities, and to make sure that the credit card numbers would be safe (and out of the hands of some third party CC charging company). So the owner took all the credit card numbers that we had from all of our internet based orders and automated the system..
So what happen.. the automation company miss handled them and max'ed out the cards that they got a hold of. All the money that was processed was placed into NATA's checking account.
NOTE: not one cent of that money was touched..
As soon as the automation company got the records and started to do the work on December 1st the owner shut down (what at the time was just going to be for a month) went back to his home country for a x-mas/new year vacation (he had no idea what had happen).
Well while he was gone the $h1t hit the fan... Jesse and I we left to do clean up... All of a sudden we started to get e-mails and phone calls from the RI AG's office (Chris Cotta). After explaining everything we knew and some good work from Chris we finally figured out what happen.

So.. no NATA didn't screw over the customer on purpose..
No it wasn't fraud..
Yes it was a big mess
No NATA will probubly never be open again..

So to get to an ending..

If you have any question about I have created an email address about this to get questions answered.

QnA E-Mail About NATA

 

[jonnyGURU]

:Q Whoa! :Q

 

[Adul]

Whoa is right. I wonder if anyone who lost their money here got it back yet?

 

[slucky]

bump

 

[Russ]

li1997,

Interesting explanation but for one major problem. Even an automated system requires input to initiate a transaction. A credit card processing system does not operate of it's own volition; it doesn't just suddently start creating transactions unless a HUMAN punched the buttons.

Now, there are a lot of people around here who've never operated the back office for an online processing system and they'll probably fall for the &quot;sorry, this was just a huge mixup argument&quot;, but some of us actually know how it works.

I could almost buy the argument that it was human or processing error if it were a card or two, or even a handful of cards. But there is no way in hell that this many people &quot;accidentally&quot; got charged, coincidentally, to the maximums on their cards.

This was a deliberate act.

Russ, NCNE

 

[rocmonster]

I agree with Russ, I work for an online store and orders do not get charged until WE send info to our processing partner that WE have shipped the order AND THEN we get paid. All our credit card processing partner does is validate the credit card for the amount and place a temporary hold for that amount (which I believe expires within a day or two) until we specifically ask for the amount to be debited.

 

[slucky]

There is one more &quot;mix-up&quot; in Lee's explanations. First he says:


<< I was the Sales Manager of NATA. I left at the end of October beging of November. >>



Then he says:


<< Jesse and I we left to do clean up... >>


...and this was AFTER December 1st, 2000.

 

[li1997]

Ok let me handle these questions one at a time...


Russ &amp; rocmonster >>

Like I said I no longer worked at NATA this is what I was told..
What we believe to happen was the automation company recieved the credit card numbers and did what ever they did onw their own.. I have no Idea how an automation company handles it..

If you want you can call Christopher Cotta at Rhode Island Attorney Generals Office. 401-274-4400 ext 2323 I am sure he can explain this better..

slucky >>

I left at the end of October, and Jesse left at the end of November, but everyone in the area knows that Jesse and I worked there and we are both very involved in the hardware business locally and online. When we something like this we know that we have the best chance of finding out info and people know that they can ask us questions and get a straight answer. Also we both started to get phone calls from the RI AG office. That is what I was trying to say when I said that we were both left to do clean up..

It does NOT mean that we were left at the company..

Lee

 

[Russ]

li1997,

The RI AG would simply repeat what they, and you, have been told. It sounds like you've been duped right along with the unfortunate customers.

Russ, NCNE