This blog has been created for the victims of Arthur Youngblood Hawk. If Arthur owes you money, stole your work, or scammed you for an e-book or e-magazine, post comments and email your story to Debbie Blankenship, arthurhawkowesmemoney@gmail.com.
Arthur Youngblood Hawk is a Canadian con man. He approaches Canadian communities abroad and presents himself as a small to medium player in the publishing business. Two of his methods of operation are:
To get people to invest in book, or online "e-book" projects, generally for other people's work to which he doesn't own the rights. The money is invested, the project either never materializes or shows in some sample that's never marketed, and the investors' money disappears; or
Hawk, by himself or with a partner, creates a glossy publication and sells all sorts of expensive ads, but this publication either never appears, or appears only in token form (a few copies when a much larger print run was promised. Bills associated with the production, printing and web design of the publication are never paid.
The proceeds of such enterprises in pocket, Arthur Hawk moves on.
Panama Star PANAMA. Many expats have come to lament the day they have listened to the siren calls of citizens from their own part of the world from land deals to get rich quick schemes and the inevitable ponzi.
Complaints continue to surface about the activities of former Canadian lawyer Mary Sloane, who according to records of the British Columbia Law Society resigned after being found guilty of misappropriation of client’s money in 1992.
In a series of e-mails received by the Panama Star, expats have complained about her activities connected with Panama Magazine and her alleged partner Arthur Youngblood Hawk. An article written by Don Winner in his blog Panama-Guide.com described him as a Canadian expat who has been living in Panama for more than a year has been stealing money from people, scamming money from people who thought they were "investors."
He has left a long string of bills unpaid as well as lot of unhappy people not only in Panama but also in Costa Rica. Apparently there is a current and valid arrest warrant pending against him, and the Panamanian Immigration Authorities have ordered the National Police to arrest Arthur Y. Hawk "on sight."
In the e-mails several of our readers, who want to remain anonymous in case of retaliation, said that Mary Sloane and Arthur Youngblood Hawk were the owners of a company Pan World Group SA which ran the on-line Panama Magazine, that specializes in tourism, traveling, buying properties in the country. A search in the Public Registry revealed that Pan World Group SA and Pel Services SA are Mary Sloane´s companies and Sloane was the managing editor of Panama Magazine, although in an article by Don Winner she claims to be a victim of Hawk.
In the magazine she is also described as one of its publishers and, although no longer a member of the law society, a lawyer.
On the website www.deenalarsen.net, typical of his modus operandi - he promises to do something, collects the money, does not follow through, then move somewhere else and, most of his victims just get "nipped" but have not lost all their life savings, so they are less inclined to spend a lot of effort or resources to chase him down.
One of his victims said that most of his scams seem to prey on people who are relatively Internet literate.
Meanwhile the case against Mary Kathleen Sloane was transferred to the First Circuit Tribunal in Turn (Juzgado Primero de Circuito en Turno) which deals with fraud crimes, after she was accused of allegedly running a ponzi scheme with foreign currency. The Sloane affair has divided the previously united community of Decameron’s Villas in Penonome, home to many Canadians. Many residents prefer not to make any comments about the case for fear of reprisals.
One source says that Sloane’s home there is up for sale. Sloane has maintained her innocence with regards to the Ponzi scheme saying that she is also a victim. Since first publishing the story of a ponzi scheme gone wrong, The Panama Star has made numerous efforts to get Sloane to tell her side of the story, without success.
Thanks to a readers comment, I have found 4 more e-books (still hosted by www.sharewarebooks.com) illegally copyrighted by Arthur Hawk of Traveler/Replica/Opel Press (enter on of Arthur’s many “press company” names here). I’m sure the original authors would not appreciate this. If so, contact Shareware Books.
As we all know, Arthur Hawk has also used e-magazines to scam investors and graphic designers out of money and services rendered. Authorities in Canada, Costa Rica, and Panama are investigating Arthur for such crimes, yet Shareware Books continues to host and distribute his e-magazines.
Note to Arthur Hawk: One of these days you’ll be forced to take responsibility for all the hurt you’ve inflicted on your victims. Until then, keep scamming . . . this allows us to follow an e-trail of victims and fake companies.
He owes us $6000 for a Napoleon Hill eBook that we collaborated on and did most of the modernization work.
After 2 yearsof waiting for payment I asked for confirmation that he had no intention to use it and had this very 'pleasant' interchange.
