What's up with AgencyScams.com (Marriageagencyscams.com) and JimsLists.com?

[Jack]

Well, look what's new on Jim's site.  For years he wrote we could not trust Hot Russian Brides, now they are a great agency!          Not sure I quite understand, for years they were bad, and now they are good? 

Now on Jim's site.

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Welcome to Agency Scams
 
 
IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ BEFORE BROWSING MY SITE...

The operator of this website apologizes to Romantic Tours, Inc., the owners of the HOTRUSSIANBRIDES.COM and RUSSIANLOVEMATCH.COM websites. I might have implied previously that the owners of these websites scam men. I was wrong. I know now that both HOT RUSSIAN BRIDES and RUSSIAN LOVE MATCH are run professionally and ethically. Any problems I previously mentioned about Romantic Tours or its websites did not actually relate to Romantic Tours or were caused by independent agencies over which Romantic Tours had limited control. All companies in the industry must rely on Russian and Ukrainian agencies to provide the ladies who are featured on their websites. Unlike other companies, Romantic Tours stops dealing with an agency if it learns of unethical or improper activity by the agency. As a result, Romantic Tours protects its customers. I recommend both HOT RUSSIAN BRIDES and RUSSIAN LOVE MATCH.



agencyscams.com has been hijacked and no longer works.

My sites are constantly being attacked by marriage agencies, lawyers and others. Hosting companies are pathetic. They do not help in any way. They treat me as the criminal.


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Looks like Jim has changed.   Wonder who he recommends as good Russian discussion forums?



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Forums to Trust - and NO others...
RU Adventures | Romance Scam | Antiscam.net | RW Primer | Russian Women Forum


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Nope, guess he has not changed that much.  Still RWD is not a forum to be trusted in Jim's valued opinion.   :noidea:

[facetrock]

 Jim just got a letter from some lawyers that scared the bejesus out of him. Easy to see that.

[wicheese]

I just checked agencyscams.com and it said the website is unavailable. 

Related to Jimslist, what Jack did not quote is: "First, yes, I am Kostya"  and since I know next to nothing about the owners of the site etc. I'm curious who he is and where Jim is????

Related to HRB/RLM, it was funny to follow the events on RUA over the past year.  You first had Jim from Jimslist come on the site making posts (then getting annoyed and disappearing), you had someone posting as the CEO of HRB defending his site, and then you had an RUA member offered a free all expenses vacation to visit the company in Florida (this member, just so happened to be making comments on how vulnerable Jim's position was and then having the CEO giving him props, any connection???) and that member seems to defend the company now if someone posts a negative viewpoint.  A second RUA member was offered a free trip and accepted the same fully paid trip and reported nothing new (that the company does not scam as it's the affiliates that do it) with the most interesting "yawn" being that they had real artwork on the walls.

So what does this mean, well I must be really bored to even care and worse that I remember details, but I sure would be curious to know what's really happened (like watching a soap opera and yes I'm counting the days until my FSUW makes it here as she's a much better distraction than reading the forums,  ). 

[wicheese]

The facts often get in the way of the rumours. Many prefer to ignore inconvenient facts and continue to perpetuate rumours. I wonder how many people who howl about "scam" agencies have actually used the agency they caution others not to use.

Some blokes think spending anything over $50 represents being scammed.

Technically speaking, none of the big IMB sites scam as they are just portals facilitating the communication between a man and women. Much like an owner of a flea market, if shoddy merchandise (or should we say communication in this case) is sold, it's not the fault of the flea market owners and like any good flea market owner, it's in their interest to chase away the worst of the merchants using their facility and by advertising said fact it helps convince some that they'll always be buying quality products. This fact still does not mean you would recommend someone to go to a flea market if they are looking for a puppy, for example, (the dogs might be really cute, but poorly breed) as it would be a much better option to go directly to a known breeder as it might cost more initially, but in the long run be a cheaper option (if you consider future health issues etc.).

In other words, just because they do not scam directly, does not mean they are a recommended avenue to find a wife overseas. Much better to hook them up with someone like Ed, Jack, or known trusted agencies, that way the middle person is cut out and you know who you are dealing with. SO in some ways, tightening up the IMBRA act, making it more difficult for a man to start his overseas search, is not such a bad thing as it'll make him think about what he is doing more than once.

Still I'd be interested in seeing what happened to Jim or the context of the lawsuit that made him disappear (or should we say change direction), just from a popcorn eating spectator on the sidelines.

[wicheese]

I'm still curious what happened to Jim?

Was it a lawsuit, did HRB/RLM just buy his site, or did they pay him as it's a pretty dramatic change in endorsements from not that long ago?

[Admin]

I'm still curious what happened to Jim?

