Bodog is after me - please help!

[casinofav]

Hi all,

ok here is the story: I've started playing poker last year in sept. 07. I have NEVER ever played games in an online casino for real cash. On december 07 somebody used my credit card to add funds to a bodog account and also bought some software or stuff on 2 different online shops. I have immediately reported my card as stolen and I got back my money from my bank. I have sent emails to the online shops and to bodog telling them that my card has been stolen and it was not me using the card for this purpose.

Now, 2 months later I've received an email from Bodogs:

This email serves as your final notice to confirm your bodog account
currently has an outstanding balance in the amount of (EUR650.00),
and has now been referred to the Internal Collections Department
for the purpose of credit reporting to both Equifax and TransUnion.
Your balance will need to be immediately resolved to avoid having
your file referred to a 3rd party collections agency.

Your methods of repurcashing the balance are listed below:

Online Check Transfer (US clients only)
Visa / MasterCard
NUcharge (US clients only)

Thank you in advance your prompt attention to the outstanding
balance on your account.

Sincerely,

Accounts Department
==========================
Bodoglife - The Evolution of Digital Entertainment
Email: collections@bodoglife.com
Direct Tel: 1-866-887-8422
General Tel: 1-888-263-0000

Now I feel very bad since they are going to take further steps in order to get money from me?! I did response immediately telling them that somebody has stolen my card and it wasn't me adding funds to their casino.

Their answer:

Your information is going to be referred for derogatory 3rd party credit reporting to Equifax & Trans Union, if this matter is not resolved. You may want to begin seeking independent legal counsel, as this outstanding balance is not going to simply disappear because you claim that your credit card was stolen.

Seriously, what can I do now?! What options do I have?! What would you do?

Thanks for your help!

[GaryWatson]

They cant do it.

Send them the serial number from the crime report

[Simmo!]

You may want to begin seeking independent legal counsel, as this outstanding balance is not going to simply disappear because you claim that your credit card was stolen.

That basically says "we don't believe you". Not very customer-friendly, eh!

Yes agree with Gary. If there is no crime report, your bank/credit card company will be able to write to Bodog on your behalf confirming you reported the card stolen and the date of the cancellation.

[vinylweatherman]

I recall this happening before with BoDog. They seem to think themselves above the law, as shown by their refusal to answer a court order in a recent patent dispute over technologies used in some of their software.

If they LIBEL you by adding an adverse report to your credit file, DESPITE having been furnished with the full particulars of your case, they can be sued (if you can find them, that is). On the other hand, there is NOTHING they can do other than post a delinquent report at the credit agencies, where you should be able to add a notice of correction denying you are liable for this amount. If they want to take you to court, they will have to surface in order to do so, and if they don't show, and you do, you should win by default.

There's a courthouse in Nevada that seems to scare away Bodog

Don't ever open a Bodog account though, or they will take back that $650 from it.

If the depositor had WON with the $650, I am sure BoDog would not have paid out anyway, as they would then realise it was a fraudulent account. Funny how they can only recognise one when a player wins, but will not find an account fraudulent when a player loses, even if they are told it is, and backed up by police and bank evidence. This seems to apply to many casinos, and shows that they are not being entirely truthful about their supposedly excellent ability to correctly differentiate between legitimate accounts, and fraudulent ones.

[Kenny Lingus]

If the depositor had WON with the $650, I am sure BoDog would not have paid out anyway, as they would then realise it was a fraudulent account. Funny how they can only recognise one when a player wins, but will not find an account fraudulent when a player loses, even if they are told it is, and backed up by police and bank evidence. This seems to apply to many casinos, and shows that they are not being entirely truthful about their supposedly excellent ability to correctly differentiate between legitimate accounts, and fraudulent ones.

This goes right to the heart of the matter being discussed in a seperate thread about how a casino is requesting notarised docs before paying on a cashout. I am sick and tired of how most online casinos write their own self-serving rules; you can believe that their version is wholly based on their own bottom-line profit, not on any basis of fairness towards the player.

As far as Bodog itself goes, I would never recomend that anyone play there, as my own personal experience shows that they are only interested in padding their bottom line; before I swore off RTG casinos I put over 3k in the site over several months and lost it all without a withdrawl (on slots at 20 & 40 cents a pull). When I asked them for a comp, they reminded me that I had received a "bonus" of 10% on my deposits and refused. Never mind that I totally took it up the butt on my actual game play. I guess $3000 is just small potatoes to an outfit their size.

The fact that Bodog is "good to go" per the casinomeister RTG list just shows how pathetic RTG is overall...

[bayleesprings]

Although it doesn't sound exactly like my experience with them, here's mine. After the whole US ban thing, and the whole Neteller snafu, they sent me something along those lines saying that my account was blah blah blah outstanding and as soon as I let them know that I hadn't played there in over a year, to stop sending me shit and if I did have an outstanding balance, why were they waiting 1yr and 2mos later to let me know. I thanked them for the time it took to make up such emails, obviously trying to get money from loyal players that pretty much had no way of ever playing there again. I know the whole US ban put a strain on some casinos but to go that far with it was absolutely absurd.

I have never, ever, ever, received an email like that before. I about fell out of my chair...after pissin' my pants. Who the hell did they think they were?

Needless to say that was the first and last email I ever got from them. If I was GUARANTEED to hit a million dollars on my first spin, I still wouldn't even download that software!!! And you can BELIEVE THAT!!!

Good Job BLOWDOG!

[jinnia]

casinofav, the bodog account, was it one you had registered to play for fun?

[pacers31]

Not sure where NL is casinofav, but if you are in the US, there isn't a damn thing bodog can do to get the money unless you give it to them. Since gambling is illegal at the federal level here, no court will side with bodog since illegal contracts are unenforceable. The email is just a threat by calvin and his cronies to see if you will get scared and pay them. It is so sad that the only weapon a US player has against some of these idiot casinos is to charge back transactions. I wouldn't worry about it, keep an eye on your credit report and if something does show up dispute it with the credit bureau. You cannot be held liable for any illegal financial activity with online casinos. Good luck!

[Mr. Bernds]

but if you are in the US, there isn't a damn thing bodog can do to get the money unless you give it to them.

And you should really remember those words when a group of unnaturaly tall men speaking with eastern european accents is knocking at your door next week...

OK, not funny

[pokeraddict]

If you are in the U.S. (which you may not be since the transaction was in Euros) then the Fair Credit Reporting Act forbids them from doing anything they claim they can do. If they continue to harrass you you need to send them a drop dead letter and after that if they continue you sue them. The judgement will be worthless until maybe the day their business is legitimized. If their business ever becomes legitimized in the U.S. your judgement by default will still be valid and they will owe you the judgement plus interest and costs.

Below is the drop dead letter:

http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/cat...2/103/358/399/

(Date)

To Whom It May Concern:

I have been contacted by your company about a debt you allege I owe. I am instructing you not to contact me further in connection with this debt. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a federal law, you may not contact me further once I have notified you not to do so.

Sincerely,

(Name)

(Account No.)

Obviously they don't care about federal law now, but they may one day and your legal action would have to be something they clear up. All of this assumes you can prove this was a fraud which it sounds like you can.