I actually have a few ideas on getting a bigger footprint out to protect other victims. I'm a little tied up for the next month but can then pass them on to help ensure others are not screwed over.
Arthur Hawk stole $14,000 from me, I would say I got maybe $2000 of value from what he did. He also took money from me to produce an e-book which took forever and a day to get the files from a girl in Croatia. The guy is a thief, liar and extraordinary con man. He is good at deceiving people, very good.
By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - And yet another of Arthur Youngblood Hawk's victims is heard from. I just received the following via email, and this story seems typical of all the rest: "We fell for it too--we paid Arthur Hawk $1500 to publish a Patient Survival Guide. Of course, we are both too ill to do the work ourselves, and we thought he had a patented ebook system (turns out he cheated a designer into half building the book for us, and then did not pay her). So we have a poorly designed ebook, no way to fix it, and of course, nowhere to post it. We should have been more careful, and will be in the future. However, we did google his name and came up only with his "reputable press..." Deena Larsen http://www.deenalarsen.net" Typical of his modus operandi - he promises to do something, collects the money, does not follow through, then hauls-ass for greener pastures. Nice guy. And, most of his victims just get "nicked" but not taken for their life savings, so they are less inclined to spend a whole lot of effort or resources to chase the guy down and get him locked up. And, of course there's practically no chance of ever getting your money back, because he eats what he steals.
Class A Scumbag in my book. Anyone else? Please write me at don@panama-guide.com. Since most of his scams seem to prey on people who are relatively Internet literate, I'm hoping to make this prick Google-famous - to lessen his effectiveness. Hey, anything I can do to help... Keywords: "Arthur Youngblood Hawk Arthur Y. Hawk Arthur Hawk fraud scam confidence man con artist fraud theft wanted legal complaint Panama Costa Rica Philippines Bali Thailand China Canada" Back in the day someone would have said "fire for effect..."
By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com- Several of the people who have contacted me regarding the exploits of Arthur Youngblood Hawk are from Costa Rica, and apparently he was "working" the English speaking expatriate community there before moving on to fresh meat in Panama. I received the following via email: "Hello Don, I only lost $500 (unpaid bill)) and another $200 for Italian and Spanish translations that never happened but I would like to see Justice done. Fortunately I didn't go for his offer to make me an "employee" in exchange for a "good will" investment of $15,000. As for hiding places he may be in Costa Rica, the Philippines, Bali, or the Toronto area. According to his blog a guy in Thailand was also stung. John - Costa Rica" Again, unpaid bills, and a guy who was smart enough not to fall for his scam. Please send me your story via email if you were ripped off by Arthur Youngblood Hawk, anywhere in the world. Bali? Why not... Whatever, as long as he gets the hell out of Panama...
By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - They say a tiger can't change his stripes. It appears the standard modus operandi for Arthur Youngblood Hawk is to meet new people, gain their trust and confidence, get them to either give him money ("invest" in something) and then run away before he actually follows through on his commitments. He then either takes the money or leaves substantial bills unpaid. I received the following via email, this time from a former employee in Croatia: "Hi Don, Regarding additional contact information: his Yahoo messenger ID is "arthurhawk", if he is online, he is there, but always invisible. Other email addresses: ayhawk@gmail.com, arthurpanama@hotmail.com, arthurhawk@yahoo.com, arthur@replicapress.com. His ICQ messenger ID is "panamabeer", #: 379476371; MSN (now Windows Live): "Arturo", arthurpanama@hotmail.com and, of course, GoogleTalk or Gmail chat: ayhawk@gmail.com. And all I know regarding other details is that he has been reported to the FBI a few years ago or so, to no avail. I was his employee from Croatia, Europe (teleworking from Dec 2007 until Nov 2008), and he owes me $4,500. Best regards and thank you, Nea." Nice friggin' guy. I've been getting a lot of email saying similar things, like "he left but he still owes me $5,000 bucks." What do I hope to gain from publishing these articles? That hopefully from now on a few of his potential future victims will first do a simple Google search on his name, and they will find this and the other articles I've published. Any for the record, I've tried to contact Arthur Y. Hawk to get his side of the story on several occasions with no success. This guy literally lives on the Internet so I am absolutely certain he's aware of these articles by now. Arthur, if you would like to tell me your side of the story, please contact me via cell at 6614-0451 or via email at don@panama-guide.com. I'm all ears.
