Jonathan Yantis - Who is he?

[insomnia]

Hey guys,

Was wondering if anyone knew who Jonathan Yantis is. I recieved an email from him, he says hes interested in purchasing a large site of mine.

I've googled him, but am finding some mixed information. I believe hes apart of the IGE group or something, but I'm also finding some fraud articles with his name on it.

Anyone have any info/expereince with him?

Thanks

*He emailed me from [email protected], so I WHOIS'd contentholdings.com, its owned by someone at DomainsByProxy.com so can't confirm if its actually him at this point.

 

[csitenet]

2005-04-25 registration date for contentholdings.com . i would personally worry if he is paying very large amounts!

more info on contentholdings.com , at the bottom stated contentholding ltd so he is a brit! maybe check up his ltd business see if it checks out

 

[insomnia]

His email was very vague as well, didn't mention my site's name once except for the subject. Heres what he sent:

Subject: purchase of your site (mysitename.com)

Hello,

As I was surfing the net I saw your website and was wondering if you had ever considered selling it? I am building a unique network of websites and I think your site would make a great fit for what I'm trying to do.

A lot of people normally would not consider selling their pride and joy until they see what kind of cash I'm actually willing to pay for a site like yours. I have been in the website business in one form or another almost since the internet's inception and I do not make cheesy or insulting offers. I understand what kind of hard work and dedication it takes to achieve what you have with your site.

I would like to pay you for all that hard work and even perhaps keep you involved if you're interested. A lot of site owners I've bought sites from that help me keep the site updated and running end up making far more than they would have own their own with advertising. I am a website expert and I know how to turn a "good website" into "the best website on the net". Imagine the fame you'd receive as the sites originator combined with our resources to make this website the best choice on the net for its target audience.

So, if you'd like to cash in on some of that hard work, let me know ASAP, as I am very interested in speaking with you. I am much more interested in your website than most of the competition I've seen so far. I have an almost unlimited budget and I'm sure I can make you an offer that will be hard to refuse. Even if you feel you're not interested right now, what's the harm in at least seeing what kind of cash value your site has? Think about it.

Best regards,
Jonathan Yantis
[email protected]

 

[csitenet]

If he really had £2million he would have a much better site, and at least a few links in google or something about his name!

He wouldn't be scared to give a phone number, most big discussions are done over the phone. Looks like a serious scammer to me. If you sell use escrow only

 

[wolfis.com]

...hmmm... sounds kinda weird , but then what you you loose in listening at an offer ...?

just don't put your hopes up too high...

 

[draqon]

im great at spotting con artists and scum, i do it all the time in lima, peru. and lemme know, that smells absolutely like a con artist, scammer, or spammer.

 

[insomnia]

Right, I emailed "him" back, asked him bout what he has to offer, prove he actually is yantis. We'll see what he says

 

[csitenet]

If the offer = over $5,000 ask for his phone no and use only Escrow

 

[DNGeeks]

Sounds like a play on a scam. Perhaps he'll reply back to you and include a url for you to go get an appraisal done. Of course the appraisal is done by himself and when he hears from you how much the site has been appraised for he'll back out.

Just my $0.02

 

[Pleski]

Scam. Ask for a phone number and ask if he is willing to use escrow.com if you pay the fees. If he declines, it is an obvious scam.

 

[lukeeales]

Got the same email.

 

[ParkQuick.com]

I agree with others. Looks like a variation on the paid appraisal scam. You'll probably get asked to furnish proof of the domain's value and he will "suggest" an appraisal service to use.

 

[Zoobar]

If I am a buyer I don't talk about the value a domain may have for me in an inquiry, it just adds an extra zero at the end of their asking price.

 

[insomnia]

Hmm, I hear ya all. I'm guessing its not the actual yantis, probably someone using his name.

 

[Domagon]

No wonder spam / scams work ... it's very clear from the first line that the email was sent through automated means ... and furthermore that the sender has other intentions, which quickly becomes evident as one reads it.

Delete email (report as spam too if so inclined) and save your time ... real buyers, in particular those who are going to pay anything worthwhile, don't send emails like that; automated emails alone, even if legitimate, are a sure sign the buyer is low balling big time and not worth the time of day.

Ron

 

[austinandrew]

Yeah, I get emails like this all the time...usually just someone "interested" in a domain. They almost always say they are building a "network of sites" or "portals". Another tip off is "I was just surfing the web and came across your site". Do you ever just "come across someone's site" and want to buy it? Usually you're seeking it out.

Got the same email.

 

[labrocca]

If it reads like a form letter it's spam and that's how it looks to me.

Hello,

As I was surfing the net I saw your website and was wondering if you had ever considered selling it? I am building a unique network of websites and I think your site would make a great fit for what I'm trying to do.

Very cheesy and can apply to anyone. Very unpersonal too. Here is what I would say when I make offers on sites to people I don't know.

Hello my name is Jesse and I been looking at your site for a while. If you have any interest in selling it to me let's open up negotiations. I am legit and can give you references. Feel free to google me as well. Jesse Labrocca
Please LMK
Jesse

Short and sweet and that's all I send. Usually when I get a serious inquiry on one of my domains it's just a couple sentences. After you start to talk it gets worked out.

 

[ParkQuick.com]

I finally re-read this and thought to go to http://contentholdings.com/. It looks like they at least pretend to buy websites - so it's not an appraisal scam. It certainly could be some other type of scam, though.

He emailed me from [email protected], so I WHOIS'd contentholdings.com, its owned by someone at DomainsByProxy.com so can't confirm if its actually him at this point.

 

[insomnia]

Hmm, asked him for phone number or location, he hasn't emailed me since

 

[contentholdings]

Hey there,

Content Holdings, LLC is another one of my companies. I also am the largest shareholder of IGE. IGE owns (ige.com, thottbot.com, ogaming.com, mysupersales.com and 200 other decent size sites).

I hope that clears some stuff up for you. Feel free to send me a PM.

Best regards,
Jonathan Yantis