OK, I want to finish with this, so here is the email from 'L' asking for forgiveness.
From: 'L' Subject: Stamp fraud fiasco
I am writing to you again about affair where I defrauded several people in November/December last year.
I realise that the last time I brought this matter up publicly I was quite defensive and rude, and did not approach the situation appropriately. For that I apologise, I realise I was being very immature.
I thought the best approach for this email would be for me to plead that the forum message board and related discussion be removed from the philately website in which you participate and then state my case and possible reasons why you should reconsider.
Hopefully you will see merit in my directness and justification and we would be able to reach and agreement. If I have directed this letter to the wrong party, or a group discussion is required, I request that you remain impartial and pass it on to the necessary parties regardless of your personal opinion on the matter.
In November of 2009, I commited a heinous, dishonest act that requires punishment and retribution. At the time, I was 18 and had just finished a successful year studying French and Linguistics at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.
I had been in my hometown of Invercargill for a couple of weeks and was desperately bored. I noticed my stamp collection from my earlier childhood and thought it might be an interesting summer project. However, I didn't have many stamps.
So I invented this malcious, manipulative lie. It was a spur of the moment decision one afternoon, and within one hour of my decision I had make the posts that I will be ashamed of forever.
In reality, I only expected a three or four people to send small packets of stamps of very little value (monetary value of the stamps in my collection was never of interest to me, it was more the pictures and designs and different countries that interested me).
So many people emailed, and I thought it was too good to be true. The next day I realised what I had done. About a week later the parcels started arriving and I really saw the damage I had done. People at put so much effort and time into sending these stamps to someone they thought had bona fide intentions.
I realised that some of these stamps were quite valuable and rare and at this time the guilt was unbearable. One rainy afternoon I had decided to use the internet to type a silly lie and a week later I had stamps on my doorstep that were illegally obtained.
I am incredibly grateful that the New Zealand police were not involved in this matter, and still fear this to this day. I have since matured. This will never happen again.
Because of this incident, I no longer collect stamps. While they still interest me, I can no longer bear it. I am living again in Dunedin, away from my parents. I put all the stamps that I received into one big shoebox and they are still mixed up with a few kiloware packages I bought off
ebay.
I have no use for these stamps now, I would like to return them to the victims of my crime, but I think it would be difficult because they are all mixed up. I made an effort to send some stamps back to people but I realise this was not well received, the stamps I sent were of little value and not an acceptable apology.
I would appreciate your opinion on what to do with these stamps next time I return to Invercargill (I was considering donating them to the local stamp club).
The reason I would like the discussion board to be removed is because it shows up when people search my name on search engines, and I feel it harms my reputation.
While I understand that punishment is necessary for an act like this, I think this damming forum exceeds the punishment I should receive for my act (not to mention that I haven't spoken to my father for seven months because of this incident - something that affects me every day).
People are inclined these days to do Google searches on people they have in interest in, be in for employment purposes or interpersonal relationships. I have been confronted about my name's presence on this forum several times by friends.
Presently, I am considering applying to complete my Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours in French language and literature which requires me to spend six months in France (or Quebec) and write a dissertation upon my return to New Zealand.
As you may realise, exchange organisations only send candidates who have proved themselves to be of good character on something like this.
I feel it is a great opportunity for me to perfect my French and gain the degree I want. I worked for several years during high school to support myself while at university and have spent several thousand dollars already, which I would hate to be wasted because the exchange organisation saw that I had done this and refused to send me on the trip.
I work hard, and have always worked hard and am a straight A student. After completing my degree, I plan to teach English overseas for a couple of years (I am doing a combined degree in applied Linguistics which covers teaching English as a second language) and then return to New Zealand to become a trainee customs officer for the New Zealand Customs Service.
I hope I will be able to use my skills in French and other languages (I study Spanish also) to work as an interpreter at Auckland International Airport. Likewise, a government agency like this would be reluctant to hire someone with a tarnished public record.
In brief, I feel that this message board may have the potential to strip me of opportunities that would enable me to become a productive and high functioning member of society. If I cannot complete my degree and realise my dreams and aspirations, I don't know what I will do.
I would like to extend personal apologies to all those who were implicated in this scam. Additionally, I am prepared to offer monetary compensation to the victims, as it is not possible for me to return the stamps. I could do this through Paypal.
Although I don't have a lot of money as I study full time, I will make an effort to satisfy victims' requests.
If you need any further information concerning my motives, intentions, justification or aspirations, please write back to me and ask. I plead to you that you consider this email carefully and not simply dismiss it.
Obviously this matter no longer has any direct effect on you, but I am a real, honest, genuine person despite my online behaviour and hope that you may find the compassion to at least consider my request or discuss it with your peers on the message board.
I look forward to your reply
Yours Sincerely
'L'
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Here is a reply to an email I sent to him about SCF and the members he scammed ;
Hello Michael
Your comment about my English language ability is also rather sad. I did not proof read the e-mail, which I should have, but I assure you that I have no problem with my spelling.
And yes, you are right about an apology needed for everyone affected. I give you permission to post the entire e-mail to the community that you are involved in, or if you like I can edit it slightly so that it only contains information relevant to the apology. Alternatively, I could write a new apology but that would seem silly conidering I would just be rewording the same scenario.
I apologise for not having responded to your e-mails sooner. As you may know I created a fake e-mail address for the scam, and after I realised what I had done, the guilt was too much for me to even check that e-mail. Or perhaps I thought that if I stop reading the message board and checking my e-mails the problem would go away by itself, but that was rather naive of me.
Also one more thing, I would really appreciate it if you did not use my full name when you repost my apology. I am trying to clear my name and reputation and feel that if details of this scam were to pop up on another forum then it may do more harm than good. I'm sure most of the members know my name anyway, so you can just call me Leon B or something similar if you want. Also, I would appreciate it if you could dissuade other members who may not accept my apology on either forum to refrain from publicly using my name on online forums.
Once again I am truly sorry for November/December's events.
Look forward to hearing from you again
L
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Another;
Hi Michael, thanks for doing this. It is really appreciated. The stamps are still sitting in a big box at the family home so who knows what I will do with them one day.
Would you be able to send a link to the forum you posted the message on so I can read the replies of the members? I received one particularly nasty email last night and I am just wondering if they were a stampboards member of from elsewhere.
Thanks
L
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I have asked Admin to delete or archive this thread out of site of Google/Yahoo Bots, if this is possible, to give him a chance.
I see that some agree already.
I have asked to leave this here a week so members, those affected or not, can have their say if they wish.
Londonbus1
Posted 08/10/2010 11:15 am