By DON WINNER for Panama-Guide.com - A Canadian expat who has been living in Panama for more than a year has been stealing money from people, scamming money from people who thought they were "investors।" He has left a long string of bills unpaid a wake of victims wherever he goes. This name is Arthur Youngblood Hawk, and he is now wanted by the Panamanian criminal and immigration authorities. There is a current and valid arrest warrant pending against him, and the Panamanian Immigration Authorities have ordered the National Police to arrest Arthur Y. Hawk "on sight." Today I received via email a copy of a criminal complaint filed against Arthur Y. Hawk by Tamara Rowe, as well as receipts and a hand-written I.O.U. in which Hawk promises to repay Rowe $10,000 dollars in cash by today, which has not happened. His scam revolves around selling "Licensing Packages" for non-existent on-line magazines. He has victimized people in Costa Rica, the Philippines, Panama, and who knows where else.
Have You Seen This Guy? Arthur Youngblood Hawk basically "hauled ass" this week when he learned Panamanian authorities were intent on arresting him। He was living in the Costa Blanca - Decameron Golf Villa #83 near the town of Farallon in Panama's Cocle province, but he hastily packed his belongings in a suitcase and fled that residence. In the past he has rented a one-bedroom flat near Via Argentina in Panama City. He is in Panama as a tourist but has overstayed his tourist visa by some 15 months. Immigration officials have been alerted and he will be arrested immediately if he tries to depart via any of the standard border crossings or through the Tocumen International Airport using his Canadian passport (number WS119998). He is now likely to be living in hiding somewhere, most likely in Panama City.
Description: Arthur Youngblood Hawk is a 57 year old white male, approximately 5' 11" tall, weight 130 pounds. He's described as "very skinny" and he hardly doesn't eat. He is a chain smoker and will be smoking a cigarette about every five minutes. He also drinks a lot of beer, and "will be having his first beer by 10:00 am every day." He is unlikely to be either armed or dangerous, but he is also a dedicated reader of Panama-Guide.com so he will probably know about his article as soon as it is published. If you know of Arthur Youngblood Hawk's current whereabouts or if you have seen him in the past three days, please give me a call at 6614-0451 or send me an email। And, if you happen to be sitting there drinking a cup of coffee and looking at this guy, all you have to do is find any local cop and explain that Arthur Youngblood Hawk is currently wanted by the Panamanian authorities and that he has overstayed his tourist visa by 15 months. According to Immigration authorities, any local policeman should then check his passport and detain him immediately upon learning that he is not in the country legally. That will get him into custody and eventually deported.
Are You A Victim? Have you been ripped off by Arthur Youngblood Hawk? If so, I would like to hear your story. Basically, this guy is a relatively low-level scumbag who gets by in life by ripping off innocent and unsuspecting people, using them up and then moving on. There's even a website about his exploits at www.arthurhawk.info under the banner of "Does Arthur Hawk Own You Money?" So, this guy has ripped off and pissed-off a whole raft of people। The possibilities of any of this victims being able to recover any of the money they are owed is probably zero. Arthur Youngblood Hawk rates as a kind of "camp follower" who burned out his welcome first in Costa Rica and now in Panama, and hopefully he will be arrested and deported with a restriction on his passport that will prevent him from re-entering Panama (to steal from more people.) Man, we're kinda turning into "Panama's Most Wanted" lately. Whatever - time to take out the trash (again). I'm going to have to start carving notches on the side of my computer monitor or something...
My name is Perry Gamsby and I stand behind my words. The original emails and much other documentary evidence is available for the relevant Authorities to view. I can be contacted at perrygamsby@yahoo.com
Here is a brief analyses of my contact with Arthur Hawk and a look at how he operates his scamming of otherwise intelligent and hardly naïve people. I was approached by Hawk in late 2003. He obviously targeted me because I had a Yahoo Group of people interested in the Philippines and I was living there.
His wife, Desiree, is a Filipina and he realises that, like Costa Rica where he was living at the time, the Philippines was a place where many people are interested in retiring to. To Hawk, that means ‘opportunity’.
Wednesday, 3 December 2003
Hi Perry,
Great to hear from you. OK...let's give it a shot at $19.95 and see what happens. 50/50 is also fine with me. I will have the book on several sites within a few days. I will link the payment system so that you will be notified of each and every order as it's received. I will pay you in cash on the last day of each month.