Was it a lawsuit, did HRB/RLM just buy his site, or did they pay him as it's a pretty dramatic change in endorsements from not that long ago?

At the risk of being trite, I'd suggest that Jim just managed to finally find someone who was willing to spend the time and effort and money to bring an action against him. If you take a tour through some of the older topics here, you will find that Jim has been involved in several quite contentious topics - including these:

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=2158.0 - in which Jim came and posted here crying FOUL over something.

Look at this one -- http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=3926.0, in which some supporter of Jim's (or Jim himself) sent SPAM to a bunch of people and encouraged them to engage in scurrilous and illegal activities such as lying to government authorities in order to disparage one of Jim's primary antagonists (who is Jack BTW).

And in this topic -- http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=3194.0, Jim decided to include RWD amongst his Black List sites.

There was a point when we (RWD) spent the money to find Jim - and we did, along with his passport photo and information (a fact never before divulged) with the full intent to file a lawsuit in federal court. We carefully researched the issues of internet law and transnational litigation and were VERY confident of both the process to pursue and the outcome to expect. The pleadings were prepared and the action was ready to be submitted to the Court. At the last minute, I elected to defer the action - though never entirely quashed it.

During that same period, I was in contact (in several cases, it was VERY close and frequent contact) with numerous agency owners, including:

Elena P. (Elena's Models)
John A. (AFA)
Dan S. (Anastasiaweb)
Ashley N. (Siberian
Preston S. (European Connections)
Richard W. (Tver Angels)
Kevin H. (KhersonGirls)
Nikolay P. (CuteOnly)
Jamie M. (International Introductions)
Mike K. (Cherry Blossoms)
Larry G. (Angelika Network)
Steve ?? (A Pretty Woman)
Roy M. (Cali Charm)
Nelson G. (Latin Introductions)

AND - a large number of smaller agency owners who were, at that time, listed in Jim's 'Blacklist' (as were several of the above).

Quite a number of things happened back then. Two of the agency owners above wrote to Jim and told him they had become convinced he was 'off his rocker' (my paraphrase), and if he persisted with the RWD blacklisting, they wanted nothing to do with him. This led to Jim creating a new category at his sites called the "Refused List" - and where he says that even though the guys refused to be listed on his sites, he personally would use them.

Some other rather odd things happened in the period. One of them is that a partial basis for the claims against Jim were that he personalized things and published my primary business names, my full and complete name, and my address where I live with my family.

Now consider that for a moment. Jim has ALWAYS made the point that he protects his identity because he is afraid that someone might kill him. If you believe what he writes - he is afraid for his life. And yet - he has no compunction about exposing the lives of innocent children (I have four children, and he knows that) by publishing information as to where they might be found - AND - look up above again at the link where one of his supporters (or Jim himself) suggests, among other things, that people should drive to Jack's home and:

This is apparently his house...if you want to pay him a visit, throw things at or into his house, go ahead...

Jim has been legitimately harming innocent people for years - and he preys on people's fears and anxieties. There has been considerable debate about taking advantage of people's fantasies - well, what about those scavengers of the world who knowingly and intentionally exaggerate and/or fabricate dangers so as to frighten people into giving them money?!? Jim is a scare-monger. Which is, of course, not to say that scamming behavior does not occur. Of course it does. But when a Canadian guy like Jim can earn more than $100,000 per year from his sites that promote fear - AND - when he has admitted to corrupt and illegal behavior - AND - when he has been exposed beyond any doubt to be a corrupt, narcissistic caitiff - it would be insane to expect him to be intellectually honest ABOUT ANYTHING.

And there is even more. This just begins to scratch the surface.

Whew! I needed to get that off my chest. Now that I know there has been some successful legal actions taken against Jim, I need to check on the statute of limitations from the previous actions and see which of these may be pursued.

Oh - one other thought. This is a poignant thought. Since that debacle I've continued to have contact with owners of the larger agencies around the globe including:

Andrew B. (CupidMedia)
Greg P. (HRB/RLM)
Steve V. (Colombian Sweethearts)
Irina G. (Dating and Matchmaking)

And loads of others I cannot recall right now. I've had telephone contact with all these folks, and more. Jim has never expressed any interest in telephone contact of any sort - though it had been offered on several occasions. Jim seems to want to work through a proxy - most often it is Kevin Hayes - presumably leveraging the credibility and integrity of someone like Kevin. Even though Kevin and I had a serious falling out (more on his part than mine, FTR), I continue to think of him as a person who has integrity. My sole, and it has become overwhelming, disappointment with Kevin, is that even though he sees quite clearly the hypocrisy and lack of reason in Jim and his arguments, Kevin does NOT stand firm. He therefore is not intellectually honest - and that lack of intellectual honesty is a large part of what allows a fear-monger like Jim to continue to cause others legitimate, and in some cases, irreparable harm.

