Identity Theft Warning - Person Posing as Enhanced Network Systems - Europe

We issued a Fast Track Fraud Alert to the Tradeloop community after Mark Wardell of Enhanced Systems Network - Europe notified us that an identity thief is using his name to defraud dealers.

A person posing as Mark Wardell, of Enhanced Network Systems-Europe is trying to purchase equipment from people using the employee and company's name, but a bogus email address.

View the details:

Case 5071: http://www.tradeloop.com/ethics/cases/case.cfm?id=5071

Tradeloop's Ethics blog contains the details of posted cases. You can review the committee discussions and make your own comments about a case by clicking on the "Members" tab to open a comment window.

Tradeloop's Fast Track Fraud Alert system allows us to quickly alert the community to fraudulent companies and activities like this one. Use this contact page to alert the Ethics Committee to fraud and request a Fast Track Fraud Alert. Tradeloop and the Ethics Committee will receive your communication immediately, review it, and may post the warning to the community.

Have You Seen This (Former) Tradeloop Member?

Former Tradeloop member company, Express Micro PC, was banned from Tradeloop this month for failure to respond to an Ethics complaint filed against it (case #5067). Can any Tradeloop members help locate this company? You can review the details of this case (and of all posted cases) at Tradeloop's Ethics blog.

In this case, the complainant (non-member company, IT Center) alleged that Express Micro PC received a pre-payment of $4800 but failed to deliver either the product or a refund. In June of last year, IT Center responded to a WTS request on Tradeloop from Express Micro PC and purchased product with no problem. So the buyer felt safe in arranging a second deal several months ago. However, he didn't realize that Tradeloop suspended Express Micro PC's account in December for nonpayment of its Tradeloop membership.

If you have any information about this company or would like to comment on this case, we invite you to visit our Ethics blog. There, you can review the details of all posted cases and make comments.

It's easy. For example, to comment on this particular case:

• Make sure you're logged into your Tradeloop account.
  
• Click on the Posted Violations link under the Ethics tab in the main navigation bar.
• Select a case you'd like to review. Here is case #5067.
• Use this tab navigation to review the discussions between the complainant and defendant, the Ethics Committee discussion and comments, member comments, and the voting results.
• To discuss the case, click on the Members tab. It opens a comment window where you can add your own comments and/or discuss the case with other members.
  

Note that in this case, the defendant was banned for failure to respond to the complaint, so there was no committee vote. However, other cases often inspire lively discussion between the complainant, defendant, and Ethics Committee members about the issues involved and actions the committee should take.

Tradeloop established the Ethics blog system to increase transparency and understanding about our Code of Ethics and the Ethics process. We encourage all members to review posted cases and comment on them.

Broadcast Options Help You Manage Your Email Inbox

The "spam filter" option on the "Manage Broadcasts" page allows you to control the number of Broadcasts you receive per day from individual Tradeloop members. Click on the "Filter SPAM" link at the top of the page and select the number of Broadcasts you'd like to receive from each seller per day.

Select any number between 1 and 99 or place no limit on the number of messages using the "all" option.

Note that this option doesn't limit the total number of Broadcasts you'll receive each day. It only limits the number of Broadcasts you'll receive from individual members. Set other Broadcast filter options on your "Manage Broadcasts" page. You can also elect to receive a digest of all Broadcast activity on Tradeloop or subscribe to Broadcasts for certain manufacturers and/or geographic areas.

New Warning Flags on Unvalidated or Incomplete Information on Free Accounts

We've added some warning flags that alert members to free account profiles that contain inaccurate or unverified contact information. Any information we've found to be inaccurate or unverified still displays - but with a strikethough. That's an important clue that you may need to do some more research on the company before completing a deal.

Here's how it looks:
In this case, Mr. Customer either registered for a free account using an invalid email address and phone number or he didn't validate the information in his existing free account when Tradeloop requested it.

This does not affect paying Tradeloop members: all go through a rigorous validation process designed to verify their company information and identity.

It only applies to free account holders who access Tradeloop on a very limited basis. They never have access to wholesale pricing information: that's strictly limited to Tradeloop members with verified accounts.

But we know that Tradeloop members sometimes consider setting up deals with free users. The new information display helps you make an informed decision about whether to complete the transaction. It's part of Tradeloop's continuing commitment to fraud prevention and making Tradeloop a safe place to do business.

Upload Your Company Logo To Tradeloop

Reinforce your your brand and promote your company to Tradeloop members. Upload your company logo and display it on your Company Profile page.

Click on the "My Profiles" link under the Account tab. Look for the "Upload Logo" graphic to the right of your company name:
Click on the graphic and you'll be taken to the "Upload Logo" page where you can upload the file from your computer.

Logos must meet these requirements:

• File format must be GIF or JPG
• The image should not be larger than 100k file size.
• The image display size should be no larger than 138 pixels wide by 65 pixels high.
• The image should not contain anything offensive.
  

This feature is part of our redesigned Company Profile page and is available to all Tradeloop registered users and members.

Ethically Speaking - March 2010

During the past month, two new Ethics complaints were filed, one was closed with no action, and two non-member companies were banned from Tradeloop.

In case #5061, the complainant alleged that the defendant - Perpetual Action Group - failed to completely fill a prepaid order and inadequately packaged the product that was shipped. The defendant was banned from Tradeloop for failing to respond to the complaint.

In case #5062, the dispute involved the non-shipment of prepaid goods and failure to provide a refund. The defendant defendant and complainant were unable to resolve the dispute and the Ethics Committee voted to ban the defendant, Discount Computers, Inc., and post the case to the community.

Many Ethics complaints involve Tradeloop members who arrange deal with non-members who haven't been screened by Tradeloop and haven't agreed to abide by our strict Code of Ethics. We urge all Tradeloop members to do extra due diligence when dealing with non-members.

Case #5057 was closed with no action taken after the discussion stalled between the complainant and defendant.

Two new cases are still in the information-gathering stage.

Learn more about these Ethics complaints and review the details of other closed cases at Tradeloop's Ethics blog.

New "Advanced Search" Page For Dealer Directory

The new "Advanced Search" function makes it even easier to find an individual member or member company in Tradeloop's Dealer Directory. The revised format lists the options in a search form that allows you to search by member information, geographic region, and/or company specialty in a single click.

Using the mix and match option, you can quickly drill down and search on an individual's name, company name, country, state, and more. Looking for a company in Florida that specializes in asset recovery and liquidation or an IT consultant in Dubai? No problem: just select those option in the Advanced Search form and have the information you need in seconds.

Here's a partial screen shot of the new search form:


Access the Advanced Search form directly or click on the Advanced Search link on the Tradeloop Dealer Directory main page.