I'm not looking for a partner or any investment but I'm in serious need of a writer. I want to produce a book (hardbound and also on-line) titled "Philippines - The Owners Manual". See "Panama -The Owners Manual" link attached. Also have several magazines in the works for Manila. Also producing a large seminar for the Asian market including the Philippines. A very busy year coming up. There really are ways to make money in the Philippines. How much cash do you need per month to live reasonably? Let me know...and we'll talk more.
Re: Web site....why don't we create a site similar to Don's (only much, much better quality.) One of Don's problems is he really is stupid. He could be making a fortune from his site alone instead of ruling his feifdom. I can do the design work and also any e-commerce needed...very quickly. Random thoughts......what do you think?
Once my appetite has been whetted with the lure of being paid to write, I was primed to start being pitched to. He knew from my posts on the Living in The Philippines Yahoo Group (owned by Don Herrington) which I used to belong to, that I had written an eBook and was not as rigid as Don, more open to giving people a fair go. In other words, vulnerable.
Wednesday, 3 December 2003
Forgot to send this link for the 'Panama Manual'. I just received your email discussing a similar project. We are on the same page! I plan to make the 'Philippines' manual much better with lots of photos etc.
P.S. Perry, absolutely none of our discussions or business relationships are any of Don Herrington's business. I know him well...let's just surprise him!
The same day I received an email from an acquaintance of Hawks. I believe Ric is a genuine person who was also duped by Hawk. We later exchanged emails and I think I also met his wife but I meet so many people as the ‘owner’ of a popular Yahoo Group they often blend into each other! The point is, Hawk used Ric to add credibility to his story and proposal.
This is stock in trade for conmen. They build up a very strong, credible and at least on the surface verifiable ‘bio’. When the warning bells begin ringing, you tend to give him the benefit of the doubt and even doubt those closer to you. Remember, this is how he makes his living and he has done this for years. He is very good at it and at this stage nobody would have any reason to doubt him. Apart from that many great projects were achieved because people took risks. That is the meaning of ‘entrepreneur’. The timid need not apply and Hawk knows how to find his marks.
Wednesday 3 December 2003
Dear Mr. Perry Gamsby,
Wow what a read. .
I feel as though I know you, I have spent the last several days reading your book, which was supplied me for my opinion by our mutual acquaintance Arthur Hawks.
I am also a writer (wanna be) with several published works. Short stories, and prose.
I like your style, and am very impressed with your writing ability. You remind me of an "Aussie" whom I worked with in Laos during the "Conflict" .......
My name is Ric Hafer and I currently live in Florida. I am engaged to a fine lady from Lipa City, Batangas. She works in Manila and lives in Makati. Her name is Myra.
Myra and I and my former Father in law, (No kidding, he and I are best friends, live together and own a house together here in central Florida), Visited Bohol in October. We have a friend who built a house, in Tagbilaran, we stayed in there house. Those were the best 3 weeks of my life.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed your writing style. The content of your book was most informative, and should be required reading for anyone who is considering, marrying a Filipina, or coming to the Philippines, or even just wanting a good read.
I have been to the Philippines a half dozen times, I learned a lot and am sure it will help me to understand Myra too. Actually it already has, a lot! I also laughed out loud, (very un characteristic of me), I was not bored, by not one paragraph throughout. I would enjoy reading more of your work.
I understand you were in the intelligence community during your service career? Let me encourage you to write a fiction novel. One that would be marketable to the general public.
Congratulations with your signing with Opaline Press. I would hope a printed copy will be available soon. If so I would like a signed copy.
I would like to be your friend. Perhaps we can collaborate on something in the future. I am currently writing a novel.
Keep on Keeping on, and miles of Smiles to ya mate.
I await your reply.
Ric Hafer
Winter Haven, Florida USA
Hawk had sent a copy of my eBook to Ric for ‘review’. He then tells me he will sell my eBook for me and as I have a family to support and jobs for expats are few and far between in the Philippines I was eager to do business. I had been trying to sell it myself but with little success. I knew how to write, not market and sell online! The funny thing is this experience helped me to get to where I am today, selling hundreds of copies of my eBooks online, going into hard copy publication and applying for a PhD Candidature based on an idea about making it easier for authors to self publish!