FWIW

- Dan

[Admin]

I cannot stop coming back to this topic today. I guess this is something that has been festering for a VERY long time and only now does it appear (to me) that some 'justice' might be in the offing.

One more time, I want to invite every reader to consider a VERY simple fact pattern, as follows:

* In owning and managing RWD (and Planet-Love), I've come across my fair share of internet crazies. I've had numerous threats of lawsuits - and an occasional physical threat. I know, without any shred of a doubt, there are people who visit RWD that are mentally unbalanced and capable of physical violence.

* Because of that, I have always walked a 'tightrope' of wanting to be more forthcoming with my personal situation and details, and at the same time, needing to protect my family. My full name and address is something I have never published, and have been EXTREMELY careful with providing it to anyone. It is not a lack of desire to engage. I felt (and still feel) it is a necessary protection for my family - AND - I still offer maybe more than I should with the photos and such. Anyway - hopefully you will see my point.

* The other reason for protecting my full identity is that these sites have never been my primary vocation. They started as a hobby, and they continue as a hobby. In fact, I recently referred to my participation at RWD and PL as my "community service" projects - somewhat in jest, but not entirely. I am not ashamed of what I do here - quite to the contrary - but since my primary vocation is one that is far afield of these sites, and since I did not want to have to be explaining it often to customers, I just chose to make it a non-issue by again, keeping my full identity concealed.

* I had seen Jim's comment at his sites about protecting his identity and his fear for his life - AND - I believed him. I suspect there are people who might want to see Jim harmed for some of the material he has written at his sites.

* Jim was upset with Jack (and/or vice versa), and did not like it that Jack would post his opinions about Jim here at RWD, so Jim decided (apparently) to turn his attack on RWD and me.

* Not very far into that 'war' Jim announced, in advance, that he would soon publish my full contact details at his site. I saw it, but did not believe he would stoop so low, and was pretty sure that none of the people who knew those details would provide them to Jim. I did not stop to consider that it might be one of the agencies that both Jim and I were conducting business with.

* Jim did, indeed, prominently post my full name, the names of my primary business and other information that would allow anyone to easily find my home address.

* At that very same time, the SPAM email was floating about urging people to visit another of Jim's targets and "throw things at or into his house."

So I invite you to consider how YOU might have responded to this fact pattern. My interpretation was that my family was then under a distinct and unequivocal physical threat - and I continue to believe that was exactly what Jim intended. To silence me and RWD by threatening my family. It did not succeed.

I remain HUGELY offended at those scurrilous actions. It still evokes an emotional response and one that would be . . . entertaining for others if I were to be in the same room with Jim.

How would YOU react if you felt someone was intentionally placing your family and children in harm's way?

- Dan

[tim 360]

I cannot stop coming back to this topic today. I guess this is something that has been festering for a VERY long time and only now does it appear (to me) that some 'justice' might be in the offing.

How would YOU react if you felt someone was intentionally placing your family and children in harm's way?

- Dan

Dan,  I think that many have known for years that Jim is a scumbag,  but his actions with you are beyond the pale.  Hopefully he will reap what he has sown.

[wicheese]

Dan,

Thanks for sharing the other side of the story.  I might be like a typical man in the FSUW search, in that you never know what to believe so you go with what sounds right (call it making an educated guess).  In regards to Jim's sites, I pretty much agreed with what he wrote about the FSUW search as it was not too dissimilar to what I experienced during my trips and what I was told by the few people I know in the industry, so I had no reason to doubt what he was writing about the agencies.  But, as with everything, there is another side of the story so I appreciate your sharing for us on the sidelines to learn a little more. 

[Admin]

Oh - one last thing.

I am not going to make any changes tonight (the wife just summoned me, so there are more important things than RWD at the moment  ) - but sometime tomorrow I plan to split this topic. It began as a topic addressing the changes being seen at JimsLists.com and MarriageAgencyScams.com - and has drifted into a discussion about HRB/RLM's business model.

Fair warning that the split of the topic is coming, so please do not be surprised.

- Dan

[Admin]

The split of the topics is now completed. You can find the posts related to HRB/RLM here -- http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=12679.0.

FYI - there were 6 pages of posts before I split the topics. The original topic pertaining to AgencyScams.com, MarriageAgencyScams.com, and JimsLists.com accounted for less than 2 full pages once the split was completed. The other topic contains 5 pages of posts (please do not ask how original 6 pages became 2 and 5, because I am not sure and expect it would have to do with partial pages, but REALLY do not want to count them to know for sure).

OK - back on track.

Have a ball.

- Dan