I had someone sell a website to me along with the domain name and vbulletin license. I learned the hard way the true owner can get the vbulletin license back. It is so easy to do. Even if you have the customer number and password. It doesn't matter. The owner can get the license back even if you have proof you bought it. Vbulletin will only allow owner to be moved once. After that the license is worthless. So be warned. At anytime the owner can call vbulletin and request that the email and password be changed. They will do it even if you show them proof. Even if you show them the person's post on a hacker site saying he is going to do it. The scammers can sell the same license a 100 times and people like me will continue to buy them. I wouldn't buy another license unless the seller done everything I told him to do. That would include me contacting vbuleltin myself and asking them could the license legally be transferred to me with no risk of the original owner taking it back. Then he would transfer it to my name. If you do anything different you are at risk. I had one PM me a few hours ago. He said he is paypal verified user. Whoopy doo!!!!!!!!!! That doesn't mean squat. The person that scammed me was paypal verified living in India. What else can you do? Fly over there and whoop his tail? I don't think so. All I have is his phone number and name. What good is that to me in helping me get my vbulletin license back?
Unfortunately, buying anything on the internet is a case of "buyer beware." That is particularly true when the seller is in a different country than the buyer. Usually, the amounts are too small to justify the amount of effort that it would take to recover the losses, even if you know where to find the seller. The first step is to do as much due diligence on the seller as possible. As you found, talking to the licensor when you are buying a license is important. Verifying ownership of a domain is another example, as well as looking for any recent changes in the registration information on Whois that might indicate that the domain was stolen. Another precaution, if available, is to buy with a credit card. If you get scammed, challenge the transaction and let the credit card company go after its merchant for its money back.
Thanks. I think we should be proactive too. If we suspect a scammer we should report them to digital point. I have fell for a scammer twice here. What we need to do as buyers is get the mechandise first then give them the money. If they say they are paypay verified that means nothing. Also I didn't know this but after 45 days you cannot file a dispute with paypal. The so called "paypal verified owner" waited until the 46th day to do his damage. His momma and daddy must have been brother and sister. The scammers need to be careful. If they are every confronted in real ife with the victim it could be bad for them.
I have so many sites. I was trying to save a dollar. I still would buy. I just will be more careful next time.
All I can say is guys. When you see someone selling a license be very careful. They can get it back. It don't matter if you have the customer number and password. All he has to do is answer the secret questions he gave them when he first bought the license. Then you are without a license. The simple thing to do is contact vbulleting and tell them what you are going to do. They are very nice. They will not budge though on giving the license back. They are going to fully protect the owner. Which is a good thing in most cases.
Should I send a message to all of his family and friends? I have over a hundred emails of his family their friends and teachers at the school where he lives. He lives in India. He purchased a digital account from someone here. He is active on here.