@zeartul "hacked." Here's what we know about him so far.
@zeartul has deleted all his recent posts.
About 3-4 hours ago, according to steemd.com, the user behind @zeartul went through and deleted all of his posts over the last week. His profile and location has also changed to "hacked."
(Because, you know, that's what hackers would do. Ignore the money in his account and spend 1-2 hours going through and editing and deleting old posts.)
As you know, he first claimed during @themarkymark's article revealing @zeartul's misbehavior that his upvoting bot, @bellyrub, had been sold off. Based on transfers from @zeartul and @bellyrub that made to Poloniex and sent to the same account (based on the memo it was sent to), and the inconsistent stories coming from @zeartul, we can safely assume that no sale took place.
In addition, 4357.567 STEEM was sent to @poloniex from his @zeartul account. As many people will recall (but the comment has now been edited/deleted), @zeartul claimed that he was cashing out the STEEM at a "more favorable exchange rate" on Poloniex, and waiting for the funds to be returned to his account.
Of course, the return never happened. @zeartul has essentially been operating a ponzi scheme through @bellyrubbank, which promised users a 45% APR on their investments, returning their funds in full at the end of 3 months and paying the dividends along the way. These funds were said to be used for purchasing delegation leases to @bellyrub, but many people can see how often he talked about new things he was purchasing in his older posts.
He made some dividend payments to @bellyrubbank users and then defaulted on his most recent payment in a now-defunct post, which follows a pattern of paying initial dividends to attract investors, then disappearing, as documented below. After @themarkymark's article was released, @zeartul tried to blame @dang007 for the problems with @bellyrub, claiming he was the new purchaser. @dang007 denies purchasing it.
Now, with @zeartul's account "hack," you can be sure that no one is going to be paid back (not that most of us suspected anyone would get paid back even prior to this.) All the lies and bizarre activity we've seen in the last few days was a last-ditch attempt to extract as much income from the accounts as possible before "cashing out."
Here's what we know about @zeartul.
Thanks to @pfunk, @themarkymark, @neoxian and many others for sharing this information.
Known Aliases
@zeartul
@bellyrub
@bellyrubbank
@zear
@psych101
@mrsteemitbwhale
@carlidos
@lifeisamazing
Bitcointalk: minerlite
Bitcointalk: onewiseguy (see BitcoinTalk thread)
Past Scam Activity
According to Shamelist, which information extremely similar to the content seen above, Carlos Cardenas (suspected identity of @zeartul) has scammed over 100 BTC from investors with ICO schemes (such as "multiblockchain.com," which paid out dividends to investors before there was any actual website) and through several loan defaults via BTCJam.com and BitLendingClub.com.
Known Contact Information
https://www.facebook.com/worldalikerevolution - Facebook Account deleted
https://localbitcoins.com/p/carlidoskar/ - Account banned by LocalBitcoins Admin
[email protected] - E-mail status unknown
Suspected Location
Simi Valley (California, USA, 93065)
Photographs/Video
Video of @zeartul (Carlos Cardenas)
What Can You Do To Stop Him?
You can try to initiate a lawsuit against him, given you can figure out where he's living based on the information that we already know, or if you're willing to hire a private investigator. A more immediate solution may be to watch his accounts (see list above) and contact Poloniex and other exchanges when he attempts to transfer funds away from his account.
I've already contacted Poloniex with the memos he used, and while it's unlikely anything will be done about it, the more noise that is made about this scammer, the more likely it is that they will be willing to take action. Feel free to follow the instructions and use the template I made here.
Sorry to everyone who was scammed by this guy, especially newer users. Never invest more than you can afford to lose in any venture.
If you have any further information, feel free to comment below, or better yet, contact Simi Valley Law Enforcement directly.
Opss Sad news for all the investors ! ThankGOD i am safe ! :P
I think the most pathetic part of this is witnessing his attempt to lie to himself. Before removing his comments he was complaining that others were making money from bellyrub but not him because of the high price of delegation and the bot tracker allowing his customers to be more precise with their bids.
He is deluding himself that it was a series of unfortunate events that were out of his control that lead to this. He isn't a bad guy since others were making money. He's just paying himself back a little now with money from those that were making money off his hard work.
I think the continued comments pointing out his lies and stupidity created a state of cognitive dissonance that lead to a panicked meltdown. He is facing an identity crisis and needs to destroy truth in order to maintain his delusions.