Over the next few days it will also be for sale at www.opalinepress.com and www.true-filipina.com. I would like to drop a message into the list directing people to have a look. Let me know if you approve. also send me a few chapters of the new book. We will talk more about the other opportunities when I arrive there. Cheers
He then fed my greed (and that is what they all work on, keep in mind greed is not necessarily a bad emotion to have sometimes) with this:
Friday 5 December 2003
Perry,
No problem inserting a new intro.I'll wait for it before I start to push.I am also negotiating with other sites to sell your book.The more exposure the better!Will keep you informed but will not make any commitments without your OK.
Of course there were no other sites and there was no ‘push’!But at this time I had no reason not to believe him. I did some ‘due diligence’ and researched Opaline Press and Arthur Hawk on the net, but of course he had his bases covered and the web site looked pretty solid. I guess it is easier to present a solid front online than in reality. In the movies the conmen always have clever tricks like borrowing swanky offices, cars and yachts to impress the mark. Much easier to arrange in the virtual world!
Then I received this email from Ric in reply to my asking more probing questions about Arthur Hawk. In hindsight I should have walked away right then and there, but I am curious and fairly resilient and was keen to take some chances to get m writing career off the ground. The offer he made Ric was pretty much the same one he made to me but by then some months had passed, I was bored with my job at Bigfoot and keen to find something else.
As well, I appreciate Hawk knows his marks. He knows what pushes our buttons and where we are strong and weak.
Friday 5 December 2003
In a message dated 12/4/03 6:35:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, perrygamsby@yahoo.com writes:
How come you didn't go to work for Opaline? I really don't know Arthur other than via a handful of emails. Does he have a successful business or is he just starting out? If I was to work for him as a writer I would have to pack in this job at Bigfoot, which at least I know is a well established company.
Hi Again Perry,
Please understand, all I have is my integrity and reputation and my moral convictions. To this end I have mixed feelings about telling you my true gut feelings about Opaline and Arthur. However, as your friend (Hopefully) I would be less that that if I didn't tell you. Therefore Perry, All I can do is give you the facts and let you draw your own conclusions. I never have anything "Bad" to say about anyone. I figure any malice shown to someone shall return to you seven fold.
Arthur contacted me, because I was asking for Fil/American relationship stories in research, background and culture tidbits for my book. He said he was impressed with me and would like me to consider coming to work for him. He threw out a lot of impressive figures. Since I had done Motivation Seminars in the past, he had developed a seminar based upon Napoleon Hill's principles set forth in "The law of Success" 1928.
Several days later he sent me his website and presentation in Flip book form.
I was very impressed by it and still am. However, I was so disappointed when his offer came, but not surprised because I am by "LEARNED" nature and past experiences SKEPTICAL. I have made three wives very wealthy. Every one of them made the statement "Honey I would never hurt you" ... (Afterward, when asked), "But I meant it at the time"
So I have become skeptical with reason.
I set up some tests for myself. I told Larry< ( My best Friend, More about him later), I said if he (Arthur), is legit, then he will pay for my air fare to Manila and never lie to me. He sent me several things to impress me. He asked my opinion on your book. After I read your book, I told him you had a very readable style, and I would love to be able to write as good. I suggested to him that it should be in print as well as ebook. I am not keen on ebooks at this point. Your book is commercial grade printable, and if it were me I would personally take it to every publishing house in the United States until I got it sold. I think I told you the same things in not so many words.
Then came the "Whammer" ... The Catch .... Hook Line and sinker .... The Sting ... My opinion though. He might have been on the up and up. But why has everyone I had ask about him, not responded to me? Could it be because the also don't want to say anything bad about anyone? I honestly don't know. Arthur Hawks might be the most upstanding and honest man in the Philippines. Actually he was not in the Philippines at all. He was in (He said Ottawa Canada.) Hells Bells, I don't know.
Arthur then came to me with an offer. Give him $5,000.00 USD Now and $5,000.00 USD upon arrival in Manila (My expense). $10,000.00 USD for 10% of the business, sight unseen without any examination of the books or facilities. Of course I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday. I made him a counter offer. Which was a good business offer, and also would give me privy to the operation and the books. All I got was a withdrawal of the offer. (SEE BELOW), What do you think? I hope this was only the facts and not taken with malice. Because it was intended to be void of any Bull Shit or Malice.
Perhaps, you will give me your opinion?
