I try to do my very best to not only do right by my followers but to also go above and beyond. In this example, you’ll meet a man who has done just the opposite. The man in question is a fellow known around the collecting community as Ryan Metalfan (@JPriestfan1 on Twitter). I recognized his name immediately. My interaction with him in the past was limited at best. I feel like I’ve seen his name in some of my Twitter contests, comments here or in Take My Cards.
Below is the video evidence of the scam being uncovered by a collector named Justin. WARNING! The video contains adult language. Please use discretion around the kiddos!
Perhaps spurred on by this video, a federal case is being compiled against Ryan Metalfan. Once the red-handed scammer was revealed to the collecting world, Metalfan posted a lengthy apology video…
UPDATE: Apparently Metalfan has since removed his apology video. He spent much of the video explaining that he had incurred a debt that he was unable to handle. In order to pay off his debt, he began scamming in different areas of the hobby: eBay, direct sales, razzes, etc. It took three months for someone to finally catch him in the act with hard evidence. He expressed gratitude and relief for being caught and promised to pay back all those that he scammed (many folks who paid through eBay are being refunded by them).
If you know or have ever dealt with Ryan Metalfan, aka @JPriestfan1, it may be in your best interest to distance yourself from him. If you believe you may have been scammed by him, his video asks that you contact him as soon as possible.
SOME WORDS OF ADVICE
I find it to be a good practice to ALWAYS record your maildays and to keep detailed records of all of your trades, purchases and interactions with sellers, traders, breakers, razzers, etc. Open and honest communication is a must and helps to forge trust—especially in-person or over the phone. If you’ve been scammed, don’t be afraid to contact the authorities. Refrain from illegal tactics and resist the urge to get back at the alleged scammer. If someone has taken the low road on you, be the better person and remain on the high road. Above all else, do not allow criminals and other bad apples to spoil your love for the hobby. We’ll never be able to get rid of all of them. The best thing that we can do is learn how to protect ourselves and each other against them.
Crackin' Wax™ 