An interesting theory. I think it was his plan from the beginning to eventually jump ship, as it follows the same trajectory as past scams of his. Gain trust, hold money, make modest dividend payments early, then disappear.
Then again, maybe he thought it would be "different this time." But I really don't think so, especially given he changed the terms of @bellyrubbank almost immediately.
Yea he could just be a serial ponzi scammer that doesn't even know how to exit smoothly.
So.... If this does go Criminal or Civil Lawsuit...what will that mean for Steemians?
You can't report him and then not expect an investigation.
Potentially every Steemian that sent money to @ bellyrub or @ bellyrub bank in the last 3month or ever could be viewed as potential witnesses or even co-conspirators.
And it could mean big hassles for Steemit if the Feds get involved.
I hope that will not be the case, but this does not bode well. Maybe a friend in California will convince him to do the right thing and pay everyone owed.
do not think this way or you will allow scammers to stay alive.
hes in USA, he has scammed loads of people, this 88 BTC are worth 1 million USD now.
How did no one know about this Shamelist until now? Did someone know and didn't say something til now?
If the "Feds" get involved.... Watchout! With the mediocre view of cryptos still, some rookie semi-tech smart agent will see Silk Road stars in his eyes and try to make a name for himself.
sux
The silk road incident was sad, but keep in mind it was a rogue agent. There have been some justice of ponzi scheme operators in the cryptocurrency space.
Witnesses, maybe... co-conspirators, I really don't think so, since @zeartul is the only one that got away with stolen money.
Again, maybe, but I really don't think so. No more than say, Facebook would be involved if a user was soliciting deposits for a ponzi scheme on their platform. It's actually less, in fact, since there are no private messages on the Steemit platform - but other people have pasted screenshots with their interactions with them on other platforms (e.g., discord.)
Agreed, my suggestions in the post above are a long shot. But it's worth it to help make sure @zeartul is looking over his shoulder for a long, long time.
And like you said, someone might know him in "real life"...and cause him some real problems.
Well the exact law that would be used is probably not written for crypto-currencies. But my concern is the investigation process. It doesn't matter if no one else is found guilty, many will be viewed as suspects until the facts come out. Even then, the gubment's hate for cryptos could see them doing stuff to try and shut Steem down, etc. I hope not, but could.
This guy is the lowest of the low. But it does highlight a point that Steemit is far to easy to game for one's own benefit, whether it be by bending the rules, breaking them, or by just acting in an illegal fashion. Anonymity (although maybe not in this case) and the movement of money is a very attractive combination for the criminal lowlife.
I don't think the problem lies within Steemit itself. There are lots of ways for scammers to make it seem like they can afford to give out a 45% APR.
But you make a good point: the more movement of money, the more lowlifes that come out of the woodwork.
Aside this issue, can anyone here give me any idea how could he possibly pay up 45% APR by using the money for purchasing delegation leases for the bot? I tried to calculate maximum profitability from the bot business here but failed to understand any logic behind this gimmick.
Really nice for the hacker to warn us, he hacked the account...
He's not a nice man by the sounds of it.
Yeah, the guy is a real professional...and seemed to do @zeartul an awful big favor.
I've never been so sure someone wasn't hacked in my life.
This is so crazy. Having people make upvote bots is just lame. Zeartul cashed out, randowhale cashed out. Just make an official steemit upvote bot and that's it.
Unbelievable !! So many trying to take advantage of those who actually put in the work , and earn what they have !! Only to lose it to scammers that think everyone owes them a living and they deserve to have very thing for nothing . I was using belly rub for up votes but thank goodness I didn't invest any money ! I feel bad for those who did , especrally before Christmas ! Bah Humbug !!! I hope he gets caught and stopped !! Upped and resteemed , thanks for sharing @trending !
He is still active
Yup. Doesn't look "hacked" to me.
Faaaark!! That's amazing - in the last 5 days @bellyrub has been the best payout on a few of my posts. Obviously, the one I just did now isn't going to work out. Thanks for the Heads Up!! Happy not to be a big victim!!
Over the last few months I have felt that he has become more and more scammy watching his behavior with the bots and the most recent stuff. I wouldnt be surprises to find out that he is scamming others in other ventures online. ICO's are a great place for scams. What a joke.
He will certainly pop up again with a different identity in the crypto space.