Arthur's Offer
> Ric,
> I need a VP-Opaline Press to help me with the
> seminar as well as other
> situations like this forwarded message. I'm at the
> stage where I'm being
> overwhelmed with work ...it's time to start
> spreading it around. You would work closely
> with me starting almost immediately. But there is a
> price to pay Ric. I
> would rather you become a part-owner of the entire
> project as opposed to being an
> employee only. At this point, I have more than
> $150,000 of my
> money invested in Opaline. I intend to turn it into
> $5 Million over the next three years.
> And I will. You need to own at least 10% of this
> deal at a cost to you of
> $10,000. You have told me that your funds are
> limited, and I understand so I
> would break it into 2 payments of $5K each. One due
> now and the other due In
> Feb. when you arrive in Manila. You would be
> entitled to receive 10% of the net
> gate for each seminar and 10% of net magazine and
> book sales. To start, you
> would receive a minimum of $1k a month via draw.
> Let me know ASAP.
> Regards,
> Arthur Hawk
> CEO
>
> My Reply:
>
> Dear Arthur:
> I have received your offer and I think it is a fair
> offer. I think it is an
> opportunity of a lifetime, and one which I am
> prepared to pursue with the
> determination, and a burning desire. This
> opportunity provides me with a Definite
> Aim, Direction, and a Plan. I know without a doubt
> you will never regret your
> decision to work with me. As Edwin C. Barnes did
> with his plan to work with
> Edison, I also have, and will continue to direct
> 100% of my energy toward this
> goal. I am glad you are "Overwhelmed" with these
> things, it is an indication
> that we are on the right path.
> I was expecting to pay a price, The higher the price
> the higher the rewards,
> right?
> I am willing to start Immediately. I accept your
> offer to become Vice
> President of Opaline Press. I also accept your offer
> to become 10% share holder in
> the company. However, as I have told you I do not
> have the $!0k. Actually, I do
> not have the 5K. I presently have less than $100.00
> to my name.
> Predicated on our conversations and the figures you
> presented to me, this is
> what I propose to you. I will pay you $15,000 USD.
> for 8% of Opaline Press.
> With a promissory note to purchase the other 2%
> within one year from the time of
> the full payment of the initial ($15,000 USD)
> investment; i.e., an additional
> $5,000.USD.
> That will Double your return from $10k to $20,000.00
> for the 10% of Opaline
> Press.
> Since I currently do not have your original initial
> requested amount the only
> way for me to get the funds is to be more valuable
> to you and the firm, to
> which the value will constitute the increased
> revenue and double the 5 year
> projection.
> Since I do not know your complete business plan and
> the scope of the
> business, and you have not met me, we both will be
> taking a substantial leap of faith.
> Don't you agree?
> I do not have the money to buy a plane ticket to
> Manila at present.
> Therefore, if you will pay my air fare to Manila, I
> will take my last $100. and get the
> 1 year Visa, pack my bags and come to Manila, to go
> to work with you. With
> your $1k per month draw, and everything else going
> toward the $15,000. I should
> be able to have that paid in 8 months. Then the
> additional 5K paid within an
> additional 6 months, to be fully vested in 14 months
> maximum.
> If I had the ability to borrow from a banking
> institution I would in a Manila
> Minute. I have faith you have been sent my way to
> help provide me with a plan
> of action.
> I have no idea of your present financial status, if
> you, like me, are unable
> to find funds to pursue this counter offer, then let
> me know, and we shall
> seek an alternative together.
> By the way, I do have an option for lodging there in
> Makati, for the short
> term.
> I am ready Arthur. Let me know your thoughts on my
> proposal as soon as
> possible.
> Best Regards,
> Ric Hafer
>
This was his last email.
Dear Ric,
Thank you for your response. I appreciate your honesty. I don't need the funds Ric, but I have found in the past that when you just give, it usually doesn't work. I don't care about the amount etc. I know what I have, I know what I can do, and I know what it's worth. I regret that I will have to withdraw my offer and we are both disappointed I'm sure. I'm headed to Calgary on Saturday where I'll have a chance to visit with my 26-year-old-son Jordan for a few days, then on to Cebu. When and if you make it to Manila please call me. My cell is 916-763-5701.
Nevertheless after reading the email above, I did ask some hard questions of Hawk. He replied very cleverly but I was still not convinced and so declined to leap into bed with him at that stage. Note the little baits and hooks he throws in, the way he plays on people’s insecurities, vanities and idiosyncracies.
Arthur, I will hold off doing anything with the domain Streetwise Philippines until we can meet in person. For now I am happy to have you offer the Alive and Kicking version on your website, all done on the honour system and with an electronic handshake as to sharing revenue. The web site is not something I wish to rush or ruin and as there is obviously money to be made with it (I have never made my plans public, just played dumb and simple for obvious reasons) I want to make sure it isn't blown away.
>>>Perry, I will set up so you receive a message from pay pal any time someone purchases the book. as far as the web site is concerned, do what you like with it. If we don't work together on Streetwise, then I will proceed with another site including a new forum etc.
I like that photo, do you own it or is it public domain? I would hate for the photographer to get upset if we use it without his ok.
>>>I own the photo.
I think the magazine has value and, although it crosses over from merely meeting a Filipina for marriage and into the realm of retiring, escaping here, I didn't agree to Escape Artist having the online rights to the title, just the book as they offer it. But so that they aren't offended or feel they have cause for redress, I would want several details sorted out and properly noted before I would agree to be involved with any enterprise and use that title and my name, etc.
>>>> again, not a problem
I think there is a lot of potential in what you suggest, which is why I have been working towards it and so has Don and yourself. Lets talk a little more and make sure we are both on the same wavelength and neither of us will be surprised later due to a simple error in communication.
>>>Perry, I always like to keep things simple...I hope i can sell a lot of books for you!
What do you think? Cheers, Perry
Arthur Hawk wrote:
Hi Perry
Hope you are well and happy. We are starting to get traffic on your book (no sales yet) but I'm sure it will do well as we start our real promotion over the next week. A few ideas and questions: See the covers attached....some ideas I had and started to work on last summer. Don was interested in "Living in the Philippines" magazine but didn't follow through with his main article etc. He seems to get a hate on for anyone the least bit smarter than him or anyone who can be a success financially in the Philippines. Go figure! Anyway, I will still proceed with my ideas and would like to change the magazine to "Streetwise Philippines". I think an on-line publication every two months would be a great success at $39.95/yr subscription. The magazine would have all the usual articles about migration, work, finding love etc. Your opinion would be appreciated. Also would like to design a web-site for streetwise where your book could be sold, a link to the forum, a link to my sites, a real estate section etc. Let me know what your thoughts are.
> ATTACHMENT part 2 image/jpeg name=little cover.jpg
> ATTACHMENT part 3 image/jpeg name=LIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES.jpg
The photo was of a woman in a canoe in a tropical lagoon and a stunning image. I had my doubts then and they remained in my mind, even though I heard nothing more from him for some months. In late February he arrived in the Philippines, contacted me and we met. I agreed to write the ‘Living In The Philippines’ magazine for him and he drew up an employment contract that was very well constructed and professional appearing. He claimed his company, Opaline Press Inc, was working out of Hong Kong for tax purposes and so the ‘jurisdiction’ for any disputes would be Hong Kong and not the Philippines. Clever stuff. No doubt he had pulled that elsewhere, perhaps claiming Costa Rica as jurisdiction for contracts signed in Panama?
I worked hard on three issues of the magazine from when I left my job at Bigfoot Inc in March to Easter which was mid April. I had received one half monthly salary payment but then the problems started. With all the ‘build-up’ and the receipt of some hard cash, why not believe his tale of the transfer of his money being held up due to the Easter break? Then a week later it was currency laws n the US where the money had been routed through from Panama. Then the web site 2Checkout or whoever it was handling payments was not forwarding his income of many thousands.
I realised I could hang in there and hope or I could bail out now and try and get to Australia, get a job and restock the family coffers before I couldn’t afford busfare let alone airfare! During this time his wife and son left him to live with her parents in the province, his landlady was actually murdered in the house above their basement apartment and he started to run seriously short of cash. I even bought him beer and cigarettes, which he preferred over food as he ‘slaved away’ to get his money through.
I have to hand it to him though, he has a certain flair. He offered to drive me to the airport when I left, and his local driver and he did indeed take me to the airport. He shook my hand, looked me in the eye, swore he would make sure my wife and family didn’t starve and so on. We left on amicable terms, even though I knew I would never trust a word he said ever again. Elapsed time from his contacting me to that day was six months.
I then spent four winter months in Australia where, while not as bleak as a northern hemisphere winter, when you are holding up a STOP/SLOW bat at 5am in below freezing conditions, it’s cold enough. Especially when you have just spent two years in the tropics! There is more to this tale, stay tuned!
Perry Gamsby MA(Writing), CertIV Small Business Mgt, CertIV Trg&